Knicks end five-game trip with win over Thunder
Jalen Brunson of the Knicks shoots over Luguentz Dort and Darius Bazley of the Thunder during the fourth quarter at Paycom Center on Monday in Oklahoma City. Credit: Getty Images/Ian Maule
OKLAHOMA CITY — As the Knicks tried to finish the game off, leaning heavily on Jalen Brunson, the diminutive point guard took the ball into the paint, pump-faked and dropped in a short floater, drawing a foul. As he went to the floor, 6-11, 240-pound Thunder center Mike Muscala fell on him.
Brunson stayed down for a while before being helped to his feet, and as the Knicks called time, RJ Barrett helped him off the court. But Brunson wasn’t coming out, not in the final minutes of an exhausting road trip. He hit the free throw, shaking off the aches and exhaustion, and wound up with 34 points and nine assists in the Knicks’ 129-119 win over Oklahoma City.
When the Knicks last saw the Thunder, it was mostly a blur racing past them for uncontested baskets. Oklahoma City piled up 145 points in a 10-point victory and sent the Knicks out of town not far ahead of the crowd that was calling for heads, whether it be coach Tom Thibodeau, any combination of front-office members or players.
The Knicks went from Madison Square Garden directly to the airport and embarked on a five-game trip, gathering for a players-only dinner before the first game. And after two improbable wins over Utah and Denver followed by losses to Golden State and Phoenix, the Knicks came to the final stop — and faced the Thunder again.
“I think what I was thinking about, they kind of punked us last time,” said Brunson, who had 23 points in the second half. “I wasn’t really thinking about exactly how they did it. They had the mentality that we didn’t last time we were on the court. My whole mindset was just let’s play hard, let’s play harder than them for 48 minutes, and whatever happens happens. We were able to come out with a win.”
This time the Knicks were not going to board the plane again with questions about effort or intensity. Instead, they finished with three wins and a measure of respect.
“We feel like they came in and it was kind of like a free and easy game,” Immanuel Quickley said of the last meeting with OKC. “For them to score [145] points, basically, that means we didn’t really play any defense. They didn’t feel us. And we wanted to make a point that it was a little bit tougher this time around. They definitely had our attention from what they did in the Garden. Any time somebody puts up, like, 150 points on the board, your antenna has to go up.’’
Barrett and Julius Randle (11 rebounds) added 25 points each as the Knicks evened their record at 9-9. Quickley had 18 points off the bench.
The Knicks seemed to summon a different level of intensity, if for no other reason than to convince themselves they weren’t exhausted by this part of the trip. Barrett came out for the opening tip, took the ball from the official, pounded it hard and hopped into a defensive stance. Randle plowed through Thunder defenders from the start. And Brunson orchestrated, ensuring there would be no collapse.
Barrett had been mired in a slump in the previous five games, shooting 20-for-76 overall and 2-for-25 from beyond the arc. This time he connected on his first five attempts and finished 10-for-16 overall and 3-for-4 from three-point range.
Quentin Grimes, starting for the second straight day, played 33 minutes and did a credible job of defending even as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points for OKC.
“It was a great win to end the trip,” Barrett said. “We really stayed together through this whole entire trip, so to end it off with a win like this was good, but we gotta get home.’’
Notes & quotes: Mitchell Robinson, who returned to action Sunday after being sidelined for two weeks with a sprained right knee, was ruled out in the second half with knee soreness. “It was expected,” Thibodeau said of Robinson feeling some pain after returning . . . Cam Reddish sat out a second straight game with a strained groin. Derrick Rose left Sunday’s game with a sore right toe and was held out Monday. Asked if Rose needs an X-ray, Thibodeau said, “Nah, I don’t think so. We’ll see, be re-examined when we get back. Just some soreness.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
