Thanks to a game-winning shot by Jalen Brunson in overtime against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night, the Knicks are heading into the NBA All-Star break with a 36-18 record and their most wins at this stage since the 1972-73 NBA season.

That year marked the franchise’s second and most recent NBA championship – 52 years ago.

Whether this year’s team can legitimately contend for the title remains to be seen, but the schedule immediately following the All-Star break will reveal a great deal.

After hosting the Chicago Bulls on Feb. 20, the Knicks will visit the East-leading Cleveland Cavaliers on Feb. 21 before tripping to the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics Feb. 23. Both games will be nationally televised.

After facing the struggling Philadelphia 76ers on Feb. 26, the Knicks visit the Memphis Grizzlies Feb. 28. Memphis is currently the No. 2 seed in the West.

“We will see in those three games [Cleveland, Boston and Memphis] how legitimate they are in terms of being actually a contender,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said Thursday on air.

The good news for the Knicks is that they are expected to get Mitchell Robinson, their best defensive player, back soon. Robinson has been cleared for contact, but not. yet for full 5-on-5 practice.

“When the doctor tells me to go, I’ll be ready to go,” he said, per the NY Post.

The Knicks did not make any big deals at the trade deadline largely because they knew Robinson was on his way back.

“I’m not predicting that they’re gonna go to the finals, but Mitchell Robinson back at least gives them a chance to upgrade the roster,” Windhorst said.

The Knicks already feature two starters in the NBA All-Star Game in Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, the latter of whom averaged 42 points and 11 rebounds in wins over Indiana and Atlanta.

They also got 30 points and 10 boards from Josh Hart against Indiana and 36 points and 8 assists from Brunson against the Hawks.

Yet despite having won 9-of-11 and sitting in the No. 3 position in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks have struggled against the NBA’s elite teams.

They are 25-6 against sub-.500 teams and just 11-12 against teams .500 or better.

Against the NBA’s three best teams, the Cavaliers, Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder, they have been outscored by 91 points in five games “and have not looked competitive in any of those matchups,” said David A. Dennis of AndScape and ESPN.

“They have to step up defensively come playoff time,” Dennis said.

If the playoffs began today, the Knicks would play the No. 6 Detroit Pistons (29-26) and then could potentially face the Celtics in the second round.

For now, Brunson and Towns will head to the All-Star Game, while the rest of the team will get some much needed R&R.

After that, the post-All-Star schedule should reveal a great deal.

“We haven’t really accomplished anything,” Brunson told reporters. “We have a long way to go to continue to where we want to go. But it’s all about taking one day at a time. Rest and recharge and come back ready to go.”

THE NETS AREN’T WAVING THE WHITE FLAGG

The Brooklyn Nets enter the break on a three-game winning streak after knocking off the struggling Philadelphia 76ers, 100-96, Wednesday night.

At this point, both teams have identical 20-34 records despite entering the season with vastly different expectations.

The Sixers were hoping to contend for an NBA championship with its “Big 3” of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George, while the Nets were expected to “get in the bag for Cooper Flagg,” the Duke star who went for 27 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in Duke’s 78-57 blowout win over Cal on Wednesday and is expected to be the No. 1 pick.

But the Sixers have dealt with ongoing injuries to Embiid, who said he may need another knee surgery following the season, while George has been a disappointment.

The Nets, meantime, keep winning despite trading Dennis Schroder and Dorian Finney-Smith and waiving Ben Simmons. D’Angelo Russell led the way with 22 points against the Sixers.

Now both the Nets and Sixers are just 1 1/2 games out of the Play-In in the East, where teams 7-10 will face off.

“You’ve gotta give credit to these players, they’re playing with a chip on their shoulder, the coaches are doing a helluva job,” Nets GM Sean Marks told me in November. “… It’s exciting to see an identity being formed and a culture being driven. So who am I to push back on that?”

Marks added at the time that the team is not intentionally trying to tank for Flagg or anyone else.

“We don’t use that word,” he said.