Yesterday afternoon, the Knicks Knicks (41*-24) laid an egg in Los Angeles against the Lakers. Tonight brings a chance for redemption as they challenge the Clippers (31-32) at the Intuit Dome.
Over their last ten games, both New York and the Clips have gone 6-4. They last met on January 7, when the ‘Bockers won 123-111 on their home court. Jalen Brunson led New York with 26 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns added a 20-11 double-double. Kawhi Leonard paced the Clippers with 25 points.
After starting 6-21, L.A. has gone 25-11, including two wins over Detroit. On the whole, though, they’ve performed to expectation, winning the games they should and dropping the ones they shouldn’t. They still have a bona fide superstar, though: the notoriously unavailable Kawhi Leonard has sprung to life, leading the team with 27.9 points per game on 50/37 shooting splits.
Offensively, they rank 12th in rating despite ranking 24th in scoring (112.6 PPG). Blame their glacial pace (28th) and terrible rebounding (28th). Defensively, they’re slightly worse than middle-of-the-pack (19th).
We had to double-check who’s still on the roster. At the trade deadline, L.A. dealt James Harden for Darius Garland (a satisfying rhyme), then shipped Ivica Zubac and Kobe Brown to Indiana for Bennedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson. Both moves added draft picks to their warchest. They also parted ways with franchise icon Chris Paul after he lost a noogie contest with coach Ty Lue.
The Clippers have been under a dark cloud all season, with league discipline expected. The controversy stems from Pablo Torre’s reporting that the team (allegedly) funneled compensation to Kawhi Leonard through no-show positions at a company called Aspiration in order to circumvent the salary cap. The problem goes all the way to the top. Team owner Steve Ballmer, who once said that the Apple iPhone had “no chance” of getting significant market share, now claims to have been conned out of millions by Aspiration. It seems that somewhere along the line, Steve’s Smart Water was replaced with Poland Spring.
The bad press has tarnished a terrific season for the 34-year-old Leonard. He’s represented by Uncle Dennis, a graduate of the Anthony Soprano School of Sports Management. Less refined than most agents, Dennis is the kind of guy whose preferred business stationery is a McDonald’s receipt. So far, the league has been quietly investigating, but we expect commissioner Adam Silver to bring the hammer down during the summer break.
Tonight, the Clippers will likely start Garland, Dunn, Derrick Jones, Jr., Leonard, and Brook Lopez. Their injury report lists John Collins as OUT with a neck issue. For the Knicks, Miles McBride is still recovering from hernia surgery. Mitchell Robinson played yesterday, so expect him to sit tonight.
ESPN calls this one a toss up. They must have watched yesterday’s disaster, too. The Knicks should be favored, but their inconsistency makes the bettors skittish and fatigue could hinder them (Brunson logged 42 minutes yesterday). New York should be able to control the paint, rule the glass against these poor rebounders, and keep Leonard in the 25- to 30-point range. In a game with lots of runs and lags, the Knicks find the will to win and scratch out a 5-point victory.
Who: New York Knicks (41*-24) at Los Angeles Clippers (31-32)
Date: Monday, March 9, 2026
Time: 9 PM ET
Place: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, CA
TV: MSG
Follow: @ptknicksblog and bsky
* Should be one more, but NBA Cup wins melt in your mouth, not in your hand.