Apr 2, 2023; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward Obi Toppin (1) slaps hands with center Mitchell Robinson (23) during introductions before the game against the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Who Knicks fans should root for (and against) in today’s NBA games
In the final week of the regular season, New York Knicks fans don’t need to worry about whether or not the team will make the playoffs/play-in. Luckily, New York secured a playoff berth with Sunday’s win over Washington.
Currently, the Knicks are three games back from the No. 4 Cavaliers and 2.5 games ahead of the No. 6 Nets. New York isn’t going to overcome Cleveland for the No. 4 seed, but the Knicks still need to secure the No. 5 seed.
New York has three regular season games left to play between now and Sunday. The Knicks will be in Indiana on Wednesday, then New Orleans on Friday, before finishing the season at home on Sunday against Indiana again. The team’s remaining schedule weighs in their favor.
In order for New York to all but be locked into the No. 5 seed, either the Nets will have to lose on Tuesday against the Timberwolves or the Knicks will have to beat the Pacers on Wednesday.
Knicks fans need to root for the Timberwolves to beat the Nets on Tuesday
While New York could beat Indiana on Wednesday, the Knicks could be locked into the No. 5 seed with a Timberwolves win on Tuesday night. However, if New York goes on a complete downfall to end the regular season and Brooklyn does the opposite, a tiebreaker between the two teams could be possible. That is an unlikely scenario, though.
Minnesota has lost three straight games, so that could either be weighed for or against New York. Sitting at No. 9 with a 39-40 record, the Timberwolves are part of the tight race in the Western Conference. Oklahoma City is right behind Minnesota with a 38-41 record, so the Timberwolves’ match-up against the Nets is a must-win.
Like most teams at this point in the year, Minnesota is dealing with a series of injuries. The Timberwolves took a tough blow last week when it was announced that Naz Reid would be out for six weeks with a fractured wrist. What Minnesota fans (and New York fans) should be most concerned about, though, is Karl-Anthony Towns’ status. He’s listed as questionable with a calf injury/illness.
Towns played in the Timberwolves’ tough loss to the Trail Blazers on Sunday, but he only scored eight points in 25 minutes. Hopefully, he’ll be good to go against Brooklyn.
Outside of Ben Simmons, the Nets aren’t dealing with any injuries and have won their last three games. Brooklyn beating Minnesota tonight wouldn’t be the end of the world as New York can still control its own destiny. However, the sooner that the Knicks can lock in the No. 5 seed, the better.
