The Knicks did not guarantee their sixth win last season until the 26th game, four clashes after coach David Fizdale was fired in early December after a 4-18 record.
This is clearly not the time to criticize, but new coach Tom Thibodeau’s improved team hit just 35.8 percent from the ground and 60 percent from the free throw line on Friday night in a 101-89 loss to the Thunder at the Garden, ending its three consecutive winning streak.
The Knicks (5-4) failed to win their sixth win after nine games for the first time since an 8-1 start in 2012-13, when they ended with a season of 54 wins under current assistant coach Mike Woodson.
“I think it’s been great, very important,” said RJ Barrett before the Knicks’ hot start game. “It shows us that our work is paying off and our work is good, so we have to keep doing what we are doing and continue to improve each day and just trust the process.”
Barrett led the Knicks with 19 points in 44 minutes, but he missed 14 of 21 kicks from the ground, including 4 out of 5 in the 3-point range.
Scorer Julius Randle had problems at the start of the game and didn’t score in the first half, but ended up with 18 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in 31 minutes.
“Winning is always good, but I think it’s more what we do every day,” said Thibodeau before the game. “There are ups and downs in one season. If we are doing the right things every day, we will get better and better.
“This is what you strive for. Every day this improvement. It’s a long season and we have to keep growing. There are many areas where we have to do much better. “
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Thunder (4-4) with 25 points, and Queens’ product, Hamidou Diallo, set the season’s record with 23 points with 11 rebounds.
The Knicks, who will host the Nuggets on Sunday, were led by 11 in the first quarter. Thunder scored the first eight points of the second quarter, however, to close with one, 24-23. Kenrich Williams’ layup gave Oklahoma City their first advantage, 28-26 almost in the middle of the period, and Al Horford’s 14th and 15th points in the interval put Thunder ahead 39-38 with two minutes left.
A delayed float by Barrett and a dunk by Mitchell Robinson took the Knicks to the break with a 42-42 draw. Ten changes of advantage in the third quarter sent Oklahoma City up 57-56 in the middle of the period, before a dunk and two free throws by Diallo increased Thunder’s lead to nine.
Wednesday’s fourth quarter hero, Austin Rivers, drained a 3-point buzzer basket and a bucket at the beginning of the room to lure the Knicks back in four, but Diallo’s theft and burial and a 3-point bury. Gilgeous-Alexander pushed the Knicks Deficit to 13, the biggest of the match, with 4:21 left.
“We said from the beginning that the first step for us was to become a quality practice team and that is what you must continue to do,” said Thibodeau. “You can’t let your guard down. You cannot start taking shortcuts. Once you start doing this, you will see the results. Put the work in each day and keep improving. There are usually many small steps. They are incremental. And you want to play your best in the end. “