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Knicks at Pelicans: How & Who to Watch in The Big Easy

The New York Knicks take on the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night, their final road game of the regular season before the NBA Playoffs tip off.

Author:
Geoff Magliocchetti
Updated:
Apr 7, 2023 2:31 PM EDT

In this story:

New York Knicks

"The Big Easy" would perhaps describe the New York Knicks' final games of the regular season, as they have nothing to play for thanks to securing the fifth seed on the NBA's Eastern Conference playoff bracket. On Friday, it's also their destination as they head south for their final road and interconference game of the regular season against the New Orleans Pelicans.

New York played like everything was on the line on Wednesday when they earned a 138-219 victory over the Indiana Pacers, an offensive explosion that saw Quentin Grimes, Immanuel Quickley, and Obi Toppin all break the 30-point barrier. That trio became the first to earn such a numerical feat with New York since 1979 and gave the Knicks their fifth win in a row, the longest active streak in the Eastern Conference.

New Orleans has a little something to play for in the final weekend of the regular season. Guaranteed to finish no worse than ninth in the Western Conference, the Pelicans are assured to host at least one postseason game. Whether that's in the Play-In Tournament or the proper playoffs remains to be seen, as the Pelicans are currently stationed in eighth place thanks to losing a tiebreaker with the Los Angeles Lakers. They're a game behind the fifth-place tie between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors for the final automatic Western entries.

The Knicks won their only prior meeting against the Pelicans this season, triumphing by a 128-106 final at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 25.

What: New York Knicks (47-33) @ New Orleans Pelicans (41-39)

Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, NO

When/Watch: Friday, 8 p.m. ET, MSG/MSG Go

Who's Favored: NOP -8

Keep An Eye On: Miles McBride

With Julius Randle still out, Toppin has handled his newfound responsibilities in the starting five well. But the All-Star's absence (as well as the continued decision to rest Jalen Brunson leading into the postseason) has also given a newfound opportunity to McBride, a backup man in the frontcourt who has re-entered head coach Tom Thibodeau's patented nine-man rotation with major names sidelined.

With Brunson out (and it'd be no shock to see RJ Barrett's illness keep him out of another game), expect McBride to get another opportunity. He has been lauded for his defense all season but if he's going to play a major role in the Knicks' minutes going forward, he'd be wise to use his extended minutes to re-discover his shooting touch: over his past five games, McBride has struggled from the floor, shooting 5-of-18, including a 1-of-6 tally over 12 minutes in Indianapolis on Wednesday.

Pelican to Watch: Brandon Ingram

Ingram has taken the brunt of the Pelicans' offensive responsibilities as Williamson has struggled to find any semblance of consistent playing time due to medical woes. Like Brunson, he was denied All-Star glory despite career-best numbers, including 24.5 points a game and 5.8 assists.

Having become the unexpected face of the franchise, Ingram has not only become a leader on the statsheet but the hardwood as well.

“It’s easy to follow a guy like B.I. because we know he puts in the work and he’s all about the team. He’s not about all the individual stuff. He just wants to win,” Herb Jones told William Guillory of The Athletic in March. “I know I’m willing to ride with that guy through whatever. We believe he’s down to do what it takes to get us where we need to go. You can always trust that he’s going to make the right plays when you put the ball in his hands.”

Prediction

The Knicks' apparent dedication to their craft was exhilarating on Wednesday though it also came against a team that likely had no qualms with defeat considering their positioning in the NBA Draft Lottery. Continued work from the substitutions should yield a good effort but the Pelicans simply have too much to play for at this point: New Orleans has not had a top-five finish in the West under the Pelican identity and there's still an outside shot at such a finish if it wins its final two games and gets some help from their friends.