The Knicks moved from 11th to the tenth seed at 2-4 and host the Brooklyn Nets today. Brooklyn is 1-5 and playing on no rest, but the Knicks' starting five has been outscored all season.
Up One Spot
The Knicks are 2-4 and the standings moved in their favor, from 11th to the tenth seed. They are level with 10th place and one game behind the Wizards, who sit sixth at 3-3. Nobody should call that a recovery. It is a start-line.
Tired Brooklyn
The Nets arrive 1-5 with a net rating of -7.6 and a defense allowing 112.6 points per 100 possessions. They play for the second night in a row. Julius Randle (20.8 points) and Michael Porter Jr. (21.2) carry them. Mikel Brown Jr. is day-to-day, and Egor Demin and Tyler Bilodeau are out. New York has had a two-day layoff. This is the softest spot on the schedule.
The Five Problem
The Towns, Anunoby, Hart, Bridges and Brunson group has played 85 minutes this season, across six games, at a net of -8.4. Brunson is at 25.5 points. Bridges is at 6.2 on 27.4 minutes. That gap has to close, and it will not close by itself.
Bodies and Picks
Jose Alvarado is listed out, with today as his return date. By our count, injuries have cost the Knicks 179 minutes since opening night. New York also owes Brooklyn its 2027 and 2029 first-round picks, so every Nets game carries extra weight in this city.
Bottom Line
Bulls on Wednesday at home, then a trip to Cleveland on November 7. Beat a back-to-back Nets team and the week turns. Lose to it, and the questions about the title team get louder. The open one: can the starters fix themselves before the schedule stiffens?
What is the Knicks' record going into the Nets game?
The Knicks are 2-4 and hold the tenth seed in the East. The Nets are 1-5.
Is Jose Alvarado playing against the Nets?
He is listed as out, with a return date of November 2. His status for tonight is not confirmed.
