Mar 4, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) looks back during the first half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Knicks Fall to Thunder in Thriller

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Jayesh Pagar | Last updated Mar 4, 2026 10:15 PM ET

The New York Knicks gave everything they had at Madison Square Garden, but it wasn't enough. Playing on the second night of a back-to-back, and dealing with in-game injury scares involving two of their best players, the Knicks fell to the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder 103-100 in a game that was heartbreakingly close until the very end.

Things‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ didn't quite fall into place for New York in the first quarter. At the start of the game, the Thunder had a good scoring run, and Chet Holmgren looked like no one could stop him. He was on fire, draining three consecutive threes to establish the pace. The Knicks managed to narrow the gap to just two points at 25-23 after OG Anunoby hit a crucial three-pointer at the end of the first quarter; however, the impression was already made: this was going to be a tough game for New York all night.

At‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ the moment when the third quarter was getting really intense, the Knicks abruptly lost Josh Hart as he was sent to the locker room. The moment he air-balled an open corner three, he turned to the bench, holding his back, a trainer came over, and he walked off the floor.

Not long after, Jalen Brunson also went to the locker room, this time obviously limping and the way he was holding his leg showed that it hurt. For a few agonizing seconds, Madison Square Garden went ‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌silent.

Jalen Brunson goes in back pic.twitter.com/AQE1TdUQWs
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) March 5, 2026

Without skipping a beat, Landry Shamet stepped up huge in their absence. OG Anunoby delivered two back-to-back steals and a thunderous running dunk to tie the game at 77-77.

The Knicks outscored the Thunder 40-27 in the third quarter and took an 80-77 lead into the fourth. MSG was absolutely rocking.

The Fourth Quarter Gut Punch

But‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ Oklahoma City is definitely a championship-caliber team, not just a one-time wonder. Even though Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was a bit off for some quarters, he still managed to hit a crucial step-back three-pointer with 1:18 remaining that stretched their lead to 103-96.

The Knicks didn't stay silent. Brunson, with a tough turnaround, scored two points, Hart even came back late and made a layup to reduce the deficit to 103-100; however, the last three-pointer by Brunson with three seconds remaining was off the ‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌rim.

Also, a last-second 3-pointer from OG Anunoby could have tied the game, but he failed to make it. MSG was in pure excitement right up to the last second.

This article first appeared on New York Knicks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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