New York faces a surging Clippers team at Madison Square Garden with key players sidelined on both sides.
The New York Knicks (23-13) are in the middle of their worst stretch of the season as they prepare to host the Los Angeles Clippers (13-22) on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden, and while the records suggest this should be an easy home win, injuries and momentum tell a different story.
New York has dropped four straight games after winning the NBA Cup just weeks ago, and the team's recent struggles have exposed some glaring issues on both ends of the floor.
The blowout loss to the Detroit Pistons on Monday night was particularly concerning, as the Knicks fell 121-90 and looked lifeless against one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
Knicks Injury Report
The biggest absence for New York continues to be Josh Hart, who remains out with a right ankle sprain he suffered on Christmas Day when he stepped on Dean Wade's foot during a drive against Cleveland.
Hart has been sidelined for five straight games now, and the team announced he has been cleared for light court work but will be re-evaluated next week, meaning he won't be available against the Clippers.
Hart's absence has hurt New York's pace and energy, and head coach Mike Brown hasn't been shy about pointing that out.
"Having Josh out there helps a ton," Brown said after a recent loss. "Right now, our pace is not good. We're walking the ball up almost every time."
Landry Shamet also remains out as he continues to work back from a dislocated right shoulder he suffered on November 22 against Orlando.
Shamet has been doing full on-court work but hasn't been cleared for contact yet, and he's targeting a mid-January return.
The veteran guard was shooting a career-best 42.4% from three before going down, and the bench has missed his floor spacing badly.
The good news for New York is that Karl-Anthony Towns, who missed the loss to Detroit with a stomach bug, should be back in the lineup after returning for Saturday's game against Philadelphia where he posted 23 points and 14 rebounds.
The Challenge Ahead
Despite their poor record, the Clippers present a tough matchup because they've been playing much better lately after a six-game winning streak earlier this month.
Kawhi Leonard has looked like his old self and is averaging 28.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game while carrying a heavy workload of nearly 40 minutes per night.
Los Angeles has its own injury concerns, as James Harden is listed as questionable with right shoulder soreness that caused him to miss Monday's game against the Warriors.
The Clippers are also without Bradley Beal for the season after he underwent hip surgery, and Derrick Jones Jr. is out at least six weeks with a Grade 2 MCL sprain that he re-aggravated on Saturday.
Bogdan Bogdanovic remains sidelined with a hamstring injury as well.
If Harden can't go, the Clippers will lean even harder on Leonard and Ivica Zubac, who has been a steady force in the paint while averaging 15.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per game this season.
What to Watch For
The Knicks need their stars to step up in a big way to snap this losing streak.
Jalen Brunson is averaging 29.2 points and 6.3 assists per game this season, but he's resorted to more iso-ball during this slide, and the offense has become stagnant.
OG Anunoby has been in a massive slump, and Mikal Bridges needs to provide more consistent scoring to take pressure off Brunson.
This marks the first meeting between these two teams this season, and the last time they faced off in March 2025, the Clippers won 126-113 at Madison Square Garden behind big performances from Harden and Leonard.
Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday.