Receiving the inbound pass from Josh Giddey, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander quickly took one dribble before turning around and swishing in a deep contested baseline fadeaway jumper. After a two-game absence, the MVP candidate returned in style with a game-winner in The Garden.
The Oklahoma City Thunder escaped with a thrilling 113-112 win over the New York Knicks in a battle of two of the best teams in the league. It was an exciting way to kick off a season-long five-game road trip for OKC.
“Great game, great toughness down the stretch,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on the win. “I thought we made enough plays. Beginning of the fourth quarter, that group really got us off to a great start. Got ourselves right back into the game and showed great toughness throughout the fourth to battle back into that one, take a lead and eventually win.”
It was an ugly start as neither team could gain an offensive rhythm. The Thunder mustered just 17 points in the first quarter and trailed by five points to the Knicks. The second quarter saw OKC’s scoring click as a 33-point frame helped it enter halftime with a small 50-46 advantage.
A low-scoring first half turned to a high-scoring affair as the Knicks opened the second half on a 17-5 run to create an eight-point lead with a little under eight minutes left in the third quarter. New York notched 39 points in the frame and held OKC to 25 points to enter the fourth quarter with an 85-75 lead.
To get back into the contest, the Thunder needed a fast start in the final frame. They accomplished that with seven straight points in the opening minute. In total, OKC utilized a 22-8 run to have a 95-93 lead with 7:17 left.
The Thunder eventually built a 102-95 lead with a little over five minutes left. The Knicks responded with a 9-2 run to tie it up at 104 apiece with 3:33 left in the contest. Jalen Williams — who led OKC’s comeback — nailed a top-of-the-key 3-pointer to give them a three-point edge with a little under three minutes left.
A corner 3-pointer by Miles McBride cut OKC’s lead to one point with 1:48 left. Williams immediately answered back with a pull-up jumper. Some free-throw fiascos near the end by both squads resulted in the Knicks retaking the lead.
Donte DiVincenzo split a trip with 53 seconds left to turn it into a two-point game. Williams then missed a pair of free throws with 43 seconds left. Jalen Brunson missed a mid-range jumper in the ensuing possession but an offensive rebound allowed the All-Star to draw the shooting foul off a drive.
Brunson nailed the first free throw but missed the second attempt, which Isaiah Hartenstein recovered on the glass. He kicked it out to DiVincenzo for the corner 3-point attempt, which missed. McBride grabbed the miss and attempted the tip-shot, which rimmed out.
To the Thunder’s annoyance, the Knicks collected a fourth consecutive offensive board that finally bit them as Brunson nailed in a driving layup to give them the one-point lead with four seconds left.
OKC needed a miracle with such little time. Not enough seconds were left to run a proper set. Instead, the player who caught the inbound pass would likely also be the one who shot it. Gilgeous-Alexander took advantage of the opportunity and hit the game-winning basket with a second to spare.
“That’s our guy, I think everybody knows we’re going to him for the game,” Giddey said about Gilgeous-Alexander’s game-winner. “Whether he has two points or 50 points, he’s getting the ball and we all trust him to make that play. He’s a superstar in this league and they’re the type of plays he makes. We want the ball in his hands in that situation.”
Brunson failed to return the favor on the other end and the Thunder escaped with the exciting, back-and-forth road win over the Knicks. It was a flashy way to officially punch their ticket for the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
The Thunder shot 54% from the field and went 13-of-34 (38.2%) from 3. They dished out 29 assists on 44 baskets. They oddly shot an ugly 12-of-24 from the free-throw line. Only three Thunder players scored double-digit points in the defensive-themed win.
Williams led the way with 33 points on 18 shots. Gilgeous-Alexander totaled 19 points. Giddey recorded a 16-point triple-double.
“Dub was special tonight, he’s been like that all year,” Giddey said about Williams. “He’s a superstar in the making.”
