The Oklahoma City Thunder (3-4) will be at Madison Square Garden Friday to take on the New York Knicks (5-3) at 7:30 p.m. CT on Fox Sports Oklahoma.
Things to look forward to:
Knicks’ Surprising start
One of the shocks of the NBA season thus far is the start the Knicks have had. New York is currently fifth in the Eastern Conference and is riding a three-game win streak.
The Knicks are led by Julius Randle who through eight games is putting up career numbers. Randle averages 23 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists per game. It’ll be interesting to see how Randle and Darius Bazley matchup being the two have similar play styles.
However, team-wise the Knicks rank 28th in points per game, which helps the Thunder who rank last in that category.
Expect a low scoring close game as just like the Thunder, New York tends to play in games that come down the wire.
Guard Dual: Shai vs R.J
In this game, we will get a chance to see two talented young guards faceoff. One being Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the Thunder who is coming off a career-high five steals against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Meanwhile, the Knicks have R.J. Barrett who is looking to make a sophomore leap this season. Although, R.J. is coming to a season-low nine points in the Knicks' last game against the Utah Jazz.
Both players are seen as key pieces in the rebuilding process for their respective franchises. In Friday night’s matchup, we may get a glimpse of who has a brighter future between Gilgeous-Alexander and Barrett.