Knicks PG Frank Ntilikina has finally been cleared to practice, and it couldn't have came at a better time. 

According to the Daily News' Stefan Bondy, the 20-year-old former first rounder will be practicing with G-League Westchester on Tuesday as the Knicks are traveling back from Toronto following a 128-92 blowout on Monday night. Ntilikina has been sidelined for weeks with a groin injury, but if everything goes well at practice, he could be suiting up against the Jazz at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night. 

That would be the best case scenario for Ntilikina, who needs these last 11 games of the season to prove he is still worth it to the Knicks. It doesn't look good for Ntilikina to stay in orange and blue next season, especially with new point guard Dennis Smith Jr. coming over from Dallas in the Kristaps Porzingis trade. The Knicks also have Allonzo Trier, Emmanuel Mudiay and Damyean Doston all under contract for 2019. 

While making a play on the ball in the third quarter Monday night after the Raptors' Kyle Lowry secured the rebound, Knicks rookie Mitchell Robinson wound up falling on Lowry's ankle. Lowry left the game and didn't return, and wasn't happy about it after.

"I think it was a little bit dirty," Lowry said, according to TSN's Josh Lewenberg. "He grabbed me, pulled me down. He's a young kid so I don't know if he did it on purpose or not, but I think he'll learn his lesson next time and be a little bit more careful."

Robinson responded on Twitter:

The NCAA tournament bracket is set and March Madness officially begins Tuesday night. For Knicks fans, this means a chance to watch some of their potential future contributors compete on the biggest stage of college basketball. Here are the names to keep an eye on as we edge closer to one of the most important offseasons in New York hoops history.

The Core Four

The general consensus seems to have circled around the following four players as the top four selections in this year's NBA draft: Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, R.J. Barrett and Cam Reddish. Fans should be plenty aware of their names at this point, but if not, all outside of Morant are playing for No. 1 seed Duke, while Morant will get an opportunity to turn heads coming into the tournament with 12th-seeded Murray State. There isn't much convincing left to do with these names; they're clearly a tier above the other prospects, with Williamson of course having all but locked up the top selection. Knicks fans hope they see one of them in blue and orange next season.

The Knicks shot 33.3 percent from the field and made just 8 of 36 3-pointers as they lost to the Toronto Raptors 128-92 on Monday at Scotiabank Arena. >> Box score

Things to know about Monday's game

1. While Allonzo Trier scored a game-high 22 points off the bench, the Knicks' starters combined for 44 points. Mario Hezonja and Kevin Knox combined to make 7 of 24 field goals.

2. The Raptors, who beat the Knicks by only five points when they last met on Feb. 9, outscored them 35-25 in the second quarter and 28-15 in the third, taking a 101-69 lead into the fourth quarter.

Knicks head coach David Fizdale wanted to orchestrate a meeting between budding star Kevin Knox and one of the greatest players of all-time in LeBron James.

He was able to do so after Sunday's win over the Lakers.

Knox said he received some guidance and reassurance from James when he met with him after New York beat Los Angeles 124-123 on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

The New York Knicks scored a dramatic 124-123 win over LeBron James and the visiting Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, which shows that there can be highlights even in the most dismal of seasons.

The Knicks, who have the worst record in the league at 14-56, will try to improve on that rare success Monday night when they visit the Toronto Raptors, the NBA's second-best team at 49-21.

The Raptors, who easily handled the Lakers on Thursday night, are coming off a 110-107 loss on the road to the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.

With the game on the line, the Lakers put the ball in LeBron James' hands.

And Knicks forward Mario Hezonja stopped him.

Hezonja blocked James' 13-foot driving shot with 2.3 seconds left to seal the Knicks' 124-123 win over Los Angeles on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

LeBron James got himself a new public dissenter Sunday during the Knicks' 128-127 dramatic victory over the Lakers at Madison Square garden: Knicks legend and MSG color commentator Walt "Clyde" Frazier. 

