NBA roundup: Oklahoma City Thunder edge New York Knicks to extend Western Conference lead

[p]Victory improved the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player's remarkable personal record at Madison Square Garden against the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/new-york-knicks/WCNO4nbt/"]Knicks[/a] to 7-0, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/basketball/new-york-knicks-WCNO4nbt/oklahoma-city-thunder-0fHFHEWD/?mid=WzPETs0U"]and a fourth straight team win[/a] extended the Thunder's lead on top of the Western Conference.[/p][p]"[b]We got the car back on the road in the fourth quarter, we were able to give ourselves a chance[/b]," said [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gilgeous-alexander-shai/d6TE5wgc/"]Gilgeous-Alexander[/a], who finished with 26 points plus eight assists.[/p][p]"[b]Late game, you've just got to figure it out. I made plays. Guys made plays. We still got here with a W.[/b]"[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/oklahoma-city-thunder/0fHFHEWD/"]Oklahoma City[/a] had led for much of the game. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/holmgren-chet/WxvJz45d/"]Chet Holmgren[/a] top-scored with 28 points, including 22 in a sensational first half.[/p][p]The Knicks were restricted to just 40 points in the first half by some clinical Thunder defending, with New York's star man [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/brunson-jalen/YLRvL3v7/"]Jalen Brunson[/a] managing just two points under intense marking before the midway break.[/p][p]But the Knicks poured in 40 more in the third quarter alone, with a reinvigorated Brunson's three-pointer finally drawing the scores level and bringing the home crowd roaring to life.[/p][embed guid="ee3fdbab-7a63-445a-a5ba-dc0e9c40aa7f" url="https://x.com/NBA/status/2029397230113665229?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]The Knicks took a slender lead into the final stretch, but the advantage did not last, as Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren rallied.[/p][p]With barely a minute remaining, a step back jump shot by Gilgeous-Alexander opened up a seven-point gap. Brunson closed it to three, but with just six seconds remaining, his game-tying attempt from beyond the arc just missed.[/p][p]"[b]It's always great to come away with a win. No better place to do it than the Mecca[/b]," said Holmgren.[/p][p]The win puts the defending champions on an NBA-best 49-15, three-and-a-half games clear of the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/san-antonio-spurs/IwmkErSH/"]San Antonio Spurs[/a], and with their eyes firmly on the playoffs.[/p][p]"[b]You got to get healthy, because we're going to need everyone for this playoff run,[/b]" said Gilgeous-Alexander.[/p][p]"[b]And then we just got to keep doing what we're doing. We got to stay together. We got to be the team we've been the last year and a half.[/b]"[/p][p]The Knicks remain third in the Eastern Conference, and did not lose ground on the second-placed [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/boston-celtics/KYD9hVEm/"]Boston Celtics[/a], who fell [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/basketball/boston-celtics-KYD9hVEm/charlotte-hornets-xftMikUg/?mid=zkkPmoon"]118-89[/a] to the red-hot [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/charlotte-hornets/xftMikUg/"]Charlotte Hornets[/a].[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/knueppel-kon/YDOmqcSE/"]Kon Knueppel[/a] bagged 20 points in another impressive showing from the Hornets rookie, while [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/white-derrick/6ZkKkpYd/"]Derrick White[/a]'s 29 points for the Celtics were in vain.[/p][p]It was Charlotte's sixth straight win by 15 or more points, the joint-second longest streak of its kind in NBA history.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/basketball/boston-celtics-KYD9hVEm/charlotte-hornets-xftMikUg/?mid=zkkPmoon"]Follow all of the NBA action on Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p]