The New York Knicks have had a decent start to the 2025-26 season. Through Monday, the New York Knicks sat in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with an 8-5 record. They have a 8-1 record at home, but one thing about this Knicks season has looked very bad: their 0-4 record on the road ahead of Wednesday night's game in Dallas.
The Knicks have struggled mightily away from the Garden
New York's latest road loss came at the hands of the Miami Heat. In a hard-fought slug fest, the Heat defeated New York 115-113. This loss, however, can be explained by the team being without arguably their two best players: OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson.
The three losses prior are a different story. Outside of Mitchell Robinson, the roster was fully healthy. Granted, new head coach Mike Brown was still ironing out a steady rotation. Unsurprisingly, the rotation is much more consistent now than it was during the first half of October.
One of the biggest differences between their home wins and road losses has been their three-point shooting. In the team's eight home wins, they've shot 41.1% from 3-point land. In their four road losses, however, the Knicks have shot just 31.2%. Their shooting efficiency drops significantly when they aren't playing in front of their home fans at Madison Square Garden.
Teams typically play better at home: why is this an issue?
We can't say this is entirely shocking. Sports teams across all leagues or countries often play better at home than on the road.
The reason it matters for the Knicks, though, is that it might impact them come playoff time. The NBA playoffs are indeed a long way away, but that doesn't mean we can ignore how poor performances on the road could stack up and impact their chances at playoff success.
The Knicks will most likely rise from fifth in the standings but if the season ended today, they would have to win a good amount of playoff games on the road to make a deep postseason run. Can they stay healthy and take their show on the road?
As it stands, the team has shown an inability to win tough away games. It is still early in the season and this should not be accepted as a fact. In contrast, the Knicks should expect to win a decent amount of road games. Until they prove they can win on the road, however, the questions about this sole blemish are going to keep rearing their ugly head.