Knicks Weekly: Playoff Spot Getting Closer and Closer

Following a busy week out west, the New York Knicks are coming home for the (St. Patrick's Day) holiday.

At least temporarily.

Where the Knicks Stand

Team	Wins	Losses	Games Back
y-1. Cleveland	56	10
y-2. Boston	49	19	8
x-3. KNICKS	42	24	14
4. Milwaukee	38	28	18
5. Indiana	37	29	19
6. Detroit	37	31	20

(x-clinched at least Play-In Spot)
(y-clinched playoff spot)

Once again, movement remains minimal among the top six in the East, with the most notable developments being Cleveland and Boston getting further postseason assurances. The Knicks became the third team to guarantee themselves at least an 83rd game: Philadelphia's loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night assured that the Knicks will finish no worse than 10th place in the East, allowing them to check the first box on their postseason to-do list.

Despite the tough road trip, the Knicks actually gained a half-game on fourth-place Milwaukee and continue to veer toward a first-round matchup with the Pistons. The Knicks can clinch no worse than ninth (guaranteeing at least one postseason game at Madison Square Garden) with either one more win or a Miami Heat loss. Both can be accomplished on Monday as Miami visits Madison Square Garden for a holiday showdown.

The Knicks' magic number to clinch a top-six playoff spot is six while the equivalent to get a top-four seed is at 11.

Last Week: 2-1

It was yet another victorious yet hollow week for the Knicks, who continue to work through life without Jalen Brunson (who may be out longer than anticipated).

The Knicks opened the week by pummeling a Sacramento Kings team that's clearly feeling better about itself after a coaching change. They then prevailed in the potential game of the year against the Portland Trail Blazers, winning an overtime game that featured 42 lead changes by a 114-113 final.

But yet another opportunity to make a statement on a grand stage went by the wayside, as the Knicks fell by a 97-94 decision to the Golden State Warriors on Saturday in San Francisco. While the Warriors don't fit the cursed criteria of being a top four team that has had the Knicks' number, getting past a red hot Warrior group that has been unstoppable since acquiring Jimmy Butler—and not to mention still boasts the services of new metropolitan public enemy Draymond Green—with Brunson sidelined would've been a hearty triumph to take with them into the stretch run.

Player of the Week: Mikal Bridges

(22.3 points, 5.0 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 60.0 percent shooting)

The last of those lead changes in Portland came from the arms of Bridges, whose game-winning, buzzer-beating three-pointer provided the difference in the crucial interconference victory. It was the first true buzzer-beater—one that left no time on the clock for the opponent to counter—on the Knicks' ledgers since January 2022, when and RJ Barrett triple busted Boston at MSG.

Bridges' heroics came hours after he expressed concern with the workloads of the Knicks' starters, which will no doubt follow the team the rest of the way. While debate will certainly flow from Bridges speaking out—some will call him a leader for raising the issue, others will no doubt seethe over the fact that the NBA's iron man is looking for a day off—there's no denying he's making the most of the time he's actually getting, especially with Brunson still out.

Honorable Mentions

Karl-Anthony Towns: 25.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 53.3 three-point percentage
OG Anunoby: 23.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists
Miles McBride: 17.0 points, 5.0 assists, 55.6 three-point percentage

They Said It

“Sometimes it’s not fun on the body. But you want that as a coach, and also talked to [head coach Tom Thibodeau] a little bit knowing that we’ve got a good enough team where our bench guys can come in and we don’t need to play 48 [minutes], 47. We’ve got a lot of good guys on this team that can take away minutes. Which helps the defense, helps the offense, helps tired bodies being out there and giving up all these points. It helps just keeping fresh bodies out there.”-Mikal Bridges on his minutes issue (h/t Stefan Bondy, New York Post)

This Week

Mar 2, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) drives to the basket against Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) during the first quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Monday: Miami

(7:30 p.m. ET, MSG/ESPN)

The Knicks get to stop at home, recharge, and potentially deal further misery to a reeling rival. The Butler-less Heat (29-38) have lost seven in a row and have fallen to ninth on the Eastern leaderboard. Just before the drought began, the Heat dropped a 116-112 overtime decision to the Knicks, one that saw them lose a 19-point lead amidst a 31-tally output for Brunson and a 19-point, 16-rebound double-double for Towns. The Knicks have not swept the hated Heat in a season series since they perfectly triumphed in a five-game set back in 1992-93.

Wednesday: @ San Antonio

(8 p.m. ET, MSG)

Barring a return to the NBA Finals, Wednesday marks the last time that the Knicks face a Western Conference opponent on the road this season. The matchup comes against the reeling Spurs, who can't wait for this season to end: having already lost their head coach (Gregg Popovich) and franchise face (Victor Wembanyama) for the rest of the way, San Antonio (28-38) recently learned that it will also have to go without deadline acquisition De'Aaron Fox due to a hand injury. The Knicks will go for a season sweep in their yearly couple with the Spurs, having previously prevailed by a 117-114 final on Christmas Day thanks to a career-best 41 points from Bridges.

Thursday: @ Charlotte

(7 p.m. ET, MSG)

So much has transpired since the Knicks' last visit to Charlotte that it's easy to forget the chilly vibes endured from that Black Friday thriller: Bridges was benched for the final minutes and the Knicks were bailed out by a 31-point outing from Brunson in a 99-98 victory. Metropolitan sanity prevailed in a rematch at MSG less than a week later, as Towns had a 27-point, 16-rebound double-double en route to a 125-101 final. Though sitting as the cusp of elimination, the Hornets (17-49) won three of their four staged last week. A 145-134 win over the aforementioned Spurs saw them hit 26 three-pointers, a single-game franchise record.

Jordan Poole, Josh Hart — Oct 9, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole (13) drives to the basket in front of New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Saturday: Washington

(8 p.m. ET, MSG)

The Knicks get a somewhat late start on Saturday, which will feature an MSG doubleheader: the New York Rangers, seeking to swipe an NHL playoff spot, take the ice in the afternoon against the Vancouver Canucks. Once the hardwood is laid down, the Knicks face a trap game against the woebegone Wizards (15-51), who currently round out the Eastern standings. The Wizards have, at the very least, had fun playing spoiler: they're coming off consecutive wins over Detroit and Denver (the latter featuring a game-winning triple from Jordan Poole) and gave the Knicks all they could handle in a December matchup that required 55 Brunson points and overtime to prevail.

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