The New York Knicks fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder 135-145. The Knicks’ defense did not show up as the Thunder put on a scoring clinic.
Make sure to catch the whole Knicks Fan TV Postgame show on all major podcast platforms below:
• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• Google Podcasts
• Stitcher
The New York Knicks were shot out of the building by the Oklahoma City Thunder, losing 135 to 145. The score says it all. There was no defense played in this game. The Knicks broke a franchise record by scoring 48 in the first quarter, then gave up 43 points to Oklahoma in the next two quarters. The game had matinee energy, with defenders a step slow as the Thunder shot 62 percent from the field and 55 percent from three.
On the bright side, the lack of defense went both ways. The Knicks’ offense was potent, with some promising contributions from essential players. So let’s try to find some bright sides in an otherwise tough loss.
Big production is empty for a Knicks starting unit with no defense
Jalen Brunson: 17 PTS (5/9 FG, 0/2 3PT, 7/7 FT), 7 AST, 1 REB, 3 STL, 1 TO in 24 mins
Jalen Brunson threw some beautiful dimes in the high-paced action of the game. His playmaking led to quality assists and easy looks for everyone. He also provided efficient scoring, taking advantage of the Thunder’s lack of shot blockers.
Brunson’s three steals are excellent, and he was back to chasing charges when slashers attacked. But his defense still lacked bite with the Thunder bombing away over closeouts.
I assume that his mismatch against the Thunder’s big perimeter players led to an early trip to the bench. However, that doesn’t mean I agree with the decision. Brunson played a productive role whenever he was on the floor and was far from the most significant problem on defense. Nevertheless, he picks up a 2.5 out of 5 for an impact cut short by minutes.
RJ Barrett: 4 PTS (2/10 FG, 0/2 3PT), 1 REB, 1 STL, 2 TO in 19 mins
I wonder if RJ Barrett’s success from the previous game got to his head entering this one. His shot was off early, and he forced the action. That led to some sloppy trips inside, with turnovers and bad misses. His only redeeming note on offense is that both field goals were right-handed finishes.
Barrett’s defense was a mixed bag. He had some of the rare standout defensive possessions in man coverage on Shai Gilgeous Alexander, who went off against the Knicks’ defense. But Barrett picked up several fouls while getting a handful of stops.
Barrett’s awful offense and foul trouble made him easy to be benched throughout the fourth. He was amid a brutal game, and there were too many hot hands to let him shoot his way out of it. So instead, Barrett gets a 0.5 out of 5 for barely producing.
Cam Reddish: 26 PTS (10/17 FG, 2/5 3PT, 4/4 FT), 2 AST, 3 REB, 4 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TO in 33 mins
This game would have been much worse if not for Cam Reddish. Reddish was a true two-way player in this game. His offense was smooth, as his finishing ability took advantage of the Thunder at the rim. But Cam also knocked down jumpers and made passes instead of forcing the issue — when New York needed buckets, Cam was usually the man to find.
Reddish also provided quality defense. His fourth-quarter work against SGA was some of the best defense we saw. Gilgeous-Alexander scored at will in the second half over matchups with Barrett, Rose, and IQ. But Reddish made him miss and pushed him to turnovers.
When Cam’s game clicks, he can play a significant role. Unfortunately, he was one of the only Knicks to play inspired defense. He put his potential on display at both ends, having one of the best games of his Knicks’ career. Reddish gets a 3.5 out of 5 for a major impact brought down by a lack of team success.
Julius Randle: 25 PTS (7/14 FG, 3/6 3PT, 8/10 FT), 3 AST, 10 REB, 2 TO in 33 mins
Julius Randle was great on offense. He shot the ball well, got to the line, and made some nice trips inside to finish. The big man also proved a more willing passer than in past games where he started hot. But Randle’s passing did feel a half-second behind at times. He made good decisions, but that split second is the difference between a wide-open shot and a contested one.
Defense is where we need to talk. Randle’s rotation issues are far easier to spot without Mitchell Robinson cleaning up the middle. Randle seems to float through plays too often, a step behind the pass, which means he can’t catch up to the action. I dare say he’s the biggest problem with the starting unit’s defense.
