Analyzing the Knicks' 2023-24 schedule
A few notes on the Knicks’ 2023-24 schedule:
TOUGH START
The Knicks will be tested early this season. They open up at home against a Boston Celtics team that went to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. The Celtics traded Marcus Smart for Kristaps Porzingis in the offseason, so they will have a different look, but they will certainly present a challenge to New York on opening night.
A week later, the Knicks face Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers in a road-home back-to-back. In all, 12 of the Knicks’ first 16 games are against teams that made the Play-In Tournament last season. Eleven of those games are against 2023 playoff teams.
CHRISTMAS DAY MATINEE
The Knicks will be playing on Christmas Day for an NBA-high 56th time this season. They’ll host Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks at noon on Dec. 25. They’ll also play on New Year’s Day (vs. Minnesota and Karl Anthony Towns), Martin Luther King Day (vs. Orlando) and Easter Sunday (vs. Oklahoma City). The Knicks will also have 20 games on national television (ESPN, ABC, TNT).
FAMILIAR FACES RETURN TO TOWN
The Knicks face the Nets in Brooklyn on Dec. 20 and Jan. 23 and then host them twice in the final three weeks of the season (March 23 and April 12, the second-to-last game of the season. The East River Rivalry has an added element this season as former Villanova teammates, and current Knicks, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo face off against Brooklyn’s Mikal Bridges.
The Nets will welcome back Kevin Durant with the Suns on Jan. 31, and Kyrie Irving and the Mavs on Feb. 6.
There will be a familiar face at MSG in early February. Obi Toppin and the Indiana Pacers play at the Garden on Feb. 1 and Feb. 10. New York dealt Toppin, a 2020 NBA Lottery pick, to Indiana for two future second-round picks in the offseason.
TOUGH TESTS
New York has 12 sets of back-to-back games with travel this season. The league average for back-to-backs with travel this year is nine. The distance for travel is relevant when comparing back-to-backs and the Knicks have two instances where they won’t be at a disadvantage.
They have the back-to-back against the Cavs mentioned above. They also have a Sixers-Wizards road back-to-back. But Washington will also be playing the second game of a back-to-back when it hosts the Knicks. The Wizards will be flying in from Cleveland.
New York has two five-game, eight-day road trips within a five-week stretch. The second trip ends with a game at Brooklyn on Dec. 20. Tough stretch of the season for Tom Thibodeau’s club.
In-Season Tourney
There are only 80 games listed on the schedule. Two games are designated as TBD for dates and opponents, set aside for the Knockout Rounds of the NBA In-Season Tournament. Group Play is Nov. 3-23. The two TBD games will be played the week of Dec. 4, which is the start of the Knockout Rounds.
Eight teams will advance to the Knockout Rounds, which consist of single-elimination games in the Quarterfinals (Monday, Dec. 4 and Tuesday, Dec. 5), Semifinals (Thursday, Dec. 7) and Championship (Saturday, Dec. 9).
