NEW YORK, N.
Garry Gilliam Womens Jersey .Y. -
Kevin Durant scored 29 points, Russell Westbrook had a triple-double by the
middle of the third quarter, and the Oklahoma City Thunder rolled to a 123-94
victory Wednesday over the New York Knicks, who played without Carmelo Anthony.
The Durant-Anthony showdown between the NBAs top two scorers was cancelled
because of Anthonys sprained left ankle, so the Thunder had the Christmas
spotlight all to themselves while winning for the 10th time in 11 games.
Westbrook finished with 14 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in his first
triple-double of the season and seventh of his career. Serge Ibaka added 24
points on 10-of-14 shooting. Amare Stoudemire scored a season-high 22 points,
and Tim Hardaway Jr. had 21 for the Knicks, who also were missing starting point
guard Raymond Felton. J.R. Smith scored 20 points, but shot 8 for 22 and was
booed when he left the court for good. Anthony was forced to sit out for the
first time this season. The Knicks were never really in it without him and may
not have had a chance with him the way the Thunder played. The Knicks not only
had trouble with the Thunder, but also with the special edition sleeved jerseys
NBA teams are wearing on Christmas. Beno Udrih hit the side of the backboard on
two shot attempts in the first half, tugging on his sleeve after the second as
if blaming his struggles on his equipment. Oklahoma City had a much easier time
in the uniforms. Coach Scott Brooks said before the game the Thunder hadnt had a
formal practice in them, but players had shot around the last few days in the
jerseys that featured a giant logo in the middle of the chest and jersey numbers
on the left sleeve. "They look great. Hopefully, we play well in them," Brooks
said. They played superbly. Coming off a 104-98 loss to Toronto on Sunday that
ended a nine-game winning streak and was their first setback at home this
season, they shot 54 per cent and got 18 points from Reggie Jackson. Durant made
all five shots in the first quarter, with the Thunder leading 35-29 after
shooting 70 per cent. Ja