The New York Knicks and the Oklahoma City Thunder are playing on the NBA schedule from OKC and the game will not have Kevin Durant suiting up against Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis, as he is out with an injury. The game starts at 8 pm ET and will be from Chesapeake Energy Arena as the Knicks open up a road trip.
The Knicks have started the season 6-6 and that has give fans in New York some hope, as the team did not get their sixth win of the season until January. The Knicks may not win a championship this year, but they surely can make the playoffs in the east and the play of rookie Kristaps Porzingis has made fans very enthusiastic. Porzingis and Carmelo Anthony have played well together and Porzingis comes into the game on Friday after putting up a career best 29 points.
Durant will be out on Friday night for the Thunder with a hamstring injury and he has missed the last four games for the team. Durant may return for the Thunder on Sunday against Dallas and now New York gets the chance to match up with the Thunder without KD in the lineup. The Knicks haven't won three straight games for nearly a year and the team will have to try and shut down Russell Westbrook to do it after he put up two straight games with 40 points.
The Thunder have gone 2-2 without Durant and the Knicks are hoping to start their road trip with a victory after winning at home against the Hornets. Westbrook and the Thunder come in after a win against the Pelicans and Westbrook had 43 points in that game along with nine rebounds and eight assists. Westbrook has played well without Durant over the last year and while the Thunder obviously want Durant back in the lineup, the team has proven they can win without him.
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Carmelo Anthony is leading the Knicks in scoring while averaging 23 points per game and he is looking to stay healthy this year after having knee surgery last season. Porzingis has injected some excitement and some hope into the Knicks and now the team will take the show on the road to OKC. The Knicks have won three of the last five games and they are now 6-6 on the season. The team has some tough road games ahead against Houston and Miami and after that the team plays the Magic.
