Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remains undefeated in his NBA career at Madison Square Garden.
Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander entered Wednesday undefeated in his NBA career at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks. After a 105-103 victory tonight, that remained true as he improved to 7-0 in that arena.
This game was really defined by the third quarter, which was the frame in which New York completely flipped the momentum and looked like it might take control. The Thunder dominated most of the first and second quarters and even carried a 15-point lead during that stretch.
But in that third quarter, the Knicks surged and won the frame 40-27 after scoring only 41 points in the entire first half. That explosive quarter eliminated Oklahoma City’s lead and gave New York a three-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter after the Knicks not only erased the deficit but briefly seized control of the game.
In the fourth quarter, Oklahoma City responded. The Thunder won the final period 26-20, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hitting a huge three-point shot late that effectively sealed the win.
The Knicks did have two opportunities to tie the game from beyond the arc in the closing seconds, but both attempts missed, allowing the Thunder to secure the defensive stop and escape with the three-point victory.
Chet Holmgren led all scorers with 28 points and eight rebounds. He did most of his damage early, scoring 22 points in the first half alone and going 6-of-8 from three-point range by halftime.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 26 points and eight rebounds, while Lu Dort added 16 points. No other Thunder player reached double figures in what was a low-scoring, grind-it-out contest.
For the Knicks, no player eclipsed the 20-point mark. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 17 points and 17 rebounds before fouling out, while Jalen Brunson added 16 points. Notably, 11 of Brunson’s points came during that third-quarter comeback, and outside of that stretch, he scored just five points across the other three quarters, as Oklahoma City did an excellent job containing him defensively.
It's also worth noting that both Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein were ruled out late in this game for precautionary injury reasons.
From here, the Thunder will get some much-needed rest with a two-day break before hosting the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.
Oklahoma City has now won every game since the All-Star break except for the loss to the Detroit Pistons, a game in which none of the Thunder starters suited up. As a result, it appears the team may be turning a corner and regaining its rhythm as the roster gets healthier.