Knicks Clinch No Worse Than Eastern Play-In Spot

The New York Knicks' season will officially last beyond Game 82.

May 8, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; The NBA Playoffs presented by Google Pixel logo on the seat cushions of the Los Angeles Lakers bench during game four of the 2023 NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks are, at the very least, guaranteed to play an 83rd game.

Prior to their Monday night tilt with the Sacramento Kings (10:30 p.m. ET, MSG), the Knicks became the third Eastern Conference team to officially extend their season: with the Philadelphia 76ers' 132-123 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, the Knicks are guaranteed to finish no worse than the fourth and final Play-In Tournament spot, the official cellar of the NBA postseason.

New York is joined by Cleveland and Boston, with the former having clinched an official top six playoff earlier last week.

Of course, the Knicks (40-23) have greater goals than mere postseason participation, especially after back-to-back heartbreaking defeats in the conference semifinal round. However, they could probably use any good news they can get considering how their California road trip has gone off the rails after the first two of five chapters.

Not only have the Knicks lost three in a row for the first time since early January but they know that they'll be going at least two weeks without franchise face and captain Jalen Brunson on the floor. Brunson left the opening game of this road trip on Thursday in Los Angeles with an ankle injury and is already listed as out for the annual visit to California's capital.

Entering Monday's game, the Knicks' magic number to clinch an automatic playoff spot is 9.

Beyond ending the losing streak, the Knicks have another mini-landmark to play for on Monday night: should they conquer the Kings, they will have earned three consecutive non-losing seasons for the first time since 2011-13.

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