Heading into Friday’s matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the New York Knicks put together a nine-game winning streak, eclipsed only by the Thunder’s own 13-game streak.
Jan. 3, 2025: Final
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By all accounts, the Knicks dealt OKC a knockout punch in the game’s second quarter, outscoring the Thunder 36-21 on the strength of swarming defense, breathtaking ball movement, astounding rebounding (to borrow from the great Walt “Clyde” Frazier), and grit and hustle that demonstrated the Knicks’ ability to contend with the best in the league.
Alas, as it turns out, the Knicks’ second quarter outburst was merely a glancing blow, as OKC would outscore New York 63-41 in the game’s second half en route to a 117-107 victory.
For whatever reason, the Knicks shied away from the successes of their second quarter against the Thunder, with Jalen Brunson dribbling too much, refusing to pass, and trying to take matters entirely into his own hands. In the end, he forged an empty 22-point effort that saw him miss all five threes he shot, including 14 missed shots in all, not to mention two costly fourth quarter turnovers.
It was as though Brunson forgot he was but one cog of what is arguably the best starting five in the entire league, a sum of their parts that Brunson looked like he could not trust.
Though all five starters managed double figures, including 20-point nights from Brunson, OG Anunoby, and Mikal Bridges, Tom Thibodeau stubbornly only played Precious Achiuwa and Cam Payne eight minutes each (newly returned Landry Shamet was the only other man off the bench with 14 minutes on a night Deuce McBride was still out with a hamstring injury). Meanwhile, the Thunder bench outscored the Knicks’ second unit 44-5, including Aaron Wiggins’s jolt of 19 points, which was the difference in the fourth quarter.
On the second night of a back-to-back, the Chicago Bulls welcomed New York into town on Derrick Rose night. Despite the Knicks taking a 72-63 lead at the half, the Bulls took control—clearly inspired by the tremendous halftime tribute for Rose—outscoring New York 41-17 in the third quarter.
Jan. 4, 2025: Final
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Naturally, the beyond-the-arc shot made it happen. Chicago nailed 7-of-8 threes as a team, whereby leading Bulls scorer Coby White (33 points on the strength of nine threes) deftly became too much for the Knicks to handle.
A brilliant, 26-point first half for Brunson on 8-for-12 shooting from the field, including a perfect 9-of-9 at the free throw line, suggested the Knicks superstar was looking to atone for his sins from the night before.
Yet again, however, Brunson fell into the same patterns that befell him on Friday: trying to do too much on his own while otherwise neglecting the capable teammates around him.
Despite the loss, Karl-Anthony Towns’s refusal to yield to defeat was an encouraging, if not telling, sign. The Knicks center went on a fourth quarter tear, willing himself to a spectacular 44-point, 16-rebound finish, with many of his points coming with Brunson and Anunoby on the bench.
That said, Towns hobbled to the locker room when being taken off the floor with over 90 seconds left in the game.
If there is anything we can note about KAT’s early tenure in New York, he has a flair for the dramatic, playing up seemingly every non-call. He has regularly fallen to the floor, wincing in pain, only to fight back, consistently getting back on defense.
In fact, on the play he got “hurt,” an effort that saw him surge to the basket for a score on a contested layup, he immediately went coast to coast the next trip down the floor, drawing a foul and hitting two free throws before leaving the game for good. The hope is that grimacing and histrionics are hardly a sign of Towns missing extended time.
Regardless, the Knicks return home Monday night for the start of a five-game homestand, welcoming a severely hobbled Orlando Magic team that is now down another star. Jalen Suggs, who suffered a non-contact back injury against the Raptors on Friday night, has since become the latest Magic casualty, and thus, collateral damage New York should exploit to compensate for the first failed test of the New Year.
