New York Knicks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Celtics’ Jrue Holiday Removed From Injury Report

May 4th, 2025 at 5:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jrue Holiday is off the injury report for Game 1 of the Celtics’ second-round series against the Knicks, as Brian Robb of MassLive.com writes.

The Celtics issued a clean injury report on Sunday, signaling they’ll be at full strength when they take the court for Monday’s home contest.

Holiday missed the final three games of Boston’s first-round series against Orlando due to a strained hamstring.

Holiday will likely be matched up defensively against the Knicks’ top offensive threat, Jalen Brunson. Brunson averaged 26.3 points and 5.8 assists against the Celtics this season but Boston swept the four-game season series.

Holiday, who won the NBA’s annual Sportsmanship Award, averaged 11.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.1 steals during the regular season while starting 62 games. The scoring average was his lowest since his rookie season, but he’s a steadying force.

Holiday was instrumental in Boston’s title run last season, averaging 13.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists while committing just 1.5 turnovers per contest and earning second-team All-Defensive honors.

Knicks Notes: Brunson, Anunoby, Towns

May 4th, 2025 at 1:45pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The next major playoff test for Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson will be grappling with the Celtics’ All-Defensive backcourt, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post.

The reigning Clutch Player of the Year averaged 31.5 PPG, 8.2 APG, 4.0 RPG in New York’s first round playoff series victory against Detroit, while fending off top point-of-attack Pistons defender Ausar Thompson.

The Celtics’ imposing defensive duo of Derrick White and Jrue Holiday isn’t looking past Brunson either.

“Big-time player,” White said of Brunson. “Seems to make the big plays for them. He’s had an unbelievable year, and obviously these playoffs, he’s taken it to another level. … Try to make it as difficult as we can for 48 minutes.”

There’s more out of New York:

All-Defensive Knicks forward OG Anunoby is preparing for his own massive test, in this case defending the Celtics’ best player, six-time All-Star forward Jayson Tatum, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. “I always have confidence [in OG] no matter who he is guarding,” Brunson said of Anunoby. “He brings that mindset every game. And so I have confidence regardless of whatever he is doing.” As Botte notes, former All-Defensive wing Mikal Bridges could also spend significant time guarding Tatum.
After attempting a series-low 10 shots in the Knicks’ series-clinching Game 6 win over Detroit, Karl-Anthony Towns says he isn’t concerned about the drop in his field goal attempts — as long as New York keeps winning, writes Ethan Sears of The New York Times.
In case you missed it, Holiday is looking to return to the hardwood early in the Knicks series after sitting out Boston’s last three playoff games with a strained right hamstring.

Celtics Notes: Holiday, Brown, Porzingis, Offseason

May 4th, 2025 at 10:58am CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics are getting healthier as they prepare for the start of their second-round series against the Knicks, writes Matt Vautour of MassLive. After Saturday’s practice, coach Joe Mazzulla offered an encouraging update on Jrue Holiday, who missed the final three games of the Orlando series with a strained right hamstring.

“He was able to work on everything he wanted to work on,” Mazzulla said. “He’s getting better every day.”

Holiday’s return will be especially important in the matchup with New York, as he’s likely to be the primary defender against Jalen Brunson.

Jaylen Brown told reporters that he’s feeling better despite dealing with a posterior impingement in his right knee that has been bothering him for several weeks. The condition hasn’t gone away, but Brown is learning how to play through it.

“I’m just trying to trend back in the direction of being 100 percent,” Brown said. “Physically holding my ground and still making plays for our team. Even with guys being out — Jrue, (Jayson Tatum) missed a game — being able to step in and fill a role. I feel I’m decent. Now, moving forward, it’s a whole different ballgame, different team, different challenges. My focus is fixed on that. Structurally, everything is fine. There’s some other stuff going on, but I’m trending in the right direction.”