So it was a decisively one-way performance for Randle. The big man was highly productive on offense and grabbed his typical share of boards. But his defense was a detriment that put a lid on his impact. As a result, Randle gets a 2.5 out of 5 (I was tempted to go even lower because of his disinterested approach to defending).
Isaiah Hartenstein: 14 PTS (5/8 FG, 1/2 3PT, 3/4 FT), 1 AST, 7 REB, 1 STL, 2 TO in 23 mins
Isaiah Hartenstein had it going early. Jalen Brunson found him for a floater, he had a dunk following a missed shot, and the big man added a three from the corner. But his offensive play waned as the game wore on. The pace of things meant a lot of baskets happened fast and in transition, probably contributing to the slowdown.
Hartenstein is typically a good rim protector, but the Thunder attacked New York with pull-ups, floaters, and kick-outs. Hart doesn’t have the foot speed to defend any of that effectively in Thibodeau’s drop coverage scheme. As a result, players got shots off before the Knicks’ center could do much to challenge them.
That leaves Hartenstein with a nice stat line but less impact than it suggests. It’s frustrating that his passing goes under-utilized because I think it could work well with RJ or Randle cutting. He needs something to boost his impact while the starting unit’s defense remains shaky. Hart picks up a 2 out of 5.
New York’s second unit does well, but not enough to cover for others
Derrick Rose: 7 PTS (3/6 FG, 1/2 3PT), 4 AST, 2 REB, 2 TO in 17 mins
Derrick Rose started the game with some impressive forays inside to create buckets and dimes. He had another second-half slowdown but still looked comfortable working against the Thunder’s defense. His past two games give me hope that his early inconsistency is a matter of getting his legs under him.
But Rose is also an excellent example of Tom Thibodeau making odd choices with in-game adjustments. The Thunder began to pick out an SGA vs. Rose matchup by using screens to get the switch when necessary. Ultimately, Thibodeau let Rose struggle against the lanky guard and gave him a quick hook.
So Rose wound up with his impact taking a hit from his defensive struggles. Rose’s impact still warrants a 2 out of 5, but the coach could have thrown him a bone by adjusting the defense before benching the backup point.
Immanuel Quickley: 24 PTS (8/17 FG, 1/4 3PT, 7/8 FT), 5 AST, 1 REB, 3 STL, 1 BLK in 23 mins
Immanuel Quickley had everything going to the basket. His jumper still isn’t where we expected it to be, but that didn’t stop him from having an efficient game. OKC’s small-ball meant that IQ didn’t only do damage on floaters but drove through the basket for and-one finishes as well.
Quickley was also a solid perimeter defender. He doesn’t apply pressure at the point of attack to be great, but he does stay in front of his man. Quick is also a solid help defender; he has the knack to hedge or jump passing lanes to pick up steals. He played a significant role in the fleeting success of the defense in the fourth.
Quickley also had his passing game going, with five assists along the way. The Thunder denied a couple of his lob attempts to Obi Toppin, but his passing was otherwise impressive next to a turnover-free performance. Quickley’s production is all the more remarkable, considering he put it all together in 23 minutes of action. As a result, IQ gets a 3.5 out of 5, which would be higher in a more competitive game.
Evan Fournier: 0 PTS (0/5 FG, 0/3 3PT), 2 AST, 1 STL in 20 mins
I don’t want to beat up on Evan Fournier, but this performance was awful. Thibodeau left him on the floor as New York made a late run, but Fournier wasn’t contributing. Instead, Fournier missed back-to-back shots and gave two possessions back to the Thunder when New York needed points.
We won’t linger on Fournier’s defense. Suffice it to say that his 20 minutes of action wasn’t justified by anything he was doing defensively. He got more time than Toppin, Barrett, or Rose and just three minutes less than IQ. That is ridiculous, and the coach should have to explain it.
Fournier gets a 0.5 out of 5; you only need to check the stat line to find out why.
