New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson drives past Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey. Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Knicks Losing Streak Leads to Power Rankings Problem

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Jan 5, 2026 5:00 PM ET

The New York Knicks are losers of three straight games, which is putting the team in a bit of a tough spot.

The Knicks are still in second place in the Eastern Conference standings, but their lead is diminished to a half game over the Boston Celtics. Their spot in NBA.com writer John Schuhmann's power rankings is also taking a hit. The team is down to No. 6 after being at No. 3 last week.

"Before last weekend, the Knicks hadn’t lost two straight games since October. But they’ve now lost three straight, doubling their loss total at Madison Square Garden (from two to four) in the span of 27 hours on Friday and Saturday," Schuhmann wrote.

"The Knicks now trail the first-place Pistons by three games, and they’ll meet for the first time on Monday. It’s a matchup of two of the league’s top five rebounding teams, though Detroit will be without a big man (Jalen Duren) on the glass."

New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown talks with guard Jalen Brunson Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Knicks Struggling in Power Rankings

The teams ranked ahead of the Knicks in the power rankings are the Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons, Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.

The next slide is not just a coincidence. There are a few lingering problems that are being brought to the surface with injuries to Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson.

"The two weekend losses at home were just the fifth and sixth times that the Knicks shot below 50% in the paint. Additionally, their loss to the Hawks on Friday was the only time they’ve scored less than a point per possession. OG Anunoby had a six-game stretch where he shot 7-for-38 (18%) from 3-point range and, even after going 3-for-5 from deep on Saturday, is registering the second-lowest effective field goal percentage (53.3%) of his career," Schuhmann wrote.

"Defense has been a bigger problem, with the Knicks allowing 120.6 per 100 (27th in the league) over their last nine games. They rank in the bottom six in opponent effective field goal percentage, opponent free throw rate and opponent turnover rate over that stretch. Defensive rebounding has been far less of an issue, but the Spurs and Sixers each had big offensive rebounds down the stretch last week."

The Knicks will have a chance to bounce back, but it will be interesting to see how they recover from these setbacks since the team hasn't struggled like this all season long.

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

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