There’s more from Boston:

The Celtics are looking forward to getting back to their normal style of play after being frustrated by Orlando in the first round, Jay King of The Athletic states in a discussion of the upcoming series with Fred Katz and James L. Edwards III. That means returning to their normal rate of three-point attempts, which the Magic were able to limit much better than the Knicks did in their four regular season matchups with Boston.
There are reasons to be concerned about Kristaps Porzingis heading into the second-round series, Brian Robb of MassLive states in a mailbag column. Robb points out that Porzingis has never played more than seven games in any postseason, and he wasn’t effective in rebounding against Orlando or in stopping dribble penetration by Franz Wagner. Those challenges will be magnified against New York, which has Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson on the boards and Brunson attacking the basket.
Robb expects money-saving roster changes this summer, noting that the Celtics had “a unique two-year window” to compete for a title with the current group. He sees Porzingis and Holiday as obvious trade candidates and adds that there could be “surprises” depending on how far the Celtics advance in the playoffs.

Knicks Notes: Porzingis, Brunson, Bridges, Anunoby, Towns

May 3rd, 2025 at 9:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kristaps Porzingis was once beloved by Knicks fans who saw him as their best hope of escaping years of dysfunction, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. But years later, after a devastating injury and a messy breakup, Porzingis is a member of the Celtics and stands in their team’s way of reaching the Eastern Conference Finals.

When he was drafted with the fourth pick in 2015, Porzingis was hailed as a “unicorn” because of his unique combination of size and outside shooting touch. He was an immediate fan favorite in New York, but his efforts to turn the Knicks into contenders were sunk by general mismanagement and what Bondy calls “petty infighting” involving the front office and coaching staff.

Bondy states that former team executives Phil Jackson and Steve Mills never viewed Porzingis as a future star and unsuccessfully tried to trade him after his second season. He suffered a torn ACL midway through the following season and then missed all of 2018/19. Before he was fully healed, he was traded to Dallas, and Knicks management cast him as a villain on the way out.

“The whole process was just a mess,” Porzingis said. “I didn’t like the way it ended. That wasn’t how I wanted it to end, if it did end. I tried to stay myself the whole time. Not do anything. Not say anything. If I did say anything, it would’ve been right after I was traded. Now it’s too late.”

There’s more on the Knicks:

Knicks players are acknowledging that Boston will present a tougher challenge than they faced in the first round, per Peter Botte of The New York Post. New York went 0-4 against the Celtics this season, dropping the first three games by 63 total points before losing in overtime in April. “Obviously, (we have to) play better than we did (against them) throughout the regular season,” Jalen Brunson said. “Be better, ready to do it from the jump, knowing it’s going to be a game of runs, knowing that they’re capable of doing a lot of great things. I feel like we played better in that (fourth) game. We adjusted from the first three times we played them, obviously still not getting it done, but definitely played better and competed better than the first three games. So that’s something we can look at and build off of.”
The Knicks never lost faith in Mikal Bridges no matter how bad things got this season, and he rewarded them in the close-out game against Detroit, notes Barbara Barker of Newsday. Bridges scored 25 points in Game 6 and tied the contest on a put-back slam in the final minute. After Saturday’s practice, coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters that Bridges has done an admirable job in dealing with a heavy amount of pressure after the Knicks sent five first-round picks to Brooklyn to acquire him. “I think for anybody who gets traded or in free agency or whatever it might be there’s an adjustment period that you have to go through and it takes some time,” Thibodeau said. “I think he’s very confident in his abilities.”
Steve Popper of Newsday lists five keys for the Knicks in the series, including the need for Bridges and OG Anunoby to control Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and a more consistent performance from Karl-Anthony Towns.

Knicks Notes: Brunson, Thibodeau, Bridges, Towns

May 2nd, 2025 at 8:14am CST by Arthur Hill

Jalen Brunson delivered a moment that will live forever in Knicks‘ history when he sank a three-pointer in the final seconds Thursday night to close out their series with Detroit, writes Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post. With Game 6 tied on New York’s final possession, Brunson drove hard to the left, then crossed over to lose Pistons defender Ausar Thompson (Twitter video link from the NBA). By the time Thompson recovered, Brunson had already released the straightaway three that decided the series.

“I found a way to create separation,” said Brunson, who capped off a 40-point night. “I shot a little earlier than I wanted to but I had to shoot it, and I got the ball to go in.”

