Which Knicks games should fans circle for the 2022-23 season?

Wednesday was a holiday of sorts as the NBA released its schedule for the upcoming season. For Knicks fans, that means we get take our annual look at the schedule and highlight some of the most highly anticipated matchups.

10/19/22 at Memphis

Right off the bat, the Knicks will match up against the Memphis Grizzlies in what should be a fun one. RJ Barrett will be dueling a fellow draft class member in All-Star Ja Morant. It’ll be our first look at a Knicks roster that went through a lot of changes during the off-season. Furthermore, it’ll be a really good measuring stick for a Knicks team with playoff aspirations, as they battle a very good Grizzlies team that won 56 games (second in the league) last year. Memphis is always a tough place to play, and the Knicks will have to bring their A game.

10/21/22 vs. Detroit

Friday Night Knicks time! The Knicks will have their home opener against the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons aren’t expected to be a great team, but with a young and exciting roster surrounding sophomore stud, Cade Cunningham, the Pistons may end up surprising people. Also, the Pistons will feature Jaden Ivey, who the Knicks and their fans wanted very badly, and Jalen Duren, who was involved in that very confusing (at the time) draft night trade. They also have former Knicks Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel, Kemba Walker and Kevin Knox. This will also be the Garden’s first chance to see Jalen Brunson, so that should be incredibly exciting for both Brunson and the fans. And lastly, while I don’t expect Knicks fans to overreact to Game Two in October, we all saw how contentious things got between Randle and fans last season so that should be another thing to keep an eye on.

11/15/22 at Utah

This game is here solely because of Donovan Mitchell. If (and that’s still a pretty big IF at this point) a trade ends up happening, this game should be both exciting and weird. Not only will Mitchell be playing the first away game at Utah in his career, but Knicks fans will have to watch whatever young pieces they give up in the trade wearing a Jazz jersey. Fans from both teams will most likely be uneasy and have very mixed emotions about this game were a trade to go down.

11/18/22 at Golden State

A month into the season, the Knicks will go out on their first West Coast swing. These stretches are often incredibly difficult, and having one this early could set the tone early for this team. If they stumble on this trip, their record could look pretty ugly. They’ll be playing Steph Curry and the defending champion Golden State Warriors in a nationally-televised game. Sandwiched in between games against the Nuggets and the Suns, this will be another very tough task.

11/21/22 at Oklahoma City

This is another game that won’t be circled on many people’s calendars but it may be one that the Knicks should keep an eye on. As the last game of a road trip where the team plays five games in seven nights, it could end up being a trap game. The Knicks will be coming off of games against Utah, Denver, Golden State, and Phoenix — four very tough teams. This game against the Thunder could be a great way to cap off a successful road trip in dominating fashion, or it could be the icing on the cake for what ultimately could be a winless road trip.

12/7/22 vs. Atlanta

The Hawks and the Knicks have developed a nice little rivalry over the last couple years thanks in large part to Trae Young. This will be the first meeting between two teams. With how much Young seems to enjoy playing in an arena packed with fans that despise him, it should be an entertaining game. It’s also important to note that the Hawks, who finished last season with a 43-39 record may be one of the teams that the Knicks will have to battle with for a playoff seed, so both teams will want to win this one extra badly.

12/25/22 vs. Philadelphia

The Knicks have yet another Christmas game this year, and it will be against a Sixers team that has championship aspirations. The Knicks will look to win their second straight Christmas day game in a row after dismantling the Atlanta Hawks at home 101-87 last year. As is often the case, this will be the 12:00 game and the first one of the day, so it could make or break Christmas Day for a lot of Knicks fans.

12/27/22 at Dallas

While Mark Cuban and the Mavericks have gone on the record to say that there are no hard feelings towards Jalen Brunson, it’s always interesting to watch a player of Brunson’s caliber returning to his former team. For Brunson, Dallas is the team that gave him the opportunity to live out his dreams so it’s sure to be an emotional return but the Knicks will need him to be at his best in this one. The Mavericks, led by Luka Doncic, were a very good team last year going 52-30 and this will be the last game of an incredibly tough seven-game stretch that includes games against Chicago (three times), Golden State, Toronto, and Philadelphia.

1/28/23 at Brooklyn

This is a game where we have no idea what to expect. There is a chance that this is a game where the Knicks will be facing a championship-contending Nets team that has gotten Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons to buy in and commit. But there is also a chance that the Nets are a few month into their new post-Durant era and run out a roster that is completely different from what they have today. Regardless of who they run out there, the Knicks will want to win this nationally televised game for bragging rights as it is a part of the NBA’s newly announced Rivals Week.

1/31/23 vs. Los Angeles Lakers

This will be the first time the Knicks face off against LeBron James and crew. With the game being more than five months away, there are still a lot of questions up in the air. Will Kyrie Irving replace Russell Westbrook? Is Donovan Mitchell going to be a part of the Knicks? Is this going to be a Lakers team that can compete or will they be a disaster like last season? How exactly will the Knicks look? Despite there being so many unknowns, this game may still be must watch television as there is a possibility that James passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time scoring leader. It would be an incredible feat and would be the second straight year someone broke an all-time record at the Garden.

2/24/23 at Washington

This game on paper isn’t the most marquee or exciting matchup. It is a game between a Wizards team that finished 35-47 last season and a Knicks team that, despite the excitement and hype, still has a lot to prove. The Wizards also have on their roster, two injury-prone stars in Bradley Beal and former Knick, Kristaps Porzingis, so there is a chance that this game ends up being a dud. That being said, this will be the Knicks’ first game after the All-Star break and you always want to come out of the gates on a good note regardless of how good or bad the first half of the season went.

3/5/23 at Boston

This will be really tough, but a good test for the Knicks. Last season, New York faired very well against the eventual Eastern Conference champs. They were fueled by Evan Fournier, who had his best games of the season against his former team. If this team has aspirations of surprising people and eclipsing the 39 games Bleacher Report and Las Vegas predicted them to have, then winning games like these will be key. Look for Jayson Tatum to be aggressive in this one. as the game will air on primetime on national television.

3/29/23 vs. Miami

With just five games left in the season after this game, the Knicks should have a good idea of their chances to make the postseason. If they are on pace to play playoff basketball, this will be a very good late-season tune-up game to see where they stand against an Eastern Conference foe who is expected to be very good once again. While the Knicks schedule down the line isn’t a cake walk, it also isn’t extremely difficult. If the Knicks can pick up a huge win against Miami, they could set themselves up for a nice little run to end the season to head into the playoffs or a play-in game with a lot of confidence and momentum.