Knicks chase top‑two seed
New York is still chasing a top‑two Eastern seed — their hopes took a hit as the tight playoff picture tightened after a recent loss — the Eastern race also saw Detroit drop 110‑108 to Toronto, a result with direct seeding implications [] [].
New York sits third in the Eastern Conference at 44-25 (foxsports.com), trailing Boston by one game for the No. 2 slot and Detroit by four games for the conference lead (foxsports.com). The Knicks have been riding a three‑game winning streak and are 11-3 over their last 14 games, figures that underscore how slim the margin is with only a few regular‑season weeks left (foxsports.com). Detroit’s cushion was dented when the Pistons fell 119-108 to Toronto on March 15, a game in which Brandon Ingram scored 34 points for the Raptors (espn.com). Toronto’s victory pushed the Raptors to 38-29 and kept them solidly in the chase for a top‑six finish, preserving direct seeding implications for teams jockeying around the 3–7 range (foxsports.com). New York’s remaining slate includes a home meeting with Boston on April 9 at Madison Square Garden, a matchup that can swing the No. 2/3 ordering late in the season (nba.com). If the Knicks and Celtics finish with identical records, the league’s first tiebreaker is head‑to‑head, and Boston holds a 2-1 edge against New York this season — a concrete hurdle the Knicks must overcome on the schedule to secure the higher seed (nba.com).
