OKLAHOMA CITY – It’s a dirty dozen for the Knicks and a big 5-0.
If the Knicks’ 11-game winning streak needed further validation, they got it in the biggest possible way today at the raucous Chesapeake Energy Arena.
In this loud building, the Knicks quieted any of their remaining critics that they are not for real. They held off Oklahoma City’s late charge as J.R. Smith hit two late daggers to give the Knicks an exhilarating 125-120 shootout victory.
It was their 12th straight and gives them their first 50-win season since 1999-2000.
The Knicks (50-26) were up 7 going into the fourth but OKC tied it with 5:00 left before the Knicks held them off.
Carmelo Anthony outplayed Kevin Durant, scoring 36 points and grabbing 12 rebounds to Kevin Durant’s 27. But Smith made the two biggest shots late to finally kill the defending Western Conference champions. Smith finished with 22 points.
“It was huge,” Tyson Chandler said of Smith’s 3-point shot. “He’s becoming one of the deadliest scorers in the league.”
The Knicks moved their magic number to one game of clinching the Atlantic Division title. They have now beaten both Miami and OKC during the streak, though the Heat didn’t play LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
OKC was within 115-113 when Smith buried a right-wing jumper. After Russell Westbrook missed, Raymond Felton, while falling down, managed to guide the ball to Smith behind the 3-point stripe. Smith nailed the trey to put the Knicks up 120-113 to seal it.
“He can make tough shots like that,” Anthony said of Smith. “Sometimes I think he likes to take the tougher shots over the easier shots and that shot was a nail in the coffin.””
Returning to form, Tyson Chandler had a big night with 15 points as the Knicks survived without Kenyon Martin. Melo’s record-tying scoring streak ended at three games but that was hardly important.
Backup point guard Reggie Jackson torched the Knicks in the fourth quarter, four straight drives to the basket for layups with Westbook on the bench. On another foray, he dumped it to Durant for a short jumper.
The Knicks were up nine on the OKC at the half, 65-56, in an impressive showing. Copeland gave the team a giant boost with 13 points in 14:28, making 5 of 7 shots, inside and out, barreling to the basket and hitting two-pointers. The Knicks outscored OKC 35-25 in the second period.
“I was most impressed with the way we just held our composure,” Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. “It was like an old-school shootout, with all the offense that was displayed tonight. For our team it was a great win.”
Melo also came on late in the second quarter after a string in which he had missed seven straight shots and had early foul trouble. Instead he closed out the half by making five straight and finishing with 15 points.
OKC led 31-30 after one period despite Melo’s struggles. Melo hit his first two shots – both jumpers – then went seven straight attempts without a bucket. Two of his inside shots were blocked by the great Serge Ibaka, who finished with four rejections in the first period.
After a strong Knicks start, OKC went on a 14-2 run to grab a 21-14 lead with 4:55 left in the first quarter. Jason Kidd shot the Knicks back in it, sinking three straight 3-pointers in four-minute span as the Knicks closed to 24-23. Kidd also stole the ball from Martin, and Felton scored on an offensive rebound after Kidd finally missed.
Kidd then fed Copeland on the fastbreak to put the Knicks in the lead 30-29 with 40 seconds left in the period.
Durant was relatively quiet too, and didn’t have an official shot attempt in the first quarter. He had 3 points – all free throws. Durant lived at the free-throw line and finished with 12 at halftime – half coming on free throws.
Melo came back into the game midway through the second quarter and blew past Durant for a dunk on his first touch. Then he faked a turnaround with Durant hounding him and whipped it to Copeland, who cut to the basket for a driving layup to give the Knicks a 49-42 lead. Copeland had 10 points in his first 10 minutes of action, making 4 of 5 hoops, driving hard to the basket.
Melo finished the half making his last five shots and had 15 points (5 of 12), including an offensive putback and jumper over Durant.