The New York Knicks, who just won a big victory against the Milwaukee Bucks on Christmas Day, faced another difficult test Wednesday night, against an Oklahoma City Thunder team that promises to be one of the best of the 2023-24 NBA season. established the season.
In the end, Tom Thibodeau’s men failed and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams each scored 36 points to lead OKC.With the game in the balance late, the Knicks had to look for defensive solutions. The Thunder got what they wanted on almost every possession, and as a result, Thibodeau had to make a defensive change, using RJ Barrett in place of Immanuel Quickley. It wasn’t the most popular decision for some, as Quickley was one of the Knicks’ offensive sparks that night, scoring 22 goals in 25 minutes without leaving the bench. With the game in the balance late, the Knicks had to look for defensive solutions. The Thunder got what they wanted on almost every possession, and as a result, Thibodeau had to make a defensive change, using RJ Barrett in place of Immanuel Quickley. It wasn’t the most popular decision for some, as Quickley was one of the Knicks’ offensive sparks that night, scoring 22 in 25 minutes. Still, the Knicks head coach defended his decision after the game, saying certain sacrifices had to be made en route to victory. Tonight, the responsibility for putting the team above itself fell on Quickley. “You’re going to play against different people and that’s what the game needs. Sometimes it’s matchups, sometimes someone does it, sometimes you need size, you look at the transition. “You’re asking guys to make sacrifices because you can only put five players on the court,” Thibodeau said in his postgame statement via New York Basketball on Twitter (X).“They have length with their wings, you’re going to make some changes, so try to fit them together that way.”With the game in the balance late, the Knicks had to look for defensive solutions. The Thunder got what they wanted on almost every possession, and as a result, Thibodeau had to make a defensive change, using RJ Barrett in place of Immanuel Quickley. It wasn’t the most popular decision for some, as Quickley was one of the Knicks’ offensive sparks that night, scoring 22 in 25 minutes. Still, the Knicks head coach defended his decision after the game, saying certain sacrifices had to be made en route to victory. Tonight, the responsibility for putting the team above itself fell on Quickley. “You’re going to play against different people and that’s what the game needs. Sometimes it’s matchups, sometimes someone does it, sometimes you need size, you look at the transition. You’re asking guys to make sacrifices because you can only put five in,” Thibodeau said in his postgame presser, via New York Basketball on Twitter (X).“They have long wings, you’re going to change things up a little bit, so you try to match them together like that.”
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