What the Knicks Must Do Right to Defeat the Rockets

The New York Knicks just got swept by the Detroit Pistons in all three meetings this season, including a 126-111 loss at Madison Square Garden two days ago. Now the Houston Rockets walk in tonight, and the margin for the same mistakes repeating is basically zero.

The Knicks shot just 23% from three on 35 attempts against Detroit and never adjusted, even when it was clear nothing was falling. That kind of stubbornness against a physical team is what turns a winnable game into a blowout before you even realize what happened.

Houston comes in at 34-20, fourth in the West, and they bring a completely different kind of problem.

Kevin Durant is averaging 26 points per game and dropped 35 just two days ago to seal a road win over Charlotte. Alperen Sengun is putting up 20.5 points, 9.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists this season, one of the most complete center performances in the league. Both earned All-Star nods this year, and they are far from the only threats on this roster.

Even without Fred VanVleet, who tore his ACL before the season started, Houston has length and versatility at every single position.

Sengun anchors the middle, Durant and Amen Thompson cover the forwards, Jabari Smith Jr. adds shooting and active hands, and Reed Sheppard runs the guard spot. They can go man-to-man or shift into a positionless defense depending on what the game demands, and they have the personnel to make either look easy.

Why Creating Space Against Houston's Length Is the Only Way In

Jan 28, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) celebrates with guard Amen Thompson (1) after a play during the first quarter against the San Antonio Spurs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

That size and flexibility is exactly what makes this matchup so hard to crack. Durant at 6-foot-10, Sengun at 6-foot-11, Thompson at 6-foot-7, with elite athleticism on top of that. Driving straight at this defense without a real plan is not going to work. You have to earn clean looks before the shot even happens, and that starts with how New York uses its screens.

When Brunson handles the ball and a big sets a hard screen, Houston has to make a decision on the fly.

Fight over the screen and Brunson has space for his pull-up, which he converts at a high rate. Switch and a mismatch opens up somewhere that the Knicks need to attack immediately.

The shot does not always need to be a three either. A clean mid-range off a well-timed screen counts just as much against a team this long, sometimes more.

Now, Houston also has the flexibility to put Thompson on Brunson and slide Durant or Smith onto Karl-Anthony Towns. Thompson's athleticism makes him a genuine problem as a primary defender on anyone.

If he follows Towns out to the arc, the paint opens up for drives and cuts. If he stays near the basket and sags off, Towns has to make him pay from range. Either way, the Knicks need to force that read early, keep moving the ball, and not let Houston settle into a comfortable defensive rhythm.

How the Supporting Cast and Bench Must Step Up at MSG

Feb 19, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris (12) looks to the basket against 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

This is where the Detroit game still stings the most. When the Pistons paid attention to Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart combined for just 27 points. OG shot 3-of-13, Bridges disappeared enough to get benched late in the fourth, and Hart gave 11 points. If those three go quiet again tonight, no amount of Brunson heroics will be enough.

The good news is that the opportunity will be there.

Houston's defensive attention will naturally gravitate toward Brunson and Towns, which means Bridges and OG will see open looks on the weak side. Both are more than capable of punishing a defense that ignores them, and Hart's physical energy is the kind of thing that shifts momentum in a game like this.

They have to be ready the moment those looks come, because this Houston team will not give them a second chance.

The bench carries just as much responsibility tonight.

Against Detroit, Jose Alvarado and Jeremy Sochan defended well but combined for just eight points, and the second unit as a whole barely existed offensively. When the starters rest, the bench cannot just hold serve. They have to keep the pressure on Houston because one slow bench stretch hands the Rockets a momentum run that burns energy the starters need for the fourth quarter.

And that is really what everything comes down to tonight.

Every possession has to mean something. Durant in isolation, Sengun reading defenses out of the post, Thompson turning one open lane into two points before a defense can even rotate. These are not things you can simply overlook.

The Knicks need to lock in from the opening tip, protect every possession on both ends, and play the kind of basketball that carried their eight-game winning streak earlier this season. That version of this team beats Houston tonight.

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