The New York Knicks have 82 games scheduled for the upcoming season, but three games before Christmas stand out above the rest.
Steve Aschburner, reporter for NBA.com has identified three Knicks games that are “must-win matchups” before Christmas, starting with an opening-week home game against Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers.
“The teams’ second game is a time machine that takes them back five months to when Indiana triumphed in seven games in the Eastern Conference semifinals,” Aschburner writes. “The last time the Pacers visited Madison Square Garden, Tyrese Haliburton scored 26 points while a struggling Jalen Brunson shot 6 of 17 in Indiana’s 130-109 Game 7 victory.”
The Knicks will also have another playoff rematch against the Philadelphia 76ers on Nov. 12 at the Wells Fargo Center, which is also part of the team’s NBA Cup schedule.
“With all due respect to the Bucks, Cavaliers, Magic, Pacers and Heat, New York and Philadelphia have no shame in wanting to topple the Celtics in about nine months,” Aschburner wrote. “George to the Sixers, Mikal Bridges to the Knicks and other assorted changes freshen up the rematch of the April first-round clash that New York won in six months.”
To cap off the trio of games, a rivalry game between the Knicks and Toronto Raptors will take place, just one week before the one-year anniversary of the blockbuster OG Anunoby trade.
“These teams are linked by the five-player trade they made on Dec. 30 that netted OG Anunoby from New York, a key part of the Knicks’ push into the second round,” Aschburner writes. “They’re 33-17 after the trade while Toronto has slipped to 13-37. But RJ Barrett has averaged 21.8 points on 55.3 percent shooting for the Raptors, while Immanuel Quickley has turned extra minutes into a 12.9-18.6 scoring increase. This is their second visit to MSG.”
Every game on the Knicks’ schedule will be important, especially if things go like they did last year. The 82 games made the difference in the final standings, which allowed the Knicks to clinch second place in the Eastern Conference. This season should be the same, but the three games above should definitely be circled on New York’s schedule.
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