Knicks Clinch Playoff Spot With Win From Rival

The New York Knicks can still clinch a playoff spot despite dropping their most recent contest.

Mar 17, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) controls the ball against Miami Heat forward Kyle Anderson (20) during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Despite Wednesday's loss, the New York Knicks can by with a little help from their friends on Thursday night.

A 126-113 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers denied the Knicks a chance to officially punch their 2025 NBA playoff ticket but help might be on the way: the Knicks will officially join the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics among the contenders if the Atlanta Hawks lose to the Miami Heat on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET, FanDuel Sports Southeast/FanDuel Sports Sun).

The Knicks (45-27) could certainly use some good news amidst last night's misfire: New York led the Clippers by as much as 14 but were drastically outscored in the second half, preventing them from sweeping a three-game homestand.

To add literal injury to insult, the Knicks also lost backcourt man Cameron Payne to an ankle injury, depleting an already beleaguered unit that also lost Jalen Brunson and Miles McBride. Rookie Tyler Kolek is expected to rise up in Payne's place with assistance from trade deadline acquisition Delon Wright.

Atlanta (35-37) currently holds the first Play-In Tournament spot in the East and has won seven of its past ten. As it stands, the Hawks currently have the tiebreaker over the Knicks (which would've allowed New York to have clinched already) with one more meeting scheduled for April 5.

They'll face a Miami group desperate for any form of momentum: the Heat (31-41) hold a healthy lead over the Play-In wanna-bes but have been in a tailspin since trading Jimmy Butler to Golden State. Miami is already guaranteed its first non-winning season since 2018-19 and recently dropped 10 in a row before righting the ship with consecutive wins over Charlotte and the aforementioned Warriors.

Of course, the Knicks would perhaps prefer to handle the matter themselves. If the Hawks prevail in South Beach, the next opportunity lands on Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks (8 p.m. ET, MSG).

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