OKLAHOMA CITY — A daunting road trip against three of the NBA’s rising young teams over four nights promised to provide another challenge for the Knicks as 2023 comes to a close. 

The first stop came against the Thunder, the third-place squad in the Western Conference, and their budding stars proved to be too much for the sloppy Knicks, who committed 18 turnovers in a 129-120 loss Wednesday night at Paycom Center.

“We started slowly. We were playing from behind. I thought we had a pretty good resolve. We didn’t let it get away from us, but then we couldn’t finish it in the end,” Tom Thibodeau said. “I thought our turnovers hurt us and some of that is they’re coming after the ball. Sometimes, if you’re not getting a call, you can get frustrated that way.

“I thought the rebounding was good enough, but the turnovers put them in the open floor, so it gave them a cushion.”

Julius Randle registered a team-high 25 points, Jalen Brunson scored 24 and Immanuel Quickley added 22 with four made 3-pointers for the Knicks, who fell to 17-13 ahead of visits to Orlando and Indiana on back-to-back nights beginning Friday.

One game after netting 21 points in a Christmas Day victory over the Bucks, RJ Barrett finished with 14 points on 5-for-14 shooting, including 1-for-7 from 3-point range.

He also committed five of the Knicks’ 18 turnovers, one off their season high.

“It was our turnovers, too many turnovers,” Randle said. “And they dominated us defensively in the paint.”

Randle also seemed frustrated throughout the game on a few calls he didn’t get from the referees, both fouls and at least one goaltending.

Thibodeau also believed the Thunder got away with “a lot of contact” on Brunson, especially — although the point guard replied “next question” when asked about the officiating after the game.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams fronted the Thunder (20-9) with 36 points apiece, and impressive rookie center Chet Holmgren finished with 22 and four blocked shots.

“The way [Holmgren] spaces the floor, the way he can protect the rim, and the way he can play-make, he doesn’t play like a rookie,” Brunson said. “Obviously, Williams and Shai played outstanding, and we have to do a better job of containing the ball.

“And we turned the ball over — I turned the ball over — way too much. They capitalized on our turnovers … and if we have our average turnovers, it’s a different game. But we just coughed it up too much.”

Gilgeous-Alexander nailed his first four shots for eight quick points and Williams added seven as the Thunder grabbed a 28-16 lead barely eight minutes into the game,

OKC stretched that cushion to as many as 17 in the second quarter, but Barrett and Quickley combined for 13 points in a 16-4 Knicks run to close the deficit back to 50-45 midway through the quarter.

Long-distance buckets by Isaiah Joe and Gilgeous-Alexander pushed the OKC lead back to 11, but two 3-pointers by Donte DiVincenzo (17 points) helped the Knicks close within 69-60 at intermission.

Gilgeous-Alexander, the league’s third-leading scorer at 31.0 points per game coming in, had a game-high 19 by halftime, along with five assists.

Randle and DiVincenzo posted 11 points apiece, and Quickley had 10 through two quarters,

Still, Randle poured in nine more in the first six minutes of the third.

His traditional three-point play and a drive through traffic by Josh Hart drew the Knicks even, 81-81, with 5:28 left in the quarter.

But Joe sank a reverse layup in the final minute and Holmgren swatted away Brunson’s drive with six seconds to go to preserve a 93-89 Thunder lead entering the final period.

Quentin Grimes trimmed the deficit to one with a corner trey in the opening minute of the fourth, but Williams responded with his third 3-pointer and Holmgren got to the rim for two more for a 100-94 game.

Brunson’s floater with 4:37 to play pulled the Knicks within five.

But Holmgren rejected Randle inside, and Williams dropped in consecutive 3-pointers to extend the Thunder lead to 11 with barely three minutes remaining.

“They put a lot of pressure on you five-out, and Chet, with what he can do … they’re a tough time,” Quickley said. “We have to be better next time.”