NY Knicks seeking ninth straight win, face struggling Utah Jazz

NEW YORK – Under stoic head coach Tom Thibodeau and similarly mannered de facto team captain Jalen Brunson, the New York Knicks are never going to make bold declarations about their resolutions for 2025.

But the aggressive upgrading of the Knicks’ roster and their performance throughout 2024 make it abundantly clear – their New Year’s resolution is to finally win their first National Basketball Association (NBA) title in more than 50 years.

The Knicks will begin their attempts to make 2025 a memorable year on Jan 1 (Jan 2, Singapore time), when they host the Utah Jazz in the final regular-season meeting between the teams.

Both teams were off on New Year’s Eve after playing on Dec 30, when the visiting Knicks pulled away from the Washington Wizards for a 126-106 win and the hosts Jazz fell to the Denver Nuggets 132-121.

The win was the eighth straight for the Knicks, who closed out 2024 with an appropriate measure of how far they have come in the last 12 months.

New York, who are seeking their first NBA title since 1973, went 56-27 in regular-season games during the calendar year and reached Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals – their deepest run into the play-offs since a trip to the East Finals in 2000.

Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 32 points and 13 rebounds against the Wizards in his 27th double-double of the season. OG Anunoby had 18 points and eight rebounds. Mikal Bridges had 13 points, six rebounds and six assists.

Holdovers Brunson and Josh Hart, meanwhile, had their usual solid games as the Knicks chase down NBA champions the Boston Celtics for second place in the Eastern Conference.

Brunson had 18 points and six assists in 36 minutes while Hart (23 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists) posted his third triple-double of the season.

“It’s like we have a game plan that we’re just trying to go out there and win and we know we have a lot of weapons,” Brunson said. “We’re going to go from there. We’re going to adjust. That’s everyone’s goal, to win the game.”

The short-term objectives are much different for the Jazz, whose rebuilding plan has been paused due to a spate of injuries. Collin Sexton is the only player on the roster who has yet to miss a game for Utah, who are 7-24 and on pace for the fewest wins in team history.

The Jazz won just 23 games during the 1974-75 season when the franchise was located in New Orleans.

John Collins (left hip) missed a fourth straight game as Utah were outscored 34-23 by the Nuggets during a decisive third quarter. The Jazz have lost four straight games, all by 11 points or fewer, and have absorbed 13 defeats this season by 11 points or fewer.

“For whatever reason, our energy faded as the game ended and that’s something we can control,” Jazz head coach Will Hardy said. “But overall, I’m proud of some of the progress from our guys.” REUTERS

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