NBA Power Rankings: Knicks Fall Back To Earth After Rollercoaster Week

The New York Knicks have lost two of their past three after a five-game winning streak began the 2024 calendar year.

The New York Knicks are beginning to regress to the mean after the OG Anunoby trade.

After winning their first five games with Anunoby in the lineup, the Knicks have dropped two of their past three, including Monday's visit from the Orlando Magic. New York (23-17) also dropped a narrow decision to Dallas and also let the severely shorthanded Memphis Grizzlies linger longer than was necessary in a Saturday win on the road.

Kevin Jairaj, USA TODAY SPORTS

The .500 record for the week (combining the above with a blowout over lowly Portland on Tuesday), partly excused by star point guard Jalen Brunson missing the last two games, resulted in a significant drop for the Knicks in CBS Sports' power rankings. After placing third last week, the team now sits at 13th with a league-worst 10-spot drop.

"The sheen of the OG Anunoby trade wore off a bit this week in losses to the shorthanded Mavericks and Magic -- though the Knicks were without Jalen Brunson for the Orlando game," CBS Sports' Colin-Ward Henninger writes. "Julius Randle led the way in a 2-2 week with 23 points, 7.5 rebounds and six assists per game, though he shot just 42 percent from the field. Anunoby averaged 17 points on 45 percent 3-point shooting."

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There is hope for the Knicks to get back on track this week, even if Brunson remains out of the lineup. Monday's visit from the Magic kickstarted a stretch where all but one of their next 14 games will be held in New York City, which includes a visit to Brooklyn on Jan. 23. 

In the meantime, New York has a very winnable back-to-back on their immediate ledger: the Houston Rockets visit on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG) before hosting the Washington Wizards on Thursday. Over the weekend, they welcome back RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, the primary pieces of the Anunoby trade, to Madison Square Garden when the Toronto Raptors come to town on Saturday.