CHICAGO — If it’s not a minutes distribution problem, it’s a depth problem. And either way, the issue was on full display Friday night in Oklahoma City — not only because the Knicks were overwhelmed down the stretch, but because of the stark contrast to the opponent. The Thunder, the NBA’s hottest team, went 10 deep with their rotation and the bench scored 44 points.
The Knicks, meanwhile, used just eight players and managed just five points from their reserves. Every Knicks starter logged at least 40 minutes in the 117-107 loss to the Thunder — the first time that’s happened for the franchise in the regular season since 2013. When coach Tom Thibodeau saw his lead dwindle from eight points to two, he called a timeout three minutes into the fourth quarter, reinserted the starters, and rode them the rest of the game.
“Obviously, we had an eight-point lead going into the fourth. And we know the intensity of the fourth quarter is different. And we’ve got to be ready for that.
And we fell short tonight,” Thibodeau said. “And our bench is capable, more than capable. And our starters are more than capable.
So we win together, we lose together. And then we just have to refocus and fix what we need to fix.” Much of this is predictable and well-documented.
The Knicks exhausted so many resources building an elite starting lineup, they were left cobbling together a bench from second-round rookies, Precious Achiuwa’s Bird Rights and zero cap space. The upside is .
