The Knicks returned to action with an important win over a mid-conference rival

NBA teams with hopes of playing in June run the risk of slipping into a false binary: that their season boils down to either success or failure, with no middle path. By this logic, one and only one team is riding the highway to heaven; the other 29 all get off different exits on the road to perdition. The New York Knicks have 26 games remaining after Thursday’s 110-96 win in Philadelphia. We can’t know what their ultimate destination will be this season, but last night there were at least five sightings that suggests the sky’s the limit for the 2024 Knickerbockers.

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A quintet of Knicks (also known as a “Quickley”) scored in double-figures — always a positive, but especially for a team that even with the returns of two starters doesn’t offer Jalen Brunson a lot of help as far as shooting or shot creation. Isaiah Hartenstein returned to action, as did Donte DiVincenzo and Bojan Bogdanović, but on a night where Brunson scored 21 on just 5-of-18 shooting, help was needed. Help was on the way.

Precious Achiuwa and Josh Hart both were their best multidimensional selves, commanding the glass and helping faciliate for teammates while each scored an efficient 18 points. Nearly halfway through the fourth, the 76ers had cut a lead that’d been as large as 26 down to seven. Achiuwa found a cutting DiVincenzo on what your boss would call a “late” pass but any lover would understand was syncopated, then tipped in a Brunson miss. The Knicks led by double-digits the rest of the way.

In these long weeks without their other All-Star offensive hub, Julius Randle, DiVincenzo is more than a nice signing; that wet jumper is an oasis in a desert where wishes outnumber the very grains of sand — can somebody, anybody besides Brunson hit a big shot? Donte can. This three followed the two big plays by Achiuwa when the Knicks salted the game away for good.

So too Bogdanović, who in his third game as a Knick won over the hearts and thanks of many thanks to an incredible 6-of-6 showing from downtown. It was a big deal for New York, who need all the help they can get until Randle and OG Anunoby return. Don’t underestimate how big it pro’ly was for Bogie, too — the last time he scored 20+ in a win over a team that was multiple games over .500 was before Thanksgiving of 2022. Honorable mention to Alec Burks for adding seven points in just 13 minutes. There will be stretches in the playoffs where the Knicks need someone besides Brunson and Randle to light the way. They have players who can.

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A quartet of Knickerbockers made multiple threes in the win. None were Brunson, making last night the first time the Knicks won a game this year when he was shutout from deep; they’d lost the previous four. New York still outscored Philadelphia by 15 from beyond the arc; in addition, they took twice as many free throws, with Brunson a perfect 11-of-11 and Achiuwa a salt-of-the-earth 3-of-7 at the line. The Knicks rank in the middle of the league as far as threes and free throws attempted; they’re in the bottom third in twos taken. You know when the playoffs roll around defenses will look to take away what the Knicks like to do the most, particularly from JB and JR. A rotation where other players can do enough of the other work to stay in striking range is one reason hopes are higher in Knicksville than they’ve been since before 9/11.

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A triplet of Knicks grabbed 10+ rebounds: Achiuwa, Hart and Jericho Sims. That’s one big the size-challenged Toronto Raptors had no use for, a 6-foot-4 guard and the Knicks’ fourth-string center, if you’re keeping score. Sims did his damage in only 18 minutes. Obviously the Joel Embiid-less 76ers are not the team to measure your size against; they played small much of the second half while coming back, leading to the rare sight of four smalls around Achiuwa while Tom Thibodeau muttered prayers of apology to his ancestors. But it worked, offering more reasons for hope for Knick fans and worries for prospective playoff opponents — this team can play anyway you like. Achiuwa, Randle and maybe even Anunoby are possible small-ball 5s; should Mitchell Robinson, now on the premises without a walking boot, return this season, the Knicks boast a center rotation with oodles of size and skill. Sims doesn’t even factor into that grouping, but should the need arise for him, there’s a history of success player and team can both count on.

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The standings show what you’d expect: the Knicks won a game, so their win total rose from 33 to 34. But with this being a win over the 76ers, the team right behind them in the standings, it really counts double, ergo this whole “2” section. Philadelphia is in a bit of a similar situation to Brooklyn a year ago, after they traded Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden: the Nets slipped in the standings, and other teams — the Knicks and Cavs — took advantage. The possible return of Embiid would make the Sixers a much tougher playoff proposition than the Nets were last season, but they’re now just 1, 1.5 and 2 games ahead of Indiana, Orlando and Miami. The 76ers could very well end the season in the Play-In Tournament, which would stink for them — and the East’s higher powers. Even Boston, who have Philly’s number, would not relish facing them in the first round. If the Knicks get healthy and close strong, could they end up rising in the standings only to face a fellow dark-horse contender in the first round?

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One Knick was dealing with a minutes restriction last night. Hartenstein played just 11 minutes, his most in two weeks. If he can round back into form and Mitch returns sometime in the next six weeks, the Knicks will have as good a center combination as they’ve enjoyed since Patrick Ewing and Marcus Camby. Hartestesin is an unrestricted free agent whose career earnings after this season will be around $22 million. He might get nearly that much as his new annual salary this summer. For him and the Knicks — and the fans — one hopes there’s a balance to be found between trying to win the present and trying to win the future. We want to see him flourish wherever his career takes him, whether New York or elsewhere. Hopefully that efflorescence blooms through this spring, deep into the playoffs. If it does, Philly won’t be the only metropolis wondering when it got to be so small.