Chet Holmgren poured in 28 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 26 as the Oklahoma City Thunder held off a late charge to beat the New York Knicks 103-100 on the road Wednesday night.
The Thunder led by seven with just more than a minute remaining, but the Knicks had a chance to send the game to overtime in the closing seconds. OG Anunoby’s 3-pointer at the buzzer, however, bounced off the rim to give Oklahoma City the win.
Gilgeous-Alexander reached the 20-point mark early in the fourth quarter, moving him within two of Wilt Chamberlain’s NBA-record 126 consecutive games scoring 20 or more points.
The Thunder have won four consecutive games and nine of their last 11.
The Knicks, who have not beaten Oklahoma City in New York since December 2017, had their three-game winning streak snapped.
New York trailed by 10 at halftime, scoring just 40 points before the break.
But the Knicks stormed back to double their point total and take the lead in the third.
With the Thunder up six with about 5½ minutes remaining in the third, Gilgeous-Alexander headed to the bench.
The Knicks quickled reeled off an 11-5 stretch to tie it at 72 on Jalen Brunson’s 3-pointer more than two minutes after Gilgeous-Alexander left the game.
Moments later, Gilgeous-Alexander came back into the game, but he couldn’t do much to stem the tide, with turnovers on consecutive possessions. Mikal Bridges drained a three in the closing seconds of the third to give New York an 80-77 lead.
After going 8 of 11 from the floor in the first half, Oklahoma City’s Holmgren attempted just one shot in the third, a miss.
Gilgeous-Alexander headed to the bench again to start the fourth.
This time, the Thunder thrived with the reigning Most Valuable Player on the sidelines, starting the quarter with a 9-3 run to regain the lead.
Holmgren had two baskets and an assist during that stretch.
A pair of challenges went Oklahoma City’s way late.
Midway through the quarter, Anunoby drove for a layup that briefly cut the Thunder’s lead to three.
But Thunder coach Mark Daigneault challenged the play, Anunoby was called for the charge and the points taken off the board.
Two minutes later, officials awarded the Knicks the ball after a scramble.
Daigneault once again called for a review, and New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns was called for a loose ball foul, his fifth of the game.
A minute later, Towns fouled out of the game, finishing with 17 points and 17 rebounds.
Anunoby added 16 points while Brunson had 16 points and a season-high 15 assists.
–Field Level Media
