NBA Cup Success Pushing Knicks Higher in Power Rankings

The New York Knicks are in the NBA Cup Final against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.

Their victory against the Orlando Magic is the latest win in a hot streak for the Knicks that has propelled them all the way to the final stage of the tournament. Because of this, NBA.com writer John Schuhmann conducted his weekly power rankings and placed the Knicks at No. 5, two spots higher than the previous edition.

"The Knicks have won nine of their last 10 games and are heading to the Emirates NBA Cup final, thanks to two efficient offensive performances against two top-10 defenses – those of the Raptors and Magic – last week," Schuhmann wrote.

"Paint points will be harder to come by against the Spurs on Tuesday, but Karl-Anthony Towns (10-for-19 from 3-point range over the Knicks’ five-game winning streak) is obviously the best player to have if the Knicks want to pull Victor Wembanyama away from the basket. If you count the Cup final (which doesn’t count in the standings), the Knicks are three games into a stretch where they’re playing 13 of 15 against teams with winning records."

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson at press conference prior to the Emirates NBA Cup championship. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Knicks Moving Up in Power Rankings

The only teams that are higher than the Knicks in the power rankings are the Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, and Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Knicks are beating teams, but it isn't particularly close. They are flexing their muscles and pulling out high-quality wins against their opponents.

"The Knicks have gone 16-4 since Nov. 1, and only four of those 20 games have been within five points in the last five minutes. They’re tied with the Thunder (15-0) and Nuggets (15-0) for the most wins (they’re 15-2) in games that weren’t within five in the last five," Schuhmann wrote.

The Knicks will eventually face some close games down the line, so that will prepare them for the postseason when it comes.

Once the Knicks leave Las Vegas, they will have a pretty busy schedule going up until Christmas. They faced three games in four nights to close out the week against the Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, and Miami Heat.

The Knicks have a brief road trip where they will head to Minneapolis to face Julius Randle and the Minnesota Timberwolves before returning home on Christmas Day to play Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers for the first matchup of the NBA's five-game holiday slate.

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!