The New York Knicks’ road trip has gotten off to a rocky start, as the team is 1-1 through the first two games. The Knicks pulled off an impressive 138-122 win against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday but suffered a brutal 121-106 loss to the Utah Jazz on Saturday.
New York’s defense has been noticeably sluggish, as the team ranks 21st in the NBA in defensive rating. While the offense has been spectacular, led by Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson, a team that was supposed to give opponents problems on defense has been under par to start the season.
The Knicks will be given a true test against some of the Western Conference’s best teams for the second half of this five-game road trip. New York will take on the Denver Nuggets on Monday at 9:00 p.m. ET, followed by a Wednesday night contest against the Dallas Mavericks at 7:30 p.m. ET. The team will close out the road trip with an Eastern Conference matinee against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday at noon ET.
These next two games against some of the West’s best will be a true test for the Knicks. The Nuggets boast a similar record to New York (9-7) at 9-6. Dallas has the same record as the Knicks but stands ninth in the conference. The Knicks are fourth in the East. The Hornets are 6-10 but should not be taken lightly.
If New York can finish with a winning record at the end of the road trip, the team will surely move up in the power rankings and will be at least 11-8 heading back to Madison Square Garden. This isn’t the start the team had hoped for, but there’s still time to get back on track. It starts with these next few games.
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