The gregarious analyst began his tear into James during a timeout in which the superstar was not congregating with teammates and plopped himself on the far end of the bench. 

"This type of behavior is not -- when you're the face of the NBA, I think you should be more a part of your team, folks," Frazier said. "No matter what is going on, in the public, you got to be a part of the team. Maybe in the locker room you're not, but you have to exude that type of togetherness in public, folks. And right now we see he doesn't really care."

The Knicks and Lakers both entered Sunday's game stumbling toward the finish line but it was New York that snapped its eight-game losing streak in dramatic fashion, closing the game on a 13-1 run for a 124-123 come-from-behind win over LeBron James and the Lakers. >> Box score

Things to know about Sunday's game

1. Mario Hezonja was the unlikely hero for the Knicks. As the final seconds ticked off the clock, James drove to the basket on Hezonja but the 24-year-old guard stayed with him and stuffed him from getting the final shot off to secure the victory for the Knicks. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day, James Dolan.

The Knicks returned home from a road trip on Sunday and fans were ready to send a message to their iron-fisted owner a week after he banned a fan from Madison Square Garden for yelling at him to "sell the team."

Green shirts that read, "St. Patty Says Ban Dolan" were being given to fans outside of the arena before the game against the Lakers. 

LeBron James is expected to accompany the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday afternoon when the club plays the fourth contest of its five-game road trip against the New York Knicks.

Whether the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player will be wearing a Lakers' uniform or an expensive suit remains to be seen.

James sat out Los Angeles' 111-97 setback at Detroit on Friday due to what the team referred to as "load management" connected to the groin injury that sidelined him for a month earlier this season. The Lakers were playing the second half of a back-to-back set, with James logging nearly 32 minutes in the club's 111-98 loss to Toronto on Thursday.

Upon returning Thursday from a three-week absence after suffering a knee sprain, Zion Williamson said he could've returned earlier but the Duke staff wanted to make sure he was in tip-top shape.

The move clearly paid off. Playing for the third consecutive day, Williamson had another strong performance in leading Duke to a 73-63 win over Florida State to capture the ACC Tournament crown.

Williamson scored a game-high 21 points on 7-for-11 shooting, adding five rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal in 40 minutes. He made seven of 10 free throws.

On the same night the Knicks kept their tank rolling with an eighth straight loss, Zion Williamson dazzled once again.

In his second game back from a knee sprain, Williamson scored 31 points and made the game-winning basket with 31 seconds left to lift Duke to a 74-73 win over rival North Carolina, putting the Blue Devils in the ACC Tournament final. Williamson sunk a putback off his own missed shot to give Duke the lead.

The Knicks finished their three-game road trip with yet another loss, falling to the Spurs, 109-83. They've lost eight straight and own an NBA-worst 13-56 record. >> Box score

Things to know about Friday's game

1. Noah Vonleh suffered a right ankle injury in the middle of the second quarter and was ruled out for the rest of the game. He had four points and an assist in 8:44 of action. The Knicks entered the game without Dennis Smith Jr., who was out with a back injury.

The Knicks (13-55) head to South Texas on the heels of 103-98 loss at Indiana on Tuesday. New York has dropped seven consecutive games since beating San Antonio and Orlando for a modest two-game win streak late last month.

Emmanuel Mudiay led the Knicks with 21 points off the bench in the loss, with Damyean Dotson scoring 18, Kevin Knox adding 16 points and DeAndre Jordan hitting for 12 points and grabbing 16 rebounds.

"We fought the whole game and made some good runs, they made a run, but we didn't give up," Knox said. "They just made some plays late."

The Knicks will be without Dennis Smith Jr. for Friday's game against the San Antonio Spurs. 

The 21-year-old point guard was added to the injury report on Thursday with a sore lower back but there is no indication that the injury is serious. 

Emmanuel Mudiay is expected to get the start at point guard in place of Smith while Kadeem Allen was recalled from the G-League to join the team in San Antonio. 

