The New York Knicks (9-18) will be facing an uphill battle this Christmas when they host one of the NBA's elite teams, the Oklahoma City Thunder (22-5) at 2:30 p.m. ET as the front end of ABC's holiday double-header. Live stream the game by clicking this link. Thunder fans can hear the radio broadcast on WWLS 98.1, while Knicks fans can do the same on 98.7 ESPN New York.
The Knicks, in addition to struggling both offensively and defensively all season, may enter play without leading scorer Carmelo Anthony and starting point guard Raymond Felton because of injuries. Anthony, who tends to relish head-to-head battles with Thunder star Kevin Durant, will do his best to get on the court.
"Hopefully I'll be there," Anthony said. "I don't want to miss that game. It's Christmas in the Garden. I don't want to miss that game."
Felton's outlook may not be so rosy; after missing six games with groin trouble, reports have surfaced that he's already been ruled out of the Christmas game with a strained hamstring. Knicks guard J.R. Smith will likely need to pick up the scoring slack without Felton present.
"I'm concerned (about Anthony), but I'm not as worried about him as I'm worried about Ray, the way he came back and then to go down again. It's tough," Smith said. "He's our point guard, for sure."
OKC's stellar season hit a minor speed bump in their last game, a home loss to Toronto that marked their first defeat in "Loud City" this year.
"Losses happen in this league," Durant said. "They beat us fair and square, you know? We missed some shots, too. I think our defense was good. They got some shots late in the fourth quarter that helped them a little bit but I think our defense was good. We were swarming them and they hit some tough ones, too, but we missed some good looks."
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