The New York Knicks are gearing up for a contest against the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday evening at 7:30 PM. With the Knicks coming off a victory against the New Orleans Pelicans, they have since extended their win streak to six games.
Thanks to a stellar performance from Julius Randle, who won the Eastern Conference player of the week award, the Knicks are rolling and actually cracked the top 10 power rankings in the NBA.
The last time the Knicks were considered a top 10 team, it must’ve been 2014, and they are sniffing the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. They currently sit in sixth place, just .5 games behind the Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics, but given their recent success, it is only a matter of time before they take hold of a higher seed.
The Knicks have been winning despite not having some of their more influential players, including Mitchell Robinson and Alec Burks against New Orleans. In fact, Burks will be again out on Tuesday against the Hornets. He’ll be unavailable due to the league’s health and safety protocols and could be available on Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks, which could catapult the Knicks into fourth place.
The New York Knicks could end up courting Zion Williamson from New Orleans:
After the Knicks’ victory over the Pelicans, Williamson took to the media to express his love for playing at MSG and in New York. In fact, he was a bit ecstatic about the idea of playing in MSG regularly, suggesting to Knick fans he could end up with the squad at some point in the future.
“I mean, New York is the mecca of basketball,” Williamson said. “I love playing here. I played here in college. This is my first time playing in the pros. I mean, this atmosphere — whether they’re cheering for you, whether they’re booing for you, it’s amazing. Honestly, I think, outside of New Orleans obviously, I think this might be my favorite place to play. Outside of New Orleans. I can’t even lie to you. I can’t lie to you.”
“He was pretty animated with it,” Wojnarowski said. “It’s certainly something, I think, down the road for people to keep their eye on. But right now, you know, he’s in New Orleans. He’s going to be in New Orleans and they have a window here with the young core that they have to improve, get better, and make him want to stay there.”