After missing three weeks with a knee sprain, Zion Williamson made an emphatic return to Duke's lineup on Thursday night.

The potential No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft looked like he hadn't missed a beat, scoring 29 points and going a perfect 13-for-13 from the field in Duke's 84-72 win over Syracuse in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals. 

"I come ready to kill every game," Williamson said in an ESPN television interview after the game.

It has nearly been a month since the Knicks traded Kristaps Porzingis to the Mavericks in the biggest blockbuster deal of the NBA trade deadline. And though Porzingis hasn't talked about the whole situation yet, he did talk about wanting to get back on the court. 

The 7-foot-3 Latvian is still working his way back to game action, and he has been seen down in Dallas working on his jumper and post moves with trainers as his rehab continues. Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle has said that Porzingis won't be suiting up as the regualr season comes to a close, but that doesn't mean the All-Star doesn't think he is ready to go.

"I feel healthy, I feel great," Porzingis said at Mavericks practice on Wednesday. "I'm antsy to get back on the court as soon as possible and I know I'm ready. So we'll see, I don't know."

On the same day Knicks owner James Dolan stumbled through a radio interview, Kristaps Porzingis threw some shade at his former club.

During a television interview Tuesday night with TNT, Porzingis -- who was traded to the Dallas on Jan. 31 -- praised the Mavericks organization and painted it as a more stable environment than the one he had been in with the Knicks.

"There's a culture. You can feel that," Porzingis said. "Guys like Dirk (Nowitzki,) like JJ (Barea,) they've built that culture and they're a really important part of this organization. Just seeing all those great personalities being in this organization, being a part of this culture, makes me want to be a part of it."

James Dolan still can't get out of his own way, as he proved once again during a radio interview on Tuesday, and it begs the question: Why would any marquee free agent would want to join the Knicks and play for this man?

Dolan couldn't get LeBron James or Dwayne Wade in 2010, and he is the same man in 2019 as he was then.

"He is and always will be the reason they don't get free agents," a longtime NBA executive told Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix. 

Knicks owner James Dolan joined ESPN's "The Michael Kay Show" on Tuesday to clarify the situation that occurred on Saturday night where a Knicks fan yelled "Sell the team!" toward Dolan, who decided to throw the fan out of Madison Square Garden for good. 

And that is exactly what will happen to this fan after Dolan found out the confrontation was pre-meditated. 

"It appears that this gentleman and his friends planned to do this," Dolan said. "As soon as they were done with it, it was immediately sold to TMZ."

Knicks owner James Dolan made a rare radio apperance on Tuesday, joining ESPN Radio's The Michael Kay Show where he addressed a number of topics, including free agency. 

The Knicks are expected to be major players in this summer's free agent sweepstakes, but there is always some doubt on whether or not they are attractive enough of a destination for players who want to win. 

Dolan said there is nothing to worry about. 

When Kristaps Porzingis was traded to the Mavericks before the NBA trade deadline, it sent shockwaves through the NBA as the Knicks sent away their face of the franchise. But the Knicks stated that Porzingis wanted to be traded, saying he was unhappy in New York. 

Speaking on ESPN's "The Michael Kay Show" on Tuesday to discuss the incident this weekend at MSG regarding a Knicks fan, Knicks owner James Dolan also touched on the Porzingis traded briefly as well. Though he didn't want to speak for Porzingis, who still hasn't discussed his "stay woke" comment or told his side of the story since the trade, Dolan said the Latvian big man basically left the team no choice.

"I thought our guys tried really hard to integrate him in our system," Dolan said. "I don't want to put words into his mouth. When he came in and said to us, 'I wanted to be traded' that sort of cast the dye on what we had to do."

New York heads to Indiana on a six-game losing streak after starting a three-game road trip with a 103-92 loss at Minnesota on Sunday. The Knicks are on their fourth skid of at least six games.

