The New York Knicks haven’t started the season as they would have liked, but back-to-back wins over the Brooklyn Nets have brought them closer to passing a key test, just as another one looms.
On Monday night, the Knicks aim to close out their homestand with a victory against the Washington Wizards in the first meeting of the season between the Eastern Conference rivals.
Both teams are playing on consecutive nights after Sunday games, where the Knicks defeated the Nets 114-104 and the Wizards lost to the Detroit Pistons 124-104.
Monday’s game will wrap up a busy long weekend for the Knicks and mark their final homestand until December. After nearly squandering a 21-point third-quarter lead on Friday, Jalen Brunson’s game-winning 3-pointer with 6.2 seconds left secured a 124-122 victory over the Nets in an NBA Cup Group A game. The Knicks are set to begin a challenging five-game road trip on Wednesday, facing the Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets, and Dallas Mavericks—three teams that won at least 49 games last season.
In Sunday’s win over the Nets, the Knicks took control early in the second quarter and extended their lead with a 35-24 run in the third quarter, thanks to Karl-Anthony Towns, who scored 14 of his game-high 26 points. New York limited Brooklyn to 45 percent shooting (18 of 40) in the first half and 38.9 percent (14 of 36) in the second half while also holding a 47-35 rebounding advantage.
Optimism has been hard to find for the Wizards, who suffered their eighth consecutive loss on Sunday. Their only lead against the Pistons was at 3-2 early in the game. During their losing streak, Washington’s average margin of defeat has been 17.5 points. The Wizards are tied with the Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors for the fewest wins in the NBA, with just two victories.
