Knicks Keep No. 2 Hopes
The Knicks beat the Celtics 112–106 at home, stretching their home win streak to six and keeping them alive in the battle for the East's higher seeds. That result was flagged on social and is part of the larger playoff‑seeding picture analysts are tracking as the regular season winds down ( ).
New York needed help and got none on Friday night, so the Knicks had to handle their own business. They beat Toronto 112-95 at Madison Square Garden, while Boston beat New Orleans 144-118 a few hours earlier. (nba.com) (espn.com) That combination locked in the shape of the top three in the Eastern Conference before the last day of the regular season. Detroit sat first at 58-22, Boston second at 55-26, and New York third at 53-28. (espn.com) (cbssports.com) So the “No. 2 hopes” part came down to math, not mystery. With Boston already on 55 wins and only one game left, New York could no longer catch the Celtics after improving to 53-28 on April 10. (espn.com) (nba.com) What the Knicks did secure was the No. 3 seed. The NBA game summary said the win over Toronto clinched New York’s place there, which means the Knicks avoided the play-in tournament and guaranteed a full best-of-seven first-round series. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) The win itself was steady rather than wild. Jalen Brunson scored 29 points, Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 points and 10 rebounds, and New York outscored Toronto 58-48 in the paint. (espn.com) The home-court piece is real here. New York moved to 30-9 at home with that result, and the Knicks finish the regular season with one more game in the same building against Charlotte on Sunday, April 12. (espn.com) (nba.com) Boston’s side of the race ended with a blowout and a barrage of three-pointers. The Celtics hit 29 threes against New Orleans, tying the franchise and league record, and that win clinched the No. 2 seed outright. (espn.com) That matters because the second seed and the third seed live on opposite sides of the bracket until the conference finals. Boston now gets the easier path on paper, while New York enters the postseason knowing it will likely need to beat a higher seed on the road later if it wants to reach the National Basketball Association Finals. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) So the Knicks story going into Sunday is narrower than it looked in the middle of the week. The chase for No. 2 is over, but a 53-win season, the No. 3 seed, and home-court advantage in Round 1 are still a strong finish for a team that kept winning while the bracket tightened around it. (espn.com) (nba.com)
