NBA Power Rankings: Knicks Slipping After Injury Woes?
The New York Knicks were one of the hottest teams in basketball and made one of the most monumental deals at last week's trade deadline. But losses in four of their past five, brought about by excessive injuries, have brought them back to earth as the NBA All-Star break looms.
CBS Sports' latest NBA power rankings took the Knicks' struggles into account: New York dropped four spots to 11th after a trying week capped off by a controversial loss to the Houston Rockets on Monday night at Toyota Center.
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"Injuries to Julius Randle and OG Anunoby, not to mention Mitchell Robinson and, now, Isaiah Hartenstein, seem to have caught up to the Knicks," CBS Sports' Colin Ward-Henninger writes. "Deadline acquisitions Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic were thrown right into the fire, combining to play nearly 50 minutes per game. Meanwhile, Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo are carrying the offense, combining to average over 57 points per game this week."
It's the first time the Knicks (33-21) have lost consecutive games since the team traded for Anunoby back in late December. But with three key starters all sidelined, New York's recent output isn't very surprising. Once they return to full health, there's hope that the Knicks can challenge the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
For now, they have to weather the storm and get through these next few weeks without falling too far in the standings. The upcoming All-Star break should help soothe the blow for a bit: the Knicks have one more game left on their docket before the festivities in Indianapolis, as they'll face the Orlando Magic on the road on Wednesday night (7 p.m. ET, MSG).
