The Knicks will look to continue their surprising wave of playoff contention when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves in a non-conference match.
The Knicks had their three-game winning streak and missed a rare chance to return to .500 on Wednesday night, when they fell to Orlando Magic 107-89. The Timberwolves suffered their third straight defeat and remained in the NBA basement on Friday night at 7-23, when they finished a homestand by falling to the Toronto Raptors 86-81.
The unbalanced loss to the Magic served as a reminder how far the Knicks have to go and how subtle their margin of error remains despite their relatively quick start. New York entered Saturday allowing for an NBA minimum of 103.7 points per game, but it’s only 7-15 when conceding at least 100 points in a game, compared to 7-1 when conceding less than 100 points.
“We didn’t defend well,” Knicks forward Julius Randle said Wednesday night. “We didn’t help each other well. We could have been better. We relied on our defense and we have shown all year that we are a great defensive team. We have to be better in the next game.”