Recap: New York vs. Oklahoma City
Sports Network | November 14, 2008
New York, NY (Sports Network) - Zach Randolph poured in a season-high in points and rebounds with 29 and 19, respectively, and the New York Knicks held off the Oklahoma City Thunder, 116-106, at Madison Square Garden.
Jamal Crawford also dropped 29 points and doled out seven assists for the Knicks, who have won two in a row and five of their last six contests. David Lee had 18 points off the bench and Nate Robinson had 15 in the win.
Kevin Durant had 23 points, his fifth 20-plus game of the season, for the Thunder, who have let six in a row slip away. Russell Westbrook chipped in 19 points and 10 boards off the bench, while Robert Swift hauled in 13 boards.
The Knicks jumped out to a 37-20 lead after the first quarter of play. The 37 points set a season-high and tied a Knicks record for most points in a quarter.
Robinson's three-pointer gave the Knicks a 44-20 lead with 10:53 remaining before halftime.
New York still clung to a 24-point lead, 68-44, at the intermission.
Quentin Richardson's three-pointer opened an 81-52 New York lead with 8:50 left in the third quarter.
The Knicks' lead hovered in the 20s for the majority of the third frame, but two Westbrook free throws and a layup pulled the Thunder within 93-77 heading into the final stanza.
Down by 17 midway through the fourth quarter, Jeff Green went 2-of-2 from the line, Westbrook sunk a layup and Swift nailed a jumper from the baseline to pull the visitors within 100-89 with 7:17 left in regulation.
Lee interjected with a free throw, but Green poured in a couple of buckets and Westbrook had a dunk, compared to just a free throw from Randolph for the Knicks, to get within 102-95 with 5:14 left.
However, New York got four quick points from Crawford to up its lead to 106-95 with 3:21 showing on the clock, which gave the Knicks enough of a lead to last through the final buzzer.
The Thunder, for the first time this season, scored 100 points in a game...New York went 7-of-27 from three-point range, while Oklahoma City was 1-for-7 from downtown...Seattle/Oklahoma City won both meetings with New York last year and was unbeaten in its previous two trips to the Big Apple.
