The New York Knicks fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder because of careless turnovers and questionable coaching.
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The New York Knicks lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder 120 to 129, and turnovers were the difference. The Knicks matched OKC’s three-point shooting, out-rebounded them, and took more free throws. But New York also turned the ball over 18 times for 21 points to New York’s 5 points off of turnovers.
The Knicks’ stars didn’t play poorly but didn’t play their best basketball. Their best player came off the bench and barely scratched 25 minutes. Meanwhile, their worst performer struggled through 30 minutes of play when there were alternative options. Oklahoma has a great team, but this loss was frustrating.
Let’s have a look at how everything went down.
New York’s starters run into turnover problems
Jalen Brunson: 24 PTS (9/19 FG, 1/5 3PT, 5/5 FT), 7 AST, 4 REB, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 5 TO in 37 mins
Jalen Brunson played a strong game, but it was dragged to the median by turnovers. He didn’t hit his three-pointers but battled to 24 points thanks to plenty of tough finishes inside. The Thunder played Brunson physically, and I’m surprised he didn’t earn more whistles.
Brunson rarely has turnover-prone games, but this one was a nightmare. The Thunder live for turnovers, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a league leader in steals. That came into play for everyone on the team, but Brunson led everyone in TO’s. Jalen telegraphed some passes and got caught jump-passing on others.
I typically expect Brunson to get a read on defenders and take advantage of their impulses. So, I’m a little disappointed he failed to draw extra whistles or head fake Thunder defenders out of position. But he still managed a respectable output worth a 3 out of 5 for impact.
Donte DiVincenzo: 17 PTS (6/10 FG, 5/9 3PT), 2 REB, 1 TO in 20 mins
Donte DiVincenzo has helped set the Knicks’ pace early in games recently. He knocked down early jumpers and added some excellent defense effort to start this game. He never let up from three, which was especially helpful when the Thunder switched to zone defense for lengthy periods.
But DiVo didn’t have the size to contain many of OKC’s wings. SGA and Jalen Williams overpowered him to get their looks. I don’t know if Grimes has the strength to make a big difference, but DiVincenzo wasn’t the answer. That’s probably why DiVo only played 20 minutes, despite his efficiency.
DiVo gets a 3.5 out of 5 for an efficient shooting night and reasonable effort defensively.
RJ Barrett: 14 PTS (5/14 FG, 1/7 3PT, 3/6 FT), 4 AST, 4 REB, 4 TO in 30 mins
RJ Barrett put up another clunker, and his poor shooting is becoming brutal. He attempted 7 three-pointers, but I’d have difficulty calling any of them forced. He was wide open for some and still missed badly.
While RJ shot 4/7 inside the arc, there were still plenty of signs of pressing. His turnovers included charging fouls and bailout passes gone awry. He took floaters with wide-open teammates in the corners. The problem isn’t just his shooting from deep; he’s missing reads that he started the season making, and his efficiency has tanked as a result.
Barrett topped his poor efficiency off with 4 turnovers. To make matters worse, Tom Thibodeau checked RJ back into a close game in the fourth quarter, leading to the Knicks’ final collapse. I credited Thibs for saving RJ from himself last week, but Thibodeau shined a spotlight on RJ on this disastrous night. Barrett gets a 1 out of 5 for his poor impact.
Julius Randle: 25 PTS (7/15 FG, 1/4 3PT, 10/13 FT), 2 AST, 9 REB, 3 TO in 36 mins
Julius Randle drew a ton of fouls and scored efficiently. He kicked into gear in the third quarter with a momentum-building attack. At that point, his physicality overwhelmed the Thunder and brought New York back from a double-digit deficit. But the quarters surrounding that third also featured some issues that frustrated me.
He repeatedly argued with the refs over fouls, goaltends, or anything else that went awry. While he complained, the Thunder pushed the pace and scored transition baskets. Randle spent the night hidden defensively on Lu Dort but still managed to be ineffective, thanks to his failures to get back.
You learn to take the good with the bad regarding Randle. But his numbers masked some glaring mistakes. He dribbled into triple teams for turnovers, spent too much time jawing at referees, and did nothing in terms of help defense. Randle gets 2.5 out of 5 despite his near double-double.
Isaiah Hartenstein: 4 PTS (2/6 FG), 2 AST, 9 REB, 1 BLK, 2 TO in 37 mins
This wasn’t Isaiah Hartenstein’s best performance, but it’s tough to blame him. Chet Holmgren is a unique player, and asking I-Hart to chase a Point-Center is a stretch. To I-Hart’s credit, he held things down on the boards and stayed in front of Holmgren. But New York’s big man was outplayed.
