NEW YORK – The New York Knicks have dropped their 2025-26 schedule, and with it, the countdown to another Eastern Conference push begins. This summer was anything but quiet. Mike Brown replaces Tom Thibodeau on the sidelines, while Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele arrive to fix a bench that ranked dead last in scoring. The mission is clear: compete for a title, and do it now. These key games on the Knicks schedule doesn’t just list dates. It sketches rivalries, tests, and turning points. Here are the four matchups every Knicks fan should circle — plus a few notes for those keeping an eye on the bigger picture.
Schedule: 4 Key Games Every Knicks Fan Should Care About
Opening Night vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
The first game is a gauntlet. The Knicks open at Madison Square Garden against a Cleveland Cavaliers team that won 64 games last season. The Cavs, led by Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Darius Garland, swept all four regular-season meetings with New York.
lock in the dates, knicks fam
https://t.co/uyKdrIzqVA pic.twitter.com/k468wGqqJg
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) August 14, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Still, it was the Knicks who went further in the postseason, reaching their first conference finals in 25 years before falling to Indiana. Opening night will show whether Brown’s Knicks can break the Cavs’ hold — and make an early statement.
Return to Indiana — December 12
Gainbridge Fieldhouse hasn’t seen the Knicks since the night everything changed. Game 6 of last year’s conference finals ended their run and Thibodeau’s tenure. This time, the Pacers won’t have Tyrese Haliburton, who tore his Achilles in the NBA Finals, or Myles Turner, who left for Milwaukee.
Don’t expect the rivalry to cool. Indiana’s roster remains deep, and Brown’s Knicks will need more than revenge to win here.
Christmas Day vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Only one Eastern Conference matchup made the NBA’s holiday slate, and this is it. The Knicks host the Cavaliers on December 25, a showcase game in the heart of the season.
By then, playoff races will be taking shape, and the Cavs may once again be the biggest obstacle in New York’s path. If the Knicks want to prove they’ve closed the gap, this key game — a centerpiece of theKnicks schedule — is the perfect platform.
January 4 at Sacramento Kings — Mike Brown’s Return
Mike Brown heads back to Sacramento for the first time since being fired early last season. He revived the Kings in 2022, but the front office decided his time was up. The night will also mark a reunion with Scott Perry, Sacramento’s new general manager and a former Knicks executive.
It’s not just a coaching homecoming. This road trip comes in the middle of a demanding January stretch, and wins here could build momentum before the brutal late-season schedule kicks in.
Other Notes on the Schedule
The Knicks will appear in 34 national TV games, tied for the league lead. They open with a home-heavy slate: nine of the first 12 at MSG, with matchups against Brooklyn, Chicago, Charlotte, Toronto, Utah, and Washington before December 6.
But the balance tips sharply in February. Starting on the 22nd in Chicago, they’ll play 14 of 20 on the road, including visits to Cleveland, Milwaukee, Denver, both Los Angeles teams, Oklahoma City, and Houston.
With only 12 back-to-back sets — fewer than the league average for last season — the Knicks have the rest advantage they need. But if they want that rest to matter in April, the Knicks will need to seize the key games on their schedule from day one.
© David Richard-Imagn Images
The post Schedule: 4 Key Games Every Knicks Fan Should Care About appeared first on Last Word On Basketball.