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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.

Jeremy Brener

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

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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."

Carmelo Anthony Glad to See Knicks Trade 'Bland' RJ Barrett

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.

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Jeremy Brener
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.

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