Any chance of an intriguing spring for basketball fans seems to hinge on the returns of Julius Randle and OG Anunoby for the Knicks.

Without those two, the Knicks (33-22) entered the All-Star break having lost four straight and five of six. They slipped to fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings, 10 games back of the first-place Celtics.

But head coach Tom Thibodeau didn’t sound discouraged last week as his team entered the break, saying, “There’s a lot of work to be done, but I think it’s a good opportunity to take a break and recharge, too. … [The players] understand when we get back, we have to hit the ground running.”

The Knicks have the NBA’s 14th-toughest remaining schedule, according to Tankathon, starting with a road game against the 76ers on Thursday and a home date with the Celtics on Saturday.