NBA Power Rankings: Knicks Back On The Rise After 3-Game Winning Streak

Three wins in a row helped the New York Knicks push forward on the latest NBA power rankings.

The New York Knicks have won their last three games and continue to rise in the Eastern Conference standings: entering a new week of play, New York (26-17) sits fifth on the Eastern Conference leaderboard, partly thrust ahead by wins over Houston, Washington, and Toronto after dropping a holiday visit from the Orlando Magic on Monday.

New power rankings from CBS Sports took notice of the Knicks' surge, placing four sports ahead to ninth after placing 13th last week.

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"After a brief misstep, the Knicks train kept on rolling this week with comfortable wins over the Rockets, Wizards, and Raptors," CBS Sports' Colin Ward-Henninger writes. "New York has been simply unstoppable so far with OG Anunoby. They're outscoring opponents by a ridiculous 38 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor as they've won nine of their last 11 games."

After some shaky starts, the Knicks handled business against Houston and Washington before disposing of the Toronto Raptors by 26 on Saturday in the first meeting between the division rivals since dealing for OG Anunoby on Dec. 30. 

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Since acquiring Anunoby, the Knicks have posted a 9-2 record, second-best in the NBA in that span behind only Cleveland. The road ahead gets no easier as New York seeks inclusion among the Eastern Conference's elite.

Following Tuesday's visit to Brooklyn (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT), the Knicks face the defending champion Denver Nuggets two nights later. They'll then face the Miami Heat in a nationally televised rematch of last year's second-round playoff tilt before closing the week in Charlotte against the reeling Hornets.