OKLAHOMA CITY — For parts of a big Friday night in Knicks land, Tom Thibodeau’s squad was hanging with the red-hot Thunder.
More than hanging, in fact.
During an exquisite second quarter, they shredded the top-ranked defense. But when it came down to brass tacks — when the clock hit winning time in the fourth quarter — the Thunder flexed their superior depth with their MVP candidate, slithery Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and the Knicks couldn’t keep up in a 117-107 defeat.
A pair of Jalen Brunson turnovers proved pivotal in the final three-plus minutes, as Gilgeous-Alexander took over to cap his 33-point, seven-assist performance.
Brunson, returning from a one-game absence because of calf soreness, threw away two passes with the game in balance in the final three-plus minutes.
“Just uncharacteristic,” said Brunson, who also missed all five of his 3-point attempts. “It’s not what I do in those situations.”
The loss snapped a nine-game winning streak for the Knicks (24-11), who were gunning for their first double-digit streak since 2013. The Thunder (29-5), a juggernaut in the West, won their 14th consecutive.
In the end, the Knicks didn’t measure high enough on the measuring stick.
“No positives. Just got to be better,” Josh Hart said after scoring 19 points in 44 minutes. “We’ve got to execute a little better, especially in that fourth quarter. We know it. We’ve got to find it. You can’t rely on anything else. We’ve got to make sure we go out there and execute and play our game.”
For the last month-plus, the Knicks breezed through the cake part of their schedule, feasting on the bottom dwellers while winning nine straight and overall 19 of their last 23.
Friday became the first game since 2000 that teams faced off with concurrent winning streaks of at least nine games.
The previous time was Scottie Pippen’s Trail Blazers versus Shaquille O’Neal’s Lakers.
So the evening carried a big-game feel, and it represented an opportunity for Knicks validation as they try to earn respect as a legitimate contender. The Thunder already had national attention.
“They’re the No. 1 defense and they’ve been playing really good all year,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “Just past the defense aspect, they’ve been playing really good basketball. And we’ve been playing great basketball. So it’s a good time for both of us to meet up with each other and get to test our skills.”
The response, initially, looked good.
After a tight opening quarter, the Knicks unleashed their dominant offensive profile in the second. Behind their standard balanced attack, they outscored Oklahoma City in the second quarter, 36-21, dominating OKC’s athletic defense.
It led to a 66-54 Knicks lead at the break.
But things unraveled quickly in the second half as the Knicks’ thin bench was exposed without an injured Miles McBride.
Thibodeau’s reserves were outscored, 44-5, and barely played. It was the first time every Knicks starter played at least 40 minutes since 2013.
“I’d lie if I said I wasn’t exhausted,” said Towns, who logged 42 minutes with 22 rebounds. “I think the film shows it. But I was willing to do whatever it takes to get the win. I just wanted to put myself in a position to help my teammates win and continue winning. Unfortunately we didn’t get the job done tonight. It hurts, it stings.”
The Thunder deployed a strategy that had been effective against the Knicks this season. They used a smaller but strong player — Jalen Williams, in this instance — to defend Towns and limit his perimeter play.
It was effective enough — Towns managed just 17 points — but was just a small reason the Knicks lost when it really mattered and the level of competition elevated.
“We know we’re a good team,” Hart said. “We know we have to keep going. But in certain circumstances, it just wasn’t a good game for us.”
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