When the New York Knicks selected Kristaps Porzingis with the 4th overall pick in the 2015 National Basketball Association draft, many were left scratching their heads, and vocal Knicks fans were quick to voice their displeasure with the pick, but there was someone in the league who liked it: Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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But the New Zealander finished the game strongly and ended up playing 35 minutes alongside Kevin Durant, who had a mammoth 44 points and 14 rebounds.
He scored 20 points in the last 11:29, hit the shot that forced overtime and made four free throws in the final 24.8 seconds of the extra period to ice the game. Thunder C Steven Adams (elbow) sat the last two games and is not expected to play on Tuesday.2.
Bucks 107, Magic 100: Giannis Antetokounmpo dunked eight times and scored 25 points as Milwaukee, with coach Jason Kidd back on the bench, sent Orlando to its seventh straight loss. Guard Langston Galloway came off the bench to lead NY with a season-high 21 points.
Rookie backup point guard Cameron Payne was particularly impressive with 12 points-all of which came from beyond the arc.
The Knicks opened the fourth quarter on an 8-0 run to give them a 99-88 lead, the largest advantage for either team in the game.
NY appeared to snatch the momentum back after getting baskets from Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick Williams which put the home team up 113-109 with only 59 seconds left, but OKC wasn’t done fighting. The Knicks almost won it, but Afflalo’s turnaround jumper from the corner went in and out just before the buzzer.
Dion Waiters started for third time of the season due to a sprained right knee sidelined Andre Roberson.
Knicks: Anthony missed his fifth game of the season.
Anthony began feeling pain in his surgically repaired knee last week after NY played a double-overtime and an overtime game.
Obviously, having All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony, who played just 40 games in 2014-15, is a huge boost, but the Knicks basically gutted their roster when it became obvious they were headed for the lottery.
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However, with Phil Jackson now running the team as president, coach Derek Fisher at the helm and a potential “Big Three” consisting of Anthony, Porzingis and Durant – if the latter does sign on this summer – then the Knicks will gain the power needed to fight their way through.
