Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's late shot lifts Thunder past Knicks

Field Level Media|published: Sun 31st March, 22:28 2024

Mar 31, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) shoots the ball while being defended by Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins (21) during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. credits: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drained the go-ahead fallaway jumper with 2.6 seconds left and then helped produce a defensive stop just before the buzzer Sunday night for the Oklahoma City Thunder, who outlasted the host New York Knicks 113-112.

Jalen Brunson hit a contested layup with 4.1 seconds left to give the Knicks the lead. After a Thunder timeout, Josh Giddey sent an in-bounds pass to Gilgeous-Alexander, who dribbled once to shake Miles McBride before he turned and sank a shot from deep in the left corner.

Following a Knicks timeout, Donte DiVincenzo got the ball to Brunson, who was covered by Gilgeous-Alexander. Brunson's turnaround jumper bounced off the top of the rim as time expired.

Brunson's miss capped a wild fourth quarter in which the Thunder overcame a 10-point deficit and shot 15 of 19 from the field but just 3-for-8 from the free-throw line.

The Knicks trailed by as many as eight in the fourth, when they were 7-for-23 from the field and 10 of 17 from the line. The teams combined for five lead changes.

Giddey (16 points, 13 rebounds, 12 assists) had a triple-double while Jalen Williams scored a game-high 33 points for the Thunder (52-22), who won for the sixth time in eight games and moved into first place in the Western Conference by virtue of the Minnesota Timberwolves' 109-101 loss to the Chicago Bulls.

Gilgeous-Alexander, who missed the previous two games with a bruised right thigh, finished with 19 points.

Brunson scored 30 points but missed a potential game-winner in the waning seconds for the second straight game. He missed a 3-pointer with five seconds remaining in Friday night's 130-126 overtime loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

Josh Hart (13 points, 15 rebounds) and Isaiah Hartenstein (17 points, 12 rebounds) each recorded a double-double while McBride had 19 points. DiVincenzo added 15 points for the Knicks (44-30), who missed a chance to move into third place in the Eastern Conference. The Cleveland Cavaliers (45-30) fell to the Denver Nuggets, 130-101, earlier Sunday.

—Field Level Media

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