Knicks drop first game of daunting road trip to powerful Thunder
NY Post
OKLAHOMA CITY — A daunting road trip against three of the NBA’s rising young teams over four nights promised to provide another challenge for the Knicks as 2023 comes to a close.
The first stop came against the Thunder, the third-place squad in the Western Conference, and their budding stars proved to be too much for the Knicks in a 129-120 loss Wednesday night at Paycom Center.
Julius Randle registered a team-high 25 points, Jalen Brunson scored 24 and Immanuel Quickley added 22 with four made 3-pointers for the Knicks, who fell to 17-13 ahead of visits to Orlando and Indiana on back-to-back nights beginning Friday.
One game after netting 21 points in a Christmas Day victory over the Bucks, RJ Barrett finished with 14 points on 5-for-14 shooting, including 1-for-7 from 3-point range
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams fronted the Thunder (20-9) with 36 points apiece, and rookie center Chet Holmgren finished with 22 with four blocked shots.
Before the game, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau had noted that he’s been impressed with the inside-outside versatility of the 7-foot-1 Holmgren, who came in averaging 17.3 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.7 blocks after missing all of last season with a foot injury.
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