Australian Josh Giddey became the first player in NBA history to record a triple-double in each of his first three games at Madison Square Garden as his late-season progress continued Monday.
Giddey had 16 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists in 31 minutes for his Oklahoma City Thunder in a rollercoaster 113-112 win over the New York Knicks at the famous stadium.
Down ten points after three quarters, a surge to open the final quarter allowed the Thunder to overtake the Knicks and gain by as many as eight points.
The two exchanged the lead time and time again as the match went down to the wire, only for Giddey to ice the game with an assist for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to score with 2.1 seconds remaining.
New York’s Jalen Brunson — who had given the Knicks the lead with 4.1 to play was controversially fouled on that shot — launched a potential game-winner as time expired, but it bounced on the edge.
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The win means the Thunder take solo lead in the Western Conference with a 52-22 record and secure their playoff spot, returning to the NBA playoffs after a three-year absence.
Giddey’s 10th career triple double also made him the second OKC player to reach that mark, behind Russell Westbrook’s 138.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander returned for the Thunder after a quad bruise saw him ruled out of their last two games and had 19 points on 7 of 16 shooting, while Jalen Williams led the way with 33 of 14 points out of 18 effective. shooting to go with 8 assists.
Speaking about his teammates, Gilgeous-Alexander said: “That won us the game. Clearly, I didn’t have the best night but that’s what the team is for. They supported me all season, they supported me again tonight.
We just came in here and did our job, everyone went according to script and we got our W.”
Jalen Brunson had 30 points and 7 assists for the Knicks, while Miles McBride had 19 and Isaiah Hartenson 17, with 15 rebounds.
But the Knicks shot just 41.3 percent from the floor and 30.2 percent from deep.
Since the NBA All-Star break, Giddey has taken a big step forward for the Thunder.
‘How?! How did he do that?!’ | 00:35
In 53 games before the hiatus, Giddey averaged 11.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 44.7% from the floor and 32.5% from beyond. the arc – well below his averages from his first two seasons.
Much of this was due to difficulty adjusting to a new role as an offensive contributor rather than chief playmaker.
But since then, he’s improved across the board, igniting a late-season spark for the Thunder.
And in his last five games in particular, he’s averaged 22.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 7.2 rebounds per game, shooting 63.9% from the floor and 52.2% from three-point range. .
