Thunder Look For Third Straight Win Monday Night At Knicks

The Knicks losses have been more disappointing than their wins have been satisfying. That's probably what you'd expect from the best team of 2009 in 2016.

I want to know who Andre Roberson will guard. I'd love to see him against Kristaps Porzingis all night but Porzingis has eight inches and 30 pounds on him. Domas Sabonis, Enes Kanter, and Joffrey Lauvergne will cover him most of the night so he might surpass his career high of 35 points.

The Thunder will be a work in progress for the rest of the season. It's still too early for Sam Presti to start auctioning off parts, considering Cam Payne should return before too long and Anthony Morrow and Alex Abrines will find better fits in the rotation.

How about Russ, Victor Oladipo, Abrines, Morrow, and Kanter for a small ball lineup? As interesting as that might be offensively, it'll be a sieve on the other end against just about anybody, not just the Knicks. None of those guys can cover Porzingis or Carmelo.

The Thunder can own the offensive glass against anyone and they'll need second chances to get different looks from their regular sets. Any time any of the Thunder's five on the floor has an open shot, they need to take it.

When Russ and Steven Adams run a top of the key game 2-man game, things generally work well. That set can open things up on the wings. When they get inside they lane together, there's always three defenders there with them so a kick out to an open man needs to not fear shooting that shot. I know Dre is not a very good three-point shooter but he, and nobody else, should ever turn down an open shot.

Currently sitting on a pair of consecutive wins, the Thunder are in the middle of a five-game stretch of games they should win. After the Knicks game, they come home to play the Wizards and the Pelicans. It's chance for them to find solid wins instead of playing down to inferior opponents.