Knicks Weekly: Search For Playoff Seeding Continues

The New York Knicks can officially talk about playoffs, having secured their spot this week. There's still work to do on the relatively meager regular season docket ...

Where the Knicks Stand

Team	Wins	Losses	Games Back
1. y-Cleveland	59	15
2. y-Boston	55	19	4
3. y-KNICKS	46	27	12.5
4. x-Indiana	43	31	16
5. x-Detroit	42	32	17
6. x-Milwaukee	40	33	18.5

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

Though obviously burdened with larger aspirations, the Knicks have secured their third consecutive playoff berth, obtaining a trio for the first time since 2011-13. Catching either Cleveland and/or Boston is out of the questions but clinching homecourt advantage in the opening round is the next step of the postseason journey. Entering this week, the magic number to secure at least the fourth seed stands at five.

There was a little movement on the hypothetical bracket this week: while the Knicks were seemingly destined to face the Detroit Pistons in the opening round, the ongoing struggles of the Milwaukee Bucks have yielded a new metropolitan opponent.

The shorthanded Knicks were more than happy to add to those issues, completing a season sweep of the Bucks with a 116-107 win at Fiserv Forum on Friday night. New York certainly wouldn't mind an early meeting with Milwaukee: the lone playoff get-together to date was a 4-1 victory in the Eastern finals en route to the first of two Manhattan championships.

Last Week: 2-1

Jalen Brunson is still out and two of his backcourt replacements (Miles McBride, Cameron Payne) have joined him in the infirmary. The Knicks, however, conducted themselves decently well in the wake of their medically-induced absences.

New York began the week by continuing a three-game homestand, one that featured a 128-113 win over the Dallas Mavericks. OG Anunoby scored 35 points while Josh Hart (16 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists) and Karl-Anthony Towns (26 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists) became the first pair of New Yorkers to earn triple-doubles in the same game. Hart's effort was particularly historic, as his ninth triple-double of the season allowed him to move past Walt "Clyde" Frazier for the one-year franchise record.

The Knicks couldn't clinch their own playoff spot on Wednesday, as they dropped a 126-113 decision to the Los Angeles Clippers in the homestand's conclusion, which saw Payne leave early due to ankle woes. Towns led all scorers with 34 points but the Clippers ate into a New York lead that reached as high as 14 thanks in part to 29 from James Harden and dueling double-doubles from Kawhi Leonard and Ivica Zubac.

The playoff spot was clinched in inactivity, as the Knicks benefitted from the Atlanta Hawks' Thursday loss to the Miami Heat. They celebrated with the aforementioned sweep of their potential first-round foes from Milwaukee. With the 116-107 win, the Knicks won the three games against the Bucks by an average of over 21 points.

Player of the Week: Tyler Kolek

(18.4 minutes, 7.0 assists)

Yes, Kolek's shooting numbers leave plenty to be desired and other traditional stats pale in comparison to the way others have stepped up this week. The way Kolek has conducted himself in an unexpected promotion, however, should be recognized.

Amidst the losses of Brunson, Payne, and Miles McBride (groin) Kolek has taken over the backcourt playmaking abilities, dishing out 29 assists in four games of regular work. He's also taking care of the ball: after this week, Kolek is the first-ever Knicks rookie to have 20 assists and one turnover in a four-game stretch (min. 18 minutes/game).

Fans have been clamoring to see Kolek ever since the Knicks traded up to acquire his services out of Marquette in June's draft. For Kolek to fulfill as much of that hype as he has is a strong sign for the Knicks' future, even if they're honed in on the present core.

Honorable Mentions

OG Anunoby: 31.3 points, 56.5 field goal percentage, 2.0 steals
Karl-Anthony Towns: 24.7 points, 12.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists
Mikal Bridges: 21.9 points, 51.9 field goal percentage
Josh Hart: 12.0 points, 53.8 field goal percentage, 10.3 rebounds, 8.3 rebounds

They Said It

“Of course you want to move up in the standings; you never want to move backward. One: It’s important for standings, just to have that seed. But two: we want to end the season winning. We want to be in a good spot, feeling good about our games, and as a team feeling good about ourselves. So it’s important these last 10 that we ramp up and get ourselves ready for the next step.”-Karl-Anthony Towns on the Knicks' goals for the last 10 games (h/t Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News)

This Week

Mar 12, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; New York Knicks small forward Mikal Bridges (25) shoots the game-winning basket over Portland Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan (23) during overtime at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-Imagn Images | Soobum Im-Imagn Images

Sunday: Portland

(6 p.m. ET, MSG)

What could the Knicks and Trail Blazers possibly do for an encore? The two sides played one of the most unexpectedly thrilling showdowns of the NBA season to date in the Pacific Northwest on March 12, a 114-113 decision that ended with a Mikal Bridges buzzer-beater in overtime. Unfortunately for the Blazers (32-42), who are four games out the Western Play-In Tournament with 10 to play, they'll be missing one of the major contributors from that game, as Scoot Henderson (30 points off the bench against New York) sits in concussion protocol. The Knicks will go for their fourth consecutive win over the Blazers, a landmark they haven't achieved since Portland's earliest days in 1971-72.

Feb 26, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) drives to the basket against Philadelphia 76ers guard Quentin Grimes (5) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Tuesday: Philadelphia

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

What a difference a year makes: at this time last year, April meetings between the Knicks and 76ers were the most anticipated on the NBA postseason schedule. Now, the eliminated Sixers (23-51) are playing out the slate in one of the most disappointing season efforts in recent NBA memory without the comfort of such stars like Joel Embiid and Paul George. The Knicks will go for their first sweep of the Sixers since 2015-16. Standing in their way will be the emergence of former homegrown Manhattanite Quentin Grimes, whose breakout has been one of the few Sixer silver linings. Grimes was held to only three points in the most recent meeting between the two sides on Feb. 26, his first time as a visitor on Madison Square Garden hardwood since the Knicks traded him to Detroit at last year's trade deadline.

Knicks Cavaliers — Feb 21, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) drives to the basket between Cleveland Cavaliers forward De'Andre Hunter (12) and guard Donovan Mitchell (45) during the first half at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Wednesday: @ Cleveland

(7 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Hope you enjoyed the lack of discussion behind the Knicks' record against the Association's elite (oh, did you know they were 0-7 against Boston, Cleveland, and Oklahoma City this year?), because it's going to take center stage over their last nine games: the Knicks face the top dogs in the East three times in the final nine and this visit to Rocket Arena is the most important one. At this point, the Cavaliers (59-15) still have something to play for: the past few weeks have formed some holes in their seemingly impenetrable armor, as they've dropped five of their last eight and allowed the Celtics to inch within four games of the Eastern lead. This might be the last chance for the Knicks to make a statement in the regular season, give the Cavs something to think about. Will they take advantage?

Feb 12, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Cameron Payne (1) and Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) fight for a loose ball in the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Saturday: @ Atlanta

(3 p.m. ET, MSG)

In a perhaps perfect world, the Knicks would face the Hawks in the opening round of the playoffs if only to put the ridiculous Trae Young narrative to bed. But Atlanta (35-38) is almost assuredly destined for the Play-In Tournament, though they've lost homecourt advantage privileges in the upper half of the segment. To be fair, the Hawks have played the Knicks exceptionally well this season, so far splitting four meetings. Even the wins were dramatic, as the Knicks' final pre-All-Star break excursion was a 149-148 thriller against the Hawks at MSG. This time, though, no one knows if they'll have the hero Brunson in tow this time around.

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