The New York Knicks did not need to be told how important their Friday night clash against the Oklahoma City Thunder was. This was always going to be a good litmus test for how the Knicks measured up to the league's best teams. However, the Knicks didn't exactly give a good account of themselves, as the Thunder laughed them off in the first half of the proceedings and did not look back en route to a 126-101 defeat — in their home turf of Madison Square Garden, no less.

While a loss to the Thunder is nothing to hang their heads over, considering how excellently OKC has played all season long, this defeat is a continuation of what could be a problematic trend for the Knicks vis a vis their championship dreams. As Underdog pointed out on X (formerly known as Twitter), the Knicks have gone winless in five tries against the two top teams in each conference (Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics in the East, Thunder and Houston Rockets out West).

Does this trend suggest that the Knicks can't do much against the tougher opposition in the league? Perhaps. But once again, it is important to note that this is the regular season. If there's ever a time for New York to take their fair share of lumps, it's before the postseason, where every win and loss matters.

Nevertheless, the Knicks will want to perform better in such games; in the five games they lost to the teams mentioned above, their margin of defeat was double-digits, with the only exception being their 110-104 loss to the Cavs back on October 28. While this trend does not mean the end of the world for New York, this should serve as a wake-up call for them to put their big boy pants.

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Knicks struggle out of the gates against the Thunder

Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots
© Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

It's safe to say that the Knicks were not prepared to match the energy the Thunder came out of the gates with. They were lethargic to begin with on the defensive end, and their offensive woes simply compounded matters. It was as if New York wasn't playing at home with the way they sleepwalked their way into a horrid start that saw them go down 70-43 at the half.

The only thing now for the Knicks to do is set their sights towards bouncing back on Sunday night when they take on the Milwaukee Bucks at home.