NBA Power Rankings: Nets Continue to Inch Closer to the Top
Last week was a big one for playoff rematches as the Warriors knocked off the Celtics in an NBA Finals rematch, and the Pelicans got the best of the Suns, twice.
Phoenix and Atlanta slipped in the standings after poor showings and both teams sustained injuries to their star guards. The Knicks and Nets went undefeated to shoot up the Eastern Conference standings and there was a shake-up among the lottery teams after some surprising upsets.
Here’s how the Association stands with the marquee Christmas games just a couple of weeks away.
1. Boston Celtics
Record: 21–6
Previous ranking: 1
The Celtics left another week with a winning record, but lost the biggest game of their season to date, coming up well short on the road against Golden State in their first meeting since the Finals. Jayson Tatum finished with 18 points on an off shooting night while Jaylen Brown led the team with 31. The next matchup between the two teams isn’t until late January. Beyond the loss in San Francisco, the C’s beat the Raptors and throttled the Suns. Their six-game road trip continues Monday and Tuesday with a back-to-back against the L.A. teams, and then they return home to host the Magic for two in a row this weekend.
2. Milwaukee Bucks
Record: 19–7
Previous ranking: 2
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to three victories last week against the Magic, Kings and Mavericks before a shocking defeat Sunday in Houston. The larger loss in that game, though, was Khris Middleton, who left in the second quarter with an ankle injury and did not return. He missed the first quarter of the season due to wrist surgery and has played in just five games so far. Milwaukee’s schedule between now and Christmas is rather difficult and that stretch begins Tuesday when the defending champs come to Wisconsin—Middleton is currently questionable for that contest.
3. New Orleans Pelicans
Record: 18–8
Previous ranking: 4
Zion Williamson’s emphatic, 360-windmill dunk is still reverberating in New Orleans. That statement slam came in the final seconds of the first of back-to-back wins against Phoenix during a 3–0 week that saw the Pelicans stretch their winning streak to seven to take control of the No. 1 seed in the West. After a victory against Detroit, New Orleans exacted revenge on the Suns from its first-round playoff loss. Notably absent in that series was Williamson, who went for 35 in both games, the second of which went to overtime. The rivalry resumes Saturday in Phoenix.
4. Memphis Grizzlies
Record: 17–9
Previous ranking: 5
The Grizzlies notched three more wins last week and have risen to the No. 2 seed in the conference. After beating the Heat, Thunder and Pistons, Memphis is the winner of five in a row with two more home games ahead versus the Hawks and Bucks this week. After that, a road trip ensues, and the schedule through New Year’s is quite challenging. Desmond Bane’s return is still a few weeks away, and Ja Morant (thigh) and Steven Adams (ankle) both landed on the injury report with questionable designations ahead of Monday's game against Atlanta.
5. Cleveland Cavaliers
Record: 17–10
Previous ranking: 6
The Cavaliers followed up their worst offensive outing of the year by trouncing the Lakers. Donovan Mitchell scored a season-high 43 points to sour LeBron James’s trip back to northeast Ohio. Mitchell (leg) missed the next two games versus the Kings and Thunder, which the Cavs split with their loss coming against Sacramento. He’s questionable for Monday’s game in San Antonio that kicks off a quick two-game trip to Texas.
6. Phoenix Suns
Record: 16–11
Previous ranking: 3
The Suns are winless since Chris Paul’s return, and their 0–3 week knocked them down a few spots in the standings. Granted, those losses came to the Celtics, the best team in the NBA, and the Pelicans, who supplanted Phoenix atop the West. Still, the Suns have lost five of their last six and were without Devin Booker (hamstring) for the second game in New Orleans. Phoenix will look to get right against Houston—which it lost to a few weeks back—on Tuesday and it has a shot at revenge with another game against the Pelicans over the weekend, this time in the desert.
7. Denver Nuggets
Record: 16–10
Previous ranking: 7
Denver dropped a one-point game at home against Dallas and came out on the right side of another one-point margin a few nights later in Portland. After Nikola Jokić triple-doubled over the weekend in a victory against the shorthanded Jazz, the Nuggets get a three-day break before things pick back up Wednesday versus the Wizards. Michael Porter Jr. (heel) remains sidelined, but Jamal Murray’s minutes have been up in December, and he had his second 30-point game of the year against Utah.
