Knicks Slip in Midseason Power Rankings

The New York Knicks have taken a tumble as the league approaches its midway point.
Jan 12, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) reacts during the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Jan 12, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) reacts during the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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The New York Knicks have had a rocky start in January, going just 3-4 in the new year so far.

The losses include a pair to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but also adds two gimmes against the Orlando Magic and Chicago Bulls.

The up-and-down movement has put the Knicks at No. 6 in NBA.com writer John Schuhmann's power rankings, two spots lower than the previous week.

"The Knicks lost four out of five games for the first time, getting clobbered by the Thunder on Friday. But they responded with one of their best (and most important) wins of the season, eviscerating the Bucks’ defense on Sunday afternoon," Schuhmann writes.

"The Knicks are just four games into a stretch where they’re playing 12 of 14 at home, with the only road games being short trips to Philadelphia and Brooklyn. They’ll be at a rest disadvantage against the Pistons on Monday when a win would give the franchise its best record through 41 games in the last 28 seasons (since they were 29-12 in 1996-97)."

The only teams to rank ahead of the Knicks were the Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, Boston Celtics, the aforementioned Thunder and the Cleveland Cavaliers, who remain at the top spot with a 33-5 record.

The Knicks have plenty of opportunity with this home-heavy schedule for the rest of January to recover from this rough start in the new year, and the more they can have that opportunity to shine, the better.

The Knicks return to the court tonight to face off against the Detroit Pistons before heading to the City of Brotherly Love to take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. Then, the Knicks quickly return home for a date with Julius Randle in his return to the Garden as the Minnesota Timberwolves come to town on Friday.

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!


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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.