Knicks hear boos from MSG crowd in lopsided 126-101 loss to Thunder

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The Knicks’ hopes for revenge against the top team in the Western Conference were swiftly dashed on Friday night, as they lost in blowout fashion to the Oklahoma City Thunder, 126-101, at Madison Square Garden.

Here are the takeaways…

— While there was no shortage of first-quarter offense in their first meeting last week, the Knicks and Thunder struggled mightily to score early in the rematch. Both teams started the game a combined 1-for-13 on shot attempts, and New York’s first field goal didn’t come until the 7:19 mark. Suffocating defense on both ends of the floor contributed to the peculiar inefficiency.

— It didn’t take long for the Thunder to settle down and find their groove, however. With the score knotted 11-11 with four minutes left in the first quarter, a three-pointer from Isaiah Joe ignited a powerful 15-2 run for Oklahoma City that silenced The Garden crowd. New York trailed 31-17 after one, and committed five turnovers.

— The Knicks were simply overwhelmed by the Thunder’s surge in the second quarter. They allowed a sudden 10-2 run that forced head coach Tom Thibodeau to call a timeout, and the wakeup call didn’t light any sort of spark. New York watched its deficit reach a whopping 28 points, as they failed to match Oklahoma City’s physicality and speed in transition. Blame it on a blatant lack of energy and focus.

— Feel free to call the Knicks’ first half a nightmare. Not only did they shoot a meager 32 percent (14-of-44) from the floor, but they also made just two threes on 15 attempts. As for the Thunder, they posted polar opposite numbers, finishing the half with a stout 10-made threes, a crisp 60 percent field goal percentage, and a commanding 27-17 rebound advantage.

— The first half was quite a showcase for Joe, who stunningly scored a season-high 23 points off the bench with six-made threes. Both of the Knicks’ wingers were also ghosts — OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges shot a combined 0-for-11 for zero points through two quarters. Jalen Brunson (15) and Karl-Anthony Towns (10) were the only Knicks in double-digits, and the boos rained down as they left the court, trailing 70-43.

— New…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/knicks-booed-msg-crowd-humiliating-025429255.html

Author : SNY

Publish date : 2025-01-11 02:54:00

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