New York Knicks’ Jalen Brunson, left, gets past Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Jan. 5, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
After limping to the All-Star break on a four-game losing streak, the Knicks look to reset and return to their winning ways against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday. While the injury report is still stuffed with big names, the Knicks must find a way to keep themselves afloat for this final stretch as the playoffs are right around the corner.
Currently the fourth seed in the East with only a half-game advantage on the Sixers for home-court advantage, Thursday’s game is not only a battle for fourth place, but positioning for a tiebreaker that will be determined when the two teams match up again for two games in mid-March.
New York is fortunate their injury-riddled stretch has directly coincided with other teams around them struggling too, except for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are 9-1 in their last 10 games and have usurped the two seed from the Milwaukee Bucks.
The No. 3 Bucks and the No. 5 Sixers are each 3-7 in their last 10 games as Doc Rivers struggles to find his footing in Milwaukee and Philadelphia adjusts to life without Joel Embiid. So while New York is only 5-5 in their last 10, it could certainly be a lot worse for them.
While the Knicks are still on track to get their star players back and healthy for their playoff run, the next 10 games will play a crucial role in how desperate they are to get their stars back.
Seven of those 10 are against teams in the East playoff picture with three being against the Sixers. With games sprinkled in against Cleveland, the Atlanta Hawks, and Orlando Magic, New York is going to need to bring their best even if they don’t have their full squad available.
This only puts more pressure on Jalen Brunson, who is fresh off an All-Star appearance in Indiana. Brunson is averaging 32.9 points per game since Julius…
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