New York also has scored less than 100 points in three straight games and in 11 of its last 21 games. The Knicks also dropped to 0-20 when scoring less than 100 points after shooting 43 percent and committing 17 turnovers Sunday.

Damyean Dotson scored 26 points but most of New York's struggles were around the rim and in the paint. The Knicks were 20-for-48 in the paint and were 17-for-36 on layups and dunks. >> Read More

James Dolan has at least one backer in his corner: David Fizdale. 

The Knicks head coach defended the team's embattled owner Tuesday when asked about Dolan's personality, which has recently created headlines due to an altercation with a fan at Madison Square Garden on Saturday that resulted in Dolan having the fan removed and threatening to ban him from future games. 

Fizdale, the first-year coach of the league-worst Knicks, said Dolan has been "incredibly supportive" during the trying season, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. 

If the majority of Knicks fans had their way regarding this summer's free agency class, then both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant would be wearing Knicks jerseys to begin next season. 

But count Charles Barkley as a vocal dissenter to either playing under the bright lights of Broadway.

The Turner analyst told reporters Tuesday, according to Sports Illustrated's Jimmy Traina, that he would advise Durant that he's not tough enough to play in New York. Barkley also said the same applied for Irving. 

Mario Hezonja's brief tenure as a Knick has been mostly underwhelming, but the 6-foot-8 Croatian does not plan finishing out the 2018-19 season on a selfish note.

With free agency pending for the 2015 fifth overall pick, he was adamant that he will not hog all of the shots down the stretch to boost his stats and perhaps give himself more opportunities this summer. 

I don't give a s--t that I'm a free agent,'' Hezonja told Marc Berman of the New York Post. "I'm trying to help these guys as well. I don't give a sh-t about myself. I'll be fine. Trust me. I'll be fine. With my basketball skill, talent and abilities, I'll always be fine. I just want to help these guys with stuff I've been through in my career in both Europe and here."

Knicks legend Charles Oakley was critical of James Dolan after the franchise owner threatened to ban a fan from Madison Square Garden.

"He just tries to bully everybody and it just don't make sense," Oakley, who was temporarily banned from Madison Square Garden in 2017 when he had an altercation near Dolan, told the Associated Press on Monday.

TKTKTK

If there's a silver lining to be found in this 13-54 Knicks season, it's in the upcoming NBA Draft Lottery and development of the young core

Fans can feel genuine excitement over some of the fresh talent their franchise collected. A few of these guys fulfilling their potential as useful NBA starters and even All-Stars is critical to this rebuild, and we're getting a clearer picture of where they have to go and how far they are from getting there. Here are the NBA players each Knicks prospect (24 and younger) should model their game after going forward: 

Mitchell Robinson - Rudy Gobert

The Knicks' losing streak reached six games as New York lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves 103-92 on Sunday at Target Center. >> Box score

Things to know about Sunday's game

1. Damyean Dotson scored 26 points while DeAndre Jordan was limited to just two points on 1-of-8 shooting as New York maintained its spot for last place in the NBA. Mitchell Robinson blocked five shots.

2. Taj Gibson led the Timberwolves, who were playing without Karl-Anthony Towns, with 25 points. Jeff Teague scored 20 points and recorded 10 assists.

Knicks second-year guard Frank Ntilikina is improving from a groin injury that has kept him out since January and will be re-evaluated once New York returns from its three-game road trip, the team announced.

Ntilikina, who last played Jan. 27, has missed the Knicks' last 18 games entering Sunday's matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Knicks expect Ntilikina, 20, to improve his on-court activity and controlled contact this week.

With James Dolan in the news again -- this time for banning a fan who implored him to sell the Knicks -- Marc Berman of the New York Post wrote a piece detailing how the owener's reputation damages the organization's standing around the league. 

