The New York Knicks battled the Oklahoma City Thunder for three quarters, but walked away with another disappointing loss, 111-100, with a long list of what-ifs. It wasn't about the effort. Jalen Brunson again played brilliantly and the defense competed for long periods of time.
But when you look at the numbers and the key moments, there are two things most responsible for this loss, and both can be completely fixed if the Knicks are serious about making noise in the playoffs.
CT disparity and Knicks' ill-discipline
The first thing to start with is free throws, because that's where this game was really lost. The Thunder hit 38 free throw shots. The Knicks made 17 shots. That's a 21‑try difference and an 18‑point difference on the line in an 11‑point loss.
New York already ranks near the bottom of the league in free throw attempts per game, and it showed again. Instead of attacking the rim and forcing OKC to commit fouls, the Knicks resorted to jumpers while getting to the other end and getting pucks.
Mike Brown also acknowledged this: "It was a hard-fought ball game, but the thing I was most disappointed with was the energy we used on the officials. They shot 38 FTs. Were all of them legal? IDK. Some of them were because we overreached," according to James L. Edwards of The Athletic.
This is where disappointment is justified. The Thunder are smart and experienced at making contact, but the Knicks played right into their hands. Karl-Anthony Towns' flagged-1 on Chet Holmgren early in the third was the perfect example.
You can't give free points and extra possessions to a good team and then complain about the whistle. Until the Knicks get mentally stronger, play defense without drawing fouls, and put more pressure on the rim themselves, games like this will continue to get out of hand.
The Knicks bench was a complete ghost
If CT was the first problem, the bench was the second. New York did not get a single bench point until Jose Alvarado's three-pointer with 6:45 left in the second quarter. This is embarrassing for a team with playoff hopes. While OKC's second unit brought the energy, pressure and scoring, the Knicks' bench gave them almost nothing except missed shots, careless fouls and turnovers.
This is where criticism should be brutal. The starters did enough to give the Knicks a chance. Brunson, Hart, Bridges and Towns continued to pull the team back into the game. But every time the bench came on, the energy was gone and the scoreboard was against New York.
If this team is to be taken seriously, the bench needs to stop being a problem that starters are asked to fix and start becoming a real advantage. Right now, it's the opposite, and that's a big reason the Knicks came out of this with another avoidable loss.
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