The NBA All-Star Break is here and it is almost time for teams to make their last push for the postseason. The trade deadline shook things up last week, but the season is coming to an end and teams will be vying for playoff positioning after the break. Some of the biggest names moved at the deadline have yet to make their debut and will probably do so after the break.
James Harden has to quickly get acclimated to Philadelphia and likewise with Ben Simmons and Brooklyn. Both teams are expected to contend and all eyes will be on them after the break. The Eastern Conference race is as tight as ever while Phoenix seems to be running away with the Western Conference. It is going to be a thrilling race to the finish after the break.
Be sure to check out all of our other NBA content.
30. Orlando Magic (-5)
The Magic had a winless week and none of the games were competitive. That is bad enough to move them into the last place spot in this week’s power rankings. The best player for Orlando during this tough week was Wendell Carter Jr. He has had a good enough year for the Magic to possibly earn himself a nice second contract at some point in the future, even if it is not in Orlando.
29. New York Knicks (-9)
The Knicks are a disaster right now and that is why they moved down nine spots this week. There have been many bad losses in New York this season, but the game against Brooklyn on Wednesday takes the cake. The Knicks blew a 28 point lead to the Nets Wednesday, a game in which Simmons, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving did not even play. There is no real way for the team to improve either. This season is spiraling out of control and last year’s NBA coach of the year Tom Thibodeau might be on the hot seat.
28. Detroit Pistons (+2)
Detroit is no longer in last place and that is due to the shocking win they had over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday. Boston was as hot as any team in the league and Detroit went into the garden and took them down. It was one of the best games of the season for both Cade Cunningham and Saddiq Bey. Other than the Celtics win, it was not a great week for the Pistons. They lost to the Grizzlies, Hornets, and Wizards to make it a 1-3 week.
27. Houston Rockets (+2)
While Houston does move up two spots from where they were last week, it was not because of anything they did on the court. The Rockets went 0-3 and were blown out by the Raptors and the Jazz. This team did almost pull off an upset over Phoenix on Wednesday and that was the highlight of the week. This team has lost six in a row and is just waiting for the NBA lottery to start.
26. Oklahoma City Thunder (+1)
It was a 1-3 week for the Thunder and the one win came against the Knicks in double overtime. Rookie Josh Giddey has been fantastic this week and should be getting more consideration for rookie of the year. He added another triple-double this week and continues to do just about everything well for a team that can’t do a lot well.
25. Sacramento Kings (+3)
The new-look Kings went 1-2 this week, with the only win coming against the Washington Wizards. The other two games were blowouts suffered at the hands of Chicago and Brooklyn. Both Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox have looked good since the team was remade, but it has not resulted in that many wins yet for the Kings.
24. Indiana Pacers (+2)
So far so good for Tyrese Haliburton in Indiana. While the team has not had a lot of success in the win column so far, Haliburton has been fantastic and looks like the franchise cornerstone to build around. He has been good in every facet of the game and has done a great job of setting his new teammates up for success. This team is heading for the lottery, but acquiring Haliburton is the bright spot from the season.
23. New Orleans Pelicans (-4)
It was a rough week for New Orleans, who only had one win. The good news for New Orleans was that the one win they had was against the Raptors, who had been playing really well. It is never a good time to have a bad week like this, but especially not when Portland is red hot. The Blazers have overtaken the Pelicans in the play-in tournament and that means New Orleans is going to have ground to make up after the All-Star break.
22. Charlotte Hornets (-4)
Charlotte once looked like one of the top six teams in the Eastern Confernece, but they have hit a rough patch. The losing kept up this week for Charlotte as they went 1-2 with the win coming against the Pistons and losses to the Grizzlies and Timberwolves. The newest addition to the team, Montrezl Harrell, was decent this week, but not a big enough impact yet. This is a team that needed the break and hopes to come back strong afterward.
