Oklahoma City Thunder (49-15) beat New York Knicks (41-23) 103-100 on the road on Wednesday, March 4. The Knicks led after three quarters, but the Thunder took control in the fourth.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Thunder had the better start, winning the first 25-23 to lead by 2 after one. The Thunder kept the pressure on with a 25-17 second quarter, carrying a 10-point lead into halftime.
The Knicks won the third 40-27 to turn the game around, taking a 3-point lead into the fourth. The Thunder took the fourth 26-20; the Thunder completed the comeback for a 103-100 regulation win.
What decided it
The Thunder made 28.8 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 18.2 for the Knicks. The Thunder got more from their shots, finishing at 56.2% effective field-goal shooting compared with 47.7% for the Knicks. In a 3-point game, the points at the line gave them room for error elsewhere.
The Knicks did win one battle, second chances: ORB% of 25.5% against 7.7%. The Thunder made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 97 possessions per team, the Thunder produced 105.8 points per 100 possessions to 102.7 for the Knicks.
Who made the difference
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the game's biggest individual force for OKC: 26 pts, 3 reb, 8 ast on 9-16 shooting. His Game Score of 21.7 led everyone. His team was +6 with him on the floor.
Karl-Anthony Towns led the Knicks with 17 pts, 17 reb, 1 ast on 7-8 shooting, good for a 20.8 Game Score.
Josh Hart (10 pts, 12 reb, 3 ast), Karl-Anthony Towns (17 pts, 17 reb, 1 ast), and Jalen Brunson (16 pts, 3 reb, 15 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 41% for the Thunder.
Across the last 2 meetings in our records, Oklahoma City Thunder lead 2-0.
The Thunder are now 49-15, and the Knicks are 41-23. The Thunder last five before this game: W-L-W-W-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.