As Vaccaro points out, Brunson’s heroics weren’t limited to the final shot. After the Knicks let a 12-point fourth quarter lead slip away and faced a seven-point deficit with two and a half minutes remaining, Brunson took over the offense to prevent Detroit from forcing a Game 7. First came a three-point play on a six-foot floater, followed by a reverse layup under the basket. On the next possession, the Pistons surrounded him on a drive to the hoop, allowing Mikal Bridges to easily tip in the miss.

“What can you say?” coach Tom Thibodeau said after the dramatic victory. “He’s timely, he’s at his best when his best is needed. That’s what makes him special.”

There’s more on the Knicks:

Brunson’s shot altered the team’s future to a degree that’s impossible to measure, states James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. If New York had lost the series, Edwards believes there definitely would have been conversations about replacing Thibodeau, and owner James Dolan would have considered front office moves as well after major offseason deals to acquire Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns put the franchise into luxury tax territory.
Bridges delivered his best game of the playoffs with 25 points on 11-of-16 shooting, per Steve Popper of Newsday. Popper notes that the Knicks traded for Bridges and OG Anunoby to match up with Boston wings Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and they’ll get that chance in the second round. “Yeah, they’re a hell of players and got moves for days and physical,” Bridges said of the Celtics duo. “Yeah, definitely a challenge, but it’s never one-on-one. You got four guys behind you, your teammates, so it’s just team defense and just helping each other out.”
The Knicks will have to recover quickly from a physically and mentally draining series to have any chance against Boston, observes Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. Towns has some experience in facing a defending champion in the playoffs as his Minnesota team ousted Denver in seven games last spring. “With that experience, we learned a lot,” Towns said. “You gotta be ready for Game 9, you gotta be ready to have that energy and emotional capacity.”

Knicks Notes: Brunson, McBride, Robinson, Hart

April 30th, 2025 at 11:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

The condition of Jalen Brunson‘s right ankle is becoming an increasing concern for the Knicks as their first-round series wears on, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Bondy notes that Brunson has gone to the locker room to get his ankle worked on in each of the first five games. Brunson’s absence in the fourth quarter on Tuesday caused New York’s offense to bog down and opened the door for Detroit to grab a series-saving victory.

“It’s different (without Brunson),” Mikal Bridges said. “You know he’s going to have that ball. It doesn’t mean we can’t step up. I should’ve made shots and held it down for him as much as he holds it down for us. We just got to be better.”

Bondy points out that Bridges missed two shots during Brunson’s two-and-a-half-minute absence late in Game 5. Also during that sequence, Karl-Anthony Towns had an attempt blocked and Cameron Payne couldn’t connect on an open floater.

Head coach Tom Thibodeau believes his team’s late-game execution needs to improve no matter’s who’s on the court.

“You have to be at your best in the fourth quarter,” Thibodeau said. “You have to understand that the intensity of the fourth quarter is different. The first three quarters are going to be played with a certain intensity level and the fourth quarter is going to be different. So you have to make your decisions quicker, you have to get to your spots quicker and you have to execute.”

There’s more from New York:

The Knicks’ depth problems have worsened because of subpar performances from Miles McBride, who was the team’s most dependable reserve throughout the season, says Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. McBride went 2-of-7 from the field and missed all three of his three-point shots while scoring four points in 22 minutes on Tuesday. “Just gotta keep playing,” Thibodeau responded when asked about McBride. “Next play, just keep getting ready, each game is different. How you reset is important. One game really has nothing to do with the next so just put the proper amount of time into preparation to get yourselves ready to play.”
Mitchell Robinson was dominant during his 22 minutes in Game 5, observes Peter Botte of The New York Post. He finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds, including eight on the offensive glass. “I thought Mitch gave us a good lift, good energy,” Thibodeau said. “The rebounding was good enough. Defense was good enough. Our turnovers hurt us, so we gotta clean that up.”
Injuries are becoming a problem for the Knicks, offering a reminder of how the team disintegrated in last year’s playoffs, Botte adds in a separate story. In addition to Brunson’s ankle issues, Josh Hart had to leave Tuesday’s game with a sore wrist after a hard fall late in the fourth quarter. OG Anunoby also checked out for a while with an undisclosed ailment. When asked which wrist was hurting, Hart said, “My whole body is bothering me. Wrist, back, butt. A little bit of everything.”

