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The New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets once again played a thrilling rivalry game this week with the Knicks pulling off a 100-97 victory. It was a good week for the Knicks, who are riding a four-game winning streak and moved up to No. 2 in the latest SB Nation NBA power rankings. The Nets rebounded from the loss, but a 2-2 week meant that Brooklyn slipped to No. 10 in this week's rankings.
In addition to beating the Nets, the Knicks picked up wins over the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers in the past week. About the 18-5 Knicks, SB Nation's Seth Rosenthal wrote:
New York's not defending much either, but the Knick offense cruised through the beginning of a long home stand. Tyson Chandler has somehow grown even more efficient around the rim, and his guards have been helping him on the boards lately, neutralizing what should be large glass disparities against top rebounding teams.
Following the loss to New York, Brooklyn bounced back with back-to-back victories over the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons. Joe Johnson sealed the 107-105 overtime victory over Detroit with a buzzer-beater. However, the Nets finished the week with a loss, falling 83-82 to the Chicago Bulls on Saturday. Brooklyn slipped from No. 8 last week, but remained in the top 10 as Rosenthal wrote:
The Nets broke their slide and Brook Lopez is working his way back into heavy minutes and mighty contributions (18 and 10 in just 25 minutes in his second game back), but it's a little alarming for a team that features Deron Williams and Joe Johnson to be stumbling so regularly in crunch-time situations.
The two teams will meet again on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.