The New York Knicks have been given the No. 12 spot in the NBA’s latest power rankings after getting the better of the Milwaukee Bucks in the second of their two-game set on Monday.
John Schuhmann of NBA.com bumped the Knicks up three slots in his weekly rankings as a result of them going 3-1, saying in part:
“The Knicks are now 3-7 in games played between the seven East teams that currently have winning records, set to face the Magic for the first time on Friday. That’s the middle game of a pretty tough three-game trip. They’ll have a rest advantage in Oklahoma City on Wednesday but will be at a disadvantage in Indiana over the weekend.”
Knicks Collect Wins Over 2 Championship Contenders
The bright spot in the Knicks’ week came with their 129-122 victory over the Bucks, where Jalen Brunson led all scorers with 38 points. This marked the first time New York had gotten a win over Milwaukee in their last eight games.
They started off the week by downing a Los Angeles Lakers team with both LeBron James and Anthony Davis active in the lineup. Outside of James, Davis, and Austin Reaves, the Knicks contained the rest of the Lakers, as none scored over nine points in the game.
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Knicks: Defense Coming Along With New Frontcourt Lineup
The Knicks also picked up a needed win over the Brooklyn Nets last Thursday, holding them to 31.9 percent from three and winning the rebounding battle by a margin of 12 boards.
On the other side of the coin, the Knicks allowed the Bucks to defeat them in their first outing last Saturday, which prevented a further ascent in the rankings.
Since Mitchell Robinson went down for the year with an ankle injury, the Knicks have seen a dip in their defensive rating but have been able to prevent some of the best interior presences in the league from taking control of games.
The Knicks suffered a critical loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, kicking off their present week on the wrong foot. They’ll look to bounce back in their next outing against an Orlando Magic team that came in a slot above them and have a one-game lead in the Eastern Conference standings.
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