The NBA Eastern Conference’s No. 1 and No. 2 postseason seeds have been virtually determined, although their order is still undecided. When the league’s schedule tipped-off last night (Wednesday), the Cleveland Cavaliers sat atop of the East at 58-14 followed by the Boston Celtics, which were 53-19, a five-game divide.
Both teams had 10 games remaining. It is possible, but low probability the Celtics will overtake the Cavaliers. Directly below the Celtics are the No. 3-seed Knicks, which were 45-26 and 7 1/2 games behind the Celtics before hosting the Los Angeles Clippers yesterday evening at Madison Square Garden and 24 hours after defeating the Dallas Mavericks by 128-113 Tuesday at home.
The Indiana Pacers are breathing fire down the Knicks’ neck. They were just three games behind them at 42-29 with the Los Angeles Lakers in Indianapolis last night. The Knicks and Pacers do not have any more head-to-head games. If the Knicks handle their business, they will end the regular season on April 13, a little over two weeks from today against the Brooklyn Nets in the No. 3 spot. But as of now, the standings from the No. 3 to the No. 6 positions remain fluid.
The Milwaukee Bucks, which were 40-31 and tied at No. 5 with the regenerated Detroit Pistons, which held a 41-32 record, prior to last night’s slate of matchups, received a proverbial hook to the body when they learned that All-Star and future Hall of Fame guard Damian Lillard was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right calf and was prescribed blood-thinning medication. The team announced on Tuesday the 34-year-old Lillard will be out indefinitely.
That same day, the Knicks showed that despite the chasm in the standings between them and the Cavaliers and Celtics, they are a formidable albeit flawed squad that was tied with the 2023 NBA-champion Denver Nuggets for the fifth-most wins in the league prior to playing the Clippers.
In the win over the Mavericks, center Karl-Anthony Towns and guard Josh Hart became the first pair of Knicks to ever record triple-doubles in the same game. Towns finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for his first triple-double in three years and Hart notched his ninth, the most in a season for the franchise, surpassing Walt Frazier’s eight in the 1968-1969 campaign. Hart registered 16 points, 11 assists and 12 rebounds. Forward OG Anunoby scored a team-high 35.
“Yeah, it’s just a blessing,” said Hart of his new Knicks record. “I got a great group of guys. It means I at least played nine good games out of 82 so far, or whatever we’re at, sixty-whatever. But yeah, man, it’s just a blessing. I can’t say more than that.”
Towns viewed his and Hart’s accomplishments through the lens of winning.
“He got nine, I got one. So he’s doing a much better job at being able to get triple-doubles. The way he does it is special. It’s all energy, and it’s effort, and it’s for the betterment of the team.”
The Knicks will play the Bucks in Milwaukee on Friday and be back at the Garden to host the Portland Trailblazers on Sunday, and the Philadelphia 76ers next Tuesday.