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The New York Knicks suffered an embarrassing home defeat against the OKC Thunder on Sunday. The Knicks gave up an enormous 145 points in regulation as they fell 145-135.
The loss led to a lot of frustration as the Knicks also fell below .500 (6-7) on the season. However, their forward Julius Randle didn’t want to let his team to get too down following the loss. He decided to boost New York’s team morale by organizing a players-only dinner.
New York Knicks wing RJ Barrett later spoke about the impact of the team dinner via Zach Braziller of the New York Post.
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"It was good, good to have a team dinner like that," Barrett said.
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“Try to figure this out the best that we can. We all care, trying to get this going on the right track.”
Barrett also spoke about the team’s motivation to win following their shootaround on Tuesday.
“Just trying to hold each other accountable. Trying to get this going because we want to win,” Barrett said.
The Knicks' loss to OKC marked their sixth loss in nine games. It was also their final home game before heading out for a five-game road trip which started on Tuesday night against the Utah Jazz.
The Knicks' main struggles have been on the defensive end this season. They ranked just 24th in team defensive rating (113.5) following their loss to the Thunder.
Knicks forward Obi Toppin confirmed the team’s need to focus on defense in a recent interview.
“Offensively, we have a lot of weapons. It’s going to be mostly about defense,” Toppin said.
For more on the Knicks' players-only dinner, click here.
New York Knicks win first game following players-only dinner
On Tuesday night, the New York Knicks played the first of their five-game Western Conference road trip.
The Knicks came away with a 118-111 win against a competitive Utah Jazz team to get back to .500 (7-7) on the season. They have also moved up to seventh in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, Utah has fallen to 10-6 and is third in the Western Conference.
The Knicks relied on a well-balanced team effort versus the Jazz with six players scoring in double-digits, led by guard Jalen Brunson with 25 points.
Following the game, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau spoke about the team’s togetherness.
“I thought we were tied together,” Thibodeau said.
Julius Randle added that the team was playing with more urgency.
“I think we just had more of a sense of urgency. Come on the road, you want to start the trip off right. Dinner was great obviously, but guys came in prepared today and ready to go. Got a great win,” Randle said.
So far so good for the New York Knicks following their players-only dinner. They will now look to build on their positive momentum on Wednesday night in Denver.
Also read this: Reports: Nikola Jokic ruled out against Knicks for health & safety protocols
Or this: NBA Rumors: Executive links Julius Randle with a move to Miami Heat
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