NBA Power Rankings: Knicks Fall Further After Offensive No-Show vs. 76ers
The New York Knicks endured a power failure at the worst possible time on Sunday.
Currently engaged in a tight race for homecourt advantage in the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Knicks dropped a 79-73 decision to the Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden.
That output was the worst for any NBA team in a single game this season and prevented the Knicks (37-27) from breaking away from the five-team jam battling for the fourth-through-eighth playoff spots. As it stands, New York holds fourth place by a half-game over the Orlando Magic.
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Though the Knicks topped Orlando on Friday (ironically setting the prior season record for fewest points allowed), they fell to 10th-place Atlanta in a wire-to-wire loss last Tuesday. With all that in mind, the Knicks fell from 11th to 14th in the latest power rankings from CBS Sports.
"Jalen Brunson used a colorful word that rhymes with "smogschmidt" to describe how he played in the Knicks' loss to the 76ers on Sunday in which they scored just 73(!) points," CBS Sports' Colin Ward-Henniger writes. "The word applies to the entire offense, which scored just over 101 points per 100 possessions in a 1-2 week, but Knicks optimists will point to the fact that they only allowed a sterling 99.6 to their opponents.
"More reason for excitement: OG Anunoby is reportedly set to rejoin the lineup soon."
With Anunoby's return reportedly imminent, the Knicks face a monumental week: a rematch with the 76ers awaits on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT) before the team embarks on a four-game road trip that works through Portland, Sacramento, Golden State, and Denver.
