Thunder fend off Knicks rally in playoff atmosphere at Madison Square Garden

It's the time of the NBA calendar in which the games at the top of the league matter a little bit more. 

Wednesday's matchup between the New York Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder was one of those games. 

The Thunder rolled to a 50-40 halftime lead behind a big half from Chet Holmgren while limiting Jalen Brunson to two points. They then fended off a Knicks rally sparked by a 40-point third quarter to hold on for a 103-100 win. They needed one last defensive stop at the end to secure the win.

Knicks find new life, fall short in the end

New York turned a 57-42 third-quarter deficit into an 80-77 lead by the start of the fourth. But the Thunder quickly re-seized an 86-83 advantage they didn't relinquish again. 

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Fueled by a Madison Square Garden crowd watching the reigning NBA champs for the only time this season, the Knicks kept things close down the stretch. But the Thunder remain the best team in basketball and demonstrated why while keeping the Knicks at bay.

In the end, the Thunder won by doing what they do best — flustering New York with relentless defensive effort while leaning on their two best players on the offensive side of the ball. 

Thunder fluster Brunson, lean on Chet and SGA

New York's best player felt the brunt of OKC's defense. The Thunder built their 10-point first-half lead while limiting Jalen Brunson to 1-of-7 shooting from the field. 

And when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went to the bench with early foul trouble, Chet Holmgren carried the load on offense. Holmgren scored a career-high 14 first-quarter points. By halftime, he'd matched his career high for 3s while shooting 6 of 8 from long distance.

Knicks miss on 2 chances to tie game

Brunson broke out of his first-half funk with 11 second-quarter points to help spark New York's 40-point fourth quarter. He then hit a floater in the game's final minute to cut OKC's lead to 103-100, ultimately setting up New York with a chance to tie the game and force overtime. 

Brunson and OG Anunoby both had looks at game-tying 3s in the end. But both missed the mark as OKC held on for the win. 

SGA chasing Wilt

Holmgren didn't hit another 3 after after halftime. But he led OKC with 28 points and 8 rebounds while shooting 11 of 19 from the field and 6 of 11 from 3. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 26 points and 8 assists, extending his streak of 20-plus-point games to 124. He's now three short of passing Wilt Chamberlain's all-time NBA record. 

Brunson leaned on his playmaking as he struggled with his shot and finished the night with 15 assists and just three turnovers. And he rallied from his two-point first half to finish with 16. But his missed 3 from the corner in the final seconds was indicative of his inefficient night as he shot just 5 of 18 from the field. 

Karl-Anthony Towns paced New York with 17 points and 17 rebounds as six different Knicks scored in double figures. But foul trouble plagued him again, and he watched the last 2:59 from the bench after picking up his sixth foul. 

The Knicks shot 42% from the field and 29% (10 of 35) from 3-point distance. The Thunder countered with 45% shooting from the field and 38% from 3 (16 of 42) to overcome a 48-38 rebounding deficit. 

The Thunder improved to a league-best 49-15 to increase their lead over the Spurs in the West to 3.5 games. The Knicks fell to 40-23, 6.5 games behind the first-place Pistons in the East and one game ahead of the fourth-place Cavaliers. 

The Knicks and Thunder will meet again in Oklahoma City on March 29.