The Knicks, who have not participated in the NBA Christmas War for many years, unexpectedly won the final victory against the Bucks this season. During this period, Brunson, who was the core of the team, played a god-like competitive performance. He scored a game-high 38 points, as well as 4 rebounds and 6 assists, which effectively relieved the team's scoring pressure. Obviously, the performance of this Christmas game has completely won the attention of the whole league. The team that didn't care about the results at all and was confused for a long time in the past is long gone.
And in this game, Thibodeau took the team to the Russian city to challenge the Thunder located there. At present, the Thunder, under the leadership of Alexander, is playing the competitive state of the dark horse in the West. At this stage, they can also maintain the third place in the West with a record of 19 wins and 9 losses. Suffice it to say, if the Thunder can stay healthy, it won't be too difficult for them to return to the playoff stage this season. This time, they accepted the challenge of the Knicks at home, and their starting core broke out one after another, leading the team to a total score of 129-120 and won the final victory.
In the first quarter of the game, the Thunder team playing at home maintained an excellent state, thus taking the initiative to take the lead in the score. Alexander played 12 minutes, shooting 4-of-5 from the field and delivering 8 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists, while Williams also had 7 points and 1 assist, helping the team to a 38-25 lead and a 13-point lead. And entering the second quarter matchup, the Knicks can also launch an effective counterattack. Alexander's 11 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist and 2 steals in the second quarter didn't work, but the opponent was able to blossom more, resulting in a 35-31 score and narrowing the gap to 9 points.
Entering the second half of the competition, the Knicks, who have achieved good results in chasing points, can further narrow the gap between the two teams. In the third quarter of the game, Brunson played 12 minutes, shooting 2-of-6 from the field, 5-of-5 from the free-throw line, delivering 9 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal, and Randle also had 12 points and 3 rebounds, helping the team play a 29-24 score and narrow the gap to 4 points. But unfortunately, at the end of the fourth quarter of regular time, the Thunder did not give the Knicks a chance, continued to play a score of 36-31, and won the game with a total score of 129-120.
Although only three players on the Thunder's side scored in double figures, they all sent explosive statistics. During this period, Alexander shot 13-of-23 and delivered 36 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists, while Williams even made 5-of-5 three-pointers and 13-of-17 from the field to deliver 36 points and 3 assists, becoming the first player in Thunder history to score at least 30 points and score 5 three-pointers with zero turnovers and 100% shooting. In addition, Holmgren, the eye-catcher, also shot 9 of 14 in this game, and delivered 22 points and 5 rebounds. The three of them have a total of 94 points, as well as 12 rebounds and 12 assists, effectively suppressing the situation that the Knicks are all soldiers.
Looking at the Knicks, all five of their players scored double-doubles, and the overall offensive aggressiveness was still relatively good. During this period, Brunson played nearly 37 minutes and delivered 24 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists, Randle also contributed 25 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists, and Barrett, who handed over 14 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. In addition, Quickley, who came off the bench, also played another 25 minutes, delivering 22 points and 2 assists, playing the style of a substitute wonder. But again, in the face of the Thunder Trident's luxurious data contribution of 94 points in a single game, they can only be powerless.