OKLAHOMA CITY, Oct 20 (LETA) - Latvian big man Kristaps Porzingis opened his third National Basketball Association season with 31 points and 12 rebounds last night as his New York Knicks were defeated by the Oklahoma City Thunder 84:105 (24:27, 18:26, 17:26, 25:26).

Porzingis was the highest scoring player for the Knicks, scoring 19 points before the break, but this was not enough to keep the Knicks in the game.

Porzingis was on the floor for 38 minutes, he also had one assist and blocked one shot. Enes Kanter had ten points for the Knicks last night. On the other hand, Paul George led the way for the Thunder with 28 points. Carmelo Anthony had 22 points, while Russel Westbrook had a triple double - 21 points, 16 assists and ten rebounds.

As reported, Porzingis averaged 18.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, and two blocks per game in 66 NBA games for the Knicks last season, when the Knicks finished in 12th place in the NBA Eastern Conference.