New York Knicks guard Jordan Clarkson drives to the basket against the Portland Trail Blazers. Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images

Knicks Keep Pace in Power Rankings Amid Road Trip

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Jan 13, 2026 9:00 AM ET

The New York Knicks are bouncing back with a pair of wins after losing to the Detroit Pistons in a litmus test against a potential Eastern Conference Finals opponent.

Ahead of the Knicks' road trip to the West Coast, NBA.com writer John Schuhmann conducted his weekly power rankings, where the team sits at No. 6 for a second straight week.

"The Knicks came up empty in their first meeting with the first-place Pistons, their worst loss of the season by a healthy margin. That dropped them to third place in the East, but they’re back in second (a half game ahead of the Celtics) after going 2-1 to start a stretch of seven straight games against the West," Schuhmann wrote.

"The Knicks will have a couple of days off before finishing their four-game trip with a Northern California back-to-back. They’ve won eight of their last nine games against the Kings, with last season’s two wins having come by a total of 52 points."

New York Knicks guard Josh Hart talks with referee Leon Wood Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images

Knicks Stay at No. 6 in Power Rankings

The five teams ranked out of the next are the Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, and Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Knicks are hoping to make some adjustments to try and get back towards the top, and they believe they are doing that by shaking up the starting lineup.

"Robinson was moved back to the bench for the last three games, first replaced by Miles McBride and then by Josh Hart, who returned from an eight-game absence on Sunday. But Robinson was on the floor instead of Karl-Anthony Towns (who sat the final 9:24) down the stretch of the Knicks’ win in Portland on Sunday," Schuhmann wrote.

"The Knicks’ defense has been very good (in limited minutes) with Towns and Robinson on the floor together, and the two bigs helped them erase a fourth-quarter deficit (before they lost with some late turnovers) in Phoenix on Friday. But the offense has been much better (122.5 points scored per 100 possessions in 1,347 total minutes) with one on the floor without the other."

The Knicks will continue to experiment with lineups as they cross the halfway point in the season. Early returns have been promising, but they should continue to stay fluid. However, if they continue to find success with Robinson on the bench, they might stick with the changes they have made as they move into the second half of the season.

This article first appeared on New York Knicks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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