It was a record-breaking week in the NBA, with Stephen Curry becoming the all-time leader in three-point field goals made. In terms of results, one of the NBA’s most surprising stories, the Cleveland Cavaliers, continues to dominate teams and is starting to look like an actual contender. The other major storyline to follow has been the number of players that are entering the COVID protocols. The Bulls had two games postponed, and a number of teams saw multiple players enter the protocols. With other sports seasons winding down, it won’t be long before the NBA is the center of attention in the sports world.
30. Detroit Pistons (+0)
The Pistons went winless yet again this week, and the losing streak is at 12 games now. Yet again, the only bright spot for the team was the play of Cade Cunningham, who looks ready to make a run at the rookie of the year award. Unfortunately, Jerami Grant is going to be out for an extended period of time with a thumb injury, and that could hurt his trade value. Detroit continues to be one of the worst offenses in the NBA, and it will only be worse with Grant out.
29. Orlando Magic (+0)
Orlando made a serious run at being ranked 30th this week, but the Pistons losing streak reaching double digits keeps the Magic at 29. Losses to the Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Lakers, and Los Angeles Clippers extended the Magic’s losing streak to six games. This team is dealing with injuries, and that is only going to make winning tougher. The lottery can’t get here soon enough for the Orlando Magic.
28. Oklahoma City Thunder (+0)
The Thunder remains at 28, and the bottom three teams continue to separate from the rest of the NBA in terms of how bad they are. It was a winless week for Oklahoma City, and the last loss came in a crazy fashion against the Pelicans, losing on a 61-foot three-pointer. The Thunder are starting to clearly become the worst team in the Western Conference, and they are certainly playing like it.
27. New Orleans Pelicans (+0)
The Pelicans got one of the crazier wins of the season by hitting an impossible shot against the Thunder, and that saved the Pelicans from another terrible week. With that being said, New Orleans is 5-5 in their last ten games and are at least starting to look like a competent team on the court. A bright spot would be the play of Brandon Ingram, who is carrying the team on offense and has been great the past two weeks. The bad news is that Zion Williamson is still going to be out for a while, and it is starting to feel like he might not be back this season.
26. Portland Trail Blazers (-1)
Portland continues their plummet towards the bottom of the standings, and their season feels like it is on the brink. They have lost seven in a row, and that is even with Damian Lillard returning to the lineup. The defense is still playing badly, and the offense is slipping without CJ McCollum, not on the floor. Portland is still within distance of the play-in tournament, but this team just does not have a good feel to it right now, and it may continue to get worse.
25. Houston Rockets (-1)
The Rockets continue to play hard every night, and the 19 point comeback in Atlanta evidenced that on Monday night. Unfortunately, the Rockets followed that up with a loss to Cleveland, but this team continues to find ways to either win or make games competitive. Houston is dealing with injuries to Kevin Porter Jr and Jalen Green, but Eric Gordon and D.J. Augustin have stepped up in their absence.
24. Sacramento Kings (-1)
This week, the Kings could have won two games but cost themselves when De’Aaron Fox missed free throws against the Hornets. The Kings did get a win over the Wizards, but it was not a great week in Sacramento. The Kings have been missing Richaun Holmes, Marvin Bagley III, and Terrence Davis, and that led to the tough week for the Kings. In addition, Buddy Hield is reportedly back on the trading block, and the Kings have been mentioned as a destination for Ben Simmons as well. It is never a good week when off the court stuff dominates the headlines.
23. San Antonio Spurs (+3)
San Antonio had a 2-2 week, splitting games with the Nuggets, getting the win over New Orleans, and losing to the Hornets. The Spurs continue to be competitive every night, and their offense is a significant reason why. Derrick White and Keldon Johnson continue to play well and are a big reason why the Spurs remain competitive. However, the defense has been the problem for the Spurs, and that is why their record remains where it is.
22. New York Knicks (-4)
The Knicks have been a team that has been slipping in recent weeks, and they are currently on a four-game losing streak. New York lost to Milwaukee, Toronto, and Golden State this week, and a big reason for the losing streak has been their terrible offense. Julius Randle has not been shooting the ball well, and RJ Barrett and Obi Toppin have been struggling with injuries. This was a playoff team last season, but they have a ways to go to get back this season.
