The Knicks know they’ll be of their first NBA Remaining in 27 years.
Now they’re one Oklahoma Metropolis win away from realizing they’ll face the Thunder.
Because the Knicks relaxation and recuperate, they received’t play Recreation 1 till June 3. It’s an eight-day layoff whereas they watch throughout the nation on the slugfest that’s the Western Convention finals.
Prime-seeded Oklahoma Metropolis held serve at residence with a 127-114 victory over the second-seeded Spurs in Recreation 5, taking a 3-2 collection lead and transferring a win away from reserving a date with the Knicks.
That victory might not come simply or cheaply, with Recreation 6 on Thursday evening in San Antonio (8:36 p.m, NBC).
However a Knicks-Thunder matchup — the league’s greatest market towards its finest group, the defending champions with the two-time reigning MVP — could be mouth-watering.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander turned in an MVP-worthy effort towards the Spurs, with a game-high 32 factors and 9 assists.
Sure, he had a half-dozen turnovers and shot simply 7-for-19 from the ground towards an extended, athletic Spurs protection. However he labored his solution to the free-throw line at will, going 16-for-17 from the charity stripe.
Even taking part in with out All-Star Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell, the Thunder held San Antonio to simply 40.2 p.c taking pictures and 12-for-41 from deep.
Alex Caruso had 22 factors, Jared McCain — acquired from Philadelphia for a first-round choose and three seconds — added 20, together with 18 after halftime.
“We simply performed to who we have been tonight,” Gilgeous-Alexander mentioned on the published. “I might need had the worst begin to a basketball sport in my profession, however the group held it down, saved us within the sport in some way. We nonetheless received the primary quarter. However that’s only a testomony to the fellows within the locker room. I’ve been saying all of it yr, one-through-15, we wouldn’t be this deep within the season with out the fellows, all people on the group. And it simply confirmed once more.”
Oklahoma Metropolis constructed a wall to cease Victor Wembanyama. The towering Spurs celebrity got here into the evening averaging 30.3 factors and 13.3 rebounds on this collection, however was held to twenty factors and 6 boards — a second straight single-digit evening on the glass.
Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren held him to simply 4-for-15 taking pictures. They might pose a problem to Karl-Anthony Cities.
Whichever group the Knicks find yourself taking part in will present a wholly completely different class of opponent and much harder check than they confronted within the Japanese Convention. After reeling off 11 consecutive wins — together with sweeps of the 76ers and Cavaliers — the Thunder and Spurs are on one other stage.
