The Knicks are 0-2 and open a five-game stretch today against an Orlando team missing Paolo Banchero. By Nov. 2 they will know whether the start was a stumble or a slide.
Start With Orlando
The Knicks host the Magic today at Madison Square Garden. Orlando is 0-2 too, and its night is thin. Banchero is out with an ankle injury. So are Jonathan Isaac, Noah Penda and Izaiyah Nelson. Anthony Black is day-to-day. Sean Sweeney's club is on the first stop of a road trip. This is the softest landing New York will get all week. Jose Alvarado, day-to-day with a left ankle issue, has an estimated return of today.
The Back-to-Back
Tuesday brings the Pistons at home on NBC/Peacock. Wednesday the Knicks are at the Bulls, with no national TV listed. That is two games on consecutive nights, one of them on the road. After a day of rest today, the legs get tested fast. Mike Brown has no room to rest anyone and no time to sort out the rotation on the fly.
Philly Again
Friday, Oct. 30, is the one with a grudge. The Knicks visit the 76ers on Prime Video in an Emirates NBA Cup game. Philadelphia won the opener at the Garden, 106-100, and the Knicks followed with a 107-103 loss in Boston. Both were close. Both went into the loss column. A third straight defeat to an Atlantic rival would sting in a different way.
The Squeeze
New York sits 12th as the standings stand. The sixth seed is Washington at 2-1, 1.5 games ahead. Tenth belongs to Chicago at 1-2, a half game up. That makes Wednesday in Chicago a direct swing against a team in the same traffic jam. The week closes Monday, Nov. 2, at home against the Nets, the crosstown rival.
Bottom Line
The New York Post reported that Brown called out the team's lack of physicality after the Boston loss. That is the fix, and it has to show up today. Beat a Magic team without its best player, and the week looks manageable. Lose, and the title defense starts 0-3 with three tough games still ahead.
Who do the Knicks play this week?
The Knicks face the Magic today, the Pistons on Oct. 27, the Bulls on Oct. 28, the 76ers on Oct. 30 and the Nets on Nov. 2. The Pistons game is on NBC/Peacock and the 76ers game is on Prime Video.
Is Paolo Banchero playing against the Knicks?
No. Banchero is listed as out with an ankle injury. Isaac, Penda and Nelson are also out for Orlando.