21. Washington Wizards (+3)
Washington has managed to scrape a few wins together since the news of Bradley Beal‘s season-ending surgery. The Wizards could have won more this week too if they had been able to find a way to beat Indiana and Sacramento. Kyle Kuzma has been fantastic for the team in the absence of Beal and the newly acquired Kristaps Porzingis. He will have to continue that if the Wizards still want to sneak in the play-in tournament.
20 San Antonio Spurs (+3)
It was a great week in San Antonio, going 3-1. The Spurs started with a blowout win over Atlanta in which the team was deadly from three-point range. The other two wins came against the Pelicans and the Thunder, with the lone loss coming against Chicago. With the trade of Derrick White last week, that has opened up more playing time for others. Guys like Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson have thrived in the last week.
19. Portland Trail Blazers (+3)
Portland got two shocking victories this week over MIlwaukee and Memphis and that is shocking considering all that Portland has traded away in the last couple of weeks. Anfernee Simons has been the leader on the court for this team and they have needed him. This week might have just been a blip on the radar for Portland, but it is nonetheless very impressive.
18. Los Angeles Lakers (+3)
The Lakers got one of their most impressive wins of the season on Wednesday night by coming back from a double-digit deficit to defeat the Utah Jazz. Anthony Davis went down early in the game due to an ankle injury and that meant LeBron James would have to step up. He did just that and led the Lakers to victory. It is not clear when Davis will be back and they are going to need him at full strength if they have any hope of making a run.
17. Brooklyn Nets (+0)
The Nets managed to shake off their long losing streak this week and win a couple of games. The win over the Knicks on Wednesday was especially sweet given that the Nets were down 28 points. There is no timetable or set date for either Durant or Simmons to return, so it will be a little bit before the basketball world gets to check out the new look Nets.
16. Atlanta Hawks (-1)
It was an uneven week for the Hawks that started off poorly. A terrible loss to the Spurs got the week started and then Atlanta blew a double-digit lead against the Celtics. Atlanta managed to win their last two games before the break against Cleveland and Orlando, so they do have a little bit of momentum. The Hawks currently sit at 10th in the Eastern Conference and will be looking to make a run at a top-six spot after the break.
15. Los Angeles Clippers (+1)
The Clippers went 2-2 on the week, splitting a pair of games with Dallas, beating the Warriors, then losing to Phoenix. That is a pretty tough stretch of games and it is a good sign that the team is still playing well despite missing their two best players. However, now newly acquired Norman Powell has injured his foot and it is unclear how much time he could miss. This team has been injured all season long but maintained a high level of play.
14. Minnesota Timberwolves (-1)
Minnesota got off to a nice start this past week with wins over Indiana and Charlotte but then lost to Chicago and Toronto to close things out before the All-Star break. The offense was not the problem this week, as both Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards were great. The defense was the main culprit in Minnesota losing games and that will need to be fixed heading into the playoffs.
13. Toronto Raptors (-3)
This was the toughest week that Toronto has had in some time. The Raptors lost to the Nuggets and the Pelicans, but did get wins over Houstn and Minnesota. This had been one of the hottest teams in the NBA prior to this week. They will hope to pick things back up on the winning side of things when they return from the All-Star Break.
12. Dallas Mavericks (+0)
Dallas split a pair of games with the Clippers this week along with getting an impressive win against Miami. Luka Doncic is playing at a top-five level right now and showed that against the Clippers. Doncic put up 51 and 45 points in those games and has been carrying the Mavericks. Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans are still getting acclimated to their new team so it is too soon to know how much of an impact they will make.
11. Cleveland Cavaliers (-5)
It was a bit of a tough week in Cleveland. They did win a game over the Pacers but dropped games to Philadelphia and Atlanta. Darius Garland had a great week and Caris LeVert has been a nice addition coming off of the bench. It has been a great season for the Cavaliers and it will be interesting to see how they finish after the break.
10. Utah Jazz (+4)
Until Wendesday night, it had been a great week for the Jazz. The upset loss to the Lakers put a damper on things a bit. Before that loss, Utah had won six games in a row and were looking like one of the best teams in the Western Conference. Donovan Mitchell has been fantastic since returning to the lineup, but Rudy Gobert has been struggling. The Jazz are going to need Gobert to play better to be contenders.
