Thunder 123, Knicks 94: Russell Westbrook recorded his eighth career triple-double, including the playoffs, and Kevin Durant poured in 29 points as visiting Oklahoma City sent New York to the worst Christmas Day home loss in NBA history.
Serge Ibaka added 24 points and Reggie Jackson added 18 off the bench for the Thunder, who have won 18 of their last 20 games. Westbrook finished with 14 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in just 29 minutes before watching the rest of the blowout from the bench.
Amar'e Stoudemire scored 22 points to pace the Knicks, who were without leading scorer Carmelo Anthony (ankle) and point guard Raymond Felton (groin). Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 21 points and J.R. Smith added 20 for New York.
The Thunder scored the first nine points of the second quarter to open a 15-point lead and the margin didn't dip into single digits the rest of the way. The Knicks pulled within 60-50 early in the third, but Westbrook scored at both ends of an 11-3 burst to stretch it back out and Oklahoma City coasted from there.
Westbrook was just 1-of-7 from the floor in the first half but Durant and Ibaka combined for 37 points as the Thunder built a 60-46 halftime advantage. It was tied at 18 midway with 5:11 left in the first quarter, but Oklahoma City outscored New York 12-4 over the next three minutes to take control.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Westbrook is the fifth player in NBA history to record a triple-double on Christmas Day, joining Oscar Robertson, John Havlicek, Billy Cunningham and LeBron James. … Oklahoma City improved to 19-2, including the playoffs, when Ibaka scores at least 19 points. … The Knicks fell to 0-9 against Western Conference teams, including an 0-6 mark at home.
Oklahoma City | New York | |
Kevin Durant 29 | Scoring | Amar'e Stoudemire 22 |
Russell Westbrook 10 | Assists | Beno Udrih 6 |
Russell Westbrook 13 | Rebounds | Tyson Chandler 9 |
Kevin Durant 5 | Free Throws Made | Tim Hardaway Jr. 3 |
Kevin Durant 2 | Steals | Tyson Chandler 2 |
Nick Collison 1 | Blocks | Cole Aldrich 1 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Oklahoma City | 123 | 53.6 | 13-24 | 20-26 | 32 | 46 | 3 | 8 | 10 |
New York | 94 | 42.2 | 6-23 | 12-19 | 23 | 42 | 2 | 5 | 12 |