The Knicks entered the Chesapeake Energy Center Arena in Oklahoma City, on an 11-game win streak. The two teams are both currently in second place in the standings of each conference. But they also have the two leading scorers in the NBA, Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant.
Durant has won the scoring title three consecutive years, with the potential for a fourth. But Anthony is putting up a late season push for the title. In the past four games he has scored 167 points, including a 36 point performance against the Thunder, Sunday.
Anthony captured the scoring lead after this performance against Durant himself. The race for the scoring title is close between the two and will likely come down to last game of the season. It would be hard to imagine Anthony not finishing strong especially with the way he has been playing in the month of April till this point.
After struggling the past couple months, Anthony and the Knicks have found their groove. They also picked a great time to find it, right before the playoffs. The Knicks have only 6 games left in the season to continue their streak. They are also one win away from winning their first Division title since 1994.
But this was an important game for the Knicks who needed to prove themselves and show that they are here to contend.
“This is probably 1 of the biggest wins we’ve had in a long time” @carmeloanthony #Knicks
— NBA New York Knicks (@nyknicks) April 7, 2013
People questioned them after squeezing by a wounded Heat team that didn’t see Lebron James or Dwayne Wade take the floor. This game was crucial and showed the rest of the teams in the Eastern Conference that they are here to take care of business. The teams next game is against the Wizards on Tuesday at the Garden.
