Player grades: SGA, Holmgren lead Thunder to 103-100 win over Knicks

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Mar 5, 2026 - 10:00
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Player grades: SGA, Holmgren lead Thunder to 103-100 win over Knicks

Mar 4, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) is guarded by New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges (25) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Up three points with six seconds to go, OKC elected to play pure defense. No foul-up-three trickery. The first stop happened when Jalen Brunson couldn't play hero as he missed a corner 3-pointer. On a tap-out, OG Anunoby couldn't extend the game beyond regulation as he missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Phew. The Oklahoma City Thunder came away on top in a thriller with a 103-100 win over the New York Knicks.

Playing at MSG always brings out the best in players — especially those who only make the trip once a year. In this year's visit, it was Chet Holmgren's turn. He got off to a hot start with 14 points in the opening frame. Mostly on outside jumpers, he led the Thunder to a 25-23 lead after the first quarter.

The second quarter saw both offenses get muddied up. Neither could get anything going. Outside of Holmgren, the Thunder failed to see anybody else join in on the shot-making fun — even Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was abnormally quiet for his standards.

The Thunder only had 25 points in the second quarter. They entered halftime with a 50-40 lead. Not bad, but felt like they left some meat on the bone. Especially with their outside shooting. New York did just enough on the boards to hang around.

Coming out of the break, the Knicks figured out OKC's league-best defense — at least, for the timebeing. Jose Alvarado found Mikal Bridges for the cutting layup. The Thunder called a timeout. Suddenly, their lead was down to 67-61 with a little over five minutes left in the third frame.

Brunson finally snapped out of his funk. He swished in the pull-up 3-pointer to tie things up at 72 points apiece. After flirting with breaking this open, the Thunder saw their double-digit lead melt away. Nobody outside of Gilgeous-Alexander could get anything going. They were outscored, 40-27, in the third frame. For context, New York only had 40 points in the first half.

The Thunder were in an 80-77 hole after three quarters. Calming down a bit, they responded like battle-tested NBA champions. The second unit started the final frame on a 14-6 run to reclaim the lead. They had a 91-86 lead with a little under seven minutes to go as Gilgeous-Alexander checked in.

From that point forward, the Knicks kept it within a possession. The Thunder couldn't hit a big-time bucket. But neither could New York. Battle of two of the best defenses lived up to the hype. After Gilgeous-Alexander pushed OKC's lead to 100-92 with three minutes to go, time was running out.

Josh Hart helped the Knicks get it back with 100-96 with 92 seconds left. Feeling the pressure, Gilgeous-Alexander hit the biggest shot of the night with a stepback 3-pointer. That put the Thunder ahead 103-96 with 88 seconds to go.

Making one last push, the other Thunder players allowed the Knicks a fighting chance. Lu Dort committed a critical turnover on an offensive foul that disqualified him. Holmgren couldn't slam the door as he missed a turnaround jumper.

Only up 103-100 with six seconds left, the Thunder went with a couple of traditional stops. Brunson bricked one 3-pointer. Anunoby hit the front of the rim on another. Game-winning stops by OKC's league-best defense. The Thunder scored 26 points in the final frame to withstand New York's second-half run.

The Thunder shot 45% from the field and went 16-of-42 (38.1%) from 3. They shot 21-of-25 on free throws. They had 21 assists on 33 baskets. Three Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 26 points and eight assists. Holmgren had 28 points and eight rebounds. Dort tallied 16 points and four rebounds.

Meanwhile, the Knicks shot 42% from the field and went 10-of-35 (28.6%) from 3. They shot 16-of-22 on free throws. They had 23 assists on 37 baskets. Six Knicks players scored double-digit points.

Brunson was limited to 16 points and 15 assists. Karl-Anthony Towns logged 17 points and 17 rebounds. Anunoby had 16 points and three rebounds. Hart tallied 10 points and 12 rebounds. Bridges finished with 15 points and four rebounds. Landry Shamet tallied 14 points off the bench.

Even with a constant change of characters, the Thunder continue to roll since the NBA All-Star break. Gilgeous-Alexander completely commanded how the offense played out — even with his pedestrian numbers. And it was Holmgren's turn to show out in front of the bright lights of New York.

The Thunder survived a nail-biter as the role players struggled to show up. The outside shooting luck helped make up for some of the halfcourt offense struggles. Meanwhile, the Knicks stayed in this due to dominating the possession battle. Towns was a rebound machine before he fouled out. New York saw several guys step up but Brunson's subpar outing was too much to overcome.

Let's look at Thunder player grades:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A-minus

Mar 4, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots the ball against the New York Knicks during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Eyeing Anunoby, Gilgeous-Alexander extended his right leg fully out. That fooled the New York defender enough to create separation. The reigning MVP went with the signature stepback 3-pointer he swished in to give OKC the breathing space it needed to escape.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting, eight assists and three rebounds. He shot 1-of-1 from 3 and went 7-of-7 on free throws. He also had one steal.

Always showing out for New York, Gilgeous-Alexander remains undefeated at MSG. He ensured to be ready for this matchup as he sat out the first night of OKC's back-to-back. The decision paid off, to say the least. He once again was the best player on the floor against a Knicks squad filled with household names.

