Three Knicks’ keys for earning at least the No. 6 seed and avoiding the play-in round:
Robinson is a difference-maker. The 7-footer transforms the Knicks defensively and is one of the league’s premier offensive rebounders. The problem is he has missed 22 of 60 games this year, a career-long issue for the center. If he can stay on the floor the rest of the way, coach Tom Thibodeau’s team becomes much more dangerous.
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Get RJ Barrett going
The streaky fourth-year wing has had an uneven season full of stops and starts, shooting just 32.3 percent from 3-point range. He excelled at the end of November and for most of December before missing two weeks with a lacerated right index finger at the turn of the new year and hasn’t regained his form. At his best, though, Barrett is a strong third option behind Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson, and makes the Knicks much tougher to defend.
Home cooking
The Knicks’ 16-15 mark at MSG is the worst home record of any team in the league with a winning record. Their fantastic 17-12 record on the road has made up for that. But with a difficult schedule the rest of the way highlighted by a four-game West Coast trip in early March, they’re going to need to find a way to win at the Garden more frequently in their remaining 11 contests there. They have won three in a row and four of five there.
