No Bench = No win

Are Thibs' Knicks repeatedly winning battles at the expense of losing the war?

Final Score: Knicks 107 - Thunder 117
Record: 24-11

That was a fantastic game.

Last night was just the fourth matchup in the NBA's 79-year history (and the first time this century) between two teams riding winning streaks of at least nine games. It was arguably the most anticipated regular-season game of the 2024-25 campaign. And it lived up to the hype.

It was also New York's biggest test of the season thus far. And for the first three quarters, the Knicks were on pace to walk away with an A+ grade and a victory. However, OKC dominated the final frame and sprinted to the finish line, lapping a New York club that looked like it ran out of gas down the stretch.

Before we zoom in on the particulars (such as the Knicks' inability to deal with the Thunder's blitzing defense on Jalen Brunson in the final five minutes), let me switch it up and start here…

Ajay Mitchell played three seasons for UC Santa Barbara before being selected with the 38th overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft. Ironically, he was initially drafted by New York before being traded to OKC in exchange for a 2028 second-round selection and the pick that the Knicks used to take Kevin McCullar Jr.

Mitchell signed a two-way contract with the Thunder in July, yet was a regular part of the OKC rotation right from the start of the season. The unheralded 22-year-old rookie logged seven minutes on opening night, and his playing time has continued to increase. Over the last two months, he's averaged 17.4 minutes a night.

In Friday's victory over New York, Mitchell scored eight points in 13 minutes before exiting in the third quarter due to a toe injury.

Aaron Wiggins spent three years at the University of Maryland before OKC selected him with the 55th overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft. He's had some up-and-downs over his first few years in the league but was always a consistent part of the Thunder's rotation. He's averaging 20 MPG this and erupted for a season-high 19 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter, in Oklahoma's victory over New York last night.

Cason Wallace was 19 when the Thunder drafted him in 2023, yet he still logged over 20 minutes a night as a rookie. Wallace, who celebrated his 21st birthday in November, is fourth on the team in total minutes played this season.

Isaiah Joe, a mid-second-round pick from the 2020 draft, is also averaging over 20 MPG off the OKC bench. Kenrich Williams, a 30-year-old hard-nosed, defensive-minded veteran, is one of 12 players in Oklahoma City logging more than 12 minutes per game in 2024-25.

One benefit of Mark Daigneault, OKC's shot-caller and NBA's reigning Coach of the Year, leaning so heavily on his bench is that his starters are often fresh late in games.

New York entered last night with a "rest advantage." OKC was on the second night of a back-to-back, as they played the Clippers on Thursday. However, no Thunder player logged over 30 minutes in their victory over Los Angeles. Thirteen different OKC players saw the floor in Thursday's win. Ten of those 13 players logged at least 15 minutes.

On Friday night, the Thunder outscored the Knicks by 18 points (37-19) in the fourth quarter.

This season, all five New York starters are averaging more than 34.5 minutes per game.

This season, all five OKC starters are averaging less than 34.5 minutes per game.

All five Knicks starters logged more than 40 minutes last night (the first time each NY starter logged 40+ minutes in a non-overtime game since 2013).

All five Thunder starters played 37 minutes or less.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sat for the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, and a fresh SGA took over in crunch time.

Here was the each team's respective bench production:

New York:
5 points
5 rebounds
2 assists
0 three-pointers|
0 blocks
28 minutes

Oklahoma City:
44 points
13 rebounds
4 assists
7 three-pointers
3 blocks
66 minutes

Of the 30 teams in the NBA, 26 average more than 30 points per game off their bench. The Knicks are the only team in the league whose reserves average less than 20 PPG.

We've sung the Knicks' praises this season. And Tom Thibodeau had received plenty of credit for their success. However, we've also explored how his coaching style may result in diminishing marginal returns.

Are Thibs' Knicks repeatedly winning battles at the expense of losing the war?

It's a fascinating argument, one which has raged among fans of Thibs-coached teams his entire career. (Someone joked on Twitter the other day that Tom would limit his rotation to eight guys even if he coached the original Dream Team in 1992).

I saw a lot of fans defending Thibodeau on social media last night, pointing out that Deuce McBride was sidelined by a hamstring injury and arguing that the Knicks don't have bench players talented enough to contribute on a nightly basis.

First, let me remind folks that OKC was missing two top contributors, rising star Chet Holmgren and defensive ace Alex Caruso. Daigneault has still stuck with a ten-man rotation.

Let me ask this question: If Ajay Mitchell was on the Knicks, would he log more than 17 minutes a night?

On the flip side, if Tyler Kolek (who was drafted four spots ahead of Mitchell last June and has been dominant in the G League) was in OKC, would he be completely outside of the Thunder's rotation? Ditto for Ariel Hukporti if OKC lacked center depth.

If Landry Shamet and Cam Payne played under Daigneault, would they have been benched for an entire second half, as they've been in a handful of NY's recent contests?

Shamet has been surprisingly solid defensively and looked solid once again Friday night. In the 54 minutes he's logged this season (small sample size alert), NY is allowing just 87 points per 100 possessions and has posted a Net Rating of +26.8. He was the only Knick to post a positive +/- vs. OKC.

