Aaron Wiggins scored a season-high 19 points, 15 in the fourth quarter, as the host Oklahoma City Thunder stretched their winning streak to 14 games with a 117-107 win over the New York Knicks on Friday (Saturday, January 4, Manila time).
The streak ties the longest for the Thunder franchise, including its time as the Seattle Supersonics.
The Knicks had a nine-game win string ended.
The matchup was the NBA’s first between two teams on winning streaks of nine or more games since Feb. 29, 2000, and just the fourth in league history.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points to lead the Thunder, but Wiggins took over in the fourth as Oklahoma City outscored New York 37-19.
Wiggins hit his first of four 3-pointers in the quarter just more than three minutes in, cutting the Thunder’s deficit to two, then took a feed from Gilgeous-Alexander to hit another to tie the game with just more than five minutes remaining.
He put Oklahoma City ahead with yet another trey a minute later, then answered Karl-Anthony Towns’ hook that put the Knicks back in front with a driving layup, finishing through a foul and hitting the free throw to put the Thunder ahead for good.
In each of their last two games, the Thunder used a late second-quarter push to gain momentum before blowing the game open in the third.
On Friday, they couldn’t replicate either of those.
The Knicks pulled off a 16-4 run just before halftime, as Mikal Bridges scored seven of his points.
Oklahoma City was just 1 for 8 during that stretch, with Gilgeous-Alexander missing six shots as the Knicks stretched their lead and led 66-54 at the break.
Jalen Williams added 20 points for the Thunder.
Isaiah Hartenstein had 14 rebounds and seven assists in his first game against the Knicks after leaving New York to sign with Oklahoma City in the offseason. He scored just four points, but he hit a floater in the final minute to all but seal the victory.
Bridges led the Knicks with 24 points and Jalen Brunson added 22 — 10 in the fourth quarter — and OG Anunoby scored 20.
The Knicks had just five bench points.
Towns finished with 17 points, 22 rebounds and three steals. – Rappler.com
