Paul George has been on a hot streak shooting as of late and that didn’t stop at all tonight. Paul put the team on his back and didn’t look back at all. Once Russell Westbrook was ruled out for tonight’s game Paul George, Dennis Schroder, and Steven Adams were ready to step up. This was one of the best games collectively from the Oklahoma City Thunder all season. Paul George led the way with 35 points on 13-22 shooting from the field and looked unstoppable. Paul George aka PG-13 was in a zone that not too many people get to experience in life. It seemed like he was in heat check mode all night and was in a groove that even his teammates were able to witness. Paul George was dunking, assisting, shooting, and hustling all night long. The Thunder played as a team and it was special to watch. When OKC plays like this and the ball movement and moving like it did tonight against the Knicks this team is unstoppable.

The Thunder finished the game with 32 assists and some of those were on some serious alley oops that PG-13 finished. This team is having fun and it showed tonight in the game against the Knicks. Steven Adams was another player that was able to flourish in this game as he dominated the paint in back to back games now. Steven Adams finished with 19 points and 7 rebounds against his old teammate/stache brother Enes Kanter. Steven Adams has been the most consistent player for the Oklahoma City Thunder all season and that has a lot to do with the fact the NBA has gone small. Steven Adams has been able to dominate the paint and his matchup for the majority of the season. Dennis Schroder has grown in this system a lot over the time since his arrival and you can see his growth through his play on the court. Schroder knows where Adams and George will be on every play and knows how to draw the defense in so that he can find them. Schroder had 15 points and 12 assists on the night and was a problem for any Knicks defender they put in front of him. Schroder has been able to fill in for Russell Westbrook while he’s been injured and has been able to direct this team on and off the court with leadership.

The Thunder had 5 players in double figures and have figured out how to operate as a team. The ball movement has been amazing and Billy Donovan has done a great job with rotations getting the best out of Diallo, Noel, and Abrines. The Thunder have won 9 out of the last 10 games and have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA all season. The Knicks ran into a hot team and weren’t able to put out the fire that was OKC tonight. Tim Hardaway Jr and Enes Kanter combined for 39 points tonight and were the bright spots for the Knicks. Trier was able to add 10 points off the bench as he is a young promising talent that will emerge for them in the coming weeks. Trier has the special talent that can compliment Hardaway Jr and Kanter on a nightly basis. Overall the Knicks will drop to 4-11 on the season but will continue to try to climb the ladder in the East after this loss to the Thunder.

Oklahoma City will play the Phoenix Suns on Saturday trying to make it 10 wins in the last 11. The Thunder beat the Suns the other night 118-101 and will look to repeat that.

Photo Credit: Photo by Zach Beeker

The Oklahoma City Thunder were coming off their loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday and wanted to get back in the winning column. This will be the first of two games this week against the Phoenix Suns and it’s one they would want to forget about. Paul George was shooting lights out from the field and was able to get anything he wanted tonight. Since Russell Westbrook went down with his left sprained ankle Paul George has led the charge scoring 58 points in those three games. Tonight against the Phoenix Suns he would continue that pace as PG-13 went for 32 points on 11-19 shooting from the field. The leadership and aggressiveness that Paul George has played with while Westbrook has been sidelined has been impressive. Overall the team has played outstanding as a whole unit from the starters to the second unit. The Thunder are starting to find their chemistry and it was on full display against the Suns. Oklahoma City 48% from the 3 point line and 47% from the field. The Suns weren’t able to put the fire out at all tonight as OKC got it going early and didn’t look back. Dennis Schroder was able to get things going offensively as well in the second half finishing with 20 points. The floater was working for Dennis and he was being very aggressive on the defensive end as well.

One of the big bright spots in the game was the fact that the Thunder were feeding Steven Adams in the paint as he was able to post up rookie Deandre Ayton with ease. Steven was pump faking Ayton and outrebounding the rookie and that set the tone for the evening inside the paint. Steven Adams finished with 18 points and was able to hold Deandre Ayton to only 14 points on the night. The Suns had their rising star Devin Booker in the lineup and he showed a lot of heart and was still able to find his shot. Devin Booker was being guarded by Paul George majority of the night and he was able to finish with 19 points on the night. Booker has so much talent and once this Suns team finished their identity they could make a push if they get some games together. The Suns just couldn’t get back into this a close range in this game as they allowed OKC to shoot season highs. The Thunder had 3 players that were in double figures George, Adams, and Schroder. All three of them have been able to build chemistry and have learned each other’s hot spots on the court. Schroder to Adams on the pick and roll has been a thing of beauty and Deandre Ayton wasn’t able to stop it. Schroder has improved his passing in transition and has been able to find Paul George in rhythm with ease as of late. Overall the Thunder have been able to string together 8 of 9 wins in the last 9 games and look to be getting things together on the court. Some people will say the schedule helps the Thunder but they have played great basketball and have been clicking on all cylinders as a team even without Westbrook.

Oklahoma City and Phoenix will play again on Saturday in Phoenix as the Suns will try to get revenge on OKC after this game. The Thunder will play against the Knicks on Wednesday before they hit the road as they try to improve to 9-5 on the season in that game.