21. Indiana Pacers (+1)
The Pacers are the Eastern Conference version of the Spurs. They are competitive every night and have a good point differential, but they just can’t seem to win games. Indiana started the week off by continuing a three-game winning streak but then lost a close game to the Warriors and then was blown out by Milwaukee. This team is slipping further in the standings and being surrounded by trade rumors, which is not what you want from your team at this point in the season.
20. Toronto Raptors (+1)
The Raptors had a solid week, winning games against the Knicks and the Kings and then dropped a heartbreaker to the Nets in overtime. It was a great week for Scottie Barnes and Chris Boucher, who had to take on larger roles due to some of Toronto’s injuries in the frontcourt. Nevertheless, this team is still on the brink of playoff contention and is trending in the right direction for now.
19. Minnesota Timberwolves (+1)
Minnesota had a solid week, going 2-1, and had wins over Portland and Denver while also dropping a close game to the Cavs. Once again, the Timberwolves’ big three are carrying the team. Anthony Edwards had a game with ten three-pointers this week, Karl-Anthony Towns averaged 25 PPG this week, and D’Angelo Russell was solid. For now, Minnesota is still in line to try and get back in the playoffs.
18. Washington Wizards (-8)
Washington continues to drop in the rankings, and their play has started to slip since a solid first month or so of the season. The Wizards have lost six of seven and had an 0-3 week this week. Bradley Beal is starting to play well, but he is getting little to no help on that side of the floor. This team is beginning to look like how most analysts thought they would look at the beginning of the season, and that is not a good thing. Washington needs a bounce-back week in a hurry.
17. Dallas Mavericks (+2)
The Mavericks got two wins over Oklahoma City and Charlotte but did also lose to the Pacers and the Lakers. Luka Doncic continues to be out, but Jalen Brunson has been picking up the slack on offense and has had a really good week. One guy that has been struggling with Doncic out has been Kristaps Porzingis. Porzingis continued to struggle this week, and this team is going to have a hard time winning games without Doncic if Porzingis can’t play well.
16. Boston Celtics (+1)
The Celtics had one of their better wins on the season, beating the Bucks on Monday, but it was still a struggling week for Boston. Jayson Tatum had an awesome week, and Jaylen Brown has started to get back to form, but the rest of this team has not been playing well. This team continues to just tread water and is hard to trust on a weekly basis. Boston is 4-6 in their last ten games, and I would expect more of the same going forward.
15. Atlanta Hawks (-2)
Atlanta had a tough week, and that can be attributed to this team’s fourth-quarter woes. This week, Atlanta seemingly had wins over the Nets and the Rockets but collapsed in the final quarter. Defense is the team’s biggest problem, and it has not been fixed. Trae Young continues to be brilliant and should be getting plenty of consideration for All-NBA teams. An unsung here for Atlanta that is playing better every game has been Danilo Gallinari, who is scoring the ball better each week.
14. Philadelphia 76ers (-5)
The 76ers got a huge win over Golden State this week, but other than that, it was a forgettable week for Philadelphia. Losses to the Jazz, Grizzlies, and the Heat offset the good win, and Philadelphia is slipping in the standings each week. Tyrese Maxey continues to score the ball well, and Joel Embiid is dominating, but the rest of the team is struggling.
13. Denver Nuggets (+2)
Denver is doing everything that it can to stay in the playoff race. Nikola Jokic is putting up a season that is rivaling his MVP campaign from last season and is making a serious case for the title of the best player in the world. However, one point of concern should be the team’s defense, as it has really been slipping in recent weeks. Denver is hoping to get Jamal Murray back later this season and take some of the load off of their MVP.
12. Los Angeles Clippers (-1)
The Clippers have improved in recent weeks and have split their last ten games. This team is now sitting at fifth place in the Western Conference standings. This week, a bad loss to the Jazz was the team only blemish and played well despite not having their star player in Paul George. Guys like Luke Kennard and Reggie Jackson stepped up and helped lift the offense in George’s absence. So don’t count out the Clippers just yet.