It was your stereotypical Gilgeous-Alexander efficient outing. He sliced through New York's defense to get to the cup. Even with several plus wing defenders, nobody could slow him down once he steamrolled to the rim. If they took that away, he had no problem dissecting any New York defender in front of him to drain a mid-range jumper.

Can't do any of that, Gilgeous-Alexander baited defenders for him to go to the free-throw line. He had nine points in the first quarter. He had 15 points in the second half. Even when the Knicks forced him to become a playmaker with constant blitzes, he found a way to drop an efficient 26 points and the dagger outside jumper.

While Brunson is one of the crazier developmental stories over the last decade and a valid MVP candidate, Gilgeous-Alexander showed why there are levels to this whole MVP thing. Brunson struggled as a scorer when OKC forced him to pass out. Gilgeous-Alexander did that and still put up a big-time scoring number.

Chet Holmgren: A-plus

Mar 4, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) is guarded by New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) and guard Josh Hart (3) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Setting the ghost screen, Holmgren popped out to the top of the key. As soon as Gilgeous-Alexander faced a double, the seven-footer curled to the left-wing spot before he swished in the pull-up outside jumper in the final seconds of the first half.

Holmgren finished with 28 points on 11-of-19 shooting, eight rebounds and two assists. He shot 6-of-11 from 3.

That's for all the folks who think Holmgren can't be a bonafide scorer — ahem, Kendrick Perkins. Over the last month, you've seen the 23-year-old's outside shot slowly plunge. At an alarming rate. Felt like we were on our way to another season where his outside shot tailed off at the stretch end of the season.

For one night, that's nonsense. Holmgren was hot the moment the ball jumped up in the air. Taking in the one-for-one New York atmosphere, he wouldn't let tired legs prevent him from putting on a show. He had 14 points in the first quarter. 22 in the first half. He already had a new career-high in outside makes at the break at six.

As the Knicks sold out on stopping Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren made them pay for their strategy. He was a weapon as a catch-and-shoot threat. In an offense that quickly got ugly, he was OKC's sole source of offense for most of the first half.

Unreal. You usually have to appreciate the subtle nuances in Holmgren's game to appreciate him. But not this time. Anybody with a pair of eyes could see how impactful he was from the start. The second half was a different story, though. The Knicks adjusted.

Holmgren only had six points in the second half. He came up with some important buckets in the fourth quarter. Alas, you'd like to see more consistency from him — but you can't get too mad about a superb-efficient 28 points. Especially knowing what he brings on the other end.

Lu Dort: B-plus

Mar 4, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) dribbles up court against the New York Knicks during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Driving to the basket, Dort's attempt to kick it out resulted in getting kicked out. He picked up his sixth foul as Brunson drew another charge. With 51 seconds left, that was it for the 27-year-old as he fouled out. Brutal way to end a mixed bag of results.

Dort finished with 16 points on 4-of-9 shooting, four rebounds and one assist. He shot 3-of-8 from 3 and went 5-of-6 on free throws.

On a night where none of the non-All-Star players had anything going, Dort gladly stepped up. He was OKC's third double-digit scorer. The outside jumper fell at a decent clip. The problem was that New York funneled the ball in his direction. The plan worked as the Thunder had too many high-leverage possessions end with him.

But considering nobody else had it going, the results were pretty meh for both teams. The Thunder desperately needed Dort's buckets. And the Knicks allowed him to put up decent scoring numbers. Guess the only way it was effective was that nobody else from OKC had anything going — but that happened anyway.

Dort also helped the Thunder lock down Brunson and the Knicks. The MVP candidate has historically struggled against OKC over the years. He doesn't have the speed to beat their top POA defenders off the dribble. You can thank Dort for holding him in check as the primary defender.

Say what you want to say about Dort's season or his antics with Nikola Jokic. He's proven to be a winning player. The Thunder have had the league-best defense over the last two years. He's been the face of that. Don't get me wrong, things can be a rollercoaster with the 27-year-old — but there were more ups than downs in this one.

Cason Wallace: C

Mar 4, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) goes to the basket against New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Trailing Brunson on the play after being hit with the screen, Wallace quickly recovered as he camped out in the paint. As Holmgren stayed in front of the New York superstar, the 22-year-old swatted the ball out of his possession for the clutch-time steal.

Wallace finished with four points on 2-of-6 shooting, four rebounds and three assists. He shot 0-of-3 from 3. He also had four steals.

The offense doesn't jump off the page, but the Thunder don't win this without Wallace. He helped keep Brunson in check. No amount of switches could get him a matchup to hunt out. Littered with some of the best perimeter defenders, OKC seems tailor-made to slow down the Knicks' offense.

Playing mostly healthy, Wallace is another guy the Thunder can rely on with their defense. He's shown over the years that he's one of the best one-on-one defenders. Paired with some of the best hands, he's turned in quite the campaign to earn All-Defense Team honors and win the steals title.

Highlights:

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: SGA, Holmgren lead Thunder to 103-100 win over Knicks

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