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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander struggled from the field for the first three quarters, shooting 5-of-15, but found his rhythm in the final period, hitting all three of his attempts. He finished 13-of-16 from the free-throw line, extending his NBA record to 135 consecutive games with at least 20 points.
Jalen Williams contributed 22 points for the Thunder, shooting an efficient 7-of-11 from the field and a perfect 7-of-7 from the charity stripe. Last year's All-Star is clearly regaining his form; he missed the first 19 games of the season due to a wrist injury, followed by another 26 games sidelined with a right hamstring strain.
Chet Holmgren added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Thunder, who secured their 14th victory in the last 15 outings. Oklahoma City (59-16) now holds a two-and-a-half-game lead over San Antonio (56-18) in the race for the league's best record, with eight games remaining. Nikola Topic was on the roster but did not see any playing time, which was expected given his recent call-up from the developmental team after a demanding schedule.
The Knicks currently sit third in the Eastern Conference standings, two-and-a-half games behind the second-placed Boston Celtics. However, the Thunder significantly outscored them from the free-throw line, 31-13.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 32 points on 13-of-22 shooting. Karl-Anthony Towns chipped in with 15 points and 18 rebounds for the New York squad, who suffered their second consecutive loss after a seven-game winning streak.
Josh Hart's deep three-pointer at the halftime buzzer cut Oklahoma City's lead to 53-52. A steal and layup by Williams gave the Thunder a 59-54 advantage in the third quarter, igniting the home crowd. Oklahoma City entered the final period with an 84-78 lead. New York managed to trim the deficit to just one point in the fourth quarter but never managed to take the lead.
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