It’s been a whirlwind of a week for the New York Knicks. After three consecutive inspiring victories against the Philadelphia 76ers, Memphis Grizzlies, and Miami Heat, they dropped a frustrating home matchup to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. Many of their struggles against them were due to the absence of Karl-Anthony Towns. He missed the contest for personal reasons relating to a family matter, shedding light on some Knicks’ roster flaws. The big man’s importance to the team was the biggest lesson of the evening. Fortunately, Towns will re-enter the starting lineup on the first stop in the Knicks’ road trip against the red-hot Los Angeles Lakers.
Knicks Getting Karl-Anthony Towns Back For Tough Road Trip
New York has 21 games left in the 2024-25 campaign before the postseason kicks off. With their seeding all but locked up, the final quarter of the season is for evaluation purposes as they try to find their winning formula. As is well-known, NY has struggled in their biggest tests, going 0-7 against the top three teams. However, they are 9-3 against the squads that are fifth through tenth in the league standings (NYK is third at 40-21). Tom Thibodeau’s group will get multiple chances on this five-game West Coast swing to prove they’re the fourth-best team in the NBA. The goal is to be the best, but the Knicks feel slightly underrated as a contender compared to others around them.
Upcoming Schedule
Tonight, they’ll get their best opportunity to make a statement against basketball’s hottest team, the Lakers. LA is 19-4 in their last 23 contests and 7-2 since Luka Doncic arrived on February 10th. Since January 14th, JJ Redick’s group has had the best defensive rating in the league (109.6). Despite personnel shortcomings, the Lakers have been locking down almost every opponent they’ve faced for six weeks. We know what they bring to the table offensively with two of the game’s premier superstars, so this will be a great test for New York. Mitchell Robinson and OG Anunoby are listed as game-time decisions but are expected to play.
Following the Lakers game, New York has a quick turnaround, playing the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night. Matchups at Sacramento, Portland, and Golden State follow that game. Since January 19th, the Blazers have had a complete turnaround under Chauncey Billups. Their young core has compiled a 15-7 record in that span, good for seventh-best in the NBA. The Sacramento Kings have also played decent basketball since bringing in Zach LaVine. However, the other true test for NY is an opportunity for revenge in Golden State to close out the road trip.
The Warriors shut down the Knicks’ potent offense on Tuesday, holding them to just 102 points in a twelve-point victory. GS has been a completely different team since Jimmy Butler entered the fold, invigorating Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and the entire roster. It will be interesting to see how New York fares with their second-best player back in the lineup. Towns is averaging 24.5 points (second-most on the Knicks), 13.4 rebounds, and 2.0 threes this season. The 29-year-old has been key to the Knicks’ success and gives the team an offensive boost in their upcoming road trip.
How Will Thibodeau Adjust His Rotations?
The biggest story of Tuesday’s loss was Thibodeau’s poor lineup construction. He played a slumping Josh Hart next to Precious Achiuwa far too often instead of utilizing Miles McBride for heavier minutes and better spacing. With Towns returning and Robinson’s minutes increasing, Achiuwa will likely play very little. Still, the head coach should favor McBride for the time being while Hart works his way out of a tough shooting stretch, especially when Robinson is on the floor. Hart has had ice-cold streaks often in his career and always emerges, so Knicks fans shouldn’t worry. Thibodeau should use this time to experiment with McBride, who will be a huge piece of the playoff rotation. It’s also uncertain whether plays Towns next to Robinson for extended stretches of play.
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