The NBA Playoffs are right around the corner, and the New York Knicks are staying ready and hoping to have all their injured players back in time for their first-round series.
Most likely, their rivals will be either Detroit or Milwaukee, but in the meantime, they still need to maintain their third-seed spot. They took care of business tonight against the even more short-handed Philadelphia 76ers.
Depth
Although Kyle Lowry returned from injury for the Sixers, the Knicks, who didn’t have Karl-Anthony Towns due to rest along with the absences of Jalen Brunson, Miles McBride, and Cam Payne, still managed to get a big win behind a great effort from OG Anunoby, who led all scorers with 27 points. The strong performance from veteran Landry Shamet also deserves recognition, as he had his best game of the season with the Knicks, contributing 20 points in 34 minutes of action.
The Knicks' depth played a big role once again, with Mitchell Robinson and Mikal Bridges contributing 14 points each, while Delon Wright has stepped up to the occasion since the injuries to Brunson and Payne, adding 12 points to the mix.
"I thought Landry and Mitch gave us a huge boost tonight, particularly with guys being out," said Head Coach Tom Thibodeau about the performances of Landry Shamet and Mitchell Robinson.
"He's a problem. When he's on the glass like that, it gives you a lot of confidence to be aggressive," Shamet said about Robinson postgame.
nothin better than birthday buckets 🎂 pic.twitter.com/YDGaEeio5g
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) April 2, 2025
Familiar territory
For the Sixers, they extended their losing streak to nine in a row, and at this point in the season, it's about giving opportunities to younger players, including former Knick Quentin Grimes—who was recently traded from the Mavericks in exchange for Caleb Martin—and had a big night with 26 points.
"Just playing for Thibs. He gave me a great foundation on what the NBA is and what the NBA is about," Grimes said about his best memories in New York. "It was good to go out there and see a lot of friendly faces."
Philadelphia is just a couple of games away from having its season done and is already looking forward to the NBA Draft Lottery, which will take place in Chicago on May 12.