By the end of January, the New York Knicks seemed poised to contend for their first title in over five decades, while the dominance of the Golden State Warriors appeared to be fading.

Both teams will find themselves in contrasting situations on Thursday night as the Warriors visit the Knicks for their first encounter of the season.

Following their games on Tuesday, where the shorthanded Knicks were defeated by the New Orleans Pelicans 115-92, and the resurgent Warriors kicked off a four-game road trip by defeating the Washington Wizards 123-112, both squads had a day off on Wednesday.

The Knicks were missing key players for their Tuesday game, dropping to a 4-7 record this month. OG Anunoby (right elbow), Julius Randle (right shoulder), and Mitchell Robinson (ankle surgery) are sidelined indefinitely, while Jalen Brunson (neck) and Isaiah Hartenstein (left Achilles) were late scratches.

In January, the Knicks posted a 14-2 record with Anunoby’s arrival after being acquired from the Toronto Raptors in a major trade on December 30, strengthening the team’s defense. The Knicks held opponents below 110 points in 16 out of 17 games between January 1 and February 1.

Despite their earlier successes, the Knicks have struggled in the absence of Anunoby, Randle, Hartenstein, and Brunson, leading to a 13-game losing streak. Their deficiencies were evident in Tuesday’s game where they were outscored 67-45 in the second half.

“Yes, we miss Jalen, but you miss Julius and you miss OG,” guard Donte DiVincenzo said of the Knicks, who have allowed 110 points or more in eight of their past 10 games.

“The first half was really good for us. We felt really confident going into the second half. We’ve just got to be more disciplined and play basketball for 48 minutes.”

Despite holding fourth place in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks are only 1 1/2 games ahead of the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers, who are competing for the final guaranteed playoff positions.

On the other hand, the Warriors find themselves in a precarious situation in the Western Conference standings, tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for ninth place, battling for the last two spots in the play-in tournament.

Following the contract extension of head coach Steve Kerr, who led the Warriors to four championships in his first nine seasons, the return of veteran point guard Chris Paul, after missing 21 games due to a broken left hand, provided a boost to the team.

Paul contributed nine points, six assists, and four steals in over 21 minutes off the bench as the Warriors dominated the Wizards with a 38-17 run in the third quarter.

While the Warriors struggled with a 5-7 record in January, they have bounced back this month with an impressive 10-3 record.

“We’re in a really unique situation where we have an era that’s winding down and another that’s coming,” Kerr said after his extension was announced. “We’re trying to make them merge and make the most of that this year and next year.

“Let’s keep it rolling for another couple years and then reassess it.”