New York Knicks Are Now 0-5 Against Cavaliers & Celtics This Season

The New York Knicks are comfortably in the third seed in the East, and have high hopes for an upcoming playoff push come April and May. But they might be able to go only so far, as they have struggled mightily against the top two teams in the conference.

Knicks Struggles Against Top Teams Continue

Entering the All-Star break, Jalen Brunson and company were a combined 0-3 against the Cavaliers and Celtics. Cleveland and Boston have been at the top of the standings for the entirety of the season, and are two of the listed favorites to eventually win the NBA Championship. The Knicks hadn’t fared well against either one in any of their three meetings, losing by an average of more than 18 points per game, putting their status as an Eastern Conference contender in question.

New York had a golden opportunity to change the rhetoric after the mid-season break. After playing against the Bulls in their first game back, their next two were scheduled against the idol Cavs and Celtics.

Neither game went well in any facet. On Friday night, the Knicks found themselves facing a 15-point deficit as early as the first quarter, and eventually lost to Cleveland by 37 points. It was just the third time that the Cavaliers surpassed the 140-point threshold this season, and the 142 were the most points that New York had given up in any game thus far.

Boston dominates New York again 😱

The Celtics have had the Knicks’ number this season 😳 pic.twitter.com/bjZyUiwUg4

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 23, 2025

Two days later, they had a chance at redemption. But the Celtics were up by 21 points by the time halftime rolled around on Sunday, and eventually rolled to a 13 point victory. The Knicks cut their lead to just 4 at one point in the second half, but even the final score of 118-105 didn’t feel indicative of how much Boston was in control throughout. The Celtics have held a 20+ point lead in every game against New York this year.

The loss pushes the Knicks’ record against the top two seeds in the East to 0-5 on the year.

Even with the loss, the Knicks are still locked into the 3rd seed at the moment. They are 5 games up on the Pacers, who are in the 4th spot. New York’s next game will be played on Wednesday, a home contest against the reeling 76ers.