New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns. Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Knicks defense finally starting to click, spelling trouble for NBA

By Sai Mohan | Last updated Dec 4, 2024 5:57 AM ET

The Knicks (13-8) are still ranked No. 21 in defensive efficiency but are starting to turn the tide in recent weeks.

With an 8-2 record over their last 10 games, the Knicks have climbed to ninth in opponent FG% (45.5), sixth in paint points allowed (44.8) and fourth in points off turnovers (10.9). Furthermore, they are No. 1 in opponent rebounds (39.4) — a metric that indicates they are boxing out with ferocity and imposing their presence in the paint.

The Knicks' interior defense wasn't nearly as solid in the first 11 games, when they allowed teams to score 49.4 points in the paint. Over the last 10 games, they're conceding five fewer points in the interior while also shoring up their perimeter defense.

During Tuesday's 121-106 win over the Magic, the Knicks held Jamahl Mosley's team to just 10 paint points in the first quarter, imposing their will from the start. It was an impressive feat against a team that scores nearly 45 percent of its points in the paint. The early jolt forced Orlando to shoot more threes than usual, giving the Knicks the edge.

Karl-Anthony Towns was instrumental to the elite interior defense, blocking two shots and contesting many of Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs' drives to the rim.

KAT with the DENIAL on Franz pic.twitter.com/gaVANlba6W
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) December 4, 2024

The Knicks had garnered the reputation of a soft team through the first month of the season, largely due to Towns' questionable rim protection. However, he has seemingly turned the corner, proving that a team's defense invariably improves with better communication and chemistry. And these Knicks seem connected right now on both ends of the floor. After Monday's win, Towns explained why the Knicks needed to maintain their defensive focus to build on their ongoing 8-2 run.

"We've got to keep playing like tonight and recently," Towns told TNT Sports. "Great defense and obviously have our offense carry. We've been doing a great job all year at that, but defense is where we've got to really tighten up."

As is well documented, the Knicks own the No. 1 offense in the NBA through the first 21 games, scoring an impressive 121.0 points per 100 possessions. New York is converting on 49.7 percent of its field goal attempts and 39.5 percent from three — both second behind Cleveland.

Many analysts argued that the Knicks can't truly ascend to legitimate title contender status without an elite defense. It was a fair argument. Now that the Knicks are hitting their stride on defense — without sacrificing much on offense — the league has been put on notice.

Sai Mohan

A veteran sportswriter based in Portugal, Sai covers the NBA for Yardbarker and a few local news outlets. He had the honor of covering sporting events across four different continents as a newspaper reporter. Some of his all-time favorite athletes include Mike Tyson, Larry Bird, Luís Figo, Ayrton Senna and Steffi Graf.

More must-reads: