The Knicks have lost their last two games to the Mavericks and Pacers, losing by 14 on Saturday night; Unfortunately, despite Jalen Brunson returning to the team after suffering a high ankle sprain and scoring 39 points, the rest of the starting five are struggling to get going.
Donte DiVincenzo calms down a bit, shooting just 2-of-9 from downtown, scoring 14 points. Their reserves, Bogdanovic and Burks, scored 33 points but struggled defensively. When the Knicks get back to full strength, things will be in good shape, but for now they’ll just have to survive and the All-Star break will give them some much-needed rest.
Josh Hart is also starting to feel the weight of the losses, noting the difficulty of playing without some of his most impactful players.
The Knicks are patiently waiting for Julius Randle’s return from a dislocated right shoulder, and OG Anunoby just underwent surgery to remove a bone spur in his right elbow.
All of these issues have made it difficult for the Knicks to maintain their impressive pace, but they still hold the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, 1.5 games ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers, who could fall out of the top six altogether under Joel Embiid. out for an extended period of time.