Isaiah Hartenstein's keys to Thunder beating Knicks twice in one week
01/10/2025 04:49 PM
Isaiah Hartenstein and the Oklahoma City Thunder outscored their opponent 37-19 in the final frame of their 117-107 win against the New York Knicks. Aaron Wiggins supplied 12 of the Thunder’s final 23 points to secure last Friday’s victory. However, before a rematch at Madison Square Garden, Hartenstein is anticipating a more vigorous effort in his former team.
Coming off of a 129-122 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, which snapped the Thunder’s franchise-record 15-game win streak, Hartenstein says getting back to executing at a high level is key in their matchup against the Knicks on Friday.
“Getting back to how we play. I feel like Cleveland was a little bit of a situation where we played to their hand,” Hartenstein said. “We were still in the game. But I think we could have definitely done a lot better in just playing to our game more.”
Twenty-one games into his tenure with Oklahoma City, Isaiah has adapted. Still, playing at Madison Square Garden for the first time since Hartenstein signed a three-year deal, $87 million contract with the Thunder, the venue Isaiah called home for two seasons, is unique.
“It’s always great to be back. The Garden is a special place,” Hartenstein said. “Just playing here for two years, playing two years of playoff basketball. It’s always special to come back and just play. Play out here. It’s definitely weird and cool at the same time.”
Will Isaiah Hartenstein hear cheers or boos?
“[They’ll] probably make sure [I hear] both,” Hartenstein replied. “In the beginning, probably more cheers. Probably when the game starts, probably more boos. But that’s why you love New York fans.”
Aaron Wiggins shooting above 50 percent since beating Knicks
In his last game against the Knicks, Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins connected on 4-of-6 from behind the three-point arc. Since then, he’s made 11-of-16 from the floor, including a combined 4-for-8 from deep. Wiggins is averaging 13.5 points on 68.8% shooting, including 58.9% from the perimeter in the Thunder’s last four outings.
The Knicks will be sure to defend Wiggins’ outside shot. However, as Isaiah Hartenstein pointed out, sticking to the game plan is crucial for the Thunder.
“We know how to do it on big stages,” Hartenstein said. “It was still a winnable game, but I felt we still could have did better with our execution. So, it’s not like we choked on a big stage. It was more just little details we could have done better.”
Madison Square Garden is the second stop of the Thunder’s four-game road trip.
The post Isaiah Hartenstein’s keys to Thunder beating Knicks twice in one week appeared first on ClutchPoints.
