The Knicks had their nine-game winning streak snapped but another one is still alive and on the line in their next matchup.
Against teams currently with losing records — which will include the Grizzlies on Tuesday at the Garden — Tom Thibodeau’s squad has captured 11 straight and boast an overall 21-1 record.
The last time the Knicks fell to a team currently with a record under .500 was Dec. 13 in Utah.
The Grizzlies were near the bottom of the barrel with an 18-31 record and a four-game losing streak heading into their Sunday matchup against the Celtics.
Although it’s impossible to pinpoint why the Knicks are assertive against bad teams, the obvious answer is Thibodeau’s reputation for preparing and coaching every game like it is do-or-die.
“It’s tough to win in the league,” Josh Hart said after the Knicks disappeared in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s defeat to the Lakers. “As you see so many times, it doesn’t matter what the other team’s record is. We try to just go out there and focus on that. You know what I mean?
“Obviously, you want to win winnable games. The thought process doesn’t change, whether it’s a team under .500, a team struggling, or a team with a five-game winning streak. Whatever it is, our thought process is always the same.”
Despite missing an injured Jalen Brunson, the Knicks (32-18) toppled a shorthanded Grizzlies squad in Memphis on Jan. 13.
After the Tuesday game, only one of the next six Knicks opponents currently have a losing record (at Houston on Feb. 12).
Julius Randle, rehabbing from a dislocated shoulder, appeared on the Knicks bench in street clothes during Saturday’s loss.
It was his first appearance at MSG since sustaining the scary injury on Jan. 27 against Miami. He will be re-evaluated in 2-to-3 weeks. The hope and belief is that Randle will avoid season-ending surgery.
Hart was encouraged that Randle used his right hand for a hand-slap, while Isaiah Hartenstein was also happy to have his teammate back at games.
“Having him around is always great,” Hartenstein said. “He’s always really supportive of us. And so just having him around was great.”
Hart and Brunson, former Villanova teammates and good buddies, teased their new podcast called, “Roommates Show.” It’s advertised as running every Thursday.
“Got something cooking up for y’all pretty soon,” Brunson tweeted.
The two often go back and forth in the locker room with light-hearted insults. In a recent interview, for instance, Hart said his strategy to defend Brunson would be “to smack the s–t out of your fat a– head.”