The Knicks are in Chicago on the back end of a back-to-back tonight. Will Shamet see extended minutes? Will Kolek get dusted off? What about Hukporti or Pacome Dadiet, who has flashed some enticing upside in limited opportunities?

Might playing one (or all three) of those rookies diminish New York's chances of beating the Bulls in Chicago?

Possibly.

However, might playing one (or all three) of those rookies increase the chances that New York's starters are healthy in April/May/June, which should be the ultimate goal?

Possibly.

Herm Edwards was right when he shouted: "You play to win the game!"

Yet, it could also be argued that for New York to win the grand prize and take home the Larry O'Brien trophy for the team in 50+ years, each regular-season matchup should not be treated as a Game 7.

Again, it's a fascinating debate, and there is no obvious right or wrong answer, but it's definitely a conversation worth having.

Other Takeaways and Knicks Notes:

🏀 Brunson, who returned from a one-game absence after missing Wednesday's game vs. Utah due to a calf strain, finished with 22 points, three rebounds and nine assists in 40 minutes Friday night. The Captain keeps racketing assists but is mired in a nasty shooting slump, especially from downtown. On Friday, Brunson was 9-of-23 from the field and missed all five of his 3PT attempts. Over his last six games, he is just 4-of-34 from behind the arc (12%).

And, as noted above, Brunson and the Knicks had no answer when OKC began blitzing, with their bigs hard hedging, NY's primary ball-handler late in the game. New York led by one point with less than four minutes remaining but was outscored 17-6 over the final 3:30. During that stretch, the Knicks committed a pair of costly turnovers and missed all three of their 3PT attempts.

New York also tried to attack SGA when the Thunder PG initiated high pick-and-rolls late in the game, but the Thunder consistently found ways to exploit the Knicks' unbalanced defense. In the closing four minutes, OKC was 6-of-7 from the field and assisted on five of their six made buckets (without committing a single turnover).

🏀 Mikal Bridges had another impressive/efficient offensive night, tallying 24 points (10-of-19 FGs), three rebounds, two assists, one steal, one block, and four 3-pointers in 41 minutes… Josh Hart did Josh Hart things, finishing with 19 points, seven boards, two assists and a few floor burns.

🏀 OG Anunoby took a nasty spill in the third quarter, slamming to the court after a dunk attempt. OG was slow to get up and had trainers attend to his troublesome right elbow, but thankfully, he was able to remain in the game. He ended up with 20 points (7-of-13 FGs, 3-of-3 FTs), two rebounds, three assists, and three 3-pointers in 42 minutes.

"My arm was ringing, like my funny bone," OG said after the game. "Time passed, and I felt better."

We'll see if he can suit up vs. the Bulls on Saturday night.

🏀 The Thunder made a clear, concerted effort to run doubles at Karl-Anthony Towns, forcing other Knicks to handle the scoring load. KAT took just 13 shots en route to 17 points, but he did dish out four assists and rip down 22 rebounds in 42 minutes.

"I'd lie if I said I wasn't exhausted," Towns told reporters after the game. "I think the film shows it. But I was willing to do whatever it takes to get the win. I just wanted to put myself in a position to help my teammates win and continue winning. Unfortunately, we didn't get the job done tonight. It hurts; it stings."

It was the second-straight 20+ rebound effort from Towns, who is averaging a whopping 17.5 rebounds per game over NY's past four contests, to go along with 27.5 points (on 60.6%) shooting and 3.0 assists.

He is the only player in the NBA to average at least 27/17/3 over a four-game stretch this season and the first player in Knicks franchise history to post those numbers while shooting over 60% from the field.

🏀 Precious Achiuwa had the three points and five boards in eight minutes. Cam Payne didn't record a single point, assist or rebound in his eight minutes off the bench.

Miles McBride told the NY Post on Friday that he is "day-to-day" after missing his second straight game because of a hamstring strain. "Just seeing how it feels. It's tough with hamstrings," McBride said. "Those type of injuries, you don't want to rush it. But I'm progressing."

"Right now it's just been taking it slow, just doing a little bit more of manual work and just really trying to give it a little bit more time," Deuce added. "It's super, super frustrating. Nobody ever wants to be hurt and especially on a night you get a chance to start. Super frustrating. But it's a part of it. Just got to bounce back."

🏀 Next Up:
Knicks vs. Bulls on Saturday night (8:00 pm tip)

Chicago had won two straight games before a disappointing loss to the Wizards earlier this week. But they have a massive rest advantage vs. New York, as the Bulls haven't played since Wednesday.

There will be extra juice in the building Saturday night, as it's "Derrick Rose Day" in Chicago. Fans will be allowed into the building at 5:00 p.m. CT and can start their night by visiting the Derrick Rose Atrium Experience, which will display memorabilia and personal mementos from Rose's career. Fans will receive a commemorative t-shirt, and a limited supply of specialty roses will be handed out.

Rose will be honored throughout the evening (it's not a coincidence that they planned it for a night Thibs will be in the building). There will be a ceremony at halftime, which will include the airing of a Rose-directed short film.