Scoring 143 and 143 this week made everybody agree about the Knicks.
The Knicks are so back. New York has won four consecutive games, is only one mere game behind the reigning champions in the standings, and will wrap up January as one of only six teams to have crossed the 30-win barrier through January.
Coming off back-to-back dubs, the Knickerbockers went on to trounce the Kings and the Grizzlies on Saturday and Monday in a rather softly-scheduled week of play, dumping 143 points on each of their last two foes. Will they do so against the no-so-distant champs from the Rockies? Find out tonight!
Here’s a roundup of all the power rankings posted at different outlets through Tuesday’s matchups, capturing the national perception of the Knicks among the basketball elite.
Note: I have included a +/- next to each rank, with a minus sign (-) meaning dropping down and a plus sign (+) meaning climbing up X spots compared to last week’s position on that outlet.
NBA — No. 6 — New York Knicks (+1)
John Schuhmann of NBA.com bumped New York up one place, still short from the No. 3 spot he placed them at a month ago entering the 2025 calendar year.
What makes this ranking interesting is the fact that JS took both wins at the start of last week into consideration, as well as the 143-point demolition of the Kings but the one against the Grizzlies two days later.
Will John change his view of New York when he factors that matchup in his upcoming week ranks? Will a win against the Nuggets and a reasonably winnable game against the Lakers on Saturday force Schuhmann to move the Knicks higher up? We can only wait and see.
“The Knicks’ starting lineup has now played 755 minutes, 257 more than any other lineup in the league. It was outscored in two of their three games last week, but bench minutes (limited as they were) were good. The Knicks’ bench ranks seventh this season, though the 59.9 minutes per game that they’ve gotten from reserves continues to be the fewest for any team in the last 19 years.
“The bigger issues during the 3-6 stretch were on defense, but it was nice for the Knicks’ second-ranked offense to bust out (143 points on 104 possessions) against Sacramento on Saturday, with all five starters scoring at least 18 points and Josh Hart recording his sixth triple-double of the season. The Knicks are 6-0 (11-1 over the last two seasons) when Hart has recorded a triple-double.
“The Knicks’ win over the Kings came with 12 corner 3s, the second most for any team in a game this season. Mikal Bridges had four of the 12 and now has 70 corner 3s for the season, 21 more than teammate OG Anunoby, who ranks second at 49. If he plays every game (and he always plays every game), Bridges is on pace to crush P.J. Tucker’s record of 109 corner 3-pointers in 2018-19. He’s shot 45.8% from the corners (including 51.2% from the right corner), but just 28.0% on above-the-break 3s.” — John Schuhmann
The Knicks moving one spot down meant the Nuggets dropped, in a role reversal to what happened a week ago in these same power ranks.
The Athletic — No. 5 — New York Knicks (+1)
Law Murray of The Athletic moved the Knicks back into the top five this week and in any direction for the first time in three weeks.
For this edition, with all teams having played at least 41 games through Monday’s slate and the first half of the campaign in the rearview mirror, Murray handed second-quarter grades to all 30 franchises.
The grade covers games 21-41 exclusively, which is slightly different from the full first-half grade of the season. Murray kindly thinks the Knicks have been better during the last 20 games (B+) than they were at the start of the season (B-).
“New York has improved defensively throughout the season, but it is still led by the offense. And while the Knicks haven’t been as powerful scoring the ball as they were to begin the season, the offense has still been quite efficient. Center Karl-Anthony Towns was selected as a starter in the All-Star Game for the first time in his 10-year career, and his 55 percent shooting from the field over the last seven weeks is a major reason why.” — Law Murray
The Knicks’ surge dropped the Grizzlies below them, which makes sense considering the latter just imploded inside MSG on Monday.
ESPN — No. 6 — New York Knicks (+1)
The ESPN panel released their rankings on Wednesday morning and they could only take the wins—albeit massive, not gonna lie—against Sacto and Memphis into consideration when it comes to Knicks basketball.
New York moved up a spot from seventh while Denver moved down a notch from sixth, and in this edition of the ranks, less than two weeks before the trade deadline, our favorite sportscasters decided not to flavor the list at all. Bummer.
“The Knicks had gone 45 years without a 143-point showing in a regulation contest before doing it in back-to-back games Saturday and Monday. The NBA’s second-most efficient offense notched consecutive wins over the Kings and Grizzlies by that tally—the Knicks’ 60th straight win when holding at least a 15-point lead, the longest active streak in the NBA.
“The Knicks will continue to be tested, though: They have the East’s hardest remaining slate as they head into February and are only one game.” — Chris Herring
In a rather boring development, the top-5 in ESPN’s power rankings remained exactly the same as how it looked a week ago; that is: OKC, CLE, BOS, MEM, and HOU above your beloved Knicks.
What are your thoughts on the ranks above? Where do you have the Knicks ranked after they split their first six games of the season? Drop your hot takes in the comments section below!