Paul George has been on a hot streak shooting as of late and that didn’t stop at all tonight. Paul put the team on his back and didn’t look back at all. Once Russell Westbrook was ruled out for tonight’s game Paul George, Dennis Schroder, and Steven Adams were ready to step up. This was one of the best games collectively from the Oklahoma City Thunder all season. Paul George led the way with 35 points on 13-22 shooting from the field and looked unstoppable. Paul George aka PG-13 was in a zone that not too many people get to experience in life. It seemed like he was in heat check mode all night and was in a groove that even his teammates were able to witness. Paul George was dunking, assisting, shooting, and hustling all night long. The Thunder played as a team and it was special to watch. When OKC plays like this and the ball movement and moving like it did tonight against the Knicks this team is unstoppable.
The Thunder finished the game with 32 assists and some of those were on some serious alley oops that PG-13 finished. This team is having fun and it showed tonight in the game against the Knicks. Steven Adams was another player that was able to flourish in this game as he dominated the paint in back to back games now. Steven Adams finished with 19 points and 7 rebounds against his old teammate/stache brother Enes Kanter. Steven Adams has been the most consistent player for the Oklahoma City Thunder all season and that has a lot to do with the fact the NBA has gone small. Steven Adams has been able to dominate the paint and his matchup for the majority of the season. Dennis Schroder has grown in this system a lot over the time since his arrival and you can see his growth through his play on the court. Schroder knows where Adams and George will be on every play and knows how to draw the defense in so that he can find them. Schroder had 15 points and 12 assists on the night and was a problem for any Knicks defender they put in front of him. Schroder has been able to fill in for Russell Westbrook while he’s been injured and has been able to direct this team on and off the court with leadership.
The Thunder had 5 players in double figures and have figured out how to operate as a team. The ball movement has been amazing and Billy Donovan has done a great job with rotations getting the best out of Diallo, Noel, and Abrines. The Thunder have won 9 out of the last 10 games and have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA all season. The Knicks ran into a hot team and weren’t able to put out the fire that was OKC tonight. Tim Hardaway Jr and Enes Kanter combined for 39 points tonight and were the bright spots for the Knicks. Trier was able to add 10 points off the bench as he is a young promising talent that will emerge for them in the coming weeks. Trier has the special talent that can compliment Hardaway Jr and Kanter on a nightly basis. Overall the Knicks will drop to 4-11 on the season but will continue to try to climb the ladder in the East after this loss to the Thunder.
Oklahoma City will play the Phoenix Suns on Saturday trying to make it 10 wins in the last 11. The Thunder beat the Suns the other night 118-101 and will look to repeat that.
Photo Credit: Photo by Zach Beeker
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