Josh Giddey, Tre Mann Breaks Knicks’ Heart, Commands Thunder in Valentine’s Day Victory

Immanuel Quickley’s shot missed the mark, and the Thunder crushed the Knicks’ heart in the Madison Square Garden.

With the Oklahoma City Thunder making their first trip to Madison Square Garden, they earned roses from the Garden crowd in their Valentine’s Day venture – defeating the Knicks 127-123.

Following the result, the Thunder are locked to a 17-40 record, good for fourth in reverse standings.

The Thunder fared well in the Big Apple to begin play, downing their first 5-of-9 shots to post a 12-4 lead. Off a Tom Thibedeau timeout, the Knicks returned fire with a 14-4 stint to take the lead. By the end of the first frame, Oklahoma City were out 31-29..

Continuing his first-quarter feast, Kenrich Williams swung eight-consecutive points off an opening make, but zero separation was made. In the back-and-forth, which saw neither team lead by more than five, the Thunder hit the halftime horn down 62-61.

Josh Giddey starred in the first half, placing 16 points, six rebounds, and eight assists while canning five shots in the paint, and a pair of 25-foot triples.

The 19-year-old’s total marked the most points in a half by a Thunder rookie this season.

Following two double-digit swings in the third, Oklahoma City jumped into the fourth frame down 94-91.

Mark Daigneault’s crew played things close to start the fourth quarter, taking the lead just inside the midway point. The Thunder’s struggle struck in crunch time as a four-minute stalemate soured them by the two-minute horn – but a stagnant Knicks kept OKC down four with a minute on tap.

In the clutch, Oklahoma City’s pair of first-rounders starred as a pair of Giddey and Tre Mann foul shots tied the game with 40 seconds to play. Plus, off a Knicks miss – OKC had the shot to win.

Off the inbound, Giddey misfired, and Quientin Grimes capitalized with a transition layup. On the ensuing possession, Darius Bazley took his man one-on-one at the right corner, capping his drive off with a reverse layup – and the game tying bucket.

Overtime panned out as a Broadway production as down three, a Knicks three was waived off for a moving screen. On the flipside, Mann downed another layup to bolster their lead before the former Gator sunk the nail in the coffin with a pair of foul tries.

New York took advantage of the Thunder’s height disparity charging the basket for 50 points in the paint. Frontcourt figures led in the Big Apple as Julius Randle posted his first triple-double of the season with 30 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists while Mitchell Robinson added 14 points and 17 rebounds, respectively.

Evan Fournier led the Knicks’ backcourt with 29 points.

Oklahoma City amped up on the offensive end Monday elevating from their league-low 100.7 points standard to 127 points off a 50.0% clip.

Josh Giddey lived up to the big stage in his debut at the Garden, racking up his second-consecutive triple-double off a career-high 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists in 39 minutes of play. Giddey lived up to hype in absence of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort in New York, leading the troops as the primary ball handler for the full course of play. The Aussie found safeguard on the interior Monday piling 8-of-11 makes in the paint while adding three hits from downtown.

With the triple-double, Giddey became the seventh rookie in NBA history to post back-to-back triple-doubles and the first since fellow Aussie Ben Simmons to do so in 2018.

Giddey’s ability to manipulate defenses has been a novelty throughout his rookie campaign. Despite not adding a triple-double, his Valentine’s Day surely caught the hearts of fans.

Tre Mann impressed as Mark Daigneult’s microwave, mustering up a career-high 30 points on a 9-of-16 shot chart. The 21-year-old was a delight as an on-ball creator, fazing the opposition multiple times on step backs. Mann was unconscious in the second half of play, spewing out mid-air adjustments on drives.

Darius Bazley rose to the occasion on Monday, capping his 39-minute campaign with 23 points and eight rebounds. Bazley’s points came in bunches, headlined by a 14-point third period, but the consistent play remained the entire stretch. With his piecing, the 21-year-old is in the midst of six-consecutive double-digit games, marking his best streak of the season.

Kenrich Williams kept his cool in the Mecca dropping 13 points on an uber-efficient 6-of-9 clip while Ty Jerome pushed 13 points of his own.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will take on the San Antonio Spurs Wednesday evening.

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