Like all NBA playoff contenders, the Knicks hope to avoid the play-in scenarios that will involve the teams that finish the regular season in seventh through 10th place in each conference.
At the very least, Sunday’s game against the Raptors at the Garden holds major significance for the Knicks’ chance of finishing in the top 10 in the Eastern Conference. The Raptors, before their game at Cleveland on Saturday night, were in the 11th position, 5 ¹/₂ games behind the Knicks. The Cavaliers entered Saturday a half-game behind Toronto in 12th place.
RJ Barrett noted the importance for the Knicks of taking advantage of their current stretch of scheduling: They have nine of 11 games at home, which began with Friday’s rousing overtime win over the Grizzlies.
“Man, it’s great. It’s great if we can build off this, build our momentum, keep going, couple more games at home, take advantage of that,” Barrett said after overcoming a sluggish start to finish with 20 points against the Grizzlies, including a tying drive late in regulation and a tiebreaking 3-pointer in overtime. “Keep getting back on the right track.”
The Knicks (26-27) had lost five of their previous six games — including three by one or two points — before coach Tom Thibodeau’s squad completed a gritty comeback from a 13-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter against Memphis.
“It’s just how we are, we just keep battling, keep fighting,” Julius Randle said after Friday’s game. “Find a way to give ourselves a chance. … Coach always says we get into things together, we get out of things together, and that’s what we did.”
Barrett and Randle combined for just 12 points through three quarters, but the Knicks’ bench kept them in the game. The second unit combined for 72 points in the 133-129 win, including 20 from rookie Immanuel Quickley and 19 apiece from vets Alec Burks and Derrick Rose.
“That’s part of this, team basketball. When you’re trying to make a playoff push, you’re growing, then you’re really going to need everybody,” backup center Taj Gibson said. “Nobody thought with the circumstances that we’ve been dealing with, [starting center] Mitch [Robinson] going down, everybody’s going through a rough time, injuries, banged up.
“Our team, we’re just circling the wagons and believing in each other, trying to block out the outside noise. We’ve been really just fighting and clawing every game and we have that kind of tough mentality.”
Gibson, who had six points and eight rebounds in 28 minutes off the bench before fouling out Friday night, previously played for Thibodeau with the Bulls and Timberwolves, as did veteran guard Derrick Rose. Gibson said the coach didn’t deviate from his team-first message during the Knicks’ recent slide.
“It’s tough because … we’re always right there with either winning or losing a tough one, and we’ve been in some really strong dogfights lately, and the ball kind of doesn’t roll our way,” Gibson said. “It didn’t roll our way the last couple of games.
“But one thing about Thibs, he just says, ‘Stay focused, block the noise out, come together even tighter as a family,’ and that’s what we’ve been doing.”
Barrett, in his second NBA season, and Gibson, in his 12th, both said communication with the coaching staff and throughout the roster has been integral to the Knicks’ improvement.
“Late in the game, that’s what we’ve been doing, talking a lot to each other, telling [each other] that we’ve been in this position before. Believe, stay focused and just continue to grow,” Gibson said. “A team that fights back believes in each other.
“It’s really a family, the culture is really a family. We understand the stakes and everybody understands that we’re gonna need everybody, and we always believe. That’s what we’ve been doing. … As long as we play hard, we have a chance to come back and win.”