And his most damning evidence revolves around the Knicks coaching search in 2014, when the team hired Derek Fisher after being connected to Warriors coach Steve Kerr. From Berman: 

According to multiple sources, Dolan's reputation may have cost them Steve Kerr as head coach. Kerr's kinder feelings toward Warriors ownership contributed to his reneging on a verbal offer from Phil Jackson. During the Knicks' courting process, Kerr called a handful of Knicks reporters to seek their opinions of Dolan's influence.

A little over two weeks ago, Karl-Anthony Towns missed the first game of his career and the Minnesota Timberwolves found a way to beat the New York Knicks.

The Timberwolves may be forced to play without Towns again -- this time due to a right knee injury -- Sunday night when they host the Knicks.

Towns missed the Feb. 22 game against the Knicks, due to being placed in the concussion protocol after getting into a car accident in Minneapolis on the way to the airport. The Timberwolves recorded a 115-104 win.

As Knicks owner James Dolan left the Madison Square Garden floor early during his team's loss on Saturday, one fan decided to speak his mind and it didn't go so well. 

Click below to watch the interaction...

The Knicks extended their most recent losing streak to six games on Saturday, falling to the Sacramento Kings in a matinee at Madison Square Garden, 102-94. > Box Score

Things to know about Saturday's game

1) The Knicks had absolutely no answer for Kings point guard De'Aaron Fox. The 21-year-old finished with 30 points, eight assists and five rebounds. After the Knicks took a brief 89-87 lead with six minutes remaining in the game, Fox responded by scoring 13 of the Kings' final 16 points en route to close out the victory for Sacramento. 

Since Dennis Smith Jr. has joined the Knicks, Frank Ntilikina has become even more of an afterthought. Head coach David Fizdale has tasked Smith with being a vocal leader for the squad despite this only being his sophomore season, and Emmanuel Mudiay has been relieving him off the bench. 

Ntilikina has been trying to work back from a groin injury, but he still isn't expected to make an impact at point guard once he returns. Fizdale wants to use him more as a wing player, and has even flirted with the idea of him playing power forward as well. And when Jason Kidd was brought in down in Phoenix by Fizdale, only Smith and Mudiay were close to his teachings with Ntilikina looking on, fortifying the notion that he won't be the floor general anytime soon.

But, with 17 games left on the Knicks' schedule, Ntilikina's health is reeling at the wrong time. And that isn't good if their reported plan involving the former first-rounder is true. 

The 2018-19 Knicks' losing ways can turn fans off from keeping up with their team's doings in what's little more than a meaningless final two months of play. With the summer comes hope for a franchise desperately in need of some postseason success, in the form of names like Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. As the promise of a competitive future or continual misery awaits, here are four potential lineups New York may employ come October.

DREAM LINEUP 

Kyrie Irving, Garrett Temple, Kevin Durant, Zion Williamson, Mitchell Robinson

In last year's inaugural NBA 2K League, Knicks Gaming pulled off the ultimate upset by capturing the title.

So how exactly did a team that went 5-9 in the regular season pull this off? The new draftees of the 2K League answered that question on Wednesday at the Barclays Center, and the common theme of those answers revolved around the team's chemistry reaching its peak at just the right time...

The Knicks officially own the worst record in the NBA after the Suns took them down 107-96 on the road Wednesday night. >> Box score

Things to know about Wednesday's game

1) In this battle of the worsts, it was Devin Booker that shined above the rest for Phoenix. He dropped a whopping 41 points on 14-for-23 from the field and a perfect 7-for-7 mark at the free throw line. Booker also dished out four assists, collected five boards, and had two steals and one block. It was a true All-Star performance from the Kentucky product. 

The Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks will square off Wednesday night in Arizona in a rare late-season battle of the two teams vying for the worst record in the NBA.

But the Suns will be coming off a rarer and more noteworthy accomplishment. Both teams were off Tuesday after playing Monday, when the visiting Knicks fell to the Sacramento Kings 115-108, and the host Suns stunned the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks, 114-105.

