Struggling Knicks welcome back Barrett and Quickley in a game they badly need
For the fourth time in six days, the Knicks will play a basketball game. And for the third time in five days, the Knicks will be favorites in said basketball game. In their two previous games, though, they have looked anything but favorites—getting out to double-digit leads in the first half, only to run out of gas and fall short in the final two quarters. That has generated myriad concerns about this current team.
Does Tom Thibodeau need to change his minutes distribution and rotation? And if so, how? Is there enough depth on this team? Do the Knicks even have the flexibility to acquire the kind of talent Thibodeau would actually play? There are plenty more questions, and unfortunately, none of them will be answered today—or likely anytime soon.
That doesn’t take away from the fact that tonight’s game is as close to a must-win as the Knicks have had in January. Despite it being just another home game against an inferior team, if New York loses tonight, it will be in danger of extending its losing streak to four games. And that streak could—and likely will—turn into a five-game losing streak when they host the incredibly hot Oklahoma City Thunder, who are just a few days removed from beating the Knicks.
Toronto, which New York will host tonight, started the season by keeping many of its games, even against the league’s better opponents, incredibly close. While its record never looked amazing, it was also never indicative of how hard the Raptors played. But they’ve been less competitive as of late, losing four of their last five games and dropping three of those by 10 or more points.
Prediction
Given how poorly the Knicks have played as of late, it’s hard to feel incredibly confident about them winning—even if it’s against an 8-28 Raptors team, whose seventh win of the year came on December 3. The Knicks can and should win this game, but who’s to say that their lack of depth, poor defense against three-pointers, and their own shooting slump won’t hold them back again tonight? That being said, I continue to believe this is a very good Knicks team. They are just a week removed from winning nine straight games, and we’ve seen them be dominant on the offensive end and solid on defense. I’m partially trying to speak it into existence, but the Knicks should win this one. It might not be pretty. It might not be fun. And the minutes distribution will likely continue to be a head-scratcher. But New York takes this, 115-100.
Game Details
Date: Wednesday, January 8, 2025
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Place: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
TV: MSG, ESPN
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