New York Knicks' Successful Road Trip Earns Jump in NBA Power Rankings

A busy yet successful week on the road has placed the New York Knicks in the top 10 of NBA.com's latest power rankings.

Jeremy Brener | Nov 20, 2023

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New York Knicks

The New York Knicks are starting to come into their own after a dodgy start to the season: they dropped four of their first six but have gone 6-1 since, resembling the team that won 47 games and a playoff series last year with each passing game.

Thanks to a five-game road trip where they've won three of their first four, New York (8-5) is also rising in NBA.com's latest power rankings, jumping five spots from 13th to eighth.

"The Knicks went 4-1 in their only stretch of five games in seven days this season, with the only loss coming with a rest disadvantage in Boston," NBA.com's John Schuhmann writes. "They’ve won six of their last seven overall, with the league’s second-ranked offense over the last two weeks."

Jalen Brunson (11) and Julius Randle (30) celebrate during Wednesday's win in Atlanta / USA TODAY SPORTS

"The Knicks’ defense has remained in the top five, while their offense has climbed from 29th to 10th in the last two weeks," he continued. "The Celtics, Nuggets, and Thunder are the only other teams that currently rank in the top 10 on both ends of the floor."

As it stands, the road trip featured victories in Atlanta, Washington, and Charlotte, the latter coming in back-to-back fashion. The stretch has been led by Jalen Brunson, whose four-game average of 28.5 points landed Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors.

The Knicks finish their road trip on Monday against the Minnesota Timberwolves (8 p.m. ET, MSG) before returning to New York on Black Friday for a playoff rematch and In-Season Tournament game against the Miami Heat. Then, Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns make their inaugural trip to Madison Square Garden on Sunday.

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Published Nov 20, 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.