Russell Westbrook picked up from where he left off last season with his 80th career triple-double while Paul George and Carmelo Anthony were both impressive as the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the New York Knicks, 105-84, Thursday in their season-opener at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Westbrook, who tallied 42 triple-doubles in the regular season en route to the MVP trophy last season, recorded 21 points, 16 assists, and 10 rebounds while George led the Thunder in scoring with 28 points. Anthony, for his part, scored 22 points against his former team while Steven Adams tallied 12 points and 16 boards for the Thunder, who cashed in on the Knicks’ 26 turnovers by turning them into 37 points.
Kristaps Porzingis scored 31 points and 12 boards while Enes Kanter tallied 10 points and grabbed seven boards for the Knicks. Aside from Porzingis and Kanter, no other Knick scored in double figures with Courtney Lee adding nine markers.
Slow start for new 'Big 3'
It took a while for the new Thunder “Big 3” to jell but George scored 13, Anthony added four and Westbrook had five points and two assists to give Oklahoma City a 27-24 lead. In the second quarter, they found their groove, with George finishing the first half with 17 points, Anthony had 15 and Westbrook 12 as the Thunder cruised to a 53-42 advantage. The Knick never posed a huge challenge in the second half as the Thunder cruised to victory.
Anthony: Chapter as a Knick now closed
After the game, Anthony said that his chapter as a Knick is closed and it’s time to move on with his new team. The Knicks traded Anthony to the Thunder for Kanter, Doug McDermott, and a second-round draft pick. Anthony hugged several of his former teammates, including Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr., before the game and coach Jeff Hornacek during the halftime break.
The Thunder, for their part, welcomed back Kanter and McDermott with a message on the big board.
In his two-plus seasons with the Thunder, Kanter played 180 games, averaging 14.3 points and 6.7 rebounds in 72 games as a backup to Adams. McDermott finished with four points on 2-of-5 shooting in 24 minutes against the Thunder.
Knicks rookie Frank Ntilikina played just eight minutes, missing all of his two attempts and had one assist. Knicks veteran forward Michael Beasley, who was signed in the offseason, played just one minute when he suffered a left ankle injury after landing on Westbrook’s foot in the first quarter following a jumper.
