Paul George Excellent as Thunder Rout Kevin Knox, Knicks
It was no Russell Westbrook and no problem once again for the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.
Oklahoma City defeated the New York Knicks 128-103 at Chesapeake Energy Arena and moved to 9-1 in its last 10 games. The team is 4-1 since Westbrook suffered an ankle injury during a Nov. 5 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Paul George led the way in Westbrook's absence with 35 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals, while Steven Adams (19 points, seven rebounds and five assists) and Dennis Schroder (15 points and 12 assists) provided support.
Knicks rookie Kevin Knox made his first career start and finished with 15 points and five boards, while Tim Hardaway Jr. (20 points) and Enes Kanter (19 points) spearheaded the visitors' attack.
PG13 and Adams Talented Enough to Lead Thunder to Playoffs Without Russ
Many teams across the league would be in serious trouble if they lost their MVP to injury, even early in the season.
The Thunder are not one of those teams.
They can thank George and Adams for that distinction, as they continued to drive their success with Westbrook sidelined. George in particular averaged 22.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.5 steals a night in the prior four games without No. 0 and has stuffed the stat sheet as an all-around threat.
He elevated his game again and is playing much like he did with the Indiana Pacers as a defensive leader who matches up with the opponent's best wing option on one end while carrying the offense on the other.
George is doing all this as the primary focus of opposing defenses without Westbrook to attract attention by bulldozing his way into the lane and either finishing at the rim or setting up his teammates.
It's easy to forget George is a five-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA selection and three-time All-Defensive selection capable of carrying a team on his own with Westbrook generating much of the coverage, but he has proved it during this November stretch.
He isn't doing it alone, though, as Adams averaged 16.5 points and 10.8 rebounds a night in the previous four games and has been a double-double machine who gives George someone to throw to on the blocks. That forces the defense to collapse, which helps the surrounding shooters who are spacing the floor.
Adams is also controlling the boards and helping cut off penetration when opposing ball-handlers get past the short-handed backcourt. Entering Wednesday, opponents were shooting 3.1 percent worse than their normal averages when he defended them inside six feet, per NBA.com.
This is not to say the Thunder don't need Westbrook to reach their ultimate goal.
The Western Conference is loaded with contenders with the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, the Portland Trail Blazers, the Denver Nuggets, the San Antonio Spurs, and more, and Oklahoma City will surely need Westbrook as an individual game-changer who can take over in the closing moments of tightly contested playoff battles.
However, the inside-outside combination of George and Adams is enough to propel the Thunder into the playoffs, meaning there is no need for Westbrook to rush back.
It is far more important that the 2016-17 MVP is healthy and ready to go come April than November and December, and the two other foundational pieces in place allow OKC the luxury of taking its time with Westbrook's recovery.
Kevin Knox Can't Make Knicks Competitive Yet
The Knicks aren't a title contender. In fact, they aren't even a playoff contender, and that was perfectly clear on the road against Oklahoma City.
Alas, it is far more important that Knox develops into a capable building block rather than challenges for wins at this stage of the rebuild. The No. 9 overall pick out of Kentucky is working his way back from a sprained ankle, and he checked off a milestone Wednesday with his first career start.
"It was better for me because I got to see the game from a different angle, a different view, be able to watch the game and then be able to come in the game and contribute," Knox said when discussing coming off the bench, per Steve Popper of Newsday. "It was pretty good, but I think that helped me a lot as well, just playing hard and competing in practice as well as on the court. That's kind of why coach said he put me back in, because I've been playing really well, playing hard defensively and offensively."
He may have been playing well and coming off a career-high 17 points on Sunday against the Orlando Magic, but he was inconsistent at best against the Thunder. He forced the issue at times and finished 5-of-16 from the field with three turnovers even though he isn't a primary ball-handler.
He still has work to do in terms of making the Knicks a viable contender, and he will need pieces around him in the near future.
Kristaps Porzingis will be one of those pieces seeing how he is only 23 years old. What's more, New York figures to finish with a favorable draft pick without its foundational big man playing at this point in the season as he recovers from a torn ACL.
There are also free-agency whispers, as Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports appeared on FS1's Undisputed and suggested the Knicks could land Kevin Durant this offseason.
The combination of Porzingis, a top draft pick, Knox and someone like Durant would make New York an instant contender in an Eastern Conference no longer featuring LeBron James.
However, Knox is the only one in that equation taking the court in Orange and Blue for the time being, and that isn't good enough to compete with the vast majority of the league.
What's Next?
Both teams are on the road for their next game, with the Knicks facing the Pelicans on Friday and the Thunder playing the Phoenix Suns on Saturday.
