New York Knicks vs Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder are ahead 74-68 in the head-to-head series. In addition, the Thunder won their home game against the Knicks last week 117-107. The Thunder have won five of their last five games at Madison Square Garden, and they are 8-2 overall in their last ten games. In addition, they have won six straight games in New York.

After losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Thunder's 15-game winning streak came to an end. Amazingly, their winning run propelled them to the top of the Western Conference, and they lead the Houston Rockets by six games going into this matchup. There isn't much evidence to suggest that the Cavaliers' defeat will mark the beginning of a difficult run.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remains the heartbeat of the group since he leads the team in scoring with an average of 31.3 points and assisted 6.1 in the field and shot 52.5% from the field. More importantly, he scored the Thunder 33 points to make them win against the Knicks, taken from the floor 12 of 26 average, 2 of 3 average from triple. In fact, Jalen Williams earns his second place in the team having scored 20.7 points per game with 48percent field goals. And so, it came as no shock when he was able to get 20 points and shoot 8 of 17 against the Knicks the previous week.

Even as Chet Holmgren has remained on the sidelines, the Thunder have had to look to other avenues. However, it has not happened with the same regularity all the time may be due to market fluctuations. Isaiah Hartenstein is netting 12.2 points and swiping 12.1 caroms with 56.7% field goal accuracy. But he had only 4 points and 14 rebounds the previous week.

The Thunder shot 51.2 percent from the field and an impressive 51.9 percent from three-point line. Besides, their aptness on the defense line could be evidenced from the fact they had made seven block shots.
Running into Patrick Ewing, Karl-Anthony Towns put on a show – this was the first truly commanding performance at center since Ewing himself left New York.

Towns has been a great addition to the Knicks the team and has contributed 25.3 points and 14 rebounds game while shooting 55.2 percent field goal, and 45 percent from the three point line. Last week he had 17 total points and made 7 field goals out of 13 attempts. Seth Curry continues to shine contributing 20.8 points per game and 42.5 percent shooting from the field. However, he had a tough time last week where he managed to score 22 points , something like 9 of 23 from the floor-, including 0of 5 from the three point line.

The Knicks have benefited greatly from Mikal Bridges, who averages 18.4 points per game and shoots 49.7 percent from the field. He ultimately excelled last week, shooting 10 for 19 from the field, including 4 for 11 from the 3-point range, and scoring 24 points. OG Anunoby, who is averaging 16.6 points per game and shooting 47.8 percent from the field, is aware of the challenge the Thunder present and will try to get better. He scored 20 points and shot 7 for 13 from the field, including 3 for 7 from beyond the arc, last week, which is noteworthy.

Although they struggled from the three-point line, the offense did a good job overall last week. They also gave the Thunder the opportunity to shoot from all around the court.

If the Knicks are able to make their outside-the-arc shots, they will cover the spread. They then have to stop Williams and Gilgeous-Alexander from controlling the game

After defeating the Raptors 112-98 at home on Wednesday, the Knicks will be seeking to win two straight at Madison Square Garden. Before the win, New York had lost three straight games, which was the first time this season that they had dropped more than two straight games.

The Knicks have won four of their previous five games at MSG and are 12-5 at home this season.

The Thunder, who now have the second-best record in the NBA, have been showing off their championship credentials. They now have what is likely the strongest defense in the league, coming in top in adjusted defensive rating and second in opponent points allowed.

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