Thunder spoil McGrady’s Knicks debut with OT win

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – The Oklahoma City Thunder  spoiled Tracy McGrady’s New York debut with a 121-118 overtime victory for their eighth consecutive win yesterday.

Kevin Durant powered the Thunder, scoring the game’s final  four points and 36 for the game to send the Knicks to their  sixth successive loss.

It marked the 27th consecutive game the All-Star forward  has scored 25 or more points. Team mate Russell Westbrook added  31 points as the Thunder erased a six-point deficit in the  final minute to force overtime on Durant’s three-pointer.

McGrady, traded to the Knicks by the Houston Rockets on  Thursday, scored 26 points and delivered five assists in his  first game since December.

“It felt foreign to me when I first stepped out there,” the  30-year-old told reporters. “I didn’t know if I was going to  have my timing. I had the jitters. I mean, I haven’t played in  so long, you know?”

The seven-times All Star went on to play 32 minutes, longer  than he expected.

“It really felt good,” said McGrady, who started at  shooting guard.

“I think it helped my confidence moving forward as far as  mentally knowing that I can go out there and play a significant  amount of minutes.”

But he was in the game for only 19 seconds in overtime.

“He kind of ran out of gas toward the end,” Knicks coach  Mike D’Antoni said while praising McGrady’s overall play.

“He’s been an All Star for a long time,” D’Antoni said. “I  expect him to play at that level or get back to that level at  some time.”