Obi Toppin: 10 PTS (4/5 FG, 2/3 3PT), 2 REB, 3 TO in 15 mins
Obi Toppin was perfect for this fast-paced action. He got off a few booming dunks and comfortably knocked down his three-point looks.
But Toppin didn’t produce anywhere else. The pace saw him flying up the court instead of grabbing boards, while the team’s defense was too bad for Obi to do much about. So I assume Toppin got benched because of three turnovers and Randle’s big offensive night. But I’m afraid I have to disagree with that logic.
The Thunder never played a true center, and the matchup was a shootout. There was the PERFECT opportunity to break out the Toppin/Randle combination. Yet, for some reason, we didn’t get that tandem. Instead, Obi played just fifteen minutes, limiting his impact grade to 1.5 out of 5.
Jericho Sims: 8 PTS (4/4 FG), 1 AST, 8 REB in 25 mins
Jericho Sims stepped on the court and played his typical game. He flew out of the building for dunks, rebounds, and shot challenges. His rim running demands attention like Robinson’s, and he also has the mobility to make drop coverage work more smoothly.
I genuinely believe that Jericho Sims’ team-leading +/- came down to his mobility. He was definitely a better help defender than Hartenstein, considering Sims kept things respectable in the middle after OKC had a field day otherwise.
It feels like Sims and Hartenstein are both quality backup centers. But I’m not sure either player is well equipped to start, or at least not to start in this team’s rotation and scheme. But Sims gets a 2.5 off the bench and made a case to supplant Hart next time New York sees small-ball.
Quentin Grimes: 0 PTS (0/2 FG, 0/2 3PT) in 8 minutes
Quentin Grimes didn’t produce, but he still moved well. He had a few nice defensive moments against SGA and showed off a nice first step on a drive and kick. But he’s still playing limited minutes, and his jumper looked off. Let’s hope the minutes scale up soon.
Same problems, different team for Tom Thibodeau’s defensive scheme
We’ve heard about Tom Thibodeau’s defensive acumen since his success in Chicago. His teams always find a way to finish in the league’s top half for defensive measures. But his defensive scheme feels stale without Mitchell Robinson gluing it together. It’s a coin flip whether or not a team will shoot the lights out, and New York doesn’t seem to adjust when teams start hot.
This game was particularly frustrating because Thibs’ line-up experiments got slightly out of hand. I don’t understand Evan Fournier playing so long and in such crucial minutes while he has struggled so much. I’m okay with accountability for RJ Barrett on an off night, but Brunson got benched despite good offense, while Julius Randle didn’t.
I don’t get Tom Thibodeau. I’m never sure why he stops using line-ups that work or how certain players get away with errors that others can’t afford to make. The Knicks have a tricky roster for any coach and has a limited ceiling. But I’m giving Tom Thibodeau a 0.5 out of 5 because I don’t think he helped the situation.
Closing Thoughts
The Knicks might be in trouble. The schedule is about to become nightmarishly tough, while they’ve already compiled a handful of embarrassing losses. New York compiled their wins against weak opponents, but there aren’t any easy wins for the next two weeks. It’s early, but this feels like a stretch of basketball that could define New York’s direction for the rest of the season.
The way New York loses games always feels like the wheels are falling off. There are too many good teams in the East for a long losing streak, even if the Knicks keep things close. But maybe that’s a good thing. Leon rose & company can’t continue to “wait and see” with a roster that looked ill-fitting before it ever took the court.
The worse place to be in the NBA is the middle. The Knicks aren’t good enough to be a playoff team or bad enough to draft a star. That’s no man’s land. So whether they sink or swim in the next couple of weeks, I’m hoping that Leon Rose selects a direction by December.
New York has a West Coast trip next, beginning with back-to-back games with the Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets on Tuesday and Wednesday. Those games are late at night, so I’ll combine them into a single recap after Denver. After these first two games out West, we’ll link and discuss the developing trends. I’ll see you then, Knicks fam!
Stay tuned to KnicksFanTV.com for the latest Knicks news, rumors, and recaps throughout the NBA season. And in case you missed it, check out the Knicks vs Detroit Pistons Post Game analysis from CP, Alex, and the fans!
