It has become blatantly obvious that the New York Knicks toe the line of an NBA-caliber team on the road this season.
Away from Madison Square Garden, the Knicks are a painful 6-17. Only the Utah Jazz, Memphis Grizzlies and Atlanta Hawks have less wins on the road this season.
In fact, based on the numbers, they look like a completely different team away from home:
New York Knicks 2017-18 season splits
Home stats
15-9 record
107.5 points per game
102.7 points allowed per game
40.9% FG
36.2% Opponent FG
Road stats
6-17 record
101.4 points per game
108.9 points allowed per game
39.8% FG
40.8% Opponent FG
Even with the Knicks starting 2-1 on their season-high seven-game road trip after wins against the Brooklyn Nets and Utah Jazz, their loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, currently sitting in 13th in the Western Conference, was reason enough to put a damper on the beginning of the excursion.
Then came a Sunday afternoon debacle against the Los Angeles Lakers in which the Knicks allowed a season-high 127 points despite the hosts not having Kentavious Caldwell-Pope or Lonzo Ball available. Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle picked up the slack, combining for 56 points on the day.
The 20-point loss didn’t sit well with Tim Hardaway Jr., who stated that the Lakers “wanted it more,” than the Knicks, who turned the ball over 17 times compared to Los Angeles’ six giveaways.
New York’s streak of not winning consecutive road games has now reached a full 365 days and it is highly unlikely that they will grab a road win on Tuesday night as they face the defending NBA-champion Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors recently saw their four-game win streak snapped on Saturday night in a 116-108 loss to the Houston Rockets. If Knicks fans are thinking that their team could somehow kick Golden State while it’s down, don’t get your hopes up. Stephen Curry and Co. have not lost consecutive games since a three-game losing streak spanning from Mar. 8-11 of 2017.
New York hasn’t beaten Golden State since the 2013-14 season, losing eight-straight matchups since then.
The Knicks also couldn’t have picked a worse time to put together a lackluster defensive effort against a subpar Lakers team. The Warriors have averaged a league-leading 115.8 points per game and should be licking their chops ahead of a meeting with the Knicks at Oracle Arena.
