It was a tense scene in Madison Square Garden tonight as the New York Knicks went for their 26th win of the season against the top team in the West. Unfortunately for Knicks fans, it was the Thunder who came out on top in this one and cruised to a victory on the road.
The tone was set early in the game today as the Thunder opened on a 31-17 run in the first 12 minutes. The deficit only got worse for the Knicks in the second quarter, who slipped even further as a team to give Oklahoma City a 27-point lead at halftime. The rest of the game was basically on cruise control until the final buzzer sounded to finalize the score (126-101).
It was another masterclass in scoring from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished the game with 39 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals on 15-21 shooting. Off the bench, Isaiah Joe dropped 31 points and 2 assists on 11-15 shooting. Budding star swingman Jalen Williams totaled 19 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds on 8-16 shooting.
For the Knicks, Jalen Brunson was the star of the show, scoring 27 points and 5 assists on 7-15 shooting. Karl-Anthony Towns put up 23 points and 10 rebounds in 29 minutes while Josh Hart finished with 16 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 steals on 6-13 shooting.
For two teams with title ambitions, this was a major test to see how they hold up against tough competition. The Thunder responded better tonight with an all-around great performance compared to the Knicks, who were seemingly outmatched and outplayed at every turn.
Defensive Struggles For The Knicks
Under head coach Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks have taken pride in having a tough and resilient defense capable of stopping any team in their path. But ever since the Julius Randle trade, the Knicks have seen some slippage defensively and tonight was one of their worst performances of the year.
The Knicks had no answers for SGA, who finished with 39 points and led the Thunder to a red-hot 53.9% shooting from the field (51.9% from three). The Knicks have seemingly collapsed defensively and they are having particular difficulty getting out to defend the perimeter.
With the acquisition of Karl-Anthony Towns, many experts predicted that the Knicks would experience a decline in defense but they can’t afford to let it slip to these low standards. Whether it’s a rotation change or a roster adjustment, the Knicks need to address their defensive woes if they want to be true contenders and challenge the likes of the Celtics, Cavaliers, and Bucks in the East.
Thunder Depth Made The Difference
The NBA is a star-driven league, but no star can do it alone and all of the best teams have a balanced roster of talented players at every position. The Knicks have one of the best starting fives in the game but they lack depth off the bench and it’s a problem that everyone noticed tonight.
Only two reserves made more than two shots for the Knicks tonight, Cameron Payne and Miles McBridge, who combined for 18 points. Meanwhile, the Thunder got 50 points from their bench tonight who provided a major boost on offense.
Low contributions from the role-players only put more strain on guys like Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns to pick up the slack and take over the game. Of course, they weren’t able to save their team today and it resulted in an ugly blowout loss at home.
Major Shooting Slump Stalled The Knicks’ Offense
With Brunson, Towns, and Mikal Bridges, shooting shouldn’t be a problem for the Knicks but they are in a massive slump right now that is threatening to destabilize their season. Tonight, they went 4-32 (12.5%) from beyond the arc and many of their key players couldn’t buy a bucket from three.
It’s been a recurring theme for the Knicks this season and it’s been especially bad in the last 10 games. During that span, the Knicks are shooting just 28% from three on relatively low volume.
In the modern NBA, shooting is everything and if the Knicks can’t hit their threes consistently, it will limit how far they can go in the Eastern playoffs. While many fans are calling for a new head coach, it could be that the Knicks need more time to get used to their new roster and adjust to the new rotation.
At 25-14, the Knicks are still 3rd in the East and within striking range of a top-two seed in the Conference. However, for a team that sacrificed its entire future to build this roster, failure is not an option. With their best collection of talent in years, now is the best chance for the Knicks to make a run and if they can just address some of their glaring issues it may be enough for them to have a major breakout moment.
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