Slumping, Shorthanded Knicks Sunk By the Suns
Final Score: Knicks 99 - Suns 106
Record: 25-17
Playing without Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, who were both sidelined by ankle injuries, the Knicks lost again Saturday night at MSG.
New York, playing in front of a multitude of franchise legends who were in the house for “Alumni Night,” got solid contributions from the rotation regulars that were available and got off to a solid start, taking a ten-point lead midway through the second quarter. In what was a back-and-forth affair, Phoenix regained the lead in the third, before the Knicks went back up by double-digits courtesy of a 16-0 run.
However, the Suns closed the quarter on a 13-0 run of their own. The ‘Bockers were unable to get closer than five points in crunch time, as Devin Booker carried his club to victory.
New York’s last gasp was a three-point attempt from Karl-Anthony Towns that would have cut the lead to four points with a minute remaining in regulation. However, KAT air-balled the shot, and boos rained down from the crowd once the ball bounced off the hardwood.
As coach Mike Brown and the players conceded after the contest, the boos are warranted. New York is riding another three-game losing streak and has lost eight of their last ten.
The disgruntled fanbase is equal parts confused and dismayed. How has a team that looked like a legit contender just four short weeks ago, boasting elite advanced metrics and an NBA Cup in its trophy case, fallen this far this fast?
I’ll provide some reasons for optimism in a bit, but make no mistake, the Knicks have been dreadful.
Since the calendar flipped to 2026, New York has been the worst defensive team in the Eastern Conference, allowing 120 points per 100 possessions. Among all teams in the East, the Knicks also rank dead last in eFG% and True Shooting Percentage in January. The tanking Wizards are the only team with a worse Net Rating.
The contrast in this team’s performance before winning the NBA Cup in Sin City, compared to how they’ve played since their Vegas vacation, is mystifying.
Before the Cup (25 games):
Offensive Rating: 122.0 (2nd in the NBA)
Defensive Rating: 113.3 (11th in the NBA)
Net Rating: +8.6 (4th in the NBA)
Record: 18-7After the Cup (16 games):
Offensive Rating: 115.9 (9th in the NBA)
Defensive Rating: 120.2 (29th in the NBA
Net Rating: -4.3 (24th in the NBA)
Record: 7-10
Plenty of Knicks fans are ready to push the panic button, and who can blame them? This is more than a small sample size. It’s a 17-game stretch of putrid play.
Don’t look now, but New York has just one fewer loss than the seventh-seeded Sixers this season. The Knicks are closer in the standings to the Bulls (9th seed) than the first-place Pistons.
However, if we’re being fair, there are some extenuating circumstances.
The schedule over the past five weeks has been brutal. In the last 33 days, dating back to December 16th, the Knicks played 18 games. That is more than any other NBA team. Eleven of those games were away from MSG, the most road games in the league during this stretch.
Many of those matchups have been against quality clubs, including trips to Detroit, Phoenix and San Antonio. And, as often is the case, several stars have miraculously gotten healthy just in time to play at the Garden. Devin Booker, for instance, had missed Phoenix’s previous contest with a sprained ankle but was able to suit up on Saturday. Ditto for James Harden earlier this month.
The Knicks, meanwhile, have been forced to fight through a myriad of nagging injuries, leading to inconsistent rotations and limited depth.
Jalen Brunson has been sidelined for three games over the past month due to ankle issues. KAT missed a couple of contests. Deuce McBride missed a couple of weeks after spraining his ankle. Landry Shamet just recently returned to the lineup after missing a couple of months. Mitch Rob has been in and out of the lineup. Maybe most significantly, Josh Hart was sidelined for eight straight games after twisting his ankle on Christmas. He came back last weekend but was forced to sit out Saturday night’s loss due to ankle soreness.
New York has had all 7 of its top rotation players available in the same game just once since November 14th.
“There’s concern there, but not to the point where we’re gonna overhaul everything,” Brown told reporters after the loss to the Suns. “We gotta look in the mirror, see how we can individually help the group, starting with me.”
Fortunately for New York, the schedule lightens up a bit going forward. They host the injury-plagued Mavericks on Monday before welcoming the Nets (who are 15 games below .500) on Wednesday night. It will be the first time the Knicks have played three straight games at home since December 7th. They haven’t been able to sleep in their own bed for more than four consecutive nights since early November.
After the Brooklyn game, the Knicks then have two full days off before a Saturday afternoon matchup vs. the Sixers in Philly. They return home to take on the Kings next Tuesday.
Even with their recent struggles, New York has a better record than each of their next eight opponents. Of those eight teams, only the Raptors and Lakers would be playoff eligible as of this morning.
According to Tankathon.com, only 7 NBA teams have an easier schedule than New York over the final 40+ games of the 2025-26 regular season, as the combined winning percentage of NY’s remaining opponents is .493.
The ‘Bockers have three games left against the Pacers and two more vs. both the Nets and Wizards.
