Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sank a clutch three-pointer to secure a hard-fought 103-100 win for the Oklahoma City Thunder over the New York Knicks Wednesday. Victory improved the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player’s remarkable personal record at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks to 7-0, and a fourth straight team win extended the Thunder’s lead on top of the Western Conference.
“We got the car back on the road in the fourth quarter, we were able to give ourselves a chance,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with 26 points plus eight assists. “Late game, you’ve just got to figure it out. I made plays. Guys made plays. We still got here with a W.”
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Oklahoma City had led for much of the game. Chet Holmgren top-scored with 28 points, including 22 in a sensational first half. The Knicks were restricted to just 40 points in the first half by some clinical Thunder defending, with New York’s star man Jalen Brunson managing just two points under intense marking before the midway break.
But the Knicks poured in 40 more in the third quarter alone, with a reinvigorated Brunson’s three-pointer finally drawing the scores level and bringing the home crowd roaring to life. The Knicks took a slender lead into the final stretch, but the advantage did not last, as Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren rallied. With barely a minute remaining, a step back jump shot by Gilgeous-Alexander opened up a seven-point gap. Brunson closed it to three, but with just six seconds remaining, his game-tying attempt from beyond the arc just missed.
“It’s always great to come away with a win. No better place to do it than the Mecca,” said Holmgren. The win puts the defending champions on an NBA-best 49-15, three-and-a-half games clear of the San Antonio Spurs, and with their eyes firmly on the playoffs.
“You got to get healthy, because we’re going to need everyone for this playoff run,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “And then we just got to keep doing what we’re doing. We got to stay together. We got to be the team we’ve been the last year and a half.”
The Knicks remain third in the Eastern Conference and did not lose ground on the second-placed Boston Celtics, who fell 118-89 to the red-hot Charlotte Hornets. Kon Knueppel bagged 20 points in another impressive showing from the Hornets rookie, while Derrick White’s 29 points for the Celtics were in vain. It was Charlotte’s sixth straight win by 15 or more points, the joint-second longest streak of its kind in NBA history.
© 2024 AFP
