Knicks’ trade deadline plans could depend on MSG-heavy schedule

On MLK Day at the Garden on Monday, the Knicks lost a game they were leading in the fourth quarter for the first time this season, allowing a steal and falling to 19-1 against the Magic, who thrived in that situation.

The Knicks did indeed miss point guard Jalen Brunson, who was likely to be a first-time All-Star candidate and missed two consecutive games with a calf injury.

Brunson will need to return quickly to take advantage of the section of the schedule that ended up being advantageous.

It's important to note that the Knicks are nearing the halfway point of their 82-game stretch and have played the most road games (12-12) and the fewest home games (11-5) in the NBA through 40 games. regular season Wednesday game against the Rockets.

In the wake of Monday's loss, the Knicks will be cooking more home-cooked meals. Twelve of the next 14 games will be played at MSG, with one of the two road games next Tuesday against the Nets at Barclays Center.

This acquisition will get the Knicks through the February 8th trade deadline. It will be interesting to see how aggressive team president Leon Rose is if the current group grows in the interim.

With the acquisition of OG Anunoby as the centerpiece of the late December trade that sent RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to the Raptors, Rose already has two potential All-Star candidates on Tom Thibodeau's team. He provides the perfect dual-wielding complement to Brunson and Julius Randle.

Despite the loss, the Knicks are 6-2 since the Anunoby trade, and the addition of a versatile complementary player has as much of an immediate impact as the elusive signing of another star player. It shows that it is possible.

Anunoby scored 17 points in 44 minutes on Monday, making 3-of-4 3-pointers.

Rose, who still has a ton of first-round picks, may decide it would be better for the Knicks to wait until the summer to acquire Donovan Mitchell or another star player. Perhaps he will try to add another secondary piece before the deadline, such as former Knicks combo guard Alec Burks or a proven outside shooter like Bojan Bogdanovic of the league-worst Pistons.

So far, Rose has done a solid job building a roster in Thibodeau's image, dating back to acquiring Josh Hart before last season's deadline and signing Donte DiVincenzo in free agency last summer. I've been doing this.

Depth player Isaiah Hartenstein and, for the past two games, Myles McBride also served as backups for Mitchell Robinson and Brunson, respectively.

McBride on Monday followed up his 19 points at Memphis on Saturday with 20 points against Orlando, his second career-high in points in a row.

There's also optimism that Robinson can return from ankle surgery in the second half of the season, allowing the other player in the Anunoby trade, diminutive backup center Precious Achiuwa, to be taken out of the playoff rotation. There is another way to look at it.

With just two games separating them from fourth to eighth in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks (23-17, currently in seventh place) must take advantage of a schedule that has finally become more favorable to them.

That can dictate what you try to do by the deadline.

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Big East Throwback

St. John's and Seton Hall are both near the top of the Big East standings, and both metro area teams will meet for the first time this season in a nationally televised game Tuesday night (8:30 p.m., FS1) at Prudential. Compete against. In the heart of Newark.

The total record for both teams is 12 wins and 5 losses.

Shaheen Holloway's Pirates are tied for first in the league with newly elected No. 1 Collegiate Con at 5-1, while Rick Pitino's Red Storm are 4-0 after a nail-biting win against Creighton on Saturday. They have lost two games and are one game behind.

It will be fun to watch the coaching showdown between the 71-year-old Pitino and the 47-year-old Holloway, who led St. Peter's to the Elite Eight of the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

We hope that both local schools can maintain their relationship until their next meeting at the UBS Arena on February 18th.

Naomi falls down

Naomi Osaka's return to the Grand Slams didn't last long.

Two-time Australian Open Champion lost in the first round After 15 months away from tennis, she played in her first major after losing in straight sets to No. 16 Carolina Garcia in Melbourne on Monday.

Osaka, 26, who gave birth to daughter Shai in July, returned to the court two weeks ago at the Brisbane International, but lost in the second round to Karolina Pliskova.

“Of course, the competitor in me is really frustrated that I can't win the match,” Osaka said after the match. “So I won't say this comeback was my idea, because I'm delusional enough to think I could have won the tournament.”

Osaka also won the US Open title in 2018 and 2020, but has yet to make it past the first round in the past three Grand Slam tournaments.

She withdrew from the 2022 French Open and Flushing Meadows and has since stepped away from the sport, but the former world number one insists she is fully committed to this return effort.

“I think I have to continue to live one day at a time, train hard and play more matches,” Osaka said. “And hopefully my dream will come true.”

On the men's side, top seed Novak Djokovic will play his second round on Tuesday as he aims to extend his record of 10 Australian Open titles and 24 Grand Slam titles. Ben Shelton, the 21-year-old American who lost to Djokovic in the 2023 US Open semifinals, will also face Australia's Christopher O'Connell on Tuesday.

Road to Super Bowl 58