The New York Knicks have found their groove this season, and their upcoming schedule gifts them with the opportunity to go on an absolute tear.
Knicks defense & continuity has catalyzed winning streak
The Knicks (19-10) have notched four straight victories and nine wins in their last 11 games. The former is currently the third-longest winning streak in the NBA. NBA.com’s John Schuhmann contextualized the way in which New York has dominated their competition of late prior to them winning the fourth game of their hot stretch against the Toronto Raptors by a score of 139-125 on Monday:
“The Knicks’ defense has, seemingly, been much improved. They’ve allowed just 104.4 points per 100 possessions (third in the league) over their 10 games since Thanksgiving, down from 116.6 (24th) before then. But nine of those 10 games have come against teams that currently rank in the bottom 10 offensively, and the other was against the 19th-ranked Pistons. Amazingly, they still have six more games on a stretch of 16 straight against teams in the bottom half of the league on that end of the floor,” Schuhmann wrote.
New York has tapped into their defensive mojo at the right time. On top of that, Karl-Anthony Towns is playing like a legitimate league MVP. He and fellow reigning All-Star Jalen Brunson are taking turns leading the team in scoring on a nightly basis and their co-star Mikal Bridges is well past his scrutinized early-season slump.
Knicks can extend hot streak vs. favorable competition
Next up for the Knicks is a five-game stretch against the San Antonio Spurs, Orlando Magic, back-to-back contests against the Washington Wizards, and a home game against the Utah Jazz (h/t Knicks Muse). The Knicks could best all five teams and extend their winning streak to eight games.
The Spurs (15-14) are treading a nose above .500 and have French phenom Victor Wembanyama and point guard Chris Paul leading their charge. San Antonio has had limited exposure against Eastern Conference teams, owning a 2-2 record against such ball clubs. The Knicks have the defensive fortitude, experience edge, and home-court advantage working for them against the Spurs.
The Magic (19-12) are without both of their lead stars in Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner due to injury and just lost their Sixth Man of the Year candidate Moritz Wagner to a season-ending torn ACL, as was reported on Sunday. The Knicks are also 2-0 on the campaign against Orlando.
Meanwhile, the Wizards (4-23) own the worst record in the NBA and are 3-10 at home. The Knicks are 1-0 against the Wizards this season and will march into Washington with a 10-6 road record going for them.
As for the final game of their upcoming favorable slate, the Jazz (7-21) are also well below .500 and are 5-11 on the road. While they have a bevy of talent, they have not been able to win games on the campaign. Thus, New York has a massive upper hand against Utah.
Knicks are almost within arms reach of East’s No. 2 seed
Implications-wise, the Knicks are three games back from the No. 2-seeded Boston Celtics (22-7) out East. Realistically running the table over their next five games could bring them closer to usurping the defending NBA champions with only the NBA’s top overall seed and standard-setting Cleveland Cavaliers (26-4) to look up at.
