NBA Unstoppable Run: New York Knicks Gaining Momentum Post-Josh Hart Deal
The New York Knicks have strung together seven consecutive victories, their winning streak commencing after acquiring guard Josh Hart in a trade deal with the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Milwaukee Bucks (45-17) are currently on a staggering 16-game winning streak, the longest in the NBA this season. The Bucks hold the best record in the league and have surpassed the Boston Celtics (45-18) for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
Despite the Bucks earning attention due to their lengthy winning streak, the Knicks are flying under the radar with their recent success.
Knicks Eye Playoff Spot
The Knicks (37-27) have moved past the Brooklyn Nets (34-28) and currently sit in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. They trail the Cleveland Cavaliers (39-26) in fourth place by just 1.5 games. If the season ended today, the Cavs and Knicks would face off in the first round of the playoffs.
The Knicks have 18 more games left in the regular season and have a chance to snatch the fourth seed from the Cavs, securing home-court advantage in the opening round.
"We're on a mission," stated center Mitchell Robinson. "We wanna make the playoffs. Everybody wants to be there. Everybody on the team is gonna fight."
Two weeks ago, the Knicks were +2000 odds to win the 2022-23 NBA championship. Their title odds improved to +1500 last week, and rose to +1200 this week following an impressive win over the Boston Celtics. The Knicks are currently +3500 odds to win the Eastern Conference and reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.
FiveThirtyEight forecasts the Knicks to finish the regular season with a 47-35 record. According to their projections, the Knicks have a 4% chance to reach the NBA Finals, but only a 1% chance to win the championship.
The Hart-led Rebound
In early December, the Knicks were 10-13 after a 2-6 slump. Fans at Madison Square Garden largely voiced their displeasure with the team's poor defensive play and shaky offense with a barrage of boos.
The Knicks initially seemed to correct their course with an eight-game winning streak in mid-December. However, they lost all momentum with a five-game losing streak at the end of 2022. The Knicks ended the year 18-18, and head coach Tom Thibodeau recognized the need for significant changes as the team approached the midway point of the season.
The Knicks have gone 19-9 since New Year's Eve and boast the fifth-best record in the NBA since the start of 2023. Their resurgence can be linked to a shakeup in the starting lineup and overall rotation. Thibodeau demoted and eventually benched shooting guard Evan Fournier for his inconsistent offense and abysmal defense. Backup wing player Cam Reddish also fell out of favor due to his lackluster performance.
The Knicks acquired Hart from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Reddish, a first-round draft pick in 2023, and the little-used Ryan Arcidiacono and Svi Mykhailiuk.
Thibodeau took a liking to the energetic Hart, who thrives on defense. Hart also reunited with his former Villanova teammate, Jalen Brunson. The two guards won an NCAA championship together in the 2016 March Madness men’s college basketball tournament.
In seven games with the Knicks, Hart is averaging 12.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.3 steals off the bench in only 26.3 minutes per game. The Knicks have won all seven games since Hart first joined the team before the NBA All-Star break.
MSG Point Guard Pair with Brunson and Quickley
The Knicks signed Brunson with a substantial free-agent contract in the off-season, finally addressing their long-standing need for a quality point guard.
Brunson is the Knicks' second-highest scorer, averaging 23.8 points per game and shooting 41% from 3-point range. He also averages 6.2 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 0.9 steals per game.
Brunson has been the Knicks' MVP this season, providing a more consistent and steady presence than leading scorer Julius Randle. Randle can sometimes lose his cool with officials, and historically, the Knicks would falter following a Randle tantrum. Brunson has managed to keep the Knicks focused even on nights when Randle struggles.
Backup point guard Immanuel Quickley, in his third season out of Kentucky, is having a career-best campaign with the Knicks, averaging 15.4 points per game coming off the bench. Despite the widespread rumors about potential trades, Quickley remained professional and didn't allow the speculation to affect his performance. Quickley is now a serious contender for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award following a fantastic second half of the season.
Fans had concerns that Quickley would get lost in the shuffle after the Knicks signed Brunson. However, the opposite happened, and Quickley significantly improved across the board. The Knicks maintain a high energy level whenever Quickley replaces Brunson on the court.
Thibodeau recently experimented with two point guards playing together simultaneously. Brunson and Quickley are sharing more minutes in the fourth quarter, with Quickley stepping up as the starting point guard and Brunson shifting to shooting guard. This dynamic duo could prove crucial in critical moments during the postseason.
The NY Knicks embark on a weekend journey for a couple of matches, aiming to set their longest winning streak of the season. First up, they face the Miami Heat on a Friday night. The Knicks are labeled as -3 favorites, whereas the Heat are underdogs at home. With plenty of New Yorkers settled in South Florida, the crowd is likely to be rowdy with plenty of Knicks supporters. The Heat lost to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden by two points in February, but Brunson was absent due to a non-COVID illness.
So far this season, the Knicks have a commendable 35-26-3 record against the spread, boasting the third-best betting record in the NBA. The Knicks have covered the spread in six consecutive games, and they've maintained a 6-1 record against the spread during their current seven-game winning streak.
After stunning the Celtics in a 10-point Win at the MSG on Monday, Brunson scored a whopping 39 points. On Sunday, they square off against the Celtics again at their Boston home, the TD Garden. If the Knicks triumph over the Heat, they could be facing an eight-game winning streak when they confront the Celtics in Boston.
Following a single straightforward home game against the Charlotte Hornets, the Knicks make a week-long escape to the West Coast to play four games. Their West Coast tour begins with a match against the Sacramento Kings, followed by back-to-back games in LA against the Clippers and Lakers. Last up on their tour, they take on superstar Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers.
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