Josh Giddey, Tre Mann make list of best Thunder games at Madison Square Garden

NEW YORK — After Thunder guard Tre Mann scored 30 points at Madison Square Garden last February, the power briefly went out during Mann’s postgame press conference.

“I shot the lights out,” Mann said. “Look at that.”

In the same game, guard Josh Giddey tallied 28 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds.

Giddey and Mann became the first rookie duo to score 28 points a piece in the same game since Kevin Durant and Jeff Green, back when they were SuperSonics.

To do it in an overtime win at Madison Square Garden, under that iconic ceiling, made it even more special.

“You hear so many stories about the Garden,” Giddey said. “It was circled on my calendar for a long time.”

The Thunder (5-7) will be back in the famed arena for an 11 a.m. Sunday game against the Knicks (6-6).

Before the matinee at 4 Pennsylvania Plaza, here’s a look back at the best Thunder individual performances ever at Madison Square Garden.

10. Chris Paul: March 6, 2020

Five days before the world changed, Paul had 21 points and 12 assists in New York.

He was precise in picking apart the Knicks, shooting 8-of-14 from the field, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range.

By Basketball Reference’s game score metric, this was the fourth-best performance by a Thunder player in Madison Square Garden, trailing two Kevin Durant games and one Russell Westbrook game.

9. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Jan. 8, 2021

Gilgeous-Alexander scored 25 points with 10 rebounds and seven assists in his best game at the Garden.

The efficiency he’s become known for was on display: 9-of-14 shooting, including 3-of-3 from 3-point range.

The Thunder beat the Knicks 101-89.

8. Kevin Durant: Dec. 25, 2013

The lights are bright enough as is at Madison Square Garden, but they’re even brighter on Christmas.

It didn’t matter to Durant, who scored 29 points on 10-of-16 shooting as the Thunder cruised past the Knicks 123-94.

It was the biggest margin of victory ever by a road team on Christmas.

7. Hamidou Diallo: Jan. 8, 2021

There are bigger stat lines that missed the list, but Diallo’s 23 points and 11 rebounds were both impactful and made for a good story.

Diallo, a Queens, New Yorker through and through, was a team-best plus-18 in his 29 minutes off the bench.

The Thunder beat the Knicks in what was Mark Daigneault’s first game at MSG.

6. Tre Mann: Feb. 14, 2022

Mann had a nice Valentine’s Day.

The rookie guard shot 9-of-16 overall, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range. He was 8-of-8 from the free throw line.

At the time, Mann’s 30 points marked a career high.

5. Russell Westbrook: Nov. 28, 2016

It would feel wrong to not include a Westbrook triple-double.

He had 27 points, 17 rebounds and 14 assists in the Thunder’s 112-103 win. He was one assist shy of a triple-double by halftime.

4. Josh Giddey: Feb. 14, 2022

Giddey’s 28 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds made him the first teenager in NBA history to have a triple-double against the Knicks.

Giddey shot 11-of-22 overall, and 3-of-4 from 3-point range.

The Aussie guard had a career-high seven turnovers, which he matched Friday night against the Raptors, but he led the Thunder to a win over the Knicks on a night when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort were out.

3. Russell Westbrook: Jan. 28, 2015

Westbrook scored 40 points with four rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block.

Durant and Westbrook are the only two Thunder players to score 40-plus at the Garden.

Westbrook shot 13-of-30 from the field and was a perfect 12-of-12 at the free throw line.

The Thunder lost 100-92 to Carmelo and Co.

2. Kevin Durant: Feb. 20, 2010

Durant drained a game-tying 3-pointer with six seconds left in regulation. Then he drilled a go-ahead jump shot with 16 seconds left in overtime.

It added up to a 36-point night for Durant, and a 121-118 win for the Thunder.

As a Thunder, Durant averaged 32 points per game at Madison Square Garden.

1. Kevin Durant: Jan. 26, 2016

Another masterclass from Durant.

Durant scored 44 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the Thunder’s 128-122 overtime win against the Knicks. He was 16-of-18 from the free throw line.

KD hit a game-tying elbow jumper with 17 seconds left in regulation, and he scored seven of the Thunder’s 15 points in overtime.

Durant had 45 games of 40-plus points with the Thunder. This was his highest-scoring game at the Garden.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Josh Giddey, Tre Mann make list of best Thunder games at MSG