The New York Knicks stumbled out of the gate to start their three-game trip and struggled to keep pace before absorbing a defeat.
The Knicks will look to regain their footing on Friday night against the Orlando Magic when they continue with the middle game of their trek.
New York fell behind by as many as 15 points in the first quarter and 17 early in the second of a 129-120 setback to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday. The Knicks recorded 18 turnovers to offset a 40-27 advantage in rebounds.
“We started slowly. We were playing from behind. I thought we had a pretty good resolve. We didn’t let it get away from us, but then we couldn’t finish it in the end,” New York coach Tom Thibodeau said. “I thought our turnovers hurt us, and some of that is they’re coming after the ball. Sometimes, if you’re not getting a call, you can get frustrated that way.
“I thought the rebounding was good enough, but the turnovers put them in the open floor, so it gave them a cushion.”
For the Knicks, Julius Randle collected 25 points and nine rebounds, Jalen Brunson added 24 points and seven assists, and Immanuel Quickley added 22 points off the bench.
RJ Barrett followed his 21-point performance on Christmas Day in a 129-122 win over the Milwaukee Bucks by making just 5 of 14 shots from the floor — including 1 of 7 from 3-point range. He also joined Brunson in committing five turnovers against the Thunder, who finished with just four as a team.
“It was our turnovers, too many turnovers,” Randle said, per the New York Post. “And they dominated us defensively in the paint.”
The Knicks have been rather generous of late, surrendering an average of 127 points over their last three games.
Orlando has answered an 11-2 run by losing five of its last seven games, including a 112-92 setback at home to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday.
The point total represented a season low for the Magic, who appeared a bit sluggish while playing on the second half of a back-to-back set. They made 16 turnovers and shot 39.2 percent from the floor and 27.3 percent from 3-point range.
“I thought they did a really good job of plugging the paint and our ability to navigate that,” Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley said. “You have to give them credit for recognizing the game plan and executing it at a high level.”
Franz Wagner scored 24 points and Jalen Suggs 20 for the Magic, who played without three key cogs off their bench in Gary Harris (right calf strain), Jonathan Isaac (sore right hamstring) and Joe Ingles (left ankle sprain).
“That’s the beauty of our group that each guy knows what they’re capable of doing and what they’re asked to do whenever they’re asked to step in with guys being out,” Mosley said.
New York won two of the three meetings between the teams last season as Randle averaged 23.3 points and 11.7 rebounds against Orlando.
–Field Level Media