The Knicks rarely play on a diet during the holiday season, and compared to the NBA's lighter teams, they don't have to apologize for gaining weight during the slower parts of their schedule.
If Memorial Day is the first true mileage indicator of a baseball season's legitimacy, in the NBA that typically happens on or around Christmas Day.
And after a disjointed 5-6 start while integrating two new starters, Tom Thibodeau's Knicks have improved over the past six weeks.
They have won 15 games in 19 games since mid-November, finishing in the top five in the entire NBA and establishing themselves as a contender in the Eastern Conference.
Friday's game in Orlando will be against another good team in the East, and one right behind them in the standings, even if the Magic continue without injured All-Star forward Paolo Banchero. Become.
The clicky Knicks have been on a winning streak lately, winning five in a row since their Christmas matinee victory over the Spurs and moving into third place in the East with a 20-10 record.
They were 1¹/₂ games behind the Magic heading into Thursday night's home game against the Heat at 19-12, and just two games behind the second-place Celtics.
The only other NBA teams to start Thursday with a better record than the Knicks were the league-best Cavaliers, West-leading Thunder and improved Rockets.
Significant improvements on defense have ushered in a recent spurt of growth, as during Wednesday's game, versatile stopper OG Anunoby faced off against 7-foot-3 center Victory despite an 8-inch height difference. This was before Wenbanyama was shut down.
The revamped team ranked near the bottom of the league in defensive rating at the start of the season, but now ranks 14th overall after posting the fifth-best numbers in that category in December.
According to the NBA website, the Knicks hope to have defensive big man Mitchell Robinson back in January after offseason ankle surgery, but he has scored 106.8 points per 100 possessions in 11 games this month. I forgave him.
Additionally, they are 2nd overall for the year in offensive rating and 5th in net rating (difference between offensive and defensive indicators).
On the offensive side, the strong team led by Coach Thibodeau has achieved victory by acquiring various leading scorers during this winning streak.
Karl-Anthony Towns returned to Minnesota and scored 32 points against the Timberwolves.
Jalen Brunson scored 39 points against the Pelicans. Towns and Anunoby each scored 31 points against the Raptors.
Mikal Bridges, who averaged 22.7 points and shot 46.9 percent from 3-point range in 11 games in December, scored a season-high 41 points against San Antonio, and Brunson (20 points) and Towns ( 21 points) almost scored. 4th quarter seats.
“It shows the depth of our team,” said Josh Hart, who grabbed two crucial offensive rebounds in the final moments against the Spurs. “Obviously, Cal played a great game, which is why we went to get him. OG played great offensively and, more importantly, defensively.
“Right now, we're in a situation where we don't need JB to go out there and score 30 points in order to win, to be in the game. And I think that's an advantage. When he goes out. At least he'll give us 25 points very efficiently. When that happens, we're fine. But when he doesn't hit the ball well and we get a win, that's what this team does. It shows the depth.”
The streak includes three road wins, starting with a nine-point decision victory in Orlando less than two weeks ago.
Their 10-6 record on the road from the Garden gives them the third-most road wins in the league behind the Thunder (11-3) and Celtics (11-3).
“I think we just look at each other and see if we're getting better. I think that's the biggest thing,” said Bridges, who leads the league with 38.8 minutes per game. Ta. “I think I took a leap forward this month.
“We keep trying to get better every day. We want to win, that's the main goal, but sometimes getting better is what we're looking for.”
