Melo, Knicks survive Durant-less Thunder

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Carmelo Anthony scored 25 points to help the New York Knicks defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 93-90 on Friday night (Saturday Manila time) for their third straight win.

The Thunder rallied from a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter, but Dion Waiters' potential game-tying shot rattled out at the buzzer.

Arron Afflalo scored 14 points and Lance Thomas added 12 for the Knicks, who made 12 of 20 3-pointers.

Russell Westbrook led Oklahoma City with 34 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, but the NBA's No. 3 scorer made just 11 of 29 shots and went 2 of 10 on 3-pointers. Waiters added 16 points for the Thunder, who shot 38 percent and finished 3 of 29 from long range.

Oklahoma City fell to 2-3 without Kevin Durant, who sat out with a left hamstring strain.

Back-to-back 3s by Derrick Williams gave the Knicks an 82-66 lead with just under 9 minutes remaining.

A three-point play by Waiters trimmed Oklahoma City's deficit to six with about 2 minutes left. After Westbrook got a steal, Afflalo fouled Westbrook as he went to the rim. It was called a flagrant on the floor but changed to a common foul upon review. Westbrook made both free throws to cut New York's lead to 89-85.

Westbrook fouled Anthony, and he grimaced and tried to stretch out his right arm before shooting the free throws. He missed both with 32.2 seconds left.

Serge Ibaka got a good look for the Thunder, but he missed a 3-pointer from the right corner, and Robin Lopez made two free throws with 24.7 seconds left to make it a six-point game.

Westbrook made an off-balance 3 to cut New York's lead to three, then the Knicks threw away the inbounds pass with 11.8 seconds remaining. Westbrook missed a 3-pointer, and Waiters tracked down the ball in the backcourt before missing at the buzzer.

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TIP-INS

Knicks: Kristaps Porzingis, a 7-foot-3 rookie forward, opened the scoring with a 3-pointer. ... Derek Fisher played for the Thunder before retiring and taking over as Knicks coach last season. ... Langston Galloway, who entered the game leading the NBA in 3-point percentage, went 1 of 2 from long range. ... Thomas, who started last season with Oklahoma City, scored seven points in the third period to help the Knicks take a 73-62 edge into the fourth. ... New York won despite committing 20 turnovers.

Thunder: Waiters started for the first time this season. Anthony Morrow had started the previous four games, but struggled with his shot. ... Enes Kanter had 11 points and 13 rebounds in 24:48 off the bench. ... Oklahoma City outrebounded the Knicks 49-36.

UP NEXT

The Knicks are at Houston on Saturday.

The Thunder host Dallas on Sunday.