11. Charlotte Hornets (+1)
Charlotte had a solid week at 2-1 and is still in good standing in the Eastern Conference, despite missing several key players. The concerning thing about this team is their defense. It has been well documented all season how bad the Hornets defense is, but they allowed 115 points in all of their games this week. That is not going to get it done. One player that had a nice week was Gordon Hayward, who had a 41 point effort against San Antonio.
10. Los Angeles Lakers (+6)
Don’t look now, but the Lakers are showing signs of life after a tough start. Of course, the best thing for Lakers fans has to be the play of LeBron James, who is starting to look like an MVP candidate again. This week, Los Angeles did not beat any impressive teams, getting wins over Orlando, Oklahoma City, and Dallas, but they are playing better. As a result, they are going to be one of the most interesting teams to watch going forward.
9. Miami Heat (-2)
Miami got a nice win over Philadelphia this week and continues to do just enough with some of their star players hurt. Erik Spoelstra has done a great job getting the most out of this group without Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. P.J. Tucker, Kyle Lowry, Gabe Vincent, and Duncan Robinson have been shooting the ball well and helping the team not slip too far out of reach in the Eastern Conference.
8. Chicago Bulls (-3)
This week, the Bulls had a terrible game against the Heat, losing by 26 points, but then did not play again due to having too many players in COVID protocols. It feels unfair to drop the Bulls three spots because of that, but not playing games will do that to you. The main focus for Chicago is to get the situation under control and be able to continue their good play.
7. Memphis Grizzlies (+7)
Memphis climbs seven spots up the power rankings for the second consecutive week, and it has been a shocking climb. Ja Morant has been, and many left this team for dead because of it. However, head coach Taylor Jenkins has done an excellent job with this group and should be in the running for coach of the year because of it. Tyus Jones has filled in beautifully for Morant, and Desmond Bane and Dillon Brooks have been scoring the ball well. Memphis is 9-1 in their last ten games and has been a great story to follow.
6. Milwaukee Bucks (+0)
This week, the Bucks went 3-1 and got wins over the Knicks, Rockets, and Pacers. They did lose to the Celtics, but Milwaukee has become one of the more reliable teams in recent weeks. Giannis Antetokounmpo has continued to make his case to win his third MVP award as well. Bobby Portis and Pat Connaughton helped along the way as well with some good performances on offense this week.
5. Cleveland Cavaliers (+3)
It is not an exaggeration to say that this is the best that Cleveland has looked without James since he left the franchise for the Lakers. Cleveland is playing great basketball, has the best point differential in the NBA, and doesn’t appear to be a fluke. Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen are carrying this team, and they seem to be getting better every week. The Cavs went 4-0 this week and are playing as well as any team in basketball right now.
4. Brooklyn Nets (+0)
Another good week for the Nets, as they remain the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Kevin Durant is adding to his MVP campaign each week as well. This team has hit a roadblock with some players entering the COVID protocols, but they should be able to overcome it. Brooklyn had a 3-0 week with wins over the Hawks, Raptors, and Pistons, and the offense looks unstoppable. As a result, Brooklyn remains the favorite in the Eastern Conference for another week.
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3. Phoenix Suns (-2)
After spending the past two weeks ranked number one, Phoenix has been knocked from the top spot. They still had a good week, but losing to a Clippers team without Paul George can be enough to knock you down a bit. Still, this team won over Portland and Boston without Devin Booker playing this week. Chris Paul struggled a bit shooting the ball this week but was effective in other ways offsetting the shooting struggle.
2. Utah Jazz (+1)
Aside from the Cavs, the Jazz is playing the hottest basketball in the NBA and are on the heels of the Warriors for best record and point differential. This week, Utah won all three of their games in blowout fashion over the 76ers, Wizards, and Clippers, who are all good teams. The offense is the best in basketball, and Donovan Mitchell has been great this week. Utah is starting to look like the regular-season juggernaut that we have come to know over the years and doesn’t appear ready to slow down anytime soon.
1. Golden State Warriors (+1)
There was some consideration to putting the Jazz in the top spot this week, but the Warriors return to the top spot they have held the majority of the season. Curry finally got the three-point record out of the way in the Warriors win over the Knicks. Aside from a loss to the 76ers, it was a really good week for the Warriors. There is no big weakness on this team right now, but Utah and Phoenix are still on their heels every week, and now, Brooklyn and Cleveland are making a move up the rankings.
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