Three Takeaways From OKC Thunder's Fourth-Quarter Comeback Over New York Knicks

A 37-19 advantage in the fourth quarter steered the Oklahoma City Thunder to its 14th-straight win, coming out on top over the New York Knicks.

Jan 3, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins (21) celebrates after scoring a three point basket against the New York Knicks during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

In the first of seven straight games against Eastern Conference opponents, the Oklahoma City Thunder reigned supreme over the New York Knicks 117-107 after a dominant fourth quarter.

The Thunder outscored the Knicks by 18 in the final 12 minutes, mostly thanks to the huge performance of Aaron Wiggins off the bench. Otherwise, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander kept his MVP case building with 33 points, four rebounds and seven assists on 12-of-26 shooting.

Though all five of New York's starters nearly had 20 points each, the 44 points provided by Oklahoma City's second unit was a key factor in the eventual victory. It now marks its 14th-straight win of the season — a franchise record.

Here are three takeaways from the 10-point win:

Wiggins Saves Basketball

Memes flooding Thunder social media aside, Wiggins did in fact save the Thunder from a potential loss Friday night.

In 25 minutes of the bench, Wiggins finished the game with 19 points, five rebounds and two blocks on 7-of-9 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point range. Out of those 19 points, 15 came in the fourth quarter alone on 100% efficiency.

On his mom's birthday no less, Wiggins was the hero of the game for Oklahoma City. The forward was impossible to stop down the stretch, providing a big boost for the offense as a unit. He got his opportunity, and took advantage of it.

“We all knew how good of a player he is, but that’s kinda the thing you get with a guy like Sam Presti who’s so good at his job that you got a ton of guys," Isaiah Hartenstein said on Wiggins.

Down the Thunder's rotation, nearly every player has the potential to have a big game no matter the night. Sometimes it might be Isaiah Joe, other times it might be Cason Wallace. Last night, it was clearly Wiggins.

J-Dub's All-Star Stock

With Oklahoma City holding a 29-5 record at the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, two All-Stars seem like an imminent probability. Gilgeous-Alexander is a no-brainer to make it to the game, but the second man in line — Jalen Williams — is a little more up in the air.

The 23-year-old forward is averaging a career-high 20.9 points paired with 5.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game on 48% shooting from the field and 35% from behind the arc. He impressed at the starting center spot when both Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren were unavailable, but since going back to his normal position, he's been just as consistent.

Holmgren's absence has made Williams the unquestionable No. 2 scoring option on the Thunder roster, in which he's largely succeeded. The jump he needed to reach in his third year has been accomplished, putting him in a position to have a decent chance at a first-time All-Star nod.

If you need convincing, just take it from Gilgeous-Alexander.

"He is an All-Star, whether he makes it or not," Gilgeous-Alexander said before knocking on wood, "hah he will make it, but yeah, he's really good at basketball."

As long as Oklahoma City maintains a strong lead in the West and Williams continues to play to the level he is know, it'll be within reason.

Upcoming Stretch

Though the Knicks were a tough opponent to kick off its stretch battling the East, it's about to get even tougher for The Thunder in the next few days.

Oklahoma City will go up against the reigning champion Boston Celtics at 2;30 p.m. Sunday, followed up with a matchup against the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers at 6 p.m. Wednesday. Both teams have been dominant in their conference, and will no doubt be intimidating challenges for the Thunder.

Over the last 14 games, a loss has never seemed likely for Oklahoma City. Despite being down sometimes even into the fourth quarter, it finds a way to come out with a win without any real doubt. A historic defense and MVP favorite will do that.

If the Thunder is able to take down both Boston and Cleveland, it would take it into another stratosphere compared to every other team in the NBA. That's easier said then done, but at this rate, it's hard to predict when its next loss will legitimately look in the cards.

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