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Stoudemire helps Knicks down Thunder

Dec 23, 2010 - 4:48 AM New York, NY (Sports Network) - Amare Stoudemire scored 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds while Wilson Chandler provided a lift with 21 points, as New York downed Oklahoma City, 112-98, at Madison Square Garden.

Landry Fields notched 14 points with 10 rebounds, Raymond Felton contributed 12 points, 10 assists and six rebounds and Danilo Gallinari contributed 13 points for the Knicks, who put an end to a three-game slide.

"First half we had 20 assists on 25 buckets and then we ended up with 30 (assists), and that's how we have to play," said Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni. "We have to move the ball. That's the key to any team and we did it tonight."

Kevin Durant poured in 26 points with seven rebounds and Russell Westbrook chipped in with 23 points, five rebounds and five assists for the Thunder, who have dropped two of three and made just 39.2 percent of their shots in defeat.

"We gave up three-pointers, fast breaks, it's that simple," said Durant. "They got easy baskets and if you give up easy baskets to a team than it's going to be tough to win. It's a tough loss and you just to keep working hard."

Both teams found an early offensive rhythm, as Durant poured in 13 first- quarter points and the Knicks made three treys, as Oklahoma City took a 28-27 lead into the second stanza.

New York used a 17-6 scoring stretch during the second period to turn a five- point deficit into a 53-47 lead. Gallinari's three-point play capped the stretch. Oklahoma City pulled within 53-51 on a Durant jumper, but the homestanding Knicks rattled off 10 consecutive points capped on Gallinari's trey before a pair of Westbrook jumpers put the halftime margin at 63-55.

The Knicks were again strong out of the locker room, opening a 19-point margin at 80-61 nearly halfway through the period on Felton's driving layup. The Thunder followed with a 12-2 flurry to draw back within single digits, yet the Knicks held a comfortable 90-78 lead heading into the final quarter.

Neither team mounted much offense in the final quarter, yet the Knicks increased their edge to as many as 22 points and the Thunder never got back within single digits, due in large part to just 32.1 percent shooting in the stanza.

Game Notes

The Knicks, led by Felton, scored 16 points in transition to just five for the Thunder...New York made 48.8 percent of its shots on the game and drained 10- of-21 from beyond the arc, including a surprising 3-of-4 effort by Chandler...Oklahoma City made just 3-of-17 three-pointers, and normally efficient Jeff Green was 1-of-6. Green did scored 14 points with seven rebounds, however me made just 6-of-19 shots overall...New York's victory snapped a three-game losing streak in the series.