NBA Power Rankings: New York Knicks Rising Amidst Win Streak?

The New York Knicks are back among the top 10 in CBS Sports' NBA power rankings thanks to a three-game winning streak.

Jeremy Brener | Dec 5, 2023

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New York Knicks

The New York Knicks are riding a three-game winning streak going into the In-Season Tournament semifinal on Tuesday night against the Milwaukee Bucks (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT).

New York (12-7) is not only winning, but they are doing it comfortably, as the three wins came by a combined 44-point margin. Granted, the victories came against three teams unlikely to make much noise in the postseason this year (Charlotte, Detroit Toronto), but these victories have potentially helped build some confidence and momentum heading into more high-profile games like Thursday's at Fiserv Forum.

Jalen Brunson during last week's game against Detroit / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

With that in mind, CBS Sports placed the Knicks in the ninth spot in their latest power rankings, two spots from the prior edition.

"The Knicks beat the Hornets, Pistons, and Raptors this week with a net rating of plus-14 (that's good!), as the defense and offense were both clicking against a few struggling teams," CBS' Colin-Ward Henninger wrote. "Jalen Brunson averaged 25 points and eight assists for the week, shooting 48 percent from three-point range."

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If the Knicks can find a way to keep this win streak going against more talented teams, they should find themselves even higher in the next listings. Though the Knicks currently have only two games scheduled this week, there will be an opportunity to move further no matter what happens in Milwaukee on Tuesday.

Depending on the result of Tuesday's game, the Knicks will face the Indiana Pacers in the Las Vegas-based semifinal round with a win or the conference-leading Boston Celtics with a loss. The Knicks have lost to the division rival Celtics twice already this season and they've also dropped seven in a row to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks.

Published Dec 5, 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.