Knicks vs. Thunder game notes: Is latest lineup experiment already over?

Knicks game notes and observations return after yet another blowout loss; this time to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

For the third consecutive game, the New York Knicks were at the losing end of a blowout. The Toronto Raptors and Orlando Magic dominated them in back-to-back nights, and two days off wouldn’t make a difference Wednesday night.

In a route from start to finish, the Thunder pulverized the Knicks, 128-103. Without Russell Westbrook, Paul George had 35 points and Steven Adams dominated the paint to lead the way.

It was a problematic night in Oklahoma City, but not without takeaways from the night, some of which stem from the previous two games.

• The Knicks lose wire to wire for the second straight game.
• The Knicks, once again, showed little effort on the defensive end. They gave up uncontested shots to the Magic Sunday and let George, Adams and almost every Thunder player have their moments.
• Head coach David Fizdale will probably never find a perfect lineup. The unit will either trend too much towards scoring or defense and leave the other in shambles. That happened Wednesday with Emmanuel Mudiay and Kevin Knox as starters.
• Though, could there be more lineup changes on the way? This unit did little to warrant staying together, but it was also their first game.
• As long as Enes Kanter mans the second unit, it will be a struggle defensively, too. Adams looked unstoppable against him, although Mitchell Robinson faired no better.
• Even as Robinson works through rookie issues, he should remain a starter for growth and defensive purposes.
• Knox continues to shoot inefficiently. Still not past 10 games in the NBA, he went just 4-for-15 from the field.

• Another rough offensive night for Frank Ntilikina, with four points and two assists in 21 minutes. His defense remains strong, but there’s still a spotlight on his development as a more aggressive scorer, which hasn’t happened.
• The Thunder shot 16-for-33 from behind the arc, and 12 of the made shots came from the starting lineup.
• Dennis Schroder has 15 points and 12 assists in place of Russell Westbrook. He shot 50 percent from the field, despite averaging just above 40 percent for the season.
• On the bright side, Tim Hardaway Jr. had 20 points on a 50 percent clip. He sat down when Oklahoma City’s lead ballooned in the second half.

Another difficult night for the Knicks that pushed them to 4-11. Their next matchup against Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans is no walk in the park, either.