Gilgeous-Alexander added: “We did what it took tonight. The group to start the second and the group to start the fourth was really good. I was almost like, ‘I shouldn’t go back into the fourth quarter’ with how good they were.”
Meanwhile, the Knicks shot 41% from the field and went 13-of-43 (30.2%) from 3. They had 24 assists on 38 baskets. They also struggled from the free-throw line with a 23-of-34 night. All five Knicks starters scored double-digit points.
Fresh off of 61 points, Brunson led the way for the Knicks with 30 points on 11-of-25 shooting and seven assists. Hartenstein had a 17-point and 15-rebound double-double. Josh Hart tallied 13 points, 15 rebounds and six assists. McBride had 19 points and shot 4-of-10 from 3.
“That’s kinda how these games against good teams go,” Giddey said. “It’s a slugfest and we grinded it out and defenses win these types of games.”
After trailing by double-digit points, the Thunder dug out of their hole for the comeback win. OKC’s 38-point fourth quarter erased a sluggish offensive performance in the first three quarters. This resume-strengthening win puts the Thunder back in first place with two weeks left in the regular season.
“These guys have shown uncommon poise and toughness,” Daigneault said on the playoff berth. “A lot of them have been a part of this build and have tasted our own blood at different times and have stuck with it. I couldn’t be happier for the team and organization. Now we got to continue to sharpen our blade down the stretch here and prepare ourselves.”
Let’s look at Thunder player grades.
Jalen Williams: A-plus
Soaring through the air, Williams jammed down a vicious dunk. OKC’s bench stood in awe. The second-year wing has quickly risen the ranks of young players in the league and his New York performance is the latest example that backs his ascension.
In 34 minutes, Williams finished with 33 points on 14-of-18 shooting, eight assists, four rebounds, two steals and two blocks. He shot 1-of-4 from 3 and 4-of-8 from the free-throw line. This included a 10-point fourth quarter on 4-of-4 shooting to lead OKC to the double-digit comeback win.
“He loves those moments down the stretch when the game’s close, back-and-forth,” Giddey said about Williams. “He wants the ball in his hands and he wants to make plays. Shai is very unselfish in those situations. He understands who’s got it going.”
The shot-making was special by Williams. The 22-year-old got to his mid-range spots with ease and knocked down his attempts. The Knicks had no answer for him each time he intended to score. He shot 7-of-8 inside the paint.
“I think we did a really good job at executing down the stretch,” Williams said. “Obviously, you don’t want to give up the rebounds that we gave to kinda give them looks. But at the same time, I think we managed the clock very well. Basically gave them about a second left to shoot the ball.”
With under three minutes left, Williams hit a pair of pull-up jumpers to add to OKC’s lead. As Gilgeous-Alexander worked through rust, the Thunder relied on the second-year wing and he delivered on the extra opportunities with an efficient 30-point outing.
“He was cruising, he’s obviously really developed into a three-level player,” Daigneault said about Williams. “Still makes all the right passes. He’s developed a really good blend for when to get to his pull-up and get to spots and when to punch the gas and get to the front of the rim. Just continues to get better and better.”
Williams spoke about Gilgeous-Alexander’s clutch shot and said they were unfazed by the high-stress situation. The guard-wing duo has been one of the best-scoring punches in the league.
“Tough shot, we’ve seen him hit it shot it, made it against Portland,” Williams said. “… He’s obviously battling through the stuff of his quad too. You can kinda tell he’s still hobbling around. So to kinda come in there after really sitting out a lot of the game, especially in the second half, he’s very good at basketball.
“Like I said, just going through that whole thing where we were able to not really have to draw that play up and work on that in practice enough, it feels good. It feels like we all made the shot at the same time.”
Josh Giddey: A-plus
A niche tradition has grown in MSG involving Giddey. He’s recorded a triple-double in all of his games played there. That streak was extended to three in this win as he’s played his best stretch of basketball these last couple of weeks.