9. Philadelphia 76ers (-2)
When you lose a game by nearly 50 points, you are going to drop a few spots in the rankings. Philadelphia is still awaiting the debut of Harden, as is the rest of the NBA. The good thing is that Joel Embiid does not appear to be slowing down at all this week. He might even be the front-runner for the MVP now. It is going to be a fascinating team to watch when they have all of their pieces.
8. Denver Nuggets (+3)
Denver ended the week on a three-game winning streak and the last one over the Golden State Warriors was one of the best NBA games of the year. Nikola Jokic continues to make his case to be the repeat winner of the MVP award and doing so on an injury-riddled team. Monte Morris hit the game-winning shot against the Warriors and has had a great week. The signs are pointup upward for Denver at the All-Star break.
7. Milwaukee Bucks (-3)
Milwaukee did get a win over the Pacers this week, but that was the only good thing the Bucks did this past week. In a rematch of last year’s NBA Finals, Milwaukee got blown out by Phoenix and then followed that up by losing to a short-handed Portland squad. The Bucks still have as good of a shot to win it all again as anyone, but they are going to need to be better prepared coming out of the break.
6. Golden State Warriors (-4)
This is the lowest that the Warriors have been in a while and it is deserved. Golden State has lost four of the last five and needs the All-Star Break to recharge. This team also needs Draymond Green to get healthy and fast. The defense is not the same without Green on the floor and they miss his all-around ability. The Warriors are still within reach of the top seed in the Western Conference, but they will need to go on a big run after the break.
5. Boston Celtics (+3)
While the Celtics did have their losing streak end at the hand of the Detroit Pistons, Boston put together a great run. They look like one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference and now have the best point differential in the Eastern Conference. The reasons for the Celtics’ great play recently can be explained by their defense and the offense of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Those two guys are playing up to their star talent and Boston looks like a contender because of it.
4. Chicago Bulls (+5)
It cannot be overstated how good DeMar DeRozan has been this season and during this stretch of games for the Bulls. If he is not already, DeRozan needs to be taken seriously as an MVP candidate. Chicago won three of their four games this week with DeRozan playing like this and that is more amazing considering that Zach LaVine is not playing. Chicago is now the top seed in the Eastern Conference again heading into the All-Star Break.
3. Miami Heat (+2)
The Heat did lose a close game to Dallas this week but also got wins over the Pelicans and the Nets. The big three of Miami are finally getting to play meaningful minutes together and it is paying off. All of Kyle Lowry, Jimmy Butler, and Bam Adebayo looked great this week and they have Miami playing like one of the best teams in the NBA. The Heat are in contention for the number one seed heading into the All-Star Break and that is exactly what they hoped for.
2. Memphis Grizzlies (+1)
The Grizzlies had their winning streak reach six games, but then it came to an end. Memphis was unable to beat Portland, who has suddenly found new life before the break. Ja Morant was once again brilliant this week, but the guy that should get some credit is Brandon Clarke. Clarke has been great for the team this week and it would make them more formidable than they already are if he can continue this.
1. Phoenix Suns (+0)
The Suns enter the All-Star break winners of seven straight and 20 of their last 22. Devin Booker has been phenomenal and the Suns look like the best team in the NBA. The best news for Phoenix is that they appear to be pulling away for the top seed in the Western Conference. That is going to be big for the playoffs because of how well the Suns play at home. They should be considered the favorites to repeat in the Western Conference and win the NBA Championship heading into the All-Star break.
Check us out on our socials:
Twitter: @PTSTNews and @TalkPrimeTime
Facebook Page: Prime Time Sports Talk
Join our Facebook Group: Prime Time Sports Talk
Instagram: @primetimesportstalk
Follow Jackson Caudell on Twitter @jacksoncaudell
Main Image Credit: From CBS Sports
