Coming out of their worst game of the season, the New York Knicks had a slow start against a team that lost its top scorer.
But RJ Barrett had seen enough and ended up losing 32 points, the biggest record of his career, in a much needed rebound victory. The Knicks met in the past three quarters to destroy the Oklahoma City Thunder, 119-97, on Saturday at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Barrett turned 13 in the third quarter, when the Knicks started to pull away. He hit 12 of 21 with three triples and added five rebounds, three assists and three steals in one complete performance.
The Knicks also had performances inspired by Julius Randle and Immanuel Quickley.
Randle also recovered from the seven lowest points of the season in Milwaukee with his second triple-double of the season (26 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists). He was the first Knick to have triple-doubles in a season since Mark Jackson in 1988-89.
Quickley got off the bench and took over the tasks of the ineffective Frank Ntilikina, who started but played only seven minutes. The Knicks were still losing Derrick Rose (health and safety protocols), although Empire Sports Media found out that he is also dealing with the loss of a close friend. A source familiar with the situation said that Rose attended the funeral of Langston Hampton, the younger brother of her best friend and personal assistant Randall Hampton.
Derrick Rose’s continued absence from #Knicks is related to a death in your circle, @EmpireSportsMed Learned. Rose was scheduled to attend the funeral of her friend Randall Hampton’s younger brother today. pic.twitter.com/rcq4WowQss
– alder almo (@alderalmo) March 13, 2021
Elfrid, Payton also suffered a late scratch with a hamstring injury.
Quickley and Barrett’s duo on the court in the second half chaired the Knicks’ combination for 22 of New York’s 32 points in the third quarter.
Thunder played without their top scorer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander due to a hip injury. But his initial unit, made up of two newbies, two sophomores and Al Horford, jumped into great leadership.
The low energy of the Milwaukee Knicks seemed to have continued on a sloppy start, as they allowed the Thunder to shoot 71 percent and lose by up to 11.
“I thought we responded well after that. I thought we had played hard in the second half, our desire to share the ball. As soon as our defense started, she put us out in the open, ”said Tom Thibodeau.
After giving just two assists in the first quarter, the Knicks finished with 22, and more importantly, their defense kept Thunder with just 37 percent shots the rest of the way.
Alec Burks also scored 15 points off the bench, while Reggie Bullock hit four trios and finished with 14 for the Knicks, who improved to 20-19.
The victory came at a critical moment, as the Knicks are about to end their journey with consecutive tough games against the top two teams in the Eastern Conference – Brooklyn Nets on Monday and the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday.
Follow this writer on Twitter: @alderalmo