The New York Knicks will soon return to the court for another Christmas Day game. How have they performed previously on this holiday?
As always, on Christmas Day, the New York Knicks will hit the court at Madison Square Garden. It’s basically an NBA tradition, despite the organization’s negatives in recent seasons, including multiple losing years and the loss of Kristaps Porzingis to a torn ACL.
However, on Dec. 25, 2018, the Knicks will face the Milwaukee Bucks. It’s a rematch with Giannis Antentokounmpo, who infamously declared his intentions to hit Mario Hezonja in his family jewels.
Entering this game, New York has actually played 55 times on Christmas — more than any other team. It’s a lengthy history, despite their 22-30 record.
Over this stretch of over half a century, what were the results for some of these games? Let’s take a look at their recent history:
- 1999: Loss vs. Pacers, 101-90: Facing Reggie Miller‘s Pacers, the Knicks found 13 points and 15 rebounds off the bench from Marcus Camby, but they still fell by 11 points.
- 2001: Win vs. Raptors, 102-94: 28 points from Latrell Sprewell carried the Knicks over Tracy McGrady‘s Magic.
- 2009: Loss vs. Heat, 93-87: Before LeBron James arrived, the Knicks fell to Dwyane Wade‘s squad in their first Christmas Day game since 2001.
- 2010: Win vs. Bulls, 103-95: Three double-doubles from Knicks players, including Amar’e Stoudemire, led to this eight-point win.
- 2011: Win vs. Celtics, 106-104: Due to the lockout, this was both the Knicks and Celtics’ first game of the season. Carmelo Anthony‘s 37 points and a surprising 19 from Toney Douglas led the way.
- 2012: Loss vs. Lakers, 100-94: Pre-injury Kobe Bryant took off for 34 points and Dwight Howard and Steve Nash had double-doubles, handing New York a narrow loss.
- 2013: Loss vs. Thunder, 123-94: Russell Westbrook went off for a triple-double and Kevin Durant‘s 29 points proved too much.
- 2014: Loss vs. Wizards, 102-91: Anthony went off for 34 points, but John Wall‘s double-double led the way for Washington.
- 2016: Loss vs. Celtics, 119-114: Anthony’s 29 points and Derrick Rose‘s 25 fell short of six Celtics with double-digit points.
- 2017: Loss vs. 76ers, 105-98: Enes Kanter dominated with 31 points and 22 rebounds. Courtney Lee and Kristaps Porzingis even combined for 42 points, but it was not enough against a dominant performance from Joel Embiid.
It marks just a 3-10 record for the Knicks on Christmas Day since 1999. Despite that, given their standing as a top media market, they continue to receive opportunities on this holiday, with just one absence since 2009.
Can the New York Knicks build positive history on Monday and break this five-game losing streak? Let’s find out at 12:00 p.m. ET.