Jan 9, 2023; New York, New York, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives to the basket as New York Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley (5) and center Mitchell Robinson (23) defend during the during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Predicting how Knicks will finish in NBA In-Season Tournament group play
Nothing says it’s August more than NBA fans getting hyped for the 2023-24 NBA In-Season Tournament schedule release. The New York Knicks are in East Group B and will travel to Milwaukee to face Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks in their first in-season tournament game.
If the Knicks have the best record within their group after their four group games, they’ll move on to the knockout round. If New York makes it past that, the Knicks will travel to Las Vegas for the semifinals and will hopefully advance to the final on Dec. 9.
Knicks are in East Group B for 2023-24 NBA In-Season Tournament
Nov. 3 at Bucks
New York will face its toughest competition in Group B in its first in-season tournament game against Milwaukee. To make matters more challenging, the game will be at Fiserv Forum. The Knicks have lost six straight games against the Bucks, with their last win coming on Nov. 5, 2021, in Milwaukee.
The Bucks sat atop the East last season with a 58-24 record and are expected to be the team to post the best record in Group B play. Milwaukee will always be a top team in the conference with Giannis Antetokounmpo on the roster, and luckily for the Bucks, they retained Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez this offseason.
Getting a win against Milwaukee would be huge for New York, making the remaining three group games look less daunting. The Bucks notoriously play well at home, but this Knicks roster has proven that it shouldn’t be counted out, so bet on Jalen Brunson to lead New York to a win.
Knicks win
Nov. 17 at Wizards
The Wizards certainly aren’t expected to be one of the top teams in the East, but one of the worst. Although Washington is finally entering a rebuilding period, the organization has several solid players, including starters Jordan Poole, Kyle Kuzma, and Tyus Jones.
However, there’s no debate over the fact that the Knicks have the better team. It’s been over three years since New York lost a game at Capital One Arena (Mar. 10, 2020), and that positive trend should continue in the Knicks’ second in-season tournament game.
Knicks win
Nov. 24 vs. Heat
New York’s first group game at home won’t be easy, but it’ll be a hostile environment for Miami, especially with how the 2022-23 season ended. Jimmy Butler and the Heat finished the regular season with a 44-38 record and fought past the play-in tournament to make it to the NBA Finals.
Miami may not take the regular season seriously, but this match-up favors the Heat. Not only is Butler capable of taking over any game, but if Miami manages to trade for Damian Lillard before the start of the season, he should shine in the Garden.
As nice as it’d be to see the Knicks get a small amount of revenge against the Heat with a win, it feels as if the opposite will happen.
Knicks lose
Nov. 28 vs. Hornets
The Hornets and Wizards will compete against one another to see who will be the worst team in Group B. Charlotte will have a healthy LaMelo Ball back, and the Hornets also drafted Brandon Miller with the No. 2 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. The verdict is still out on if Miller was the right pick over Scoot Henderson.
New York’s last group game could easily fall into the trap game category, but if the Knicks have a 2-1 record entering Nov. 28, the team should be that much more motivated to finish off the Hornets.
Knicks win to finish group play 3-1 and advance to the knockout round
