Will Knicks Finally Reach 50 Wins?

The New York Knicks can end another lengthy drought by earning 50 wins this season.
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Before they go for the elusive 16 wins necessary for a championship, the New York Knicks are taking aim at 50.

Entering the weekend, the Knicks (39-27) hold fourth place in the Eastern Conference with 16 games left on their docket. While it's no guarantee, getting to 50 wins would give them a solid chance at locking up that fourth spot and the homecourt advantage that comes with it. 

An updated Bleacher Report projection has the Knicks falling just short of that mark with 48.

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"If the Knicks can get to full strength by season's end, they can really go on a tear," Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley writes. "The Knicks must have really ticked off the basketball gods given the wrath laid upon them by the injury bug. However, they are as healthy as they've been in some time, even while still awaiting the returns of Julius Randle (shoulder) and Mitchell Robinson (ankle)."

To that point, the Knicks got OG Anunoby back in the lineup earlier this week after an 18-game absence. New York is 14-2 when Anunoby plays and won two in a row for the first time since early February with wins over Philadelphia and Portland upon his return.

That resulting 48-34 record (a 9-7 record the rest of the way) would tie the Knicks with the Orlando Magic for the fourth-best record in the East. But the Magic's 3-1 mark against the Knicks would give them the tiebreaker good for homecourt advantage in the resulting playoff series. 

Orlando's relatively easy remaining schedule (nine games against teams currently stationed outside their conference's top six) should further incentivize the Knicks to go for 50, which they haven't hit since 2012-13. 

Knicks, Brunson Burn Blazers to Open Big East West Trip on High Note

The Knicks will look to get healthy and play with the same level of physicality and defensive strength that has helped them survive the injury story, but their remaining games are nonetheless daunting: a four-game road trip continues against Sacramento on Saturday (10 p.m. ET, MSG) before wrapping up in Golden State and Denver. All three are jostling for Western playoff slots and the month closes out with a visit from conference leader Oklahoma City. 


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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.