Is New York prepared for an enormous blue victory on a Sunday afternoon in November?
Sure, the New York Giants’ affairs could imply a little bit one thing extra at the moment of yr however the New York Knicks nonetheless have a strong alternative with the solar out when the Oklahoma City Thunder comes to go to for a matinee.
Fresh off a 121-112 win over the Detroit Pistons on Friday, the Knicks will look to type their first successful streak of November. The group’s large three took heart stage, as RJ Barrett, Jalen Brunson, and Julius Randle united for 77 factors. Barrett led the way in which with a season-best 30 whereas Brunson had 11 within the remaining body that staved off a Detroit comeback.
Oklahoma City was likewise victorious on Friday, topping the Toronto Raptors 132-113 in a win that ended a four-game dropping streak. Eugene Omoruyi led the way in which with a career-best 22 factors, marking simply the second event that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did not lead the group in scoring this season.
The Knicks and Thunder will exhaust their yearly two-game set this month, with the rematch in Oklahoma City coming eight days later. Sunday’s guests swept the pair final season, a sequence that included an time beyond regulation victory at MSG in February.
What: Oklahoma City Thunder (5-7) at New York Knicks (6-6)
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
When/Watch: Sunday, 12 p.m. ET, MSG/MSG Go
Keep An Eye On: RJ Barrett
Pressure has outlined Barrett’s New York profession. He was the de facto comfort prize when lottery fortunes frowned upon their probabilities of touchdown Zion Williamson or Ja Morant on draft evening. Having flirted with stardom, Barrett had his title linger in a number of commerce discussions this offseason, most famously within the finally futile Donovan Mitchell dealings. Instead, the Knicks introduced him again on a big extension, not directly making Barrett the homegrown face of the franchise for years to return.
Barrett struggled to reside as much as the hype within the early going however has since discovered a little bit of a rhythm: he has hit a minimum of 50 p.c of his makes an attempt thrice within the final 5 video games (after solely doing so as soon as in his first seven), knocking down 5.8 rebounds in that very same span. While the Knicks’ win over Detroit was comparatively tepid, Barrett’s takeover was sufficient to attract excessive reward from fellow nine-figure man Brunson.
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“I think he can be an All-Star. I think he can be a very impactful player, I think he can lead a franchise, and that’s what he was picked here to do,” Burnson declared. “He can do it. I have the utmost faith in him. He works very hard. He has a great demeanor about how he plays.
“You by no means see when he’s pissed off, you by no means see when he’s having the sport of his life. It exhibits he’s not afraid of the second, not afraid of something. He’s able to doing plenty of large issues.”
Consistency will likely be the secret for Barrett because the Knicks go deeper into their season. Will he rise to the problem or make the Knicks ponder what may’ve been?
Oklahoman to Watch: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Battles between Canadien stars are usually reserved for the Knicks’ icy MSG counterparts (who face off in opposition to Arizona mere hours after the Knicks and Thunder wrap up), however the hardwood will characteristic two Great North superstars.
Playing within the relative obscurity of Oklahoma City, Gilgeous-Alexander has gotten off to a blistering begin, at present averaging 30.5 factors per sport. That’s good for seventh within the league and has solely intensified the commerce buzz surrounding the Kentucky alum.
Currently working by means of the primary yr of his personal large extension ($172 million), some have implored the Chet Holmgren-less Thunder to throw away the 2022-23 season by buying and selling Gilgeous-Alexander away to a contender. The Knicks have mingled in the conversation and Gilgeous-Alexander is inching towards the specified celebrity standing they’ve longed for.
If there was a spot to make use of the excess draft capital, a play for Gilgeous-Alexander is likely to be it. He’ll have a de facto audition in entrance of Knicks brass on Sunday.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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