The Knicks closed out the preseason with a 122-120 win over the Raptors, then turned the page to the four-day runway before ring night and the regular-season opener at home against Philadelphia.
The biggest change in this one came at center. Two nights after New York rolled out James Wiseman and Drew Eubanks, the Knicks instead leaned on Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond.
That switch mattered. Towns played like the all-around point center New York leaned on last spring, taking the looks he wanted, owning the glass and finishing one assist short of a triple-double.
Drummond added 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists in only 15 minutes.
Just as important, both bigs looked comfortable going after Jakob Poeltl in space and off the dribble. Even after losing Mitchell Robinson, the Knicks still have a rare amount of size to throw at opponents. And as much as a third big can matter, two capable ones can still overwhelm plenty of teams - especially the ones New York might see in the playoffs.
The other notable subplot was the absences. Josh Hart was a late scratch with a sore right ankle, and Bruce Brown didn’t play at all.
Those two developments may have been separate, but they landed together in a way that made them hard to ignore. With one roster spot still open unless the Knicks make a trade, Wiseman looks like the front-runner for that role.
Hart’s absence created a clean chance to give Brown a look with the starters, or at least use him in something close to regular-season conditions. Instead, he ended up as a DNP.
Even though the ankle soreness doesn’t sound serious, the Knicks had no reason to push Hart with nearly five full days before opening night. Still, this was the kind of game that would have told them something about Brown’s fit, especially with Mo Diawara getting the start instead and Pacome Dadiet getting the chance to run with the team’s best players. Now a decision on Brown sits there even more clearly heading into Tuesday.
The game stayed tight until the final possession, which gave New York one more small jolt before the real thing begins. The result itself probably didn’t matter much to the Knicks, but nobody in the building was interested in ending the preseason with a loss. Players chase whatever edge they can find, even in games that technically don’t count.
Tyler Kolek delivered the closing moment, burying a late 3-pointer after the ball bounced on the rim, paused there for a beat, and then fell through. It was a good break for him, for the team and for the fans - and it carried a little of that springtime feeling, the one the Knicks still seemed to be chasing.
Stephen Curry once said the locker room still smelled like champagne when he returned to Cleveland in 2016 after the Warriors’ 2015 title there. The Knicks opened their own celebration in San Antonio, not New York. Whether any of that magic is still hanging around this building will be answered soon enough.
In Other News...
Jose Alvarados Knicks Fit Suddenly Looks More Complicated
Jose Alvarados early Knicks audition has been a little messier than the energy he brings usually suggests. Through four preseason games, the guard has had trouble getting it going offensively, knocking down just 36.0% of his shots and coming up short on most of his looks from deep, which has made the fit around him feel less straightforward than it might have looked on paper.
The bigger question is where he actually slots best in New Yorks rotation. His impact has been noticeably better when he shares the floor with Karl-Anthony Towns than when he is paired with other centers, a reminder that lineup context matters as much as individual effort. Alvarado has dealt with shooting slumps like this before and also has a track record of working his way out of them, but for now the Knicks are still trying to sort out what his most effective version looks like. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Fans Have Every Right To Side-Eye Dallas Over Moussa Cisse
The Mavericks handling of Moussa Cisse has given Knicks fans another reason to roll their eyes at Dallas. After matching New Yorks offer sheet, the Mavs now may look at removing him from the roster in order to keep Dwight Powell, a twist that makes the original decision look less like a clean basketball call and more like a move made with the Knicks in mind. For a team that has crossed paths with New York before in player and coach movement, the optics are hard to ignore.
From the Knicks side, it is the kind of episode that fuels the old suspicion that rival front offices sometimes care just as much about blocking a competitor as improving their own roster. If Dallas does end up moving on from Cisse after matching the offer, it would only sharpen the sense that the Mavericks first choice was driven by something beyond the player himself. For a Knicks fan base already attuned to every slight, it is the sort of front-office drama that is easy to side-eye. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Rebuild Could Put One Veteran's Future In Immediate Doubt
Karl-Anthony Towns has already made clear what the Knicks think they added in Andre Drummond, calling the veteran center a valuable piece after he arrived on a one-year minimum deal following his season in Philadelphia. For a team that is trying to stay in the thick of the East, Drummond gives New York another experienced frontcourt option, and his presence only adds to the depth questions that will follow the roster all season.
The bigger roster watch, though, may be how the Knicks balance short-term stability with longer-term decisions around the edges. Miles McBrides extension talks have reportedly stalled, which has fueled speculation he could be moved before the February deadline, while the team is also hoping Mohamed Diawara takes a step forward in his second year. Across town, the Nets are still sorting out their own rebuilding path, with their playoff hopes tied to young-player growth and possible trade maneuvering, a backdrop that could shape the market New York has to navigate. [Read more 🡒]