The New York Knicks lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder on a game-winner from SGA. Their execution in the clutch lately has shown concerning signs of fatigue.
The New York Knicks lost to a buzzer-beater from Shai Gilgeous Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder, 113-112. The Knicks took a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter but couldn’t hang on in the few minutes Jalen Brunson sat.
The Knicks and Thunder traded blows throughout the action. New York led by five after the first quarter, trailed by four at halftime, then came their big lead and collapse in the second half. The Knicks haven’t been able to survive minutes without Brunson, which hurts even more after they stopped SGA for most of the action, but his teammates picked him up.
It was a game of runs, but Jalen Williams seemed to explode whenever the wings featured Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic. Cracks are forming in New York’s defense, especially during the second unit’s minutes. Meanwhile, some starters show signs of fatigue as the games wear on.
Let’s take a closer look at the performances and see how New York has fallen into a 2-game losing streak.
The Knicks’ starters blow it at the free-throw lines
Jalen Brunson: 30 PTS (11/25 FG, 4/11 3PT, 4/8 FT), 7 AST, 2 REB, 3 TO in 35 mins
Jalen Brunson’s Herculean efforts are coming to Sisyphean conclusions. Brunson played the offensive engine once again, with the Thunder throwing all-NBA caliber defenders like Lu Dort on him and shifting to frequent zone looks specifically to stop Brunson. The Knicks’ star still managed 30 and 7 on the strength of crafty scoring and long-range shooting.
Adding injury to insult, the refs called multiple blocking fouls on Brunson for what looked like charges. We’re talking about Madden Truck Stick drives through Brunson’s chest. Brunson landed on defenders’ feet twice and spent a scary amount of time on the floor with nothing to show for it but bruises.
The refs’ final blow came when Brunson hit a go-ahead bucket with seconds remaining in the game. He was clearly fouled by Lu Dort, but the refs swallowed their whistles. That set the stage for SGA’s game-winner. Brunson gets a 4 out of 5 and can’t seem to get respect from NBA refs.
Miles McBride: 19 PTS (6/14 FG, 4/10 3PT, 3/3 FT), 3 AST, 4 REB, 3 STL, 1 TO in 46 mins
Miles McBride gave the Knicks an offensive boost as the second-leading scorer and became their best three-point option. He fired shots at the Thunder’s zone defense and knocked down enough to command attention. Deuce also knocked down a nice midrange jumper and whipped some nice passes to open teammates.
McBride’s defense on SGA kept the MVP candidate at bay. Deuce consistently stuck with SGA, forcing him to take contested shots or hunt for whistles. McBride had less success with the bigger, stronger Jalen Williams, but refs ignored a couple of offensive fouls in a similar fashion to the Jalen Brunson blocking calls.
McBride offered consistency, which is a rarity on this Knicks’ roster. He made a clear positive impact on the team, all while guarding one of the best players in the league. Deuce gets a 3.5 out of 5 for his two-way success.
Donte DiVincenzo: 15 PTS (4/18 FG, 4/16 3PT, 3/4 FT), 2 AST, 1 REB, 2 STL, 1BLK, 1 TO in 40 mins
Donte DiVincenzo is supposed to be the answer to zone defenses. His quick release and off-ball movement make him the perfect weapon to break a zone to pieces. But that only works when his shot is falling. DiVincenzo’s jumper looked rushed and out of rhythm for most of this action.
DiVo clocked a few Stocks along the way, but the steals and blocks don’t make up for his struggles guarding wings. Jalen Williams and Josh Giddey looked too big for DiVo, who couldn’t keep them out of the lanes. I found Giddey’s spin moves on DiVincenzo especially galling to watch.
This is by far DiVo’s worst performance in a long time. He usually makes up for bad shooting with hustle and defense. But DiVincenzo couldn’t get anything going and gave up frequent buckets from his opponents. DiVincenzo gets a 1 out of 5 for the inefficient night.
Josh Hart: 13 PTS (4/9 FG, 0/1 3PT, 5/6 FT), 6 AST, 15 REB, 1 STL, 3 TO in 45 mins
Josh Hart filled out the stat sheet and grabbed some impressive rebounds to keep plays alive. But his overall impact was hampered by bad turnovers and passed-up shots.
The Thunder’s zone frequently left Hart open on the weak side, but he rarely capitalized in meaningful ways. Hart became pass-happy, leading to a few nice assists but just as many poor decisions with the ball. He passed up wide-open shots to drive into worse looks, threw an alley-oop to DiVincenzo that was completely off target, and failed to get the offense moving like he normally does.
