The New York Knicks get back to game action after the All-Star break on Thursday, and it’s just about the biggest game of the season so far.
After heading into the break on a high note with a blowout win over the Philadelphia 76ers last week, the Knicks get a much bigger test Thursday night when they face the No. 1 seed Detroit Pistons. New York will look to avenge its first two games against Detroit this season, both road losses by an average margin of 34.5 points. The Pistons overwhelmed the Knicks in the last game with their depth, as their bench outscored the opposition 66-36, but it also hurt that Jalen Brunson had his worst shooting night of the season (4-for-20, 0-for-8 from 3-point range).
It’ll be hard for the Knicks to win any game shooting only 35.4% as a team, let alone the best the Eastern Conference has to offer. They’re hoping trade deadline addition Jose Alvarado, who went off for a team-high 26 points off the bench in their last game against Philly, can make enough of a difference to keep the game competitive when guys not named Brunson are taking the shots.
If Detroit delivers the same level of dominance in Madison Square Garden against a bolstered New York lineup, then the gap between the two clubs may just be that big.
It doesn’t get much easier for the Knicks on Saturday, when they host the Houston Rockets in a marquee east vs. west matchup. They’ll get a bit of a reprieve after that, but it’ll be in the second leg of a back-to-back on the road against the Bulls.
All things considered, if the Knicks can take two out of the next three, the week should be considered a success. But when it comes to the Pistons, they have to at least prove they can keep pace with them on the court, or there will be little hope of getting past them in a potential playoff series.