A lot can change in 12 months.
At this time last year, the Knicks cruised through their January schedule with 14 wins — their most in a month since March 1994 and one shy of the franchise record — and just two losses.
They ripped off an eight-game winning streak that tacked on a ninth victory to start February.
Their late-December blockbuster to land OG Anunoby, until his elbow injury, hadn’t encountered roadblocks or growing pains.
But January 2025 hasn’t been as straightforward for the Knicks.
Their 126-101 embarrassment against the Thunder on Friday marked their fourth loss already this month, transforming their nine-game winning streak and 12-2 record from December into a distant memory.
And with plenty of questions now surrounding the Knicks’ ability to grind out wins against the NBA’s best, their schedule doesn’t get any easier with the Bucks — currently the Eastern Conference’s No. 4 seed, marginally ahead of the Magic based on winning percentage — arriving at the Garden on Sunday.
“Last year was 2024,” Jalen Brunson said, succinctly, Friday, of the January difference. “This is 2025. It’s a year difference.”
The Knicks’ soft January schedule last year helped with the tear.
Only five of their wins came against opponents that entered the games with a .500 record or better, but three of those — the Timberwolves, 76ers and Nuggets — carried the label of serious contender.
Even with both Anunoby and Julius Randle both injured by the end of the month, the Knicks found ways to escape with wins, and they still had time to patch their roster before the trade deadline.
But after cruising for a chunk of their 2024-25 schedule, the Knicks hit a roadblock during the month that defined their regular season last year — and the one that backs right into the trade deadline next month.
They have time to change it, though this January won’t turn into a record month by any stretch.
A victory against the Bucks won’t help their winless record against the NBA’s top four teams — the tier that Knicks players reiterated they belong in despite results dictating otherwise.
That’ll have to wait until the late-season matchups against the Celtics, Cavaliers and Rockets in February.
Still, one win would help with salvaging the month.
“We have to go out here and execute at a high level, we have to go out there with energy, we have to go out there with no egos,” Josh Hart said Friday. “We have to go out there with no individual agendas. We have to go out there and sacrifice.
“We’re a new group. We’re still learning, figuring it out, but we can’t expect to just have talent and go out there and win games.”
Before Dec. 27, the Knicks had finished with fewer than 20 assists in a game just once this season — back on Oct. 25 against the Pacers, in game No. 2, when all of their pieces were still meshing.
But after collecting just 18 during the loss Friday, the Knicks haven’t reached 20 assists in three of their past nine games.
