The young leader of the Thunder lit up a match that the French shooter left without scoring a single point.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, one of the most prominent players at the start of the NBA season, was instrumental in the Thunder’s victory over the Knicks (145-135) with a contribution of 37 points and eight assists on Sunday.
It’s well known that stars or players who aspire to be stars love nothing more than to shine on the mythical parquet floor of Madison Square Garden. The 24-year-old leader did not hesitate to be the executioner of New Yorkers by shooting at 13/22, adding to his statistical line of five rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
“SGA”, which averages 31 points in its first twelve games, making it the sixth best scorer in the league, was not alone in putting Oklahoma City on the path to its sixth success (7 losses), since rear Josh Giddey managed a triple-double (24 pts, 12 assists, 10 rebounds) and winger Luguenz Dort also added 24 pawns.
The Knicks had yet managed a gun start, with 48 points scored in the first quarter, to count 12 ahead. But they then dropped off, since they scored one less in the next two (47), their defense taking on water at the same time (86 pts).
If Cam Reddish (26 pts) and Julius Randle (25 pts, 10 rebounds) had a contribution, this is not the case of Evan Fournier, whose zero point in twenty minutes illustrates the great current difficulties.