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Knicks vs. Thunder: How & Who To Watch on Sunday

The New York Knicks will look to get a winning record back and start a winning streak when the Oklahoma City Thunder visits on Sunday.

Geoff Magliocchetti

Is New York ready for a giant blue victory on a Sunday afternoon in November?

Sure, the New York Giants' affairs may mean a little something more at this time of year but the New York Knicks nonetheless have a solid opportunity with the sun out when the Oklahoma City Thunder comes to visit for a matinee. 

Fresh off a 121-112 win over the Detroit Pistons on Friday, the Knicks will look to form their first winning streak of November. The team's big three took center stage, as RJ Barrett, Jalen Brunson, and Julius Randle united for 77 points. Barrett led the way with a season-best 30 while Brunson had 11 in the final frame that staved off a Detroit comeback.

Oklahoma City was likewise victorious on Friday, topping the Toronto Raptors 132-113 in a win that ended a four-game losing streak. Eugene Omoruyi led the way with a career-best 22 points, marking just the second occasion that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn't lead the team in scoring this season. 

The Knicks and Thunder will exhaust their yearly two-game set this month, with the rematch in Oklahoma City coming eight days later. Sunday's visitors swept the pair last season, a series that included an overtime victory at MSG in February. 

What: Oklahoma City Thunder (5-7) at New York Knicks (6-6)

Where: Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY

When/Watch: Sunday, 12 p.m. ET, MSG/MSG Go

Keep An Eye On: RJ Barrett

Pressure has defined Barrett's New York career. He was the de facto consolation prize when lottery fortunes frowned upon their chances of landing Zion Williamson or Ja Morant on draft night. Having flirted with stardom, Barrett had his name linger in several trade discussions this offseason, most famously in the ultimately futile Donovan Mitchell dealings. Instead, the Knicks brought him back on a large extension, indirectly making Barrett the homegrown face of the franchise for years to come.

Barrett struggled to live up to the hype in the early going but has since found a bit of a rhythm: he has hit at least 50 percent of his attempts three times in the last five games (after only doing so once in his first seven), pulling down 5.8 rebounds in that same span. While the Knicks' win over Detroit was relatively tepid, Barrett's takeover was enough to draw high praise from fellow nine-figure man Brunson.

"I think he can be an All-Star. I think he can be a very impactful player, I think he can lead a franchise, and that’s what he was picked here to do," Burnson declared. "He can do it. I have the utmost faith in him. He works very hard. He has a great demeanor about how he plays.

"You never see when he’s frustrated, you never see when he’s having the game of his life. It shows he’s not afraid of the moment, not afraid of anything. He’s capable of doing a lot of big things.”

Consistency will be the name of the game for Barrett as the Knicks go deeper into their season. Will he rise to the challenge or make the Knicks ponder what might've been?

Oklahoman to Watch: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Battles between Canadien stars are normally reserved for the Knicks' icy MSG counterparts (who face off against Arizona mere hours after the Knicks and Thunder wrap up), but the hardwood will feature two Great North superstars. 

Playing in the relative obscurity of Oklahoma City, Gilgeous-Alexander has gotten off to a blistering start, currently averaging 30.5 points per game. That's good for seventh in the league and has only intensified the trade buzz surrounding the Kentucky alum.

Currently working through the first year of his own massive extension ($172 million), some have implored the Chet Holmgren-less Thunder to throw away the 2022-23 season by trading Gilgeous-Alexander away to a contender. The Knicks have mingled in the conversation and Gilgeous-Alexander is inching toward the desired superstar status they have longed for. 

If there was a place to use the surplus draft capital, a play for Gilgeous-Alexander might be it. He'll have a de facto audition in front of Knicks brass on Sunday. 

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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Geoff Magliocchetti
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI

Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks

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