NEW YORK _ Frank Ntilikina raced upcourt on a fast break late in the first half Monday afternoon. As a defender closed in, he put the ball behind his back, softly flicking it to Enes Kanter to finish off the break.
As the Garden crowd applauded, it came with a disclaimer. This one moment in a 127-109 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, in which the Knicks were steadily manhandled, was a rare highlight in game nearly devoid of reasons for the home crowd to cheer. And it also came with the reminder that those two players could be part of the "Once a Knick, always a Knick" crowd, potential trade chips before the Feb. 7 deadline.
The Knicks trailed by as many as 24 points and never led for a second in this game, losing their sixth straight and 14th in the last 15. In this Martin Luther King Jr. Day matinee, the Knicks drew two technical fouls and at least didn't get in a fight as they had 18 years ago on this day when Marcus Camby accidentally punched his head coach, Jeff Van Gundy.
