Russell Westbrook (27 points, 18 rebounds and 14 assists) and Derrick Rose (30 points and 4 assists) put on a show Monday night at Madison Square Garden.
Westbrook’s third consecutive triple-double led the visiting OKC Thunder to a 112-103 victory against the New York Knicks.
The Knicks, according to center Joakim Noah, were quite simply “manhandled.”
Per the NY Times:
It was not as if the Knicks were short on firepower, at least. Derrick Rose scored a season-high 30 points. He played like the point guard the Knicks surely hoped they had acquired in June. Even after four fallow years in Chicago marred by injuries, Rose was still a 28-year-old with a Most Valuable Player Award on his résumé, and this was the production and quality he was still capable of, if not often enough yet this season.
Rose played efficiently and aggressively, attacking the rim with verve and catalyzing the Knicks’ offense as he had been brought in to do. But even Rose’s best game with the Knicks was not good enough to keep up with Westbrook, (Enes) Kanter and (Steven) Adams.
“That 30 don’t mean nothing when we lose,” Rose said. “And the way that we lost, like, there wasn’t any grit. There wasn’t any grind. Can’t come out and play like that, period.”
