Under stoic head coach Tom Thibodeau and similarly mannered de facto team captain Jalen Brunson, the New York Knicks are never going to make bold declarations about their resolutions for 2025.
But the aggressive upgrading of the Knicks’ roster and its performance throughout 2024 make it abundantly clear: New York’s New Year’s resolution is to finally win the franchise’s first NBA title in more than 50 years.
The Knicks will begin their attempts to make 2025 a memorable year on Wednesday night, when they host the Utah Jazz in the final regular-season meeting between the teams.
Both teams were off on New Year’s Eve after playing Monday night, when the visiting Knicks pulled away from the Washington Wizards for a 126-106 win and the host Jazz fell to the Denver Nuggets, 132-121.
The win was the eighth straight for the Knicks, who closed out 2024 with an appropriate measure of how far they’ve come in the last 12 months. New York, which is seeking its first NBA title since 1973, went 56-27 in regular-season games during the calendar year and reached Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals — its deepest trip into the playoffs since a trip to the Eastern Conference finals in 2000.
Karl-Anthony Towns, who was acquired from the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 2, finished with 32 points and 13 rebounds Monday in his 27th double-double of the season. OG Anunoby, playing on the one-year anniversary of the trade that sent him form the Toronto Raptors to the Knicks, collected 18 points and eight rebounds. Mikal Bridges, obtained from the Brooklyn Nets on July 6, had 13 points, six rebounds and six assists.
Holdovers Brunson and Josh Hart, meanwhile, had their usual solid games as the Knicks stand one game behind the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics for second place in the Eastern Conference. Brunson had 18 points, six assists and two turnovers in 36 minutes while Hart (23 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists) posted his third triple-double of the season.
“It’s like we have a game plan that we’re just trying to go out there and win and we know we have a lot of weapons,” Brunson said. “We’re going to go from there. We’re going to adjust. That’s everyone’s goal, to win the game.”
The short-term objectives are much different for the Jazz, whose rebuilding plan has been paused due to a spate of injuries. Collin Sexton is the only player on the roster who has yet to miss a game for Utah, which is 7-24 and on pace for the fewest wins in team history. The Jazz won just 23 games during the 1974-75 season when the franchise was located in New Orleans.
John Collins (left hip) missed a fourth straight game Monday as the Jazz were outscored 34-23 by the Nuggets during a decisive third quarter. Utah has lost four straight games, all by 11 points or fewer, and has absorbed 13 defeats this season by 11 points or fewer.
“For whatever reason, our energy faded as the game ended and that’s something we can control,” Jazz head coach Will Hardy said. “But overall, I’m proud of some of the progress from our guys.”
Keyonte George, who missed the previous four games with a sprained left ankle, had seven points and six assists in 28 minutes.
–Field Level Media
