After a rocky road trip, the Knicks (25*-16) return to Madison Square Garden tonight for a rematch with the Phoenix Suns (24-17).<\/p>\n
Not ten days ago, New York lost in Arizona, 112-107. The game was tight until Phoenix hit the gas, leaning on Devin Booker\u2019s shot-making and a timely third-quarter surge to seize control. Jalen Brunson led New York with 27, and the Knicks got balanced support from Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Miles McBride, and Mikal Bridges, but a 14\u20130 Suns run lopped off their heads.<\/p>\n
New York\u2019s offense runs through Brunson, whose sprained ankle makes him a game-time decision. When the Knicks stall, it\u2019s usually because secondary creation dries up or the three-pointers aren\u2019t falling. Or they turn over the ball too often. Or their defense degrades to one-ply. Or their bench players look like Encino Man discovering sports. Or their coach has a postgame, sideline rubdown with that night\u2019s villain. For a team with championship aspirations (and Dolan\u2019s expectations), the problems are manifold. When their troubles are all activated at once, as we saw on the recently completed road trip, the disappointment is spectacular.<\/p>\n
Towns remains a confounding puzzle piece: his rebounding and interior scoring can fill up a scoresheet, but foul trouble, turnovers, and general aloofness are regular bugaboos. The eye test alone will tell you that something is off, and the numbers support it. Towns is shooting at, or almost at, career lows from the field and from deep. Furthermore, he is averaging below 21 points for just the third season of his career.<\/p>\n
From our distance, we have no idea why the highly decorated big man is decomposing. He could be playing hurt, confused by the playbook, incompatible with his teammates, performing badly in Fortnite, getting old, annoyed by trade rumors, or anxious about his wedding engagement. Maybe he just wants a hug from Mike Brown, but instead watched the coach give that bully Draymond Green a full bear wraparound. Whatever it is must be addressed soon, for two reasons. First, the Knicks can\u2019t win the Finals with their Number Two player underperforming like this. Second, he\u2019s tanking his trade value. Has anyone else drawn a heart around February 5 on your calendar?<\/p>\n
Sorry for all the list-making today. Just caught myself sounding like Rick Moody<\/a> and shuddered.<\/p>\n Is KAT alone to blame? Of course not. OG Anunoby has played inconsistently for a month, with some nice quarters (he tried to spark a rally on Thursday) offset by stretches when he looks positively wiped out. That can happen when you defend the opponent\u2019s best player nightly, and clean up the slop let through by the point guard and center. The reticent Ogugua never spills tea, but aren\u2019t you dying to know his thoughts about his teammates?<\/p>\n While I\u2019m piling it on: the bench usually fails to contribute meaningfully. You can blame injuries to an extent. It definitely hurt to have Landry Shamet miss twenty-some games and Deuce McBride eleven. Mitch, I wrote about here<\/a>.<\/p>\n The healthy guys haven\u2019t been much help, either. Veteran Jordan Clarkson has logged a zero or less in the plus-minus column twenty times this season. He has recorded double-digit plus-minus figures seven times, but only three of those games came against teams with winning records. Fellow guard Tyler Kolek has by turns glowed like a savior and looked as lost as a jay-vee high schooler. Mohamed Diawara and Kevin McCullar Jr. both had fleeting moments in the sun, followed by disappearances. Who knows what\u2019s up with Trey Jemison III? And I\u2019m blanking on someone. Wasn\u2019t there another kid, way down there on the pine, partial to baguettes? Pac Man something?<\/p>\n What does all this add up to? Me feeling less optimistic than ESPN.com is about today\u2019s tilt, that\u2019s what (they give New York a 65% chance). Maybe the oddsmakers factored in that Booker is a game-time decision due to a sore ankle. Ignore all that. Booker loves to play at the Garden, and Brunson knows his team needs a hero. I\u2019d bet you a donut\u2014if I knew you and had a donut\u2014that both suit up.<\/p>\n Back home and looking to reset, the Knicks will need sharper defense and steadier offense. Controlling the glass, defending the arc, and finishing possessions are what it takes. Phoenix won the first meeting late by loading up on Brunson and capitalizing on 18 turnovers. New York must counter more strongly this time, and perhaps they will with the Garden crowd at their backs. Let\u2019s predict that our heroes dig deep, wipe the smugness from Dillon Brooks\u2019 and Grayson Allen\u2019s faces, and prove they still got it down the stretch. Knicks by four.<\/p>\n Date: Saturday, January 17, 2026 * Should be one more, but the Cup final doesn\u2019t count.<\/p>\n
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Place: Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, NYC
TV: MSG
Follow: @ptknicksblog<\/a> and bsky<\/a><\/p>\n