OKC Thunder Win Decisive 3-Point Battle Against Knicks

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander racked up 39 points in three quarters and Isaiah Joe scored a season-high 31 points on 11-for-16 shooting to fuel the Oklahoma City Thunder's 126-101 road victory against the New York Knicks Friday night.

New York accumulated significant positives throughout the four quarters — 16 offensive rebounds, including six from a relentless Josh Hart, and 23 made free throws on 23 attempts. The Knicks also committed five fewer giveaways than the Thunder, a surprising result considering the latter's historically strong turnover differential. The most noticeable, and accurate, disparity between both teams was their shot efficiency.

The Thunder drained a blistering 10 3-pointers on 15 first-half attempts, as Joe alone shot 6-for-7 before halftime. Four of his makes came from the right wing, with none more impressive than a 34-foot first-quarter swish from Madison Square Garden's Chase logo. He tallied two more triples during the fourth quarter, finishing with twice as many 3-pointers as the Knicks on 16 fewer attempts.

"We made some shots — Isaiah (Joe) going crazy in the first half opened up the game a little bit, probably wider than it normally would have been," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said.

Oklahoma City shot 14-for-27 from downtown on the night, an exact match from its game against New York a week earlier. Those two games have been the Thunder's only occurrences shooting at least 50% on 3-pointers this season, compared to 11 times last year.

Selective shooting helped influence that excellent efficiency, as unsustainable results come from smaller sample sizes. The 2024-25 Thunder has not attempted fewer than 27 single-game triples. Gilgeous-Alexander, who has increased his volume to 5.9 3-pointers per game, made his lone attempt in the third quarter. Only Joe and garbage-timers Branden Carlson and Alex Ducas exceeded their average 3-point attempts — Carlson recorded the first three of his NBA career.

"They all came within the flow of the game," Joe said. "They came within the flow of the offense, transition. ... If a heat check presents itself then maybe let it fly, but no need to disrupt the rhythm of the game when it's rolling like that."

Oklahoma City heads to the nation's capital to play the Washington Wizards tomorrow at 5 p.m. CST. It will be the third of a four-game road trip.

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