The New York Knicks are warning fans to bring as little as possible and encouraging them to arrive at least two hours before tipoff as part of the increased security.
The Knicks said Saturday that a strict no-bag policy will be in place and that there would be "TSA-style screening procedures" for fans when they enter Madison Square Garden for the game that is scheduled to begin just after 8:40 p.m. EDT.
While there will be no outdoor watch party at Madison Square Garden on Monday night, there are events set for Wollman Rink in Central Park and Brooklyn Bowl.
"It's never a question of if there will be a watch parties but where there will be watch parties," said Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Mamdani says the city is working closely with the Knicks, Secret Service and NYPD.
They're trying to avoid a repeat of Friday night where dozens of people were taken into custody. One woman was arrested for assaulting a police officer.
"We know that the vast majority of New Yorkers were celebrating in a way we want them to with exuberance and joy, there is no tolerance for violence against a police officer or violence in general," Mamdani said.
The mayor says all involved are looking at models that allow New Yorkers to celebrate -- minus the violence.
"Whether it's Central Park, whether it's Radio City Music Hall, whether it's at Brooklyn Bowl," Mamdani said.
Die-hard Knicks fans like Gino Cabigao from Clifton, New Jersey say they're going nowhere.
"No matter if it's TSA, president, whatever the case here, we're here for the Knicks and here to support," Cabigao said.
As for Monday night's game at the Garden, Mamdani said he will attend the game, but with some very strategic positioning.
"I tell you, it will be a very different place then the president, I probably will be standing for most of it," Mamdani said.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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