Tonight, the Knicks (47*-25) host the Pelicans (25-47) at Madison Square Garden. New York has won six straight, including Sunday’s blowout of the Wizards, while New Orleans went 6-4 over their last 10.
The teams last met December 29, 2025, with the Knicks winning 130-125 at the Smoothie King Arena. Brunson led New York with 28 points and 10 assists, while Zion Williamson paced New Orleans with 32 points.
James Borrego’s team has the league’s 20th offensive and 24th defensive rating. They score 115.6
points per game but allow 119. Trey Murphy III averages 21.8 points on efficient shooting and stretches the floor. Zion delivers 21.3 points, dominating inside when healthy and alert. Herb Jones locks down wings with elite defense and hustle, rating in the 97 percentile for deflections. And Dejounte Murray has averaged 18.7 points, 6.2 assists, and 5.1 rebounds in 10 games this season.
Expected starters tonight are Murphy, Saddiq Bey, Williamson, Jones, and Murray.
On the injury report, New York lists Miles McBride and Landry Shamet (knee, bone bruise) as OUT, and Kevin McCullar, Jr (knee/quad). as questionable. The Pelicans have Bryce McGowens down as questionable (toe).
Prediction
ESPN win probability sits around 77% for the Knicks. Okie dokie. These Pelicans are a tougher team now that Murray has recovered from a torn right Achilles, and they’ve split the games he’s played this year. Expect New York to have some trouble with these birds, but to pull away in the second half. The Pels are a 35% shooting team from the perimeter and do most of their scoring within the arc. Key to victory: dominate the boards, force turnovers in transition for easy points, and let Towns exploit mismatches inside. Knicks win by eight for their second seven-game win-streak of the season.
Game Details
Who: New York Knicks (47*-25) vs New Orleans Pelicans (25-47)
Date: Tuesday, March 24, 2026
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Place: Madison Square Garden, NYC
TV: NBC / Peacock
Follow: @ptknicksblog and bsky
* Should be one more, but NBA Cup wins smell like fish.
