NBA Wednesday finished with some surprising tallies, perhaps the most surprising being the New York Knicks taking down the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Knicks and the two other worst teams in the league--record-wise--all won on January 28, leaving some teams struggling to get into playoff positions upset.
The Philadelphia 76ers (9-37) beat the Detroit Pistons (17-30) handily at home, 89-69. Detroit has struggled since losing Brandon Jennings to injury.
The Minnesota Timberwolves (8-37) beat the Boston Celtics (16-28) at home, 110-98. The Pistons and Celtics are both within reach of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Knicks (9-37) win over the Thunder (23-23) was definitely the most shocking, though. The Thunder did play without Kevin Durant, but star Russell Westbrook poured in 40 points.
The one-man game (only two other players finished in double figures for OKC) wasn’t enough to overcome New York’s balanced attack.
Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 31 points, and Langston Galloway (18 points), Lance Thomas (17 points), and Tim Hardaway Jr. (14 points) also had strong performances to lift New York to its fourth win in five games after a dismal first half of the season.
Galloway’s play recently earned him a guaranteed contract for this season and a partially guaranteed contract for the next, while another energy player, Lou Amundson, was reportedly inked for the rest of the season this week.
Thomas could join them. On his second 10-day contract, Thomas was acquired from OKC by New York in the J.R. Smith trade.
“Lance plays hard. He plays every possession like it’s Game 7 of a championship series.” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said after the game. “That’s why he’s in the league and that’s why he’s going to play another 10 years. When you have guys like that, you win.”
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