In 31 minutes, Giddey had 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting, 13 rebounds and 12 assists. He shot 2-of-3 from 3. With Gilgeous-Alexander struggling, the 21-year-old picked up some of the slack in this exciting win.
The third-year guard played a pivotal role in Gilgeous-Alexander’s game-winner. He passed it out to him on the inbound pass from the sideline. SLOB plays have been a specialty of Giddey’s and that skill proved vital in this close win.
“It’s the most famous arena in the world, we get to come here one time a year and it’s a special place to play,” Giddey said on his performances in MSG. “Triple-double happens or not, I just try to go out there, play the right way, play the game how it should be played and those things just kinda happen
“It’s a fun place to play. When you see all the celebrities sitting courtside, the crowd’s often getting into it, it’s a close game down the stretch, these are the types of games you want to be a part of and wanna be in. Just love playing here.”
Giddey has flipped a switch from a hellish first few months of the season and continues to snowball positive momentum. His drives are now purposeful and no longer result in questionable shot attempts. He’s played with a newfound swagger. That makes the Thunder even more dangerous in the postseason.
“He was a huge catalyst in that fourth quarter when we were climbing back into the game,” Daigneault said about Giddey. “He had some big plays to take a lead there… Just continues to get better, play with more confidence, plays inside of his game.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: B
After a two-game absence, Gilgeous-Alexander returned from a quad contusion. The results were so-so but hitting the game-winner quickly erases that.
In 35 minutes, Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 19 points on 7-of-16 shooting, three assists and two rebounds. He shot 1-of-4 from outside and went 4-of-4 from the free-throw line.
His last two points were the biggest of the night as he swished in a contest fadeaway jumper with a respectable McBride contest. The shot stunned the loud New York crowd into silence. It was another moment to add to his MVP case.
“We ran that play a few times, we ran it last year in Portland when we had a game-winner,” Gilgeous-Alexander said on his final shot. “We usually script end-of-game plays so we usually all know what’s going on. I tried to get Dub open; obviously, Josh is a really good inbounder.”
Game-winner aside, the MVP candidate looked rusty on the court after being out these last two games. He looked a step slow on both ends for most of the night. OKC hopes he can turn it around soon after a string of subpar games.
“I felt like I was ready, if I didn’t feel so, I wouldn’t have went out there,” Gilgeous-Alexander said on his return. “Didn’t have my best game clearly. But yeah, I felt pretty good to start. Took me a little bit to get warm and get going but I felt alright.”
If the Thunder are to make a deep playoff run, they’ll need Gilgeous-Alexander to return to his early season form where an efficient 30 points were guaranteed.
After the game, Daigneault reiterated that Gilgeous-Alexander was healthy enough to return and isn’t risking making his situation worse by gutting out this performance.
“It’s a contusion, definitely got some discomfort,” Daigneault said. “But we would never put him out there — anybody out there — if we thought he was in harm’s way.”
With the win, the Thunder clinched their playoff spot in dramatic fashion. Gilgeous-Alexander will get his first chance of playoff play where he is the top option. The 25-year-old has blossomed into one of the premiere players in the league since his last playoff trip in 2020.
“Not really no big hoo-rah for me,” Gilgeous-Alexander said on the accomplishment. “This team has big goals, big aspirations. It’s one of the things on our list for sure. For us to do so feels good. We don’t feel like there’s a need to celebrate. We haven’t done anything yet.”
Jaylin Williams: B-minus
The Thunder enjoyed a massive advantage with bench scoring over the Knicks, 36-18. Williams contributed to that with eight points, eight rebounds and two assists in 19 minutes.
In five minutes in the final frame, he dished out a pair of assists to Giddey for five points as OKC mounted a comeback.
With Chet Holmgren struggling, Williams provided OKC some valuable frontcourt minutes. Against a large roster like the Knicks, the second-year forward can help OKC match up size-for-size and stretch the floor.
“K-Rich, J-Will (and Wiggins) in the fourth quarter, those guys were monsters,” Daigneault said. “Great team win, great effort.”
