DALLAS — Get yourself a team that can do both.
The Knicks own one of the NBA’s best home-court advantages — an 8-1 record at Madison Square Garden that ranks third-best in all of basketball.
And yet, nearly a month into the season, they’re tied for the NBA’s worst road record at 0-4.
Only two teams remain winless away from home: the Knicks and the Indiana Pacers, who lost Tyrese Haliburton to a torn Achilles in the Finals, watched Myles Turner walk in free agency, and have managed just one win in 14 tries.
“[We’ll get a road win] at some point — I don’t think we’re gonna go 0-41 on the road,” Josh Hart said after Monday’s two-point loss to the Miami Heat. “At some point, it’ll bounce in our favor. We’ve just gotta make sure we’re fully locked in whenever we’re on the road… communicate at a high level, know the scout, know personnel, execute.”
The Knicks have now dropped road games in Miami (twice), Milwaukee and Chicago. Their average margin of defeat: 7.5 points — an eight-point loss to the Heat on Oct. 26, 10-point losses in Milwaukee and Chicago, and Monday’s 115-113 defeat on South Beach.
“They’re all different. [One time] we were up 20 and we lost,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “I know everyone in this locker room is tough. We want to win. Last year we were known for winning those games, so it’s a different feeling when you’re not doing that. Just stay confident. We’ve got a great group with great talent. Keep fighting.”
The Bucks, Bulls and Heat, however, have a combined record of 23-19. Two of the Knicks’ next three road opponents have yet to reach five wins.
Beginning Wednesday in Dallas, the Knicks embark on a stretch that gives them a clean shot at flipping 0-4 into .500, or at minimum returning home at with a 3-4 record on the road.
Up first: the Mavericks (4-11), a franchise reeling after their seismic midseason trade of Luka Doncic to the Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-rounder in February. Since the deal, Dallas is just 17-31. Davis has appeared in only 14 games due to injuries, Kyrie Irving remains out with a torn ACL, and GM Nico Harrison — the architect of the Doncic trade — was fired on Nov. 11 despite the Mavericks winning the NBA Draft Lottery and selecting Cooper Flagg No. 1 overall.
After Dallas comes a rematch against the Magic (7-7), this time in Orlando on Saturday, then two more winnable away tests: a “road” game in Brooklyn against the 2-11 Nets, and a Wednesday trip to Charlotte to face the 4-10 Hornets.
“On the road, you can’t leave it up to chance,” said Miles McBride. “You’ve gotta come in anywhere and take the win. You’ve gotta not match their intensity but exceed it.”
Mikal Bridges said the team needs to play a complete game to finally break through away from home.
“We’ve just gotta play the whole 48. Stay with it,” he said. “Sometimes you’ve gotta leave the officials alone, especially on the road, because they get out in transition and it’s gonna make it tough on us. But stay the course, weather the storm. We’re not gonna keep losing all these road games. It’s gonna happen eventually.”
