Three Takeaways From OKC Thunder's Blowout Win Over New York Knicks

Despite its 15-game winning streak coming to a close against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday, it didn't take the Oklahoma City Thunder long to start winning again.

The Thunder got the best of the New York Knicks 126-101 — a greater advantage than it had in a fourth-quarter comeback previously in which Aaron Wiggins erupted for 19 points.

This time, Isaiah Joe was the surprise star of the show, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had another MVP-caliber performance to keep his case at the top of the list. Although Madison Square Garden is one of the more difficult arenas to play for opposing teams, Oklahoma City thrived in the historic environment.

Now improving to a 31-6 record, the Thunder has kept those behind it in the Western Conference at bay with a six-game lead over the Houston Rockets.

Here are three takeaways from Oklahoma City's blowout victory:

Joe Cooks in the Microwave

The last time the Knicks went up against the Thunder, Wiggins had a clutch performance that shocked them. This time around, it was a season-high scoring performance from Joe.

The shooting guard finished the night with 31 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the field, which included 8-of-11 shooting on 3-pointers. Though he's struggled with effiency throughout the season — even from behind the arc — there was no stopping him in New York.

"He's just continued to shoot the right ones," coach Mark Daigneault said. "Hasn't pressed or gotten timid at all, and he continues to play a great floor game. I was happy for him tonight. That was an unbelievable performance."

When Joe has a spark plug performance off the bench, it makes Oklahoma City even more dangerous. Over the past couple of years, he's shaped his game into being an elite 3-point shooter and microwave player, and that was on full display in a highly impressive outing.

That hot shooting night could carry over the next couple of weeks as Joe finally got the performance he'd been seeking through some tough stretches. If anything is a confidence booster, it'd be this game.

Another Day, Another 30 Points

Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 30 points is never a surprise anymore. He consistently reaches that number nine out of 10 times, and Friday night was no different from the rest.

The 26-year-old added to his ever-growing MVP case with 39 points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block on 15-of-21 shooting from the field and 8-of-8 from the free-throw line. Although Joe was the story of the game, the brilliance he put on in front of the MSG crowd was nothing short of spectacular.

Facing the Knicks after its loss to the Cavaliers could've been an easy one to drop and continue the spiral of losing momentum, but both Gilgeous-Alexander and Thunder bounced back in a big way to move forward. From here, they'll only look to build on it in a positive way.

"We got better that night, and that's above the outcome for us," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "It's about getting better, it's about learning, it's about growing from experience. That growth, that progress, is what we're after."

The most impressive part of it all? He did it in just 29 minutes of playing time.

Losing on the Glass

While yes, Oklahoma City dominated New York in nearly every facet of the matchup, losing the rebounding battle the way it did was slightly concerning given it being a common problem.

The Knicks outrebounded the Thunder 16-8 on offensive boards, which allowed them plenty of second-chance opportunities that could've caused more problems on a different night. Most of the damage was done by Josh Hart, who grabbed six offensive rebounds out of his total of 13.

Hart is a dominant player on the glass despite his height and does similar things to most teams across the league. However, Oklahoma City's rebounding does get it into trouble sometimes, especially without the services of Chet Holmgren due to injury.

The problem will be helped soon enough once the big man returns, but it just needs to be an area the Thunder focus on for now, especially with the disadvantages it typically has. It was obvious against the tandem of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, but other opponents will come up with a strong force down low.

Want to join the discussion? Like Thunder on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.