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Westbrook returns, Thunder dominate Knicks

Nov 29, 2014 - 6:52 AM Oklahoma City, OK (SportsNetwork.com) - Russell Westbrook made an emphatic return to the court, pouring in 32 points in just 24 minutes to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 105-78 blowout of the punchless New York Knicks at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

In his first game back since fracturing his right hand on Oct. 30, Westbrook went 12-of-17 from the field while amassing eight assists and seven rebounds and providing a much-needed spark to the injury-plagued Thunder, who won consecutive games for the first time this season.

The Knicks, meanwhile, struggled mightily on offense with their star out of the lineup. As Carmelo Anthony sat out a second straight contest with back spasms, New York shot a meager 38.7 percent and missed 17-of-19 attempts from 3-point range to fall for the 12th time in 14 games.

Amar'e Stoudemire was New York's lone bright spot, recording 20 points on 7- of-8 shooting and pulling down nine rebounds.

Serge Ibaka added 14 points and Jeremy Lamb had 13 off the bench in the Thunder's wire-to-wire win. Steven Adams posted 13 rebounds.

Westbrook wasted little time making an impact, dropping in 12 points over the game's first eight minutes as the Thunder sped out to a 23-6 lead. The All- Star point guard finished the opening quarter with 14 points and four assists while hitting 6-of-7 shots.

"He's so fast, he's good at attacking the basket," Ibaka said of Westbrook.

While Westbrook was red-hot, the Knicks were ice cold over the initial 12 minutes. New York made a woeful 4-of-22 tries from the floor while falling behind 30-13 at period's end.

"I thought the energy was low to begin with," Knicks coach Derek Fisher said. "A long week on the road, it seemed like we were a little flat."

Those struggles continued into the early stages of the second quarter, which began with a 10-0 Oklahoma City run in which Lamb sunk a pair of threes. The Thunder led by as many as 28 during the frame before cruising into the break owning a commanding 59-33 advantage.

The Knicks continued to miss shots during a third quarter in which they managed just 17 points to trail 82-50 heading into the fourth.

Oklahoma City was ahead by as much as 37 in the final stanza, building a 98-61 lead with five minutes to play.

Game Notes

The Knicks are now 1-6 at Chesapeake Energy Arena since the Thunder relocated to Oklahoma City from Seattle ... J.R. Smith, starting in place of Anthony, mustered just two points while going 1-of-9 from the floor ... Tim Hardaway Jr. finished with 11 points off the bench for the Knicks ... Lamb went 3-for-4 from 3-point range and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line.