Monday's results were notable for two reasons. The Knicks (13-51) moved past the Suns (14-51) in the "race" for the NBA's worst record, though they are both in position to have the same odds of winning the draft lottery on May 14. The teams with the three worst records will all have a 14 percent chance of coming out of the lottery with the top pick, and the opportunity to select Duke star Zion Williamson. >> Read More

Warriors star Kevin Durant can be a free agent after the season, and the idea that he could team up with fellow free agent Kyrie Irving on the Knicks this summer has picked up steam since the Kristaps Porzingis trade cleared two max slots for New York. Here are the latest rumors...

Mar. 6, 12:52 PM:

There are members of the Warriors organization "concerned that Durant's behavior is a sign that he's already got one foot out the door," reports Chris B. Haynes of Yahoo! Sports. 

The Knicks' dream lineup in 2019-20 that they hope will feature Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving could be a pipe dream -- at least according to one NBA analyst.

According to Chris Broussard, Durant and Irving are "leaning away" from going to the Knicks when they hit free agency after the season.

While rumors swirl about Durant's potential desire to join the Knicks and people analyze each word that comes out of Irving's mouth and each facial expression he makes during a Celtics loss, the Broussard statement on Wednesday is the only one that suggests the two stars are not keen on New York.

Knicks' rookie Kevin Knox is going through a bit of a rough patch, but head coach David Fizdale is experimenting some new strategies with him. 

The 19-year-old rookie has a .321 shooting percentage in his last seven games and has seen his minutes diminish of late, but showed some renewed promise in Monday's loss to the Kings. 

Knox was 4-for-6 from the field with a couple of those buckets coming from his play in the post. 

Kristaps Porzingis made his return to New York on Monday, but it wasn't at Madison Square Garden. Instead, it was further downtown in Brooklyn where his new Mavericks squad was beaten badly by the Nets. And as the game ended, Porzingis was swift to leave the Barclays Center court as he didn't want to answer any questions regarding his departure from the Knicks last month.

After the shocking blockbuster deal just before the NBA trade deadline between the Mavs and Knicks, Porzingis left by telling Knicks fans know to "stay woke." This statement on his Instagram came after the Knicks' comments about how Porzingis was unhappy and forced the team's hand to trade him. Porzingis has yet to address any of this since shipping out to Dallas. 

Instead, Porzingis' new teammates and head coach answered for him, but one teammate that was shipped to Dallas with him in Tim Hardaway Jr. knows the Knicks made a big mistake. 

The NBA2K League helds its draft on Tuesday and the Knicks selected OriginalMalik with the final pick of the first round. 

The Knicks moved into sole possession of last place in the NBA after they lost to the Sacramento Kings 115-108 on Monday at Golden 1 Center. >> Box score

Things to know about Monday's game

1. The Knicks trailed by four midway through the third quarter, but Sacramento went on a 21-11 run that bled into the fourth to take a 94-80 lead with 10:04 remaining.

2. Coupled with the Suns' upset win over the Milwaukee Bucks, who own the NBA's best record, the Knicks fell to 13-51, 0.5 games behind Phoenix in the standings.

Knicks head coach David Fizdale said he is hopeful center DeAndre Jordan will return from a sprained left ankle for Wednesday's game against the Phoenix Suns, according to Newsday's Steve Popper.

Jordan, who suffered the injury in practice on Feb. 23, has missed the Knicks' last four games and will miss his fifth straight on Monday against the Sacramento Kings.

Fizdale said Jordan, the Knicks' starting center since they acquired him in the Kristaps Porzingis blockbuster trade, has been progressing over the past week.

Still reeling in the wake of a critical home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, the Sacramento Kings get a boost from the schedule-maker Monday when they face the New York Knicks for the first of two times in a six-day stretch.

The last-place Knicks get no such break Monday, facing a Western Conference playoff contender on the second day of a back-to-back, having been humiliated 128-107 by the Clippers in the opener of the double dip.

The Knicks trailed 82-46 at halftime in Los Angeles.