The New York Knicks (13-10) are off to their best start since December 2016. This season, they had a perfect record against sub-.500 teams before tonight. Facing a team like the Utah Jazz (8-16), who rate in the league’s bottom five for both offense and defense, a Knicks’ win at the Delta Center seemed almost a gimme. Ah, beware hubris.
This NBA season has been difficult in the Beehive State. The Jazz came into the evening having lost three straight and seven of their last ten games. Main man Lauri Markkanen had missed eight consecutive games due to a hamstring issue before suiting up tonight.