Knicks unable to silence Thunder in crucial fourth quarter: ‘We just didn’t execute’

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Well, no one can say it didn’t live up to the billing.

The Knicks and Thunder played a playoff-caliber game Friday night in Oklahoma City, but despite a valiant effort from New York, — the Knicks entered the fourth quarter with an eight-point lead — the best team in the Western Conference used their top defense to complete the comeback and win.

So, what happened?

OKC’s defense held the Knicks to just 9 of 22 shooting (41 percent) including 1-for-9 from three, while New York’s defense could not hold down the Thunder. OKC shot 70 percent (14 of 20) in the final quarter, including 6-for-8 from beyond the arc.

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau felt the game came down to just a few plays down the stretch.

“Two or three scramble plays, where they got to the loose ball and then converted into threes,” Thibodeau said after the game. “So the last part of the defense has to be the strongest and that was probably the biggest thing. It was a hard-fought game.”

Thibodeau pointed to the Thunder’s 23 fast-break points — against the Knicks’ 10 — as a big factor in the loss as well. OKC also had 18 points off of 12 Knicks turnovers.

“It’s a really good team,” Mikal Bridges said of the Thunder. “We just fought hard and they just had an extra push at the end and we were there and then they made that run in the fourth. They got open looks, got out in transition, got some 50-50 balls but too many open looks.”

“We just didn’t execute, we didn’t execute how we should’ve,” Josh Hart said. “When they blitzed we got to get out in space and space the court and then pick them apart that way. We just didn’t execute down the stretch in that fourth. And then we had some big plays that didn’t go our way.”

Aaron Wiggins, the 26-year-old guard who came into Friday’s game averaging less than nine points a game, was the benefactor of those open shots. In the final frame, Wiggins was a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor making all four three-pointers he attempted.

Then, there was the offensive rebound and save by former Knick Isaiah Hartenstein late in the fourth.

Hartenstein hustled to get an air ball from his…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/knicks-unable-silence-thunder-crucial-052202369.html

Author : SNY

Publish date : 2025-01-04 05:22:00

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