Pistons Notes: Thompson, Confidence, Cunningham, Stewart

April 30th, 2025 at 10:53am CST by Dana Gauruder

Blood clotting issues ended Ausar Thompson‘s rookie season and delayed his sophomore campaign. However, the second-year wing emerged as a starter this season and played an integral role in the Pistons‘ 106-103 Game 5 victory over the Knicks on Tuesday. Thompson supplied 22 points, including a key late bucket, along with seven rebounds and two blocks as the Pistons staved off elimination.

Thompson was also the primary defender on Jalen Brunson, who was limited to 4-for-16 shooting and seven assists, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press notes.

“We did a great job of getting to our spots and executing the stuff we knew we could get to that created an advantage for us,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “It all started with Ausar and his defense. He was phenomenal defensively tonight. Offensively obviously he came up with 22 points, but I think it started with his defense and a lot of credit should be given to him.”

We have more on the Pistons:

Many people thought Detroit couldn’t recover from a controversial Game 4 loss in which the team blew a double-digit fourth-quarter lead and was victimized by an official’s no-call in the closing seconds. The Pistons came to Madison Square Garden more determined than ever, Bickerstaff said. “I’m not surprised,” he said, per Pistons.com’s Keith Langlois. “This is what they’ve always shown to be and this is what we expected from them tonight.”
Did Cade Cunningham offer a veiled guarantee of a Game 6 home victory on Thursday night? According to Jared Schwartz of the New York Post, Cunningham declared the series would return to New York for Game 7. “We’ll be back,” he said. Cunningham said the team thrives in hostile environments. Both of its wins in the series have come on the road. “It’s everything you dream of. Playing with a full arena, a bunch of people booing you, that’s everything you dream of,” he said.
The Pistons have been able to keep the Knicks under control despite the absence of their interior defensive stopper. Isaiah Stewart missed his fourth consecutive game due to right knee inflammation, as Sankofa relays. The Pistons have used Paul Reed off the bench in his absence with Jalen Duren getting the bulk of the minutes when he’s been able to avoid foul trouble.

Former Knicks Guard Dick Barnett Dies At 88

April 28th, 2025 at 1:23pm CST by Luke Adams

Dick Barnett, a former NBA guard who won a pair of championships with the Knicks, has died at age 88, writes Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press.

The Knicks, who announced Barnett’s death on Sunday, didn’t provide any additional details, but said in a statement they were “terribly saddened” to learn of his passing (Twitter link).

“Throughout his illustrious career, Dick Barnett embodied everything it meant to be a New York Knick, both on and off the court,” the team stated. “He left a positive impact on everyone he encountered and this organization is incredibly fortunate to have him be such an integral part of its history.

“His jersey will forever hang in the rafters of Madison Square Garden, and his play throughout his career will forever be a part of Knicks fans memories.”

A star at Tennessee A&I College (now Tennessee State University), Barnett won three NAIA titles from 1957-59 and was selected fourth overall in the 1959 NBA draft by the Syracuse Nationals (the future Philadelphia 76ers). He spent two years in Syracuse, then a single season with the Cleveland Pipers of the American Basketball League before joining the Lakers in 1962 and eventually the Knicks in 1965.

Barnett’s most memorable NBA seasons came in New York, where he averaged a career-high 23.1 points per game in 1965/66, made an All-Star team in ’67/68, and won championships with the Knicks in 1970 and 1973.

Barnett appeared in a total of 971 NBA regular season games from 1959-73, averaging 15.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 29.8 minutes per contest. He ranks ninth on the Knicks’ all-time scoring list with 9,442 points, putting him right between former teammates Earl Monroe and Bill Bradley. He had his No. 12 jersey retired by the organization in 1990.

Barnett was enshrined twice to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, first as a member of that three-time champion Tennessee A&I College team in 2019, then as a player in 2024.

Our condolences go out to Barnett’s family and friends.

Stephen Curry Named 2024/25 Teammate Of The Year

April 28th, 2025 at 12:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Warriors star Stephen Curry has been named the NBA’s Teammate of the Year for the 2024/25 season, the league announced today (via Twitter).

The Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year award “recognizes the player deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players, and commitment to his team,” per the NBA.

The award isn’t voted on by media members. A panel of league executives select the 12 finalists (six from each conference) for the award, while current players vote on the winner. Players receive 10 points for a first place vote, seven for second, five for third, three for fourth, and one point for fifth place.

Curry just narrowly won this season’s vote ahead of Rockets center Steven Adams.

Here are this season’s full voting results, according to the NBA, with the player’s point total noted in parentheses:

Stephen Curry, Warriors (1,257)
Steven Adams, Rockets (1,237)
Jalen Brunson, Knicks (925)
DeAndre Jordan, Nuggets (897)
Nicolas Batum, Clippers (868)
Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers (850)
Al Horford, Celtics (834)
James Johnson, Pacers (751)
Jaylin Williams, Thunder (690)
Brook Lopez, Bucks (657)
Tobias Harris, Pistons (648)
Jaren Jackson Jr., Grizzlies (552)

It’s the first Teammate of the Year award for Curry, though it’s the seventh time in a row that a point guard has earned the honor.

The award, which was introduced in ’12/13, had gone to either Mike Conley (2019 and 2024) or Jrue Holiday (2020, 2022, and 2023) in five of the past six seasons, with Damian Lillard claiming it in 2021.

Knicks Notes: Hart, Towns, Bridges, Payne, Thibodeau

April 28th, 2025 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Josh Hart has maximized his value to the Knicks by putting aside any personal dreams of stardom, writes James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Throughout his career, which included stops with four teams in six years before he found a home in New York, Hart always believed he could be more than just a scrappy player who tends to make the right play at the right time.

He told Edwards that he adopted a new mindset this season and is now focused on finding ways to make his high-profile teammates better. That led to setting a franchise record with nine triple-doubles during the season and averaging career highs of 9.6 rebounds and 5.9 assists along with 13.6 points per game.

“I think it’s realizing … for me, I feel like I’ve grown in my faith more,” Hart said. “I’ve been trying to take on that servant mentality. I want to make sure I can cater to these guys and make sure that they’re successful and put in the right positions to blossom.”

Edwards states that Hart often points to Celtics guard Jrue Holiday as an example of sacrificing individual glory for the greater good. Holiday was a two-time All-Star who accepted a reduced role in Boston’s offense to help produce a championship, and he’s in a unique position to understand Hart’s value to the Knicks.

“Even though people might say, like, he doesn’t shoot the ball well enough or do whatever, he makes plays, and he makes the game easier for everybody else based off his play,” Holiday said. “And it’s not just his effort. He’s really smart. He gets to the basket. He offensive rebounds. Things that guys don’t really want to do, he’s excellent at it. Guys who really take that to heart and can really play that type of game, I feel like you can be in the league as long as you want to if you play that way.”

There’s more on the Knicks:

Karl-Anthony Towns scored eight of the team’s final 10 points in Sunday’s win at Detroit, and one of the clutch shots was a fadeaway he developed while working with Kyrie Irving last summer, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Towns said Irving taught him the finer points of the shot, including where to hold the ball and how to launch it above the defender “It’s something that I never really had,” Towns said. “And it didn’t look as good. And I was able to iron my game out watching a great like him. One of the most talented players the NBA has ever seen and just did it as best I could to add my little flavor to it. It may not look as good as his — I ain’t going to lie, I think it’s pretty damn ugly — but it’s effective when I need it to be.”
Mikal Bridges hit two late three-pointers Sunday after shooting just 1-of-10 from the field in the first three quarters, per Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. Bridges said he drew inspiration from his teammates, particularly Cameron Payne, who has seen limited playing time since scoring 14 points in the series opener. “I think the biggest is Cam Payne,” Bridges said. “He’s big on voicing, helping me out. Sometimes, him calling me some not good names helps as well. It just feeds off that.”
Coach Tom Thibodeau deserves more credit for the adjustments he has made throughout the series, including getting more shots for Towns after he was shut down in Game 2, contends Ian Begley of SNY. Begley notes that Thibodeau’s job might have been in jeopardy with a first-round loss, but he has responded with a high-level coaching performance.