The New York Knicks (23*–13) host the Los Angeles Clippers (13–22) at Madison Square Garden tonight, with the Knicks aiming to stop a four-game slide. Despite their recent stumble, the Knicks remain near
the top of the Eastern Conference. The Clippers arrive on a bit of a gust, playing better than they did to start the campaign.
Their last meeting, on March 26, 2025, ended in a 126–113 Clippers win at MSG. James Harden controlled that game with 29 points, six rebounds, and six assists, while Kawhi Leonard added 27. Karl-Anthony Towns answered with a 34-point, 14-rebound double-double, but New York, playing the second night of a back-to-back without Jalen Brunson, let an early lead slip as Harden exploded in the third.
For most of the season, New York been the better team on both ends of the floor. Los Angeles has narrowed the gap over the past month, though. After falling to 6–21 in mid-December, the Clippers have won seven of their last eight, including a 103–102 win over Golden State on Monday, when Kawhi Leonard posted 24 points and 12 rebounds and rookie Kobe Sanders delivered a career-high 20 points. Little by little, Ty Lue’s team has tightened its defensive structure and has been able to control the tempo more consistently, resulting in a dangerous cohesion and very bad timing for New York.
The Knicks’ regression has been more abrupt. The four-game losing streak has exposed defensive lapses and offensive stagnation, and their blowout loss to Detroit on Monday was a humiliating coup de grâce (or so we hope). After reaching the heights of the NBA Cup, the Knicks have lost the plot. Jalen Brunson has resorted to more iso-ball, Karl-Anthony Towns is reluctant to shoot, and OG Anunoby is going through a massive slump.
Los Angeles continues to manage a lively injury report, with Harden (shoulder) listed as a game-time decision and Bogdan Bogdanovic, Derrick Jones Jr., and Bradley Beal all out. They’ll rely on the resurgent Leonard (28.1 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and 3.5 APG) who seems to have been stirred back to life by Pablo Torre’s investigative journalism. At center, Ivica Zubac has been a steady presence in the paint, averaging 16 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. As for the Knicks, Josh Hart (ankle) and Landry Shamet (shoulder) continue to sit out.
Prediction
ESPN.com favors the Knicks at 69%. No quibbles here. The deciding variables seem pretty clear: Brunson will draw a Clippers defense that has struggled to contain primary creators, while Leonard presents a sustained challenge for Anunoby. Rebounding favors New York and should translate into possession control, which they usually cash in for victories. Yet, the stakes are weirdly high—and kinda imbalanced—for a January 7th game. A win at home against a losing team is expected of a championship-contender like New York, while a loss . . . sheesh. That would be their fifth straight, marking their worst skid of the season and coming on the cusp of a difficult West Coast road trip.
Gotta win the gimmes, Knicks. Prediction: New York gets its mojo working in the second half and pull ahead down the stretch thanks to Cap heroics. Knicks by six!
Game Details
Teams: New York Knicks (23*-13) vs Los Angeles Clippers (13-22)
Date: Wednesday, January 7, 2026
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Location: Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, NYC
TV: MSG
Follow: @ptknicksblog and bsky
* Should be one more, but the Cup final doesn’t count.