It’s hard to be too mad at a player’s 13-15-6 performance, but Hart spent clutch time making sloppy plays. I suspect both DiVincenzo and Hart’s struggles are signs of fatigue finally kicking in. Hart gets a 2 out of 5 despite his impressive numbers.
Isaiah Hartenstein: 17 PTS (6/8 FG, 5/7 FT), 5 AST, 12 REB, 1 STL, 1 TO in 29 mins
Isaiah Hartenstein relished an opportunity to face another “unicorn” rookie in Chet Holmgren. He struggled with foul trouble against Victor Wembanyama, but not this time. I-Hart locked Holmgren down, outscoring and rebounding the opposing big while dunking a putback on his head.
I-Hart’s scoring and rebounding might not have been the best part. The big man’s passing helped pick apart the Thunder’s zone even without much shooting surrounding him. Hartenstein is great at hitting cutters en route to the basket.
Hartenstein put together a fantastic performance, locking down a tough assignment while pouring in points and assists. He gave New York a much-needed weapon against the zone and provided nothing but positive minutes. I-Hart gets a 3.5 out of 5 for his strong night.
New York’s second unit flops when Bogey and Burks play together
Alec Burks: 5 PTS (2/8 FG, 1/3 3PT), 1 AST, 2 REB in 12 mins
I’m ready for Shake Milton to get all Alec Burks’ minutes. Burks continued a trend in which he flashes potential on a nice offensive play or two but surrounds those bright spots with forced shots and bricks.
To make matters worse, Burks’ defense was atrocious. He couldn’t stick to Jalen Williams when he tried and never offered proper help in the gaps when he was off-ball. He gets a 1 out of 5 for brutal shooting and awful defense.
Bojan Bogdanovic: 5 PTS (2/4 FG, 0/1 3PT, 1/2 FT), 1 REB in 11 mins
I ditto everything I mentioned about Burks for Bojan Bogdanovic. It felt like Jalen Williams really found his rhythm when Bogey guarded him. Meanwhile, Bogdanovic shot more efficiently but didn’t provide nearly enough offense to make up for his defense or lack of production elsewhere.
It’s becoming tiresome watching Burks and Bogey provide the worst minutes of the Knicks’ night. I wonder if a poorly spaced combination focused more on defense would be more meaningful because Burks and Bogdanovic aren’t providing much offense anyway. Bogey gets a 1 out of 5 for the terrible defense.
Precious Achiuwa: 8 PTS (3/5 FG, 0/1 3PT, 2/4 FT), 9 REB, 2 BLK in 22 mins
Precious Achiuwa finished with the worst plus/minus on the squad, but I’d blame that more on him getting extra minutes compared to the Detroit acquisitions. In reality, he did a great job on the glass and had a nice block in the paint. Achiuwa’s night wasn’t great, but he wasn’t bad.
Precious’ offense consisted of tip-ins and layups. He fired an ill-advised three-pointer above the break but worked from the middle. Achiuwa’s bigger issue came in missing free throws, but that seemed a problem for the whole team. Precious gets a 2 out of 5 for an okay night.
Tom Thibodeau needs to break up the Pistons players
I suppose Tom Thibodeau keeps forcing the Burks/Bogdanovic tandem minutes on us because the team needs offense from the bench. If the starting frontcourt never returns, Brunson will need players who can hit tough shots. But Burks and Bogey aren’t hitting tough shots or easy shots, and they actively break New York’s vaunted defense when paired together.
I’ve praised Thibodeau for being faster at adjusting and introducing wrinkles of off-ball movement, which have had great results for role players. But his refusal to split up the Detroit guys is a reminder of the coach’s flaws from past seasons.
Closing Thoughts:
These last two losses hurt. The Knicks have come up short in the clutch, and the refs have made brutal decisions late in the action. We had a phantom jump ball violation against Mitch in San Antonio, followed by the no-call on Brunson’s layup against Oklahoma City. But it’s not just the refs.
The Knicks’ defense has taken a major step back in the past three games. Their free-throw shooting has failed in key moments. Reliable shooters aren’t hitting shots consistently, and Jalen Brunson looks like he’s out of legs by the end of these games.
We’ve seen OG come back and head back to the injury list. Mitchell Robinson just did the same thing. We’re getting cryptic updates about Julius Randle, and suddenly, I’m worried about this season becoming a “what if” thanks to all of the injuries.
But there’s still time for the frontcourt to heal up and return for the postseason. The Knicks have bounced back from adversity, and losing in overtime and at the buzzer doesn’t exactly scream “we’re doomed.” This team has earned our patience, even if the past few games have been frustrating.
The Heat are next, and they’ve got momentum on their side. This is a good chance for New York to feel a playoff environment. I’ll see you next time, Knicks fam!
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