The Knicks loss laid bare the areas that require urgent improvement if New York is serious about challenging the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers for a shot at the Eastern Conference throne.

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Considering their lengthy win streaks, the Oklahoma City Thunder and New York Knicks had the NBA's attention in their Friday night clash. They delivered as OKC escaped with a thrilling 117-107 win over New York to extend its franchise-best win streak to 14 in a row.

For parts of a big Friday night in Knicks land, Tom Thibodeau’s squad was more than hanging with the red-hot Thunder. It was, especially in the second quarter, shredding the top-ranked defense. But when it came down to brass tacks — when the clock hit winning time in the fourth quarter — the Thunder flexed their superior depth with their MVP candidate and the Knicks couldn’t keep up in a 117-107 defeat.

If it’s not a minutes distribution problem, it’s a depth problem. And either way, the issue was on full display Friday night in Oklahoma City — not only because the Knicks were overwhelmed down the stretch,