NBA Power Rankings: Knicks Trending Up After Jalen Brunson Return?

Jalen Brunson is back in the lineup for the New York Knicks. Where does that put them in this week's power rankings?

Jeremy Brener | Mar 21, 2023

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New York Knicks

The New York Knicks are riding smoothly into the last few weeks of the regular season as the playoffs approach.

Assured their first winning season in a full 82-game slate since 2012-13, the Knicks hope to solidify a spot in the Eastern Conference's top six spots and avoid the Play-In tournament. New York has certainly played like a team worthy of that top-six spot, and the latest power rankings from Sports Illustrated reflect that, ranking them in seventh place for the second straight week.

Last week's action saw the Knicks get over a three-game losing streak with wins over the Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets, part of a three-game winning streak that secured a winning season.

"New York had a light week with just two games on its schedule and it won both," SI writes. "First was the final leg of a four-game road trip in which the Knicks beat the Trail Blazers by 16 behind Immanuel Quickley’s 26 points."

"Jalen Brunson (foot) returned from his three-game absence to lead his team to a win over the Nuggets. Brunson, Julius Randle, and RJ Barrett each had 20-plus points in the contest to complete the season sweep of Denver."

After their loss last night to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Knicks (42-31) will look to get a little warmer in Florida with games against the Miami Heat on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG) and Orlando Magic on Thursday.

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Published Mar 21, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.