Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder take on Randle and the Knicks

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Friday, March 12, 2021

New York Knicks (19-19, seventh in the Eastern Conference) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (16-21, 11th in the Western Conference)

Oklahoma City; Saturday, 2 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Julius Randle and the New York Knicks visit Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder in cross-conference action.

The Thunder have gone 7-11 at home. Oklahoma City ranks eighth in the Western Conference in team defense, giving up only 111.3 points while holding opponents to 46% shooting.

The Knicks have gone 8-12 away from home. New York averages 13.8 turnovers per game and is 8-3 when committing fewer turnovers than opponents.

The two teams square off for the second time this season. The Thunder defeated the Knicks 101-89 in their last matchup on Jan. 8. Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with 25 points, and RJ Barrett paced New York scoring 19 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: Al Horford leads the Thunder with 2.0 made 3-pointers, and is averaging 14.3 points while shooting 37.2% from beyond the arc. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 25.5 points and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 50.8% over the last 10 games for Oklahoma City.

Randle leads the Knicks scoring 22.8 points and collecting 11.0 rebounds. Barrett is averaging 17.6 points and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 52.0% over the last 10 games for New York.

LAST 10 GAMES: Thunder: 5-5, averaging 102.6 points, 43.3 rebounds, 22.1 assists, six steals and 3.8 blocks per game while shooting 43.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106 points on 45.6% shooting.

Knicks: 6-4, averaging 108.8 points, 44 rebounds, 21.2 assists, 6.4 steals and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting 46.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 110.7 points on 46.1% shooting.

INJURIES: Thunder: Darius Bazley: out (shoulder), George Hill: out (thumb), Hamidou Diallo: out (groin), Trevor Ariza: out (personal).

Knicks: Mitchell Robinson: out (hand), Derrick Rose: out (health and safety protocols), Austin Rivers: out (personal).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.