This was a matchup where Mitchell Robinson’s strength and physicality were missed. Holmgren got to his spots on the floor, close to the basket, where he can shoot over any defender. Hartenstein could stay with Chet but lacked the strength to push him off the block.
I-Hart’s offense was muted as well. He struggled to score over Chet’s length and didn’t find the creative passing options we’ve grown accustomed to. That led to a disappointing night and a 2 out of 5 on impact.
The Knicks’ second unit has a minutes issue
Immanuel Quickley: 22 PTS (7/10 FG, 4/5 3PT, 4/4 FT), 2 AST, 1 TO in 25 mins
Immanuel Quickley was New York’s best player by a comfortable margin. He started the game scoring and never stopped. His game kicked into second gear during the fourth quarter, as IQ put the offense on his back for chunks of time. His three-pointers kept the game within reach and almost prompted a comeback.
Quickley’s defense was also strong despite some drawbacks. He challenged shots and used his typical instinctual help defense to bring positive impacts. But Jalen Williams shot over him several times, which seemed like Tom Thibodeau’s only excuse to go with RJ Barrett over Quickley down the stretch. It’s not a good excuse, regardless.
IQ has been brilliant for most of this season. The fact that he’s only playing 24 minutes per game is an insult, and his 25 minutes in last night’s performance is frustrating since he should have played at least 30. Every quality performance from Quickley should pressure the Knicks front office to make a consolidation trade. IQ gets a 4 out of 5 for a great game.
Quentin Grimes: 6 PTS (2/2 FG, 2/2 3PT), 1 AST, 3 REB in 11 mins
Speaking of a player that deserved more minutes. OKC’s top two wings eviscerated the Knicks, and I can’t recall Quentin Grimes getting opportunities to guard either player. That’s because he only played 11 minutes, and that’s simply not enough for New York’s best on-ball defender.
There’s not even an excuse for poor shooting or hesitant play. Grimes hit two threes, grabbed rebounds, and notched an assist in his limited time. He should have played more.
Josh Hart: 4 PTS (1/4 FG, 0/2 3PT, 2/2 FT), 6 AST, 7 REB, 1 TO in 34 mins
Josh Hart got a ton of minutes for a guy that scored just 4 points. But as usual, his failure as a scorer was forgivable thanks to the injection of energy he supplied. Hart got after the boards and turned up the pace for New York.
But I’m unsure how far New York can go if RJ Barrett and Josh Hart are the wings with the most minutes on the team. Neither guy can shoot right now, meaning life is more challenging for Brunson and Randle. We can live with one of them, but not both.
Before giving Hart a score, I’ll shout out his defense. It wasn’t great, but he did a commendable job on the guys that torched everyone else. Hart gets a 2.5 out of 5 for a solid effort.
Taj Gibson: 4 PTS (2/2 FG), 2 REB in 10 mins
Taj Gibson had an excellent offensive rebound and score. Everything after that was rough. He couldn’t keep up with OKC’s pace, so he quickly returned to the bench once I-Hart caught his breath.
Tom Thibodeau’s worst game in a while
I just finished discussing patience with Tom Thibodeau in my last recap. Then he showed up in Oklahoma and tried my patience to the max.
Thibodeau’s inability to stick with hot hands is frustrating. He had Quickley cooking and took him out. He watched Grimes knock down open looks while the Thunder frequently deployed a zone and couldn’t even find the kid for 15 minutes.
The Knicks front office needs to find a trade that opens up some minutes for the wings left after. Thibodeau isn’t managing the minutes right, and I’d expect IQ to walk if the team can’t get him 30 minutes of action.
Closing Thoughts
Just like that, the Christmas excitement gives way to frustration. The Thunder are built to exploit New York’s flaws, so this one shouldn’t hurt too badly. But poor coaching decisions and player struggles add unnecessary weight to this random loss in December.
RJ Barrett has regressed to last season’s level of unacceptable play. Julius Randle’s antics were turned up and hurting the team again. The young players that added excitement to last season had their minutes cut. It’s impossible not to feel a little mad at these developments.
The elephant in the room is that the Knicks need a trade. That’s not because of last week’s “1A” conversations but because there’s a log jam of undersized wings and a lack of a backup big man. The Knicks don’t necessarily need a star, but they’re missing critical pieces to beating the best teams in the league. It’s time to make moves.
The Orlando Magic are next, kicking off yet another back-to-back for New York. I’ll follow the two games with a double recap, where we can discuss the latest. See you next time, Knicks fam!
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