<p>OKLAHOMA CITY — RJ Barrett scored 32 points and Julius Randle added 26 to lead the New York Knicks past the Oklahoma City Thunder 119-97 on Saturday.</p>
<p>The Knicks trailed by nine after one quarter after the Thunder shot 70.6% from the floor, but they outscored the Thunder 97-66 over the final 36 minutes.</p>
<p>Al Horford had 16 points to lead seven Oklahoma City players in double figures.</p>
<p>The Knicks overcame the deficit by forcing 18 turnovers while committing just 10 of their own. New York also outrebounded Oklahoma City 45-40 and grabbed seven more offensive boards than the Thunder.</p>
<p>The Knicks were coming off their worst defensive performance of the season, a 134-101 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday. They responded, following the challenging first quarter, by holding the Thunder to just 42.4% from the floor in the last three periods.</p>
<p>The Thunder, missing leading scorer Shai Gilgeous Alexander, started fast with Luguentz Dort scoring eight of his 14 points in the first frame.</p>
<p>The Thunder couldn’t sustain their pace though, and the Knicks took command in the second quarter, outscoring Oklahoma City 34-23 to take a two-point lead into halftime.</p>
<p>Oklahoma City briefly retook the lead at the start of the third quarter, but it wouldn’t last. Barrett knocked down a 3-pointer with 10:19 left in the quarter and the Knicks led the rest of the way.</p>
<p>TIP-INS</p>
<p>Thunder: Isaiah Roby returned to the team’s starting five. He finished with 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting. … The Thunder move to 2-7 in the first game of a back-to-back and 11-18 when their opponent scores more than 100 points. … Al Horford finished with a team-leading 16 points.</p>
<p>Knicks: Nerlens Noel received a warm welcome from the Thunder public address when starters were announced Saturday afternoon. Noel, who played for Oklahoma City the past two seasons, posted eight rebounds and two points. … Elfrid Payton (hamstring), Austin Rivers (personal) and Derrick Rose (COVID-19 health protocols) were unavailable. … Frank Ntilikina started for the second time this season. He had one assist and no points in seven minutes.</p>
<p>Next</p>
<p>Thunder: Host the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday.</p>
<p>Knicks: Visit the Brooklyn Nets on Monday.</p>
