Preview of the Knicks’ upcoming week, Feb 18-24

Let’s try this again. Last week, I was so excited about the impending All-Star break that I misread the date for the Sixers game. Turns out, it’s this Thursday. After diligently double-checking, I can with confidence state that there are only two contests scheduled for this week. Both are against Easter Conference rivals. Let’s look at the schedule.

New York Knicks at Philadelphia 76ers, Thursday, February 22, 2024, 7 PM EST

The Philadelphia 76ers are knotted with the New York Knicks in the Eastern standings, both with a 32-22 record. They’ll face each other this Thursday at the Wells Fargo Center to kick off the second half of the NBA season.

Due to injuries (most recently, Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Donte DiVincenzo), the Knicks have lost four straight. Coach Tom Thibodeau expects to have Hartenstein and DiVincenzo back in the line-up for their tilt with the Liberty Ballers.

The Sixers are also reeling from a significant injury (Joel Embiid) and have won only three of their last ten. Over that ten-game stretch, Philly was outscored by 92 points and barely escaped with wins over Portland and Washington. Their only other win was a two-point squeaker over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In their first meeting of the season, on January 5, the New York Knicks smashed the Philadelphia 76ers, 128 to 92.

This season, new coach Nick Nurse has the team playing great offense (sixth-best in the NBA) and better-than-average defense (12th). Their defense has nose-dived over the last ten outings, however, and their offense has dropped significantly without Embiid, last season’s MVP and a bucket-getting machine. In his absence, Tyrese Maxey leads the team, averaging 25.7 points and shooting 38% from deep on eight attempts. Thursday will be our first chance to see sharpshooting new arrival Buddy Hield in a Sixers jersey against the Knicks.

Philly protects the ball, ranking first for turnovers, and they rate first for steals with 8.6 per game. This could be one of those games when New York coughs up the ball 10 times in the first half, but with some rest, and iHart and DiVo back in action, they should control the second half for a win.

New York Knicks vs Boston Celtics, Saturday, February 24, 2024, 8:30 PM EST

The Boston Celtics have the league’s best record, 43-12, and rode a six-game win streak into the All-Star break. At times this season they have seemed unstoppable, the inevitable Champions. Other times, less so. On occasion, they have surprising difficulty against weaker opponents, e.g., beating the Wizards by only four points on February 9, and working hard to defeat Brooklyn on February 13. Then they blow out the Nets by 50 the next night, reminding us of their depth and potency.

The New York Knicks are 0-3 versus the Celtics this season and lost the last one 133-123.

From the cheap seats, it looks like there will be two keys to winning this game. The first will be perimeter defense. The Celts take more three-pointers than anybody and make 38% of them. Each of Boston’s starters attempts about five threes or more per game. Pressuring the arc is where OG Anunoby will shine for New York in the Playoffs. In the meantime, the Knicks will need Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo ready to do a lot of running on Saturday. Thibs might even feature reserve guard Miles McBride more than usual, just to hound ‘em downtown.

The second key will be rebounding. Boston is tops on the glass–first in the NBA for defensive boards–and each Celtic starter grabs at least five rebounds per game, except for Derrick White who snags about four.

Four-time All-Star Jayson Tatum has averaged 8.6 rebounds to go with his 27.1 points and 4.8 assists this season, and two-time All-Star Jaylen Brown averages 26.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. Kristaps Porzingis has averaged 20.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 40 games this season. Porzingis exited their last game (that Brooklyn blowout) with an ankle issue, but you can be certain that he’ll want to play at Madison Square Garden, his first NBA home court.

New York is no slouch on the glass either, ranking fourth in the NBA for rebounds per game. With the team’s top two rebounders (Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson) injured, power forward Precious Achiuwa has been a revelation. In Achiuwa’s last eight games, he has averaged 41.3 minutes and has averaged 14.5 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks. Also lending a big hand has been Josh Hart. He averaged 10.7 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.7 assists in his last 10 games, with two triple-doubles and three double-doubles.

Ultimately, Isaiah Hartenstein and his sore Achilles will be essential to the Knicks’ plans, especially if those plans include a victory. Note the late start, friends. This game will air on ABC and ESPN2.

Go Knicks!