The New York Knicks and the Oklahoma City Thunder will face off on Sunday in a game with many storylines. The Thunder are trying to clinch the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, the Knicks are trying to clinch the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference as well as continue their now 11-game winning streak. Another big story is the scoring race between Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant. The two are running neck and neck, and while a fourth scoring title would make history for Durant, he has other more pressing worries. Read more after the jump.
“He can have it,” Durant told Jeff Caplan of NBA.com on Thursday. ”I mean the stuff he’s doing right now, every time he touches the ball it looks like it’s going to go in. He’s having a nice run right now and his confidence is high. I’m sure he’s going to take over. If it happens, cool.”
Durant is averaging 28.3 points per game and Anthony is averaging 28.1 and closing the gap. Melo put up 50 points against the Miami Heat on Tuesday and 40 against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, so it’s safe to say he’s riding a hot hand. With eight games remaining and only a 0.2-point differential, there is certainly plenty of time for Anthony to pass Durant.
Winning the scoring title this season would be no small feat for Durant, who has won it the past three seasons. Only Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain have captured more than three consecutive scoring titles, so he would be joining legendary company. Having said that, I’m sure he’d much rather have something else in common with Wilt and MJ — a championship ring.
