NEW YORK – The Thunder is a young team from an age standpoint, but amongst its veteran core there is a wealth of knowledge. On Tuesday night, the Thunder leaned on that crunch time experience and the battles it has faced to take a 128-122 overtime victory over the New York Knicks.
The Knicks seemed to control most of the game, despite the 22 ties and 20 lead changes that created a ping-pong match on the scoreboard. A massive Thunder run in the fourth quarter helped Head Coach Billy Donovan’s club get back into it, and then in the extra period, experienced playmakers Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook took over.
“Those are the times when you have to be the most calm,” Durant said. “It’s the toughest part of the game. You can’t be too tense or too anxious or too eager to try to win the game. You have to be calm and trust the work you put in.”
Westbrook got to the rim on a driving lefty layup to start overtime, and after Kristaps Porzingis made one free throw, Durant hit a runner in the lane and then made one free throw to put the Thunder up 118-114.
New York’s Aaron Afflalo was fouled at the end of the shot clock and made two free throws, but Serge Ibaka responded with a huge put-back layup. Again the Knicks answered, with Langston Galloway hitting an absurd 3-pointer with one second left on the shot clock to make it 120-119 Thunder with 1:43 to go.
Durant missed a three after a timeout, but Dion Waiters forced Afflalo into a miss and Westbrook pushed the tempo and drained a mid-range jumper. The teams traded stops until there was too little time left for the Knicks to make a defensive stand, and the Thunder knocked down six free throws to seal the win. Durant finished with 44 points, 14 rebounds and five assists, while Westbrook added 30 points, eight rebounds, 10 assists and three steals.
The Thunder let New York get hot early, and in the NBA, against that level of talent, that’s something Donovan’s team can’t afford to do. The 34 points the Knicks scored in the first quarter weren’t more than what the Thunder racked up over the first 12 minutes, but when the home team sees the ball go in the basket early on, it can make a huge impact on how the rest of the game goes. Fortunately, Donovan’s club was able to clamp down in the fourth quarter and overtime.
“They made a lot of two-point shots and we broke down a lot on shot fake discipline,” Donovan said. “We got hurt in transition and they shot the ball well from the 3-point line.”
“We did a much better job in the fourth quarter defensively and we did a really good job in overtime,” Donovan continued.
Watch Highlights:
Fourth Quarter Flurry
The Knicks had all the momentum heading into the fourth quarter, then scored the first eight points to start the final period, forcing Donovan to call two timeouts. It was 99-88 Knicks just a few minutes into the quarter, and the Thunder was on the ropes.
Some life came for the Thunder in the form of rookie Cameron Payne, who responded with a kick-out three, then after an Afflalo jumper, the point guard hit another three. Westbrook got fouled and hit two free throws and Afflalo made another jumper, which would the last Knicks points for the next four minutes. On the ensuing possession, Durant hit a three, then Westbrook got to the rim for a layup on the next trip.
A few possessions later, Westbrook put in some incredible defensive work on Afflalo to draw an offensive foul on the block, then Durant drew a foul on a 3-point attempt, tying the game at 104 with 4:17 to go, capping a 17-4 run.
“We were just trying to be patient. They made a run but we’ve been there before. We have older guys who know what to do. We did a good job of playing the right way,” Westbrook said. “It helps you remain calm, regardless of what’s going on.”
It was harrowing in the Garden for the final few minutes, with the Knicks going up 113-109 with 59 seconds to go, but on consecutive pin-down actions, the Thunder came up with a put-back by Ibaka and then a Durant 13-foot leaner.
“Those guys did a great job of setting screens and Kevin made some big shots,” Westbrook said.
“We got (Durant) on a lot of wide pin downs, curling, screening action,” Donovan explained. “Our guys did a good job of executing out of timeouts. We got good looks and with movement he got himself free in space.”
Westbrook came charging over on the Knicks’ final possession, helping Dion Waiters force Afflalo into a miss, which ensured overtime.
By the Numbers
4-for-5 - Three-point shooting numbers for Cameron Payne, whose 12 points helped spark the Thunder in the fourth quarter
17 – Rebounds for Serge Ibaka, tying a season-high for any Thunder player, in addition to 12 points
31 – Fast break points for the Thunder, on 12-for-16 shooting
The Last Word
“It’s a big win for us. We put ourselves in a bad position but we did a good job of closing it out.” - point guard Russell Westbrook