NBA Power Rankings after Week 20: Knicks as Contenders

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With the Milwaukee Bucks losing over the weekend, the New York Knicks now have the longest winning streak in the NBA at nine in a row but it only has gotten them to fifth in the Eastern Conference.

The Knicks are still +6600 longer shots to win their first NBA title in decades. Still interested in betting to win the NBA Championship? MyBookie has the odds for each team to win including the Knicks…

NBA Power Rankings After Week 20: Are Knicks Legitimate Contenders?

NBA Season Info | Updated NBA Odds
NBA Regular Season: October 18, 2022 – April 9, 2023
NBA Play-in tournament: April 11–14, 2023
NBA Playoffs: April 15, 2023 – May 2023
NBA Finals: June 1–18, 2023

New York was very impressive Sunday playing without star Jalen Brunson as it beat Boston 131-129 in double overtime. With Brunson sidelined due to a sore left foot, Quickley started and played the game’s final 44:34. He finished with a career-high 38 points in a whopping 55 minutes overall. The Knicks equaled Boston for the most road wins in the NBA (20) and moved back within one game of the fourth-place Cavaliers.

“It was great. Sunday, in TD Garden, it doesn’t get better than that,” said Quickley, the Sixth Man of the Year candidate who also had eight rebounds, seven assists, four steals, two blocks and just one turnover. “I was telling [Julius Randle] that before the second overtime. I was like, ‘It doesn’t get better than this.’ We’re on national TV in the Garden. Other than Madison [Square Garden], this is probably my favorite place to play, so I had a lot of fun.”

Quickley’s Sixth Man of the Year case keeps getting stronger and the Knicks have now been 7.9 points per 100 possessions better with Quickley on the floor (plus-6.2) than they have with him off the floor (minus-1.7).

Julius Randle followed up his monster 43-point outburst against the Heat on Friday with 31 more Sunday. The 28-year-old Randle has enjoyed a strong bounce-back season after last year’s disappointment, averaging career-highs of 25.1 points and 10.4 rebounds while shooting 35.4 percent from 3-point range, the second-highest mark of his nine seasons in the league. He’s shown no signs of slowing down despite a heavy workload.

“I’m from the old-school cloth I guess,” Randle said. “To me it says something about somebody who can go out there and suit up every game and produce at a high level. Knock on wood, I’ve been very fortunate and blessed from the man above to not be injured as well. I put a lot of work into it to put myself in this position and more than anything I feel great.”

Only Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards has played more minutes, 2,397.9 to Randle’s 2,327.3. Since the All-Star break, Randle is averaging 32.2 points and shooting an even 50 percent from beyond the arc. He was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week on Monday.

The Knicks and Celtics combined to attempt 100 3-pointers Sunday; Boston attempted just three 2-point shots beyond 10 feet the entire game, while New York tried 10. Every player who checked into the game attempted a 3 except the two rim-running centers for New York.

It was the fifth game Brunson has missed this year. New York is 3-2 without him. It’s not thought to be anything serious and Brunson may return Tuesday vs. Charlotte. He is one of two players in the NBA averaging at least 23.5 points, 6.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds while shooting at least 48% overall and 40% from deep. Steph Curry is the other. Brunson and Randle are the first pair of teammates in Knicks history to each have at least three 40-point games in the same season.

New York hasn’t lost a game since acquiring Josh Hart from Portland via trade. Hart continues to play a solid bench role for his new team and is posting 13.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists off the bench. Hart was plus-59 in four games last week. Depth is a big strength with nine legitimate players.

The Knicks’ winning streak is tied for the fourth-longest in the NBA this season and features four wins against teams currently situated in a conference’s top six. New York (39-27) is also a season-best 12 games over .500 and the ongoing streak marks the first time they’ve had separate winning streaks of eight consecutive wins in the same season since their last championship run in 1972-73. Should they beat the Hornets as expected on Tuesday, the Knicks will have their first double-figure winning streak since 2012-13, which marks the last time they advanced in a full playoff round.

The strangest part of the Knicks’ revival is that they have a top-five offense, having ranked in the bottom 10 on that end of the floor in each of the last four seasons.

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NBA 2022-23 Eastern Conference Regular Season Standings

Team	W	L	WIN%	CONF	DIV	HOME	ROAD	OT	STREAK
Milwaukee Bucks	46	18	.719	27-14	8-4	27-6	19-12	3-1	W 1
Boston Celtics	45	21	.682	28-16	9-4	25-9	20-12	4-7	L 3
Philadelphia 76ers	42	22	.656	25-15	7-6	24-10	18-12	3-1	W 2
Cleveland Cavaliers	41	26	.612	25-13	12-3	28-7	13-19	7-0	W 2
New York Knicks	39	27	.591	28-16	8-8	19-15	20-12	4-6	W 9
Brooklyn Nets	36	28	.563	26-17	7-8	19-12	17-16	0-1	W 2
Miami Heat	35	31	.530	18-21	9-4	21-12	14-19	3-1	W 2
AAtlanta Hawks	32	33	.492	19-22	5-8	18-13	14-20	3-1	L 2
Toronto Raptors	32	34	.485	20-21	4-9	20-13	12-21	2-3	L 1
Washington Wizards	30	34	.469	17-21	7-3	15-15	15-19	1-2	L 2
Chicago Bulls	29	36	.446	23-22	6-8	18-15	11-21	1-4	L 2
Indiana Pacers	29	37	.439	20-19	5-5	18-16	11-21	0-2	L 1
Orlando Magic	27	38	.415	14-27	4-8	15-17	12-21	1-2	L 1
Charlotte Hornets	20	46	.303	11-31	7-9	11-20	9-26	1-4	L 3
Detroit Pistons	15	50	.231	6-32	0-11	8-24	7-26	3-1	L 8