The Oklahoma City Thunder continues a 5-game homestand on Sunday night, hosting the New York Knicks. These two teams met at Madison Square Garden just a few weeks ago, with the Thunder winning 103- 100. Tonight’s game is sure to be another close one as the Thunder try to hold on to the top spot in the Western Conference, while the Knicks try to overtake the Boston Celtics for the #2 spot in the East.
OKC enters this game fresh off a 131-113 win over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night. The Thunder trailed by 8 late in the third quarter, but a 15-0 run by OKC in the final 3:25 of the period flipped the deficit into a 7-point lead. The Thunder kept its foot on the gas, pushing the lead to as much as 20, before eventually winning by 18. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t even see the floor in the fourth quarter because the lead swelled so quickly, and that is the kind of help from the bench he’s going to need if OKC is going to be successful against tougher opponents down the stretch.
The Knicks come into this one having just lost to the Hornets in Charlotte, 114-103. The Hornets led for most of the game as the Knicks couldn’t get much done, but now New York enters with two days of rest behind them.
The key for the Thunder tonight is to run the Knicks off the three-point line while also scrambling to rebound missed shots. New York shoots 37.4% from downtown—4th in the NBA—and they pull down 12.8 offensive rebounds per game—good for 5th in the NBA. Those offensive rebounding opportunities lead to 16.4 second-chance points. The Knicks are also really good at taking care of the ball, whereas the Thunder are the best in the league at forcing turnovers and scoring off them. Winning that battle in the first half would be a nice way of setting the tone for the rest of the game, so the Thunder have to be locked in defensively from tip-off.
Game Details
Tip-Off: 6:30 PM CT
Location: Paycom Center (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
Television: NBC, Peacock
Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC The Sports Animal
Twitter: Follow @ZacharyLowNBA for live tweets and discussion during the game
Game Notes: Oklahoma City Thunder Official Game Notes, New York Knicks Official Game Notes
Projected Starters
Thunder
- PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- SG: Luguentz Dort
- SF: Jalen Williams
- PF: Chet Holmgren
- C: Isaiah Hartenstein
Knicks
- PG: Jalen Brunson
- SG: Mikal Bridges
- SF: Josh Hart
- PF: OG Anunoby
- C: Karl-Anthony Towns
Injury Report
Thunder
- Brooks Barnhizer (G League — two-way) is PROBABLE.
- Thomas Sorber (right ACL surgical recovery) is OUT.
- Nikola Topic (G League — on assignment) is PROBABLE.
Knicks
- Ariel Hukporti (G League — on assignment) is OUT.
- Dillon Jones (G League — two-way) is OUT.
- Miles McBride (pelvic core muscle injury) is QUESTIONABLE.
- Landry Shamet (tibial plateau contusion in right knee) is OUT.
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder is 25-7 against the Knicks (12-3 at home, 13-4 on the road).
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder have won the season series against the Knicks 8 times, lost it 0 times, and tied it 9 times.
- The Thunder won the season series with the Knicks 2-0 last year (1-0 at home, 1-0 on the road).
- OKC is 1-0 against the Knicks so far this season (0-0 at home, 1-0 on the road).
- OKC has defeated New York in 5 straight meetings and 12 of the last 14 overall.