“I think we’re not going in the right direction… We’re not trending upwards. So, we’ve got to figure it out. It was three tough ones. We’ve got another one tomorrow. That’s A MUST-WIN for us, and build from there.” Josh Hart’s words after the Knicks disappointing wire to wire loss to the Rockets Tuesday night.

Quite alarming for this once-seen-as contenders Knicks team to proclaim a contest against the tanking Memphis Grizzlies as “A MUST-WIN” game as the regular season winds down and they gear up for another attempt at the Larry O’Brien.

Nevertheless, No Brunson. No Deuce. No Mitch. And… no excuses either.

Coming into Memphis, the Knicks were running on fumes and riding a three-game skid that has been a familiar feeling for us Knicks fans this campaign. With Jalen Brunson, Miles “Deuce” McBride, and Mitchell Robinson all sidelined, this one was a great opportunity for our role players to get some extra run, spark some life into a team that desperately needs it, and leave with a dominant victory.

Add in the fact that it was Landry Shamet’s first game back in what feels like forever, this game was much needed for confidence and rhythm.

The Knicks needed to deliver on their “MUST-WIN” proclamation/Josh Hart promise.

And while the Knicks did just that with a 130-119 win, let’s not pretend it was all smooth jazz.

The first half was a thing of beauty that saw the Knicks up 79-62. The offense was humming and the ball movement was perfection. However, the 10 first half turnovers and 62 points given up to their tanking G-League level competition was not exactly what they were looking for.

The third quarter was where those bad habits the Knicks have become accustomed this year reared its ugly head. The entire starting lineup were a -45 in the plus/minus column, which allowed the Grizzlies to get back into game and cut it to a few possession game.

Knicks had a strong fourth behind OG’s 17 points where he dropped in 4 threes and the Knicks survived their “Must-Win” contest.

One can only feel absolutely nothing by this win and unfortunately there is nothing to take away looking ahead. After all, we will take the win.

I cannot help but agree with Josh Hart about the direction of this team. Troubled? Yes. Worried? More so than after the Houston game. Five games left, four being against strong eastern conference competition. After tonight’s game against Chicago, we will really see where this team is at before this playoff push.