Nine games, eight of them against playoff contenders, stand between the Knicks and a surprising playoff berth.

As it stands, the Knicks hold the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. They are a full game ahead of the fifth-place Hawks, with the Celtics and Heat trailing them by two games apiece.

That is important. One of those teams will finish lower than sixth and will have to take part in the play-in tournament featuring the seventh through 10th seeds. The seventh and eighth seeds meet first, with the loser facing the winner of the game between the ninth and 10th seeds to determine the final entrant.

The Knicks, winners of 10 of their last 11 games, obviously would love to avoid that. Here are four keys to staying out of the play-in:

There are a lot of reasons the Knicks have lapped expectations, from key offseason additions to Tom Thibodeau’s terrific coaching job to an all-out effort on a game-by-game basis.

But at the top of the list is the play of Julius Randle and RJ Barrett. The Knicks wouldn’t be close to the playoffs without this duo making such big strides, and they won’t be able to avoid the play-in bracket if Randle and Barrett can’t continue on their current pace.

It’s not a coincidence the one time the Knicks have lost in the last three weeks — to the Suns on Monday — Randle and Barrett struggled. They have been incredibly consistent at both ends of the floor, making big shots and bringing it on the defensive end while managing a heavy workload. They’ll need to finish strong in order to ensure the Knicks do too. Either Randle, a first-time All-Star, or Barrett, who is having a sensational second season, have led the Knicks in scoring in 15 of their previous 17 games.

There has been slippage on defense of late, which Thibodeau has tried to address. In Wednesday’s win over the Bulls, he made a point of getting on Barrett after he was beaten on a backdoor move.

According to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Herring, the Knicks allowed 113.5 points per 100 possessions from April 16-27. Their defensive rating in that span was 113.5 — the 21st-worst in the league — well down from their fourth-ranked mark (108.0) overall this season. The Knicks allow the fewest points per game (104.7), but six opponents have bested that mark in the last 11 games. Of their final nine opponents, five are ranked in the top 15 in offensive rating. That doesn’t include the Lakers, who should have LeBron James back from an ankle injury by the time the Knicks face them May 11 at Staples Center.

The schedule is daunting, with few soft spots. The Knicks can’t afford to let those chances slide by, especially since they also have to face the Suns, Lakers, Clippers and Nuggets and Grizzlies on the road. That means starting this trip Sunday by beating the Rockets (16-47), who are coming off a stunning win over the Bucks. It means taking care of playoff contenders like the Hornets and Celtics at home. Both have losing records on the road and the Knicks are red-hot at the Garden, winning 14 of their last 18 games there.

The Knicks should be getting Alec Burks back soon after he has missed the last seven games while being on the COVID-19 health and safety protocols list. He took part in Wednesday’s shootaround before the win over the Bulls. Before his absence, Burks had emerged as a key player off the bench, averaging 12.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists, and scoring 19 points or more in nine of his last 15 games.

While rookie Immanuel Quickley has regained his footing and Derrick Rose has seen his numbers and minutes increase with Burks out, the 6-foot-6 wing’s shotmaking, defense and toughness have been integral to the Knicks’ success. He will be needed down the stretch against such stiff competition.