The Oklahoma City Thunder controlled the flow of the game for most of the night and came away with a convincing 103-100 win over the New York Knicks. Even though the final score suggests a tight battle, Oklahoma City dictated the tempo early and rarely allowed New York to fully climb back into the contest.
A huge part of that offensive rhythm came from the dynamic duo of Chet Holmgren and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Holmgren stretched the floor with six three-pointers while Gilgeous-Alexander orchestrated the offense. Whenever New York threatened to make a push, Oklahoma City had an answer ready.
While Karl-Anthony Towns dominated the glass for New York with a massive rebounding performance, the Knicks struggled to match the Thunder’s shooting efficiency and perimeter firepower. Oklahoma City knocked down 16 three-pointers compared to just 10 from New York, a gap that ultimately proved decisive. With balanced contributions across the roster and strong leadership from their stars, the Thunder walked away with another solid win.
Chet Holmgren: A+
Game Stats: 28 PTS, 8 REB, 2 AST, 3 TOV, 11-19 FG, 6-11 3PT, 32 MIN
Holmgren was a beast in this game, and New York had no answer for him. The Knicks’ defense was forced to rotate and adjust a ton since he was hitting so many threes. He was able to score 28 points and grab 8 rebounds, and aside from the scoring, he was also an active rebounder and did a great job working in the system. It was clear that he was the big reason for Oklahoma City’s huge win. He also made a huge impact on the defense as well, because every time the Knicks tried to build momentum, Holmgren would score another bucket.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A
Game Stats: 26 PTS, 3 REB, 8 AST, 1 STL, 3 TOV, 9-16 FG, 1-1 3PT, 7-7 FT, 35 MIN
Gilgeous-Alexander took care of the game flow, the way a star franchise player should. He wasn’t just efficient at scoring; he was also controlling when to make the Thunder play fast and when to play slow. Smashing through the defense and getting to the interior, he consistently forced the Knicks’ defense to become imbalanced, creating wide-open looks for his perimeter streaking open teammates. Gilgeous-Alexander was effective at the free-throw line and also got eight assists. It was a deliberate and thorough display, and it led the Oklahoma City team to a majority of the game lead.
Luguentz Dort: B+
Game Stats: 16 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 3 TOV, 4-9 FG, 3-8 3PT, 5-6 FT, 33 MIN
Dort was, without question, the most physically imposing player of the game. He was able to keep the defense honest enough, but not overly so. The turnovers were certainly evident as a clear mistake, but given the impact and energy at both ends of the ice, it was enough to keep everyone happy.
Cason Wallace: B
Game Stats: 4 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST, 4 STL, 2-6 FG, 0-3 3PT, 29 MIN
Scoring out of all of Wallace’s demonstrated skills was his weakest. Anticipating offensive plays, Wallace was one of the best on defense, with his four steals assisting his team greatly. As the offense was more than good enough, it was sufficient enough to keep his team afloat. Wallace stayed more on the selfless side, which is infrequently seen in the NBA, and contributed to his team greatly with his passing and defensive reads.
Jaylin Williams: B-
Game Stats: 8 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST, 1 TOV, 2-6 FG, 2-5 3PT, 2-2 FT, 18 MIN
Williams gave the Thunder a solid spark off the bench with his willingness to stretch the floor. Hitting two threes helped keep the spacing intact when the starters rested, and he chipped in on the boards as well. While he wasn’t a major offensive force, he played confidently and stayed aggressive enough to make his minutes worthwhile.
Isaiah Hartenstein: C+
Game Stats: 5 REB, 2 AST, 1 TOV, 17 MIN
Hartenstein’s role goes beyond the scoreboard. He spent 17 minutes doing the little things. He played the role of facilitator, high-post worker, and assist creator. He made no shot attempts and prioritized setting screens and boxing out to finish the game with a positive plus-minus. He adequately accomplished what needed to be done and helped the team manage possession.
Alex Caruso: C+
Game Stats: 3 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 2 STL, 1 TOV, 1-1 FG, 1-1 3PT, 0-2 FT, 12 MIN
When it comes to Caruso, the number of points does not reflect his value to the game. Caruso played aggressive defense and created turnovers. He even scored a three on his one and only shot and made the most of his minutes. Caruso’s performance helped slow down the offensive unit and helped stabilize the team for the rest of the game.
Isaiah Joe: C+
Game Stats: 4 PTS, 2 REB, 1 AST, 1 TOV, 0-5 FG, 0-4 3PT, 4-4 FT, 24 MIN
Joe demonstrated that his jump shot was not his best friend tonight, with multiple attempts all in vain. It’s not like Joe purposely gave up, and in fact did score by getting himself to the free-throw line and was perfect. The shots not falling should get the least amount of commentary out of everything, because at least Joe was going for it.
Aaron Wiggins: C+
Game Stats: 6 PTS, 2 REB, 2-4 FG, 1-2 3PT, 1-2 FT, 18 MIN
Wiggins did his job. While it would be better for him and everyone else to have better stats, that wasn’t the case. The stats Wiggins needed to generate were the best he could do, and then get a bit of defense while letting the starters take a breather. Stats aren’t everything, and he understood that, and because of it, the team was able to maintain the status quo.
Jared McCain: C
Game Stats: 5 PTS, 1 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 2 TOV, 1-5 FG, 1-5 3PT, 2-2 FT, 15 MIN
McCain had some confidence and opportunities. On the other hand, he had trouble on the offensive side. Defensively, he remained engaged and pushed the pace, and even got a steal.
Kenrich Williams: N/A
Game Stats: 3 PTS, 1-2 FG, 1-2 3PT, 6 MIN
Williams scored a three on the one chance he got. His time on the court was situational, but he didn’t financially disengage on the defensive side, and he didn’t make big mistakes. Overall, he had a short and clean play.
