The Knickerbockers are looking to punch back-to-back wins here. They just took down the second-best team in the league—San Antonio—last Sunday, 94-90, ending a disappointing five-game homestand on a positive note.
Carmelo Anthony’s 25 points, 21 of which came in the second half alone, led New York to the eventual upset while also moving up to No. 25 in the NBA’s all-time scoring list. He’s still playing well despite all the swirling rumors about potentially being traded for Kevin Love in Cleveland.
The former Nuggets star has dropped 26 or more points in his last four games, boosting his scoring average for this month to 24.0 PPG. But the Knicks are only 2-4 SU and ATS in February even with quality production from Anthony, as well as Kristaps Porzingis who finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and four blocks against the Spurs.
The reason for that can be seen on the other side of the floor, where New York ranks 25th in both defensive efficiency and points allowed. It’s worth noting, though, that the Knicks held San Antonio to 90 points on below 40 percent shooting. The question now is: can they do it again?
It’s not OK in OKC now. The Thunder have lost three of their previous four contests, including back-to-back blowouts to the Warriors and Wizards. The latter game was another harsh reminder of Oklahoma City’s biggest problem: Russell Westbrook can’t win every game for them.
Westbrook, the league’s triple-double leader this season, mightily struggled against Washington, going 5-for-19 from the field to tie a season-low of 17 points. Meanwhile, no other starter managed to finish with at least 10 points. And copying some words from Kobe Bryant, the Thunder defense was “as soft as Charmin”. They allowed the Wizards 101 points after just three quarters.
The Thunder have to tighten and focus more on defense moving forward, especially in tonight’s home game against the Knicks who have the firepower to light up the scoreboard. If not, they can probably still win it through another MVP-type performance from Westbrook since the opposition also carries a habit of giving away points this season.
OKC, which puts up 105.8 points per outing, is 8-2 SU and ATS in its last 10 home games.
