The Knicks are looking to turn their season around after winning consecutive games for the first time since late October, beating the Timberwolves in Minnesota, 96-88.

Led by Mitchell Robinson’s 14 points and 18 rebounds (the season high), the Knicks showed some courage to contain the Timberwolves, who were trying to regain a 17-point deficit.

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New York had not won consecutive games since defeating the Pacers on October 31, marking the end of a three-game winning streak at the time.

The Knicks now move to 16-18 on the season and despite being 10th in the Eastern Conference, they are just a game and a half behind the Wizards in eighth place, and two complete games behind the 76ers in sixth place. This is revealing considering the number of games lost to injuries and COVID-19 the Knicks have had to endure this season.

They’ve had seven players on protocols this season, compared to last season when Derrick Rose was the only player who spent a lot of time out of action due to health and safety protocols.

Now without Derrick Rose (ankle injury), arguably their biggest player this season, it will take an ongoing team effort, like the one he had against Minnesota, where five players scored double digits, to get back up the rankings.

If the Knicks are going to save their season, this could be the stretch to start doing it. The schedule is working in your favor.

Nine of his next ten games are against opponents with a record below .500. Last season’s run to the playoffs, where the Knicks entered as the fourth seed, was in part fueled by a season-ending stretch in which the Knicks finished 16-4 to close out the season.

Date Adversary
December 29 in detroit
December 31st @ Oklahoma City
January 2 @Toronto
January 4th against Indiana
January 6th against Boston
January the 8th @ Boston
January 10 vs San Antonio
12th of January against dallas
January 15 @ Atlanta

The difference this season is that they will have to do it without Derrick Rose, who will be out until at least mid-February recovering from ankle surgery, but Kemba Walker is back in the lineup and looks like his four-time All-Star player. past he averaged 22.8 points and six assists in the last five games.

“He’s being very aggressive, which is the way we want him to play. He’s not lagging at all,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said.

Julius Randle looked like the player who was All-Star and All-NBA just one season ago during the Christmas Day game against Atlanta, and he will have to remain that player and not the one who went 5 of 20 off the field against Minnesota, for the Knicks to have any chance of making the playoffs.

The next ten games will tell us a lot about the New York Knicks 2023-22.