The Oklahoma City Thunder survived the Knicks 103-100 to win its fourth straight and snap New York’s three-game streak on Wednesday night.
Chet Holmgren tallied 28 points and eight rebounds, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 26 points for the Thunder.
Holmgren tied a career high with six three-pointers, and Lu Dort added 16 points, who recovered after the Knicks took the lead with a 40-point third quarter.
Knicks’ Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby missed tying three-point attempts on the final possession.
Karl Anthony Towns dropped 17 points and 17 rebounds, Brunson contributed 16 points and a season-high 15 assists, and Anunoby added 16 points.
The first meeting of the season between the NBA champions and a Knicks team that fell two wins short of facing them in the NBA Finals was high-intensity.
New York thought referees missed what should have been Gilgeous-Alexander’s third foul in the first quarter after he crashed into Brunson, with Mike Brown getting his first technical as Knicks coach.
The Thunder led 63-48 with 8:45 left in the third before New York tied it with a 24-9 run that Brunson capped when his three-pointer got a friendly bounce in.
Mikal Bridges hit a three-pointer with 1.2 seconds to give the Knicks an 80-77 edge.
Oklahoma City led 44-31 but did not score again for the next five minutes to let the Knicks back into it.
Holmgren ended the drought with two three-pointers in the final 46 seconds, and it was 50-40 at halftime.
Up next: the Thunder will host the Warriors on Saturday, while the Knicks visit the Nuggets on Friday to open a five-game trip.
