Thunder 95, Knicks 80: Scenes from a sobering reminder that the Knicks aren’t good

The New York Knicks have been lucky with the schedule of late, playing a host of bad teams. That can fool fans into thinking that this three-game win streak they were on was a sign that maybe the team was turning things around. Well, Friday night’s 95-80 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder was a fair reminder that this team isn’t particularly good.

Hardcore fans were excited at the start of the game, since Miles McBride and Obi Toppin were getting the start. (Kemba Walker injured his knee in warmups.) That was cool and all, but the youngsters didn’t exactly shine in their first extended action. Instead, the Knicks shot like crap: 8-41 from three, 12-22 from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, the Thunder — supposedly the worst three-point shooting team in the league — hit a season-high 18 from beyond the arc.

The one bright spot for the Knicks in the game was the play of RJ Barrett, who has been struggling through illness and ineffectiveness in recent weeks. RJ scored 26 points on 10-20 shooting. But even that comes with a caveat: RJ was 1-8 from three and 5-9 from the line. As with his mates, the jumper simply wasn’t there for RJ.

Oh well. Have a happy New Year, everyone.