Knicks Look-Ahead: A Busy 4-Game Slate On Deck

The New York Knicks have slipped a bit in recent weeks, and now have work to do to get any higher than the third seed in the Eastern Conference.

Though they sit at 39-22 as firmly a contender in the east, the Knicks have slipped behind the Boston Celtics by 1.5 games entering Monday, after the teams had at times been deadlocked for the No. 2 seed. And it may not get much easier to catch the surging C's, who are on the verge of getting Jayson Tatum back from his Achilles injury for the home stretch of the season.

Sunday's blowout win over the San Antonio Spurs may have been the momentum shift the Knicks have needed after going a good-but-not-great 6-4 over their last 10 games.

Here's a quick look at what's on the docket for the Knicks this week...

The Knicks have dominated this matchup, winning each of the first three games earlier this season by an average margin of 21.7 points. New York most recently walloped Toronto by 27 points, a 119-92 final, and that game was also in Toronto. There's no excuse for a Knicks team that has bolstered the roster and produced offensively of late to not come out of this with another win.

The Knicks may be on their home court when they take on Oklahoma City. But the second leg of a back-to-back against the defending NBA champions, who again have the best record in the league as of Monday, is a tall order. Overcoming the Thunder's depth of talent and ruthlessly efficient two-way team game will be one of the tougher challenges of the season for the Knicks. This will be a good "measuring stick" kind of game for the Knicks.

After Wednesday's home matchup against OKC, the Knicks head right back out on the road to take on the Nuggets in Denver. This game will be a tough act to follow after their last game, which New York won 134-127 in a double-overtime thriller. Nikola Jokic and Karl-Anthony Towns continues to be one of the true marquee matchups among big men in the NBA.

The Knicks finish out the week with an afternoon tilt against LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and the Lakers. These teams are similar in that they have somewhat top-heavy lineups with their star players. There's a steep drop-off after LeBron's 21.6 points per game, and the Knicks will have to hope their improved depth in recent weeks can make a difference.

Considering this slate of opponents, coming out of this week treading water at 2-2 may be an acceptable outcome. But 3-1 should be on the table, as the Knicks have outpaced both the Nuggets and Lakers so far this season.