The Portland game was easy.
Now the Knicks can pick on teams their own size.
The Knicks began a four-game West Coast road trip with a 105-93 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday.
The trip continues with three matchups against Western Conference championship contenders: at Sacramento against the Kings on Saturday; in San Francisco against the Golden State Warriors on Monday; then culminating with a trip to the Mile-High City against the reigning 2023 NBA champion Denver Nuggets on Thursday.
As of Saturday afternoon ahead of tipoff in Sacramento, the Nuggets (47-20) owned the West’s No. 1 record, the Kings (38-27) were in a virtual tie for the for the No. 6 seed, and the Warriors (34-31) sat a game behind the Los Angeles Lakers for the West’ 10th seed — the final seed covered by the NBA’s Play-In Tournament.
The Knicks own a 15-24 record this season against teams with a winning record of .500 or better.
How the Knicks fare against three playoff-bound teams now with OG Anunoby returning from surgery on his right elbow will provide a glimpse into New York’s ability to compete with the league’s elite in the second half of the season.
The Knicks are 5-2 in games against above-.500 teams when Anunoby is available since the Dec. 31 trade that sent Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett to the Toronto Raptors.
They went 4-8 in those games while Anunoby was out recovering from the early February elbow surgery.
Complicating matters for the Knicks is a potential developing situation regarding the status of Anunoby, who aggravated his surgically-repaired elbow twice since returning to action for Tuesday’s victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Anunoby dunked with the right hand in a victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, then swiped down to steal the ball from Deandre Ayton in Thursday’s victory over the Trail Blazers.
The Knicks downgraded Anunoby to questionable ahead of tipoff against the Kings on Saturday.
Anunoby’s status is important given the Knicks entered Saturday’s matchup against the Kings with a 14-2 record in games he has played since arriving in New York via trade.
He is averaging 15.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game on 51.4% shooting from the field and 38.4% shooting from three-point range in the 16 games he’s played since joining the Knicks.
Saturday’s showdown in Sacramento featured two opposing All-Stars in point guard De’Aaron Fox and skilled center Domantas Sabonis.
Fox is a speed demon averaging 27 points and 5.6 assists per game for the Kings, and Sabonis nearly averages a triple double this season, posting 20.1 points, 13.6 rebounds and 8.4 assists per game in Sacramento.
Two days later, Stephen Curry will host the Knicks at The Chase Center.
Curry was upgraded to questionable for the Warriors’ matchup against the Lakers on Saturday, which means he should be a go against the Knicks on Tuesday.
And the Nuggets want revenge against the Knicks, who beat the defending champs in convincing fashion, 122-84, in a Jan. 25 matchup at Madison Square Garden also serving as the last stop in a five-game road trip.
The Nuggets are led by two-time league Most Valuable Player of the Year Nikola Jokic, who is averaging 26 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists per game this season.
Meanwhile, the Knicks hit a rough patch in the schedule at a time where every win is critical and every loss is debilitating.
Entering Saturday, only three games separate the fourth-seeded Knicks from the eighth-seeded 76ers, with the No. 5 Orlando Magic just a half-game behind New York in the standings.
A losing streak by the Knicks coupled with a string of wins from other teams clustered between five and eight could send New York plummeting down the standings.
It’s why the Knicks need Anunoby on the floor down the stretch of the regular season, but if he further hurts his elbow in the regular season, it could compromise his availability for the playoffs, where the Knicks have just one goal.
One-up their second-round playoff appearance from last season.
