We’re just a few days from the New York Knicks and the rest of the NBA returning from the All-Star break, which means it’s time to look ahead to the rest of the season.
The Knicks are currently 33-27 and in 6th place in the Eastern Conference. They won three games in a row heading into the All-Star break, thanks to the trade deadline addition of Josh Hart, who awoke a new level of play from New York in his short time with the team.
However, the Knicks are also likely to see the return of their starting center, Mitchell Robinson, right when games resume or shortly after. The Knicks have gone 8-6 without their rim protector, which is good for the 10th-bets record in the NBA over that span. While the team can be happy about their success in his absence, it’s obvious the defense needs Robinson’s presence in the paint, and his return could make the Knicks even more well-rounded.
So what does that mean for the rest of the season? I broke down the remaining games on New York’s schedule to see what their final record might be and what seed in the playoffs that record might net them. Let’s dig in.
Knicks Remaining Schedule and Predictions
February 24th @ Washington: WIN
February 25th vs New Orleans: WIN
The Pelicans are 4-12 over their last 16 games and will likely be without Zion Williamson for this game. Considering the Knicks will be back home after their fans have had a week without basketball, it should be a loud and energetic environment for a game.
February 27th vs Boston: LOSS
Yes, the Knicks stole one from Boston on the road earlier in the season, but the Celtics are still one of the best teams in basketball and will always be a favorite over the Knicks right now.
March 1st vs Brooklyn: WIN
This is not the same Nets team, as we saw in the Knicks’ 124-106 win before the All-Star break. The Nets have some good pieces to rebuild around, but with Robinson also back to help neutralize Nic Claxton, it’s hard to see the Nets winning this game.
March 3rd @ Miami: LOSS
The Heat are 19-10 at home and have added Kevin Love after he was bought out of his contract. That’s a nice floor-spacing addition to a team that has Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. I’m not sure the Heat are a better team than the Knicks, but it’s a tough matchup on the road.
March 5th @ Boston: LOSS
Coming off a tough Miami game and then going to Boston against a Celtics team that is 24-7 at home is a tall order for the Knicks.
March 7th vs Charlotte: WIN
Charlotte is 6-10 in their last 16 and will still likely be without Miles Bridges for this game, as the forward claimed he “might be back in March.” They might have Kelly Oubre Jr. back by this game, but it’s still one the Knicks should win.
March 9th @ Sacramento: WIN
The Kings are 32-25 with the West’s third-best record leading into the All-Star break. They have two strong pieces in De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis and this should be a tough match for the Knicks on the road. However, I think the Knicks match up well with Mitchell Robinson back and should be able to take this game.
March 11th @ LA Clippers: LOSS
It’s tough to predict this so far out since the Clippers’ performance tends to depend on Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. The Clippers are 19-9 when both are in the lineup and 23-11 when Leonard plays, but we won’t know how healthy they are or if they need a rest day. Still, with Russell Westbrook also joining the fray, the Clippers will be a tough out on the road.
March 12th @ LA Lakers: WIN
Yes, we can assume both LeBron James and Anthony Davis will play since this won’t be part of a back-to-back, and the Lakers did make some good moves at the trade deadline. However, the Knicks are still likely the better team overall and should come away with this one.
March 14th @ Portland: WIN
Is this the Josh Hart revenge game or the Cam Reddish revenge game? Portland is 28-30 and one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA. They have a dominant scorer in Damian Lillard, but their poor defense is going to cost them here.
March 18th vs Denver: LOSS
Playing Denver in New York is much better than playing them on the road, but this is still an incredibly tough showdown. The Nuggets are 11-5 in their last 16 games and are one of the deepest teams in the NBA. They also likely got deeper with the deadline additions of Thomas Bryant and Reggie Jackson, so this will be a tough one for the Knicks.
March 20th vs Minnesota: WIN
Karl Anthony Towns is expected back within the final 10-15 games of the season, so this is within that range for Minnesota and could change the outcome of this game. However, Anthony Edwards has really emerged in Minnesota, so who knows if Towns returning will just create a bit of chaos in the rotation. Regardless, these are two evenly-matched teams, but I think the Knicks can pull this out.
March 22nd @ Miami: LOSS
Miami on the road again is a tough showdown. The Knicks could certainly pull this one off, but let’s err on the side of caution here.
March 23rd @ Orlando: WIN
Orlando is 8-7 in their last 15 and looks every bit of a .500 or slightly better ball club when they pushed the Knicks before the break. At this point in the season, the Magic will likely be eliminated from the playoffs and may decide to rest some players to help in the Draft lottery. Regardless, the Knicks are the better team and should be able to win this.
March 27th vs Houston: WIN
The Rockets are one of the worst teams in basketball, so the Knicks have no business losing this game at home this close to the playoffs.
March 29th vs Miami: WIN
The Knicks will get the better of Miami here at home.
March 31st @ Cleveland: LOSS
Cleveland is 11-6 in their last 17 games and is 25-6 at home so far this year. It’s hard to predict the Knicks to win this one on the road.
April 2nd vs Washington: WIN
Washington could be in play-in contention, so they likely won’t be resting any key players. That makes this a bit of a tricky one, but I think the Knicks can pull this out.
April 5th @ Indiana: LOSS
The Pacers are 3-13 in their last 16 and could be eliminated from playoff contention by this point. Or they could be in the play-in mix since they’re only two games out now. Given that their recent skid was in large part because Tyrese Haliburton was out with a knee injury, this could be a decent team by the end of the season, so we’ll be cautious and mark this down as a road loss.
April 7th @ New Orleans: LOSS
The Pelicans will also be fighting for a playoff spot and should give the Knicks a huge fight here. With Zion Williamson likely back at this point and the Pelicans currently sitting at 20-10 at home, we’ll mark this as a loss.
April 9th vs Indiana: WIN
The Knicks will get the better of the Pacers at home with playoff seeding on the line (maybe).
Record: 13-9
Final Record: 46-36
A 46-36 record to end the season should give the Knicks the 5th seed in the playoffs and would likely mean a playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, which would be fun for the Donovan Mitchell storylines. There is a chance for the Knicks to catch the Cavs for the 4th seed, but moving up any higher would be highly unlikely.
Still, based on expectations at the start of the season, it’s shaping up to be a fun end of the season in New York.
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