Knicks vs. Thunder: Pregame Primer

vs.

Knicks (49-26, 21-16 road) vs. Thunder (56-20, 33-5 home)

TV: ABC
Stream: Click here
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 97.1 FM Tulsa)
Time: 12:00 CT

Offensive Rating: Thunder – 112.4 (2nd), Knicks– 110.6 (3rd)
Defensive Rating: Thunder – 102.4 (4th), Knicks – 105.9 (16th)
Pace: Thunder – 93.4 (8th), Knicks – 89.6 (26th)

View from the enemy: Knickerblogger

OK, so yeah, getting a win is the most important thing. The Thunder having more points than the Knicks, not one Thunder player having more than one Knicks player, is the biggest part about the game. But come on, it wouldn’t be so bad for KD to get his AND for the Thunder to win, now would it?

The Knicks are rolling right now, but the Thunder are coming off their most impressive sequence of the season, beating the Spurs and Pacers on back-to-back nights. OKC’s great at home, and if they can continue this recent surge, it would be another impressive statement as the playoffs near.

New York coming in: The Knicks have won 11 straight, including a beatdown of the Bucks on Friday.

Three Big Things

1. Melo and KD. Forget the scoring crown. This matchup is big just in the sense that it’s two awesome players going at each other.

2. Perimeter D. The Knicks live and die by the 3. They shoot a lot of them and when they start going in, they become really difficult to beat. J.R. Smith, Melo, Steve Novak, Jason Kidd — there are a bunch of guys capable of hitting three or four.

3. Home enthusiasm. These noon start times sometimes bring out some laziness, but with the Knicks being an older, slower team, a fast start that gets the blood flowing early could be enough to put things away quickly.

Tip at 12:00 CT. Go Points.