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New York Knicks: Five keys to defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder on Dec. 16

By Maxwell Ogden

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK- OCTOBER 19: Carmelo Anthony #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks hug after the game on October 19, 2017 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch Sr./NBAE via Getty Images)
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK- OCTOBER 19: Carmelo Anthony #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks hug after the game on October 19, 2017 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch Sr./NBAE via Getty Images) /
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CHICAGO, IL – DECEMBER 09: Jarrett Jack #55 of the New York Knicks dribbles the ball in the first quarter against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on December 9, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL – DECEMBER 09: Jarrett Jack #55 of the New York Knicks dribbles the ball in the first quarter against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on December 9, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

Offense: Ball Movement

The New York Knicks are about to face one of the best defensive teams in the NBA. Even if Kristaps Porzingis is able to play and Tim Hardaway Jr. miraculously returns—the latter of which isn’t happening—the Knicks would have the same key on offense.

Against one of the best defensive teams in the Association, the Knicks can either commit to moving the ball or fall victim to their own egos.

Along the perimeter, the Oklahoma City Thunder are anchored by two of the best on-ball defenders in the game today: Paul George and Andre Roberson. Both are positionally versatile, both have been named All-Defense, and both take pride in locking the opposition down.

Add a defensively revitalized Russell Westbrook and a physical anchor in Steven Adams, and the Knicks are going to have a tough time finding matchups to exploit.

If New York commits to moving the ball, it will have a much easier time of generating enough offense to potentially win this home game. That’s proven true throughout the 2017-18 season, as it’s averaging 24.1 assists per game during victories and 21.9 assists per game during losses.

More importantly: New York is 12-6 when it records at least 21 assists, and 3-7 in the 10 games during which it tallies 20 or less—a telling statistic.

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