Holding the NBA’s fourth-best record and scoring offense would seem a prime position with the playoffs roughly five weeks away.
New York Knicks fans could just as soon trade a certain stone fruit for sour grapes lately, though.
The No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference appears likely, sure, and the team has gone 13-5 since Jan. 20. But it’s the way the Knicks lose—plus the timing and foe—that leaves many backers weary. More on that later. Because another possible tough pill to swallow looks to have passed with little incident (for now), and Knicks fans ought to have something to cheer.
After missing Tuesday’s 114-105 loss to Golden State due to unspecified personal reasons, All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns will return to the lineup tonight when the Knicks visit the Los Angeles Lakers to open a five-game West Coast road trip, according to a New York Post report.
That’s good, right? Great, even. Towns’ first season with New York after an offseason trade with Minnesota has netted nothing but success. He’s averaging 24.5 points and is second in the league with 13.4 rebounds per game. He also contributes when he’s not shooting 53% from the floor—including 42.5% from long range—averaging 3.1 assists.
Still, a cryptic social media message from Jordyn Woods, Towns’ influencer girlfriend, lets unease linger until Towns next addresses the media. Woods posted late Tuesday to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, writing simply, “[expletive] Cancer.”
Whatever kept Towns from Tuesday’s game, the Knicks obviously could have used him. After OG Anunoby split a pair of free throws with 6:33 remaining to draw New York within a point, Golden State scored 20 of the game’s final 29 points to pull away.
Fourth-quarter lapses are nothing new to the Knicks, but at least they’re better than those games where the attack isn’t in position to sputter late because the opposition is on fire.
That’s what happened Feb. 21. Riding a three-game win streak bridging the All-Star break, the Knicks lost 142-105 at the NBA-leading Cleveland Cavaliers, trailing by 27 at the half while yielding at least 32 points in each quarter.
Two days later, New York fell by 13 at defending champion Boston, the No. 2 seed in the East. All told, the Knicks are 0-5 against the Cavaliers and Celtics this season, with all but one defeat coming by double digits.
The last two weeks of the regular season offer three more litmus tests against the East’s best. New York visits Cleveland on April 2 before hosting the Celtics and Cavaliers in its final two home games, on April 8 and 11.
By then, Mitchell Robinson figures to be further in the fold as he returns from ankle surgery that delayed his season debut to Feb. 28. Robinson has ramped up his minutes since then, playing 15 against the Warriors.
“He’s a game-changer for them,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. “Being a lob threat, shot blocker.”
Does Robinson project to form a Big Three with Towns and All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson? Not exactly. But he does impact the Knicks’ ability to make a difference in the paint on both sides of the floor.
New York will need more than one added wrinkle to close the gap with Cleveland and Boston—not to mention hold off a first-round opponent (the surging Detroit Pistons, perhaps?).
But don’t eliminate the Knicks from the playoffs until the opposition does. They’ll be postseason-bound with All-Stars in the frontcourt and backcourt and a coach bent on defense.
You never know. Until you scroll through X, of course.
