The New York Knicks find themselves in an unfamiliar position. With 78% of the regular season complete, the Knicks aren’t simply given a good chance to make the 2023 NBA playoffs. It would be a major upset if New York failed to make the postseason or even had to compete in the play-tournament.
The Knicks’ playoff chances are considered to be well north of 90%. New York is a massive -1600 favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook to make the playoffs. The Knicks have +850 odds to miss the final playoff picture.
DraftKings gives the Knicks +425 odds to participate in the play-in tournament. Those odds suggest that New York is extremely likely to clinch a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference.
A 37-27 record currently gives the Knicks the No. 5 seed in the East. New York is two games ahead of the Brooklyn Nets. The Knicks have a 3.5-game edge on the No. 7 seed Miami Heat, which is in line to be the top team in the play-in tournament.
The Heat host the Knicks on Friday night in a matchup that has serious playoff implications. New York is a 2.5-point road favorite in Miami.
New York has a better chance of earning home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs than it does to miss the postseason. The Knicks only trail the No. 4 seed Cleveland Cavaliers by 1.5 games in the standings. New York is 2-1 against Cleveland head-to-head. The two teams will meet one final time on March 31.
Only seven teams in the entire NBA have a better record than the Knicks. New York has won seven games in a row, giving them the second-longest active winning streak in the NBA.
One of the league’s best offenses has led the way for the Knicks. New York ranks fifth with a 116.2 offensive rating. Over the last 15 games, only the Portland Trail Blazers are scoring more points per 100 possessions than the Knicks.
Julius Randle was the Knicks’ only All-Star. Randle has returned to his All-NBA Second-Team form from two years ago. The forward is averaging 25.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.
Jalen Brunson has arguably been the Knicks’ best player. The free agent addition has been everything that New York could’ve hoped for and more. Brunson is averaging 23.8 points, 6.2 assists and just 2.0 turnovers per game. After averaging 27.3 points on an incredibly efficient 52.9% shooting in February, Brunson opened March by scoring 39 points on 15-of-18 shooting.
RJ Barrett is a half-point per game away from giving the Knicks a third 20-point scorer. Immanuel Quickley has become a candidate for the Sixth Man of the Year award. The Knicks’ winning streak started when they traded for Josh Hart, who’s made an immediate impact on both ends of the floor.
The Knicks are on the verge of making two playoff appearances in three years for the first time in a decade.
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