Thunder welcome back point guard after injury lay-off.
With six games on the NBA schedule on Sunday night, there were plenty of highlights to pick through as the Minnesota Timberwolves sealed an impressive win over the New York Knicks.
Led by Kevin Love who had a game-high 34 points, the visitors got off to a quick start and outscored their opponents 40-19 in the first quarter.
Coupled with the threat offered by point guard Ricky Rubio who ended the game with 10 assists, Minnesota look a dangerous outfit this season but much will depend on whether or not they can keep their roster healthy.
In contrast, although coach Mike Woodson will have been pleased with the fightback shown by the Knicks after the first 12 minutes, it was undoubtedly a disappointing loss at home with Carmelo Anthony leading the way with 22 points.
City rivals the Brooklyn Nets didn’t fare any better as they looked to continue the momentum after defeating the Miami Heat on Friday night.
Brook Lopez was a significant presence inside the paint and ended with 21 points, but Nikola Vucevic was amongst the stars for the Orlando Magic as he ended with a double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds in the comprehensive 107-86 win.
There were also wins for the Detroit Pistons and Miami Heat over the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards respectively, but arguably the story of the night came from the Western Conference.
Having finally recovered from his knee injury, Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook returned to action in the 103-96 win over the Phoenix Suns and ended the game with 21 points and 7 assists.
His return also helped to open up the court for his team-mates, in particular Kevin Durant who had a game-high 33 points as well as 10 rebounds, with coach Scott Brooks undoubtedly delighted to have his dangerous duo back out on the court together.
While there may still be question marks over whether or not the Thunder have enough depth to challenge for an NBA championship, they are without doubt one of the strongest franchises in the league with their two stars fit and firing.
NBA Results: Boston Celtics 77-87 Detroit Pistons; Washington Wizards 93-103 Miami Heat; Brooklyn Nets 86-107 Orlando Magic; Phoenix Suns 96-103 Oklahoma City Thunder; Minnesota Timberwolves 109-100 New York Knicks; Atlanta Hawks 103-105 Los Angeles Lakers.
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