The Thunders began their regular season with a win against the New York Knicks 105-84. It is their first regular-season game with All-star additions Carmelo Anthony and Paul George. In an interview with the CBS Sports, Anthony shared that he was used to going up against Westbrook while he was playing for the New York Knicks last season. Now that he is on the other side of the team with him, he is looking forward of what benefits he can reap from the game. He is excited about the team play that they started during Thursday's game and where they will be heading this season.
Meanwhile, George, who was previously playing in the Indiana Pacers, said that the game was great and that it came out so easily. With Westbrook opening shots for him, it was only going to make him better. Throughout the game, the Thunders were able to keep their lead from the first until the fourth quarter scoring 27-24, 26-18, 26-17, and 26-25. The Oklahoma City Thunders wrapped up their game with a 21 point advantage (105-84). The Thunders performed with a total of 43.3 percent field goals, 28.9 percent in the 3 point range and 72.7 percent free throws against the Nuggets with 40.5 percent total field goals, 29.2 percent 3 point shots and 68.4 percent free throws.
Paul George led the Thunders with a score of 28 points
George led the Thunders' victory with a score of 28 points (9/23 FG, 6/13 3Pt, and 4/4 FT), six rebounds, one assist, and one personal foul in 39 minutes. Followed by his Carmelo Anthony collecting 22 points (8/20 FG, 3/10 3Pt, and 3/5 FT), one rebound, and four personal fouls in 33 minutes.
Likewise, Russell Westbrook scored 21 points (7/12 FG, 0/1 3Pt, and 7/10 FT), 10 rebounds, 16 assists, and four personal fouls also in 33 minutes. Westbrook took the fewest shots out of his new "Big Three" teammates but the reigning MVP made sure he involved his team producing 16 assists - a feat he did seven times last year.
Now we will have to wait and see if this trend will continue on this season.
Despite the loss, Kristaps Porzingis of the Knicks scored 31 points
Porzingis scored 31 points (11-25 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 7-9 FT), 12 rebounds, one assist, and three personal fouls in 38 minutes during the Thursday game against the Thunders. Enes Kanter trailed behind with a score of 10 points (5-10 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 0-0 FT), seven rebounds, one assist, and one personal foul alongside Courtney Lee scoring 9 points (4-9 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 1-1 FT), two rebounds and three assists. Kristaps Porzingis stood out in his debut for the regular season against his former teammate Anthony. It is encouraging that he took 25 shots compared to his 14.9 per game last season. He continues to efficiently produce points for the team alongside Enes Kanter and Tim Hardaway Jr.
