Knicks Address Failures in Fourth

A dreary fourth quarter ended the New York Knicks' nine-game winning streak.

Jan 3, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives between New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) and forward Mikal Bridges (25) during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

A not-so-fantastic fourth stifled the New York Knicks' momentum on Friday night.

The Knicks put forth an inspiring effort against the NBA-best Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday but missed on an opportunity to steal a headline victory, falling by a 117-107 final at Paycom Center. The visiting New Yorkers led by as much as 14 on Friday before an Oklahoma City rally ended the Knicks' winning streak at nine while extending the Thunder's own to 14.

“We know we’re a good team,” Josh Hart said in the aftermath, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “We know we have to keep going. But in certain circumstances, it just wasn’t a good game for us.”

Jan 3, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) celebrates after dunking against the New York Knicks during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

A singular quick gander at the box score reveals a dozen of those circumstances: New York dropped the fourth quarter by a 37-19 final, one that seemed to pinpoint the lingering weakness and dents in the Knicks' championship cause.

The idea that the Knicks (24-11) need to win the rebounding battle to win games is hardly a fresh concept, but things got glaring in the fourth: the Thunder outrebounded the Knicks 13-6, with old friend Isaiah Hartenstein hauling in five on his own amidst foul trouble for Hart, who picked up three charges in the period alone.

New York was also dealt a hard lesson in bench scoring: Aaron Wiggins had 15 points alone in the final period alone while the Knicks had five second unit points as a team. Oklahoma City posted 44 total to complement a 33-point outing from MVP contender Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Isaiah Joe hit a three with less than four minutes gone by that placed permanent momentum on the host's side, as it gave the Thunder (29-5) its first lead since the opening 24.

The Knicks got into the paint well in the early going but abandoned that approach for potential momentum-shifting triple attempts. That plan from deep backfired, as the Knicks were 1-of-9 with an extra poin on the line in the fourth.

New York also failed to get to the foul line in the period while Oklahoma City was awarded seven tries. To cap it off, the minus-18 margin on the fourth quarter scoreboard was the worst tally the Knicks have had in a game this season.

Knick faithfuls will possibly point to the absences of Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson as asterisks but those partaking lamented the lack of drive that sustained them in the early going.

Jan 3, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges (25) talks with head coach Tom Thibodeau during a break in play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

“Two or three scramble plays, where they got to the loose ball and then converted into threes ... the last part of the defense has to be the strongest and that was probably the biggest thing. It was a hard-fought game," head coach Tom Thibodeau said, per Phillip Martinez of SNY. "We had an eight-point lead going into the fourth, and the intensity of the fourth quarter is different. So we got to be ready for that and we fell short tonight but our bench is more than capable, our starters are more than capable."

“No positives. Just got to be better,” Hart added in Bondy's report, refusing to dig for silver linings. “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.”

The Knicks have instant opportunities to atone for Friday's shortcomings: the Thunder will visit Madison Square Garden next Friday while New York immediately returns to action on Saturday night in Chicago (8 p.m. ET, MSG/NBA TV).

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