Knicks Schedule Gets Tougher in New Year

The New York Knicks are getting ready to face the music.

Jan 1, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) reacts during the second half against the Utah Jazz at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks are 24-10 through 34 games after winning nine consecutive contests, the latest of which came against the Utah Jazz on New Year's Day at Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks have been rolling, but their wins have come against teams hovering around the .500 mark or worse. Their best wins have probably come against the Orlando Magic, whom they beat twice on the road. However, the Magic played without Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero in both meetings.

ESPN writer Chris Herring points out that the schedule is only going to get tougher for the Knicks.

"The Knicks will open 2025 on an Eastern Conference-best eight-game winning streak. But the turn of the calendar figures to bring more challenges for New York, which played one of the easiest slates through its first 30 games. Going forward, the new-look Knicks -- who, even with the addition of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, have managed the league's second-most efficient offense -- have the East's toughest remaining schedule the rest of the regular season," Herring writes.

The Knicks have 14 more games in the month of January and eight of them come against teams with records better than .500. One of them comes against Orlando, who is still banged up, but the other games are going to test New York.

The next test for the Knicks is probably the biggest one as they travel on the road to face the Oklahoma City Thunder, the best team in the Western Conference. That game will serve as a good benchmark for the Knicks to see if they can compete against the best teams in the league.

If they can hang with the Thunder, it should give the Knicks a new level of confidence as they trudge towards the halfway mark of the season.

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!