Knicks hit new Tom Thibodeau era low in first half vs. Thunder
Yesterday at 10:27 PM
The New York Knicks have been one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference this season and it looks like the decision to trade Julius Randle for Karl-Anthony Towns was a good one. However, they struggled mightily in a blockbuster matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night.
The matchup between the Knicks and the Thunder at Madison Square Garden rightfully was hyped up as a contest between two of the NBA’s top teams. The Thunder came into this game fresh off of their 15-game regular season win streak being snapped by the Cleveland Cavaliers, and they clearly had something to prove. Oklahoma City blitzed the Knicks right from the opening tip so badly that some history was made in the process.
The Thunder took a 27-point lead over the Knicks at halftime of this one, which is the largest deficit that New York has faced at halftime at Madison Square Garden in the Tom Thibodeau era, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.
Things didn’t get much better for the Knicks in the second half of this one as the Thunder ran away with a 126-101 win at the world’s most famous arena. While the Thunder weren’t able to extend the lead in the second half, they kept the Knicks from ever really getting close and making it a game in order to come away with a comfortable victory.
This is the second consecutive comfortable win for the Thunder over the Knicks after they won the first matchup 117-107 in Oklahoma City exactly seven days ago. Overall, the Knicks have struggled against the league’s top teams this season and are now 0-5 against the Thunder, Cavaliers, Celtics and Rockets.
Of course, that isn’t a complete reason to panic for Thibodeau and company. After all, they are 25-9 against the other 25 teams in the NBA. However, if they want to reach their lofty goals of reaching an Eastern Conference Finals and an NBA Finals, they will need to turn around that somewhat troubling trend as the season goes on.
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