The New York Knicks performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday had some good news and bad news. Unfortunately for the Knicks and their fans, the latter outnumbered the former.
Julius Randle recorded a triple-double, scoring 30 points, grabbing 13 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists. It was his seventh consecutive game scoring 28 or more points, something only seven other Knicks have done in the history of the franchise.
Julius Randle is the seventh Knick in franchise history to score at least 28 points in six straight games (King 2, Stoudemire, C. Anthony 2, Naulls, Guerin, Barnett).
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) February 15, 2022
That was the good news. The bad news? While Randle scored a lot of points, he wasn’t very efficient, going 11-for-26. He also turned the ball over seven times. More troubling is that the Knicks lost 127-123 in overtime.
Contributing to the loss was that the Knicks surrendered a historic performance to Oklahoma City’s Josh Giddey.
Josh Giddey had 28/11/12 tonight. He is the youngest player in NBA history to record:
— A 20-point triple-double
— A triple-double in consecutive games
— A triple-double vs the KnicksHe doesn’t turn 20 until October. pic.twitter.com/hrvArAbdB5
— StatMuse (@statmuse) February 15, 2022
Despite the loss, some fans were in a positive mood and praised Randle’s performance.
https://twitter.com/freejxden/status/1493414540473679872
Okay Ju, keep coming with that same energy. We'll get off your back https://t.co/f6Y14N5gqi
— Leinal S. (@Lenardojr) February 15, 2022
Those fans, however, were in the minority. Some fans pointed out that Randle’s scoring surge hasn’t done much to help the fortunes of the team.
It don’t matter if we keep losing.
— Gustavo Rivera (@NYSenatorRivera) February 15, 2022
And we won 1 .. https://t.co/XGGz6qkZSe
— Eric Palacio (@EricPalacio12) February 15, 2022
Indeed, the Knicks are 1-6 over the last seven games.
Despite the recent struggles, New York is still in postseason contention. Following the loss to the Thunder, the Knicks were two games behind the Atlanta Hawks, who hold the No. 10 spot.
Given that Oklahoma City is one of the worst teams in the NBA, plenty of New York fans were upset with the performance.
Pitiful Knicks performance!
— Mike Francesa (@MikeFrancesa) February 15, 2022
https://twitter.com/DenzDaddy13/status/1493421634329395200
Knicks games are a perfect Valentine’s Day date if you’re trying to break up.
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) February 15, 2022
Knicks lose to OKC for the 2nd time this season.
The Knicks have lost 12 of their last 15 games. pic.twitter.com/AjOWYkz7Pm
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) February 15, 2022
Sam Presti to the Knicks pic.twitter.com/N4TubwisSV
— B-L-M, Anthony is a bully, Dante Exum fan account (@advancedstats23) February 15, 2022
The Knicks can indeed still make the postseason. But for that to happen, they must right the ship quickly.
