The New York Knicks were missing some vital instruments but they still managed to open the new year on a high note against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.

Despite lacking both Jalen Brunson and Miles McBride, the Knicks earned their revenge against the Utah Jazz, putting up a 119-103 decision on New Year’s Day at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks (24-10) picked up where they left off in 2024, winning their ninth in a row and atoning for a 15-point loss to the hapless Jazz in Salt Lake City in November.

Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart put up sterling Knicks history on Wednesday: Towns earned 31 points and 21 rebounds while Hart had a triple-double (15 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists) for the second straight game. The duo becomes the first in Knicks history to earn a 30-20 game and a double-double since Walt “Clyde” Frazier and the late Willis Reed.

Brunson was declared out shortly before tip-off and it was originally announced that McBride would take his place in the starting five. McBride, however, was said to have endured hamstring woes during warm-ups and was, in turn, replaced by Cameron Payne. In his first start as a New Yorker, Payne dished out nine assists and also swiped three steals.

The Knicks now hit the road for a weekend back-to-back. Part one will serve as a reunion with Isaiah Hartenstein as the Knicks face the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder (8 p.m. ET, MSG/NBA TV).

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

Some games carry a bit more weight.

That rang true for Michael Kesselring on Tuesday night in Edmonton.

The Utah Hockey Club defenseman spent three years in the Oilers’ organization after the team selected him in the sixth round of the 2018 NHL Draft. Kesselring was subsequently traded — with a third-round pick — to the Arizona Coyotes in March 2023 for Nick Bjugstad and Cam Dineen as Edmonton looked to make a strong push in the playoffs.

“I like to say I don’t take it personally, but I do a little bit. It means a little bit more to me to play them,” Kesselring said. “Nothing against them — I had a great experience there.”

Kesselring never skated in an NHL game with the Oilers; he was on the AHL affiliate Bakersfield Condors for the better part of three seasons before getting dealt to what is now Utah Hockey Club. It was there that Kesselring learned what would be expected of him as an NHL defenseman and he adjusted his game accordingly.

That time in Bakersfield shaped him into the puck-moving, physical and smooth-skating blueliner Utah fans have gotten to watch this year.

“I think the biggest thing that I noticed early was just how hard he worked at the gym. He was top three as far as how hard he worked in practice and in the gym,” said Colin Chaulk who is head coach of the Condors. “Being a right-shot d-man with his stature and size – you think of him already, how do we develop this player into an NHL player?”

Kesselring — who stands at 6-foot-5, 215 pounds — received a clear message from Chaulk: get your shot through. The coach wanted Kesselring to utilize his hard, direct release and offensive instincts without sacrificing his defensive details. That balance came together during his third season in Bakersfield before he was traded.

The 24-year-old had 22 points (13 goals, nine assists) through 49 games after posting 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) through 55 games the year prior.

“Off the ice, just growing up. I went there after two years of college and was pretty immature for sure. They helped me grow up a lot,” Kesselring said. “I think on the ice — Dave Manson and Colin Chaulk and all the coaches I had when I was there — really helped me with my skating and that was kind of the biggest difference for me from my first year pro to now. Very thankful for them.”

Kesselring’s development quickly took a different direction as he joined the Coyotes. He made his NHL debut the day after the trade and spent a majority of the following season — 65 games, to be exact — with the Arizona squad. This year, Kesselring has grown into a key piece of Utah’s backend; he’s on the second pair with Ian Cole and runs the second power-play unit from the point while averaging 19:03 of ice time a night.

“It’s tough,” Chaulk said of Kesselring getting traded. “You’re happy for the player that he’s getting an opportunity to potentially play in the NHL. You also wish you could continue to get to work with that player because you want to be a part of him getting to the NHL in your organization — and more importantly, staying in the NHL in your organization.”

Would Kesselring have the same runway if he were still in Edmonton, though? It’s hard to say.

The Oilers and Utah are in two very different places. Edmonton made it to the Stanley Cup Final last season and lost in seven games; it’s looking to bring back some hardware this time around. The Club is in the fourth year of a rebuild and is just outside wild-card slotting for the postseason.

Utah has both depended on and invested in its youth for the future. The Oilers were locked in with a steadfast group of six defensemen which they ran with for all of the 2023-24 season. Things look a bit different for them now — Philip Broberg signed with the St. Louis Blues, Cody Ceci was traded to the San Jose Sharks and Vincent Desharnais is now with the Vancouver Canucks.

“They used the same six defensemen for the entire season,” Chaulk said. “That just doesn’t happen, but it did. So I think he probably wouldn’t have had that opportunity until this year.”

It is something Kesselring has briefly thought about, too.

“I always wanted to play for them. It was really cool getting drafted by a Canadian team, my dad is Canadian,” Kesselring said. “I always wanted the opportunity – who knows how it would have worked out.”

There’s no use looking back now as Kesselring has cemented himself as an NHL regular with Utah, in part because of the deep defensive injuries the team has dealt with this season. He has also just scratched the surface. The Club organization has high expectations for Kesselring in the next few years and believes he can meet them.

“He has games where he is elite but has a hard time to maintain that level on a consistent basis. But he showed us how good he can be,” head coach André Tourigny said. “He’s super competitive, he’s a great guy, he works hard, he competes, he’s good defensively in his 1-on-1 battles. There’s a lot to like there.”

Chaulk is happy to see it.

“I go back to being thankful that you had a hand in and had a part in helping somebody live their dream,” he said.

Associated Press

Utah Hockey Club (16-15-6, in the Central Division) vs. Calgary Flames (18-12-7, in the Pacific Division)

Calgary, Alberta; Thursday, 9 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: The Utah Hockey Club look to break their five-game losing streak with a victory against the Calgary Flames.

Calgary has a 13-4-3 record at home and an 18-12-7 record overall. The Flames have gone 16-3-3 when scoring three or more goals.

Utah has a 16-15-6 record overall and an 11-8-2 record on the road. The Utah Hockey Club have a 6-9-5 record in games their opponents commit fewer penalties.

The teams play Thursday for the second time this season. The Utah Hockey Club won 5-1 in the previous meeting.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jonathan Huberdeau has 16 goals and 13 assists for the Flames. Nazem Kadri has six goals and four assists over the last 10 games.

Clayton Keller has 13 goals and 24 assists for the Utah Hockey Club. Dylan Guenther has scored six goals with four assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Flames: 5-3-2, averaging 2.9 goals, 4.4 assists, four penalties and 11.3 penalty minutes while giving up 3.2 goals per game.

Utah Hockey Club: 4-4-2, averaging 2.7 goals, 5.1 assists, 3.7 penalties and 7.9 penalty minutes while giving up 2.7 goals per game.

INJURIES: Flames: None listed.

Utah Hockey Club: None listed.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.