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Late March has arrived, meaning the NBA regular season is nearing a close.
Players are preparing for the playoffs and teams are mounting for a late-season push to try and improve their playoff seeding.
For the New York Knicks, there has been a bit of slippage as of late, which can be credited to Jalen Brunson’s unfortunate ankle injury he suffered when taking on the Los Angeles Lakers.
The superstar guard has been brilliant this season, averaging 26.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game in 61 contests played.
The 28-year-old is the engine of the offseason, which has been lacking in his absence.
Recently suffering a two-game losing streak — in embarrassing fashion — the Knicks are looking to bounce back on Saturday as they host the Washington Wizards.
The club needs to return to form to some extent as they hold a three-game lead over the No. 4-seeded Milwaukee Bucks with the regular season winding down.
They’ll have to lean into the efforts of Karl-Anthony Towns a bit heavier than usual while also elevating their defensive prowess and identity.
Knicks make Brunson announcement before Wizards game
Prior to the Knicks’ contest against the Hawks, the club announced an update regarding Brunson’s rehab and recovery.
“Jalen Brunson (sprained right ankle) is doing controlled court work and his status will be updated in approximately one week,” Knicks PR announced.
The update is massive as Brunson being on the hardwood will help him slowly regain form before ever playing in a game.
Assuming the Villanova product returns late in the season, he could have seldom tune-up games before the playoffs, meaning his time spent on the court before returning to game action could prove to be critical.
Knicks happy to shake off the road wear and return home to Madison Square Garden
The Knicks have not been the most successful basketball team at Madison Square Garden this season. That would be St. John’s, which went 12-0 there.
But the competition is tougher in the NBA than the Big East, so the Knicks’ 22-11 record at home entering Saturday night against the Wizards was darn good, too.
That is particularly important now, given that after a road odyssey that included an injury to Jalen Brunson, the Knicks finally are set to be home for a spell.
The game against the lowly Wizards, which followed a stretch of seven of eight games on the road, was the first of three in a row and five of six at the Garden.
The Knicks came off their road swing looking like they could use the change of scenery to something more familiar.
In their previous two games, they lost on the road to two weak teams in the Spurs and Hornets. The Knicks were 3-6 overall in their past nine games, and 3-4 since Brunson went out with a sprained right ankle against the Lakers on March 6.
The Wizards entered Saturday’s game with the worst record in the NBA at 15-54, including 8-27 on the road.
After Washington, the Knicks have the Mavericks on Tuesday and the Lakers on Wednesday.
The success of the season will not be fully determined until the playoffs, and the Knicks appear likely to finish as the third seed in the Eastern Conference.
But everyone recognizes that this would be a good time to start playing well, star point guard/captain or no star point guard/captain.
The regular season ends April 13 in Brooklyn, so there is not much time to waste.
“It’s good to be back [home],” coach Tom Thibodeau said before the game. “We’ve just go to come with our energy tonight.”
The Wizards came into the game having played seven consecutive games on the road, then a home game against Orlando on Friday night.
Such is life in the NBA. But the Knicks’ losses to the Spurs and Hornets were an alarming development.
As Josh Hart said after the Thursday’s loss to Charlotte, “All teams go through terrible travel periods during the season. It’s not an excuse. If we’re right mentally we win some of these games, but we’re not doing what it takes.
“We’re not doing the extra effort. We’re not giving energy. We’re not giving the right output. We’re crying to refs. We’ve got to pick it up.”
Thibodeau said before Saturday’s game, “It’s part of the league. It’s, just get ready for the next game. Understand what went into it, what you have to prepare for each game. Just got to be ready to go.”
The Knicks issued a progress report on Brunson on Saturday, saying he is “doing controlled court work and his status will be updated in approximately one week.”
Said Thibodeau, “When he went out, we talked about it. You’re not replacing Jalen individually. It’s impossible. So we have to do it collectively. We have to deal with our defense and our rebounding and playing together.
“When we do that, we’re capable of winning.”
The Knicks seem to realize the urgency of the situation. For example, Mitchell Robinson announced on Saturday that he is shutting down his social media activity to sharpen his focus on the job at hand.
“We just talked about it as a team as we’re heading down the stretch,” Thibodeau said when asked about Robinson’s action. “Everyone’s got to be focused on the things we need to focus on.”
Does he like the idea of his players dropping out of the social media rat race? “I go more by actions,” Thibodeau said.
Notes & Quotes: Thibodeau said he followed St. John’s season “from afar” and watched the Red Storm play when he could. St. John’s season ended on Saturday with a second-round NCAA Tournament loss to Arkansas. “They had a heck of a season,” Thibodeau said. “Rick [Pitino] has done an incredible job there. The program is on its way. They had a phenomenal year . . . [John Calipari] did a terrific job at Arkansas as well. He’s a good friend as well. The tournament is the tournament, you know. One and done.”
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