8. Dallas Mavericks
Record: 13–13
Previous ranking: 10
As expected, the wheels fell off for the Mavericks without Luka Dončić. Dallas lost by 29 in Chicago on Saturday to drop to 0–2 without him this season. He led the team to wins against the Suns and Nuggets earlier in the week, and his 33-point effort against the Bucks ended with a one-point loss in the final seconds of the game. The Mavs haven’t strayed far from .500 this year, though they have three consecutive games ahead at home, where they’ve fared much better than on the road thus far.
9. Brooklyn Nets
Record: 16–12
Previous ranking: 12
After three victories in a row, the Nets, who are 8–2 over their last 10, are a top-four seed in the East. Kevin Durant got some welcome scoring assistance from Kyrie Irving and Cam Thomas last week—those three alternated leading the team in scoring in wins over the Hornets, Hawks and Pacers. Ben Simmons also returned to the lineup against Atlanta after missing the previous four games, but he did not play over the weekend in Indiana. Brooklyn is on the road for its next three against the Wizards, Raptors and Pistons.
10. Sacramento Kings
Record: 14–11
Previous ranking: 8
Sacramento’s offense slowed down a bit last week with De’Aaron Fox (foot) out for two games. The Beam Team began its road trip with a 13-point defeat in Milwaukee, which was the one game Fox did play. Then the Kings handed the Cavaliers just their second home loss of the season and came up short against the Knicks on Sunday. Three more away games are ahead this week against easier competition: Philadelphia, Toronto, Detroit.
Curry and the Warriors beat the Celtics on Saturday night.
Cary Edmondson/USA TODAY Sports
11. Golden State Warriors
Record: 14–13
Previous ranking: 11
The Warriors won the big one last week. With the Celtics in town, Klay Thompson and Steph Curry combined for 66 to beat their Finals foe. That was the only win for Golden State across three games, though. Three starters were out for a loss to the Jazz as Jordan Poole’s 36 points were not enough, and the Pacers left the Chase Center with a victory. Andrew Wiggins (groin) also missed the entire week. Steve Kerr hopes to have him back in the lineup for Tuesday’s game in Milwaukee, which kickstarts a six-game road trip.
12. Atlanta Hawks
Record: 14–13
Previous ranking: 9
Rookie AJ Griffin’s game-winner against Chicago saved Atlanta from going 0–4 last week. Beyond losing three games to the Thunder, Knicks and Nets, the Hawks also lost Dejounte Murray (ankle) for two weeks—he left the blowout against New York early and then missed the Nets and Bulls games. Amid a 4–6 stretch, Atlanta has slid in the standings and Trae Young, who’s having the worst shooting season of his career, certainly deserves some of the blame.
13. Portland Trail Blazers
Record: 14–12
Previous ranking: 13
Damian Lillard’s 40-point game against the Nuggets was spoiled by Murray’s last-second three. He turned in another vintage outing a few nights later, which, combined with 31 from Anfernee Simons, was enough to get past the Timberwolves. It was a light week for Portland, which aside from Gary Payton II (who has yet to make his debut as a Blazer), is healthy once again. Monday brings another game against Minnesota and then a six-game road trip starts up Wednesday in San Antonio.
14. Philadelphia 76ers
Record: 14–12
Previous ranking: 14
Powered by Joel Embiid and James Harden—back from a monthlong injury absence—Philadelphia’s offense exploded last week. The 76ers lost in double overtime in Houston against Harden’s former team despite 39 points out of Embiid. When they returned home, they beat the Lakers in overtime thanks to 38 from Embiid and then thrashed the Hornets. Embiid went for 53 against Charlotte, and Harden finished with 16 assists. They’ll look to keep things rolling this week against the Kings and Warriors as their homestand continues.
15. Los Angeles Clippers
Record: 15–13
Previous ranking: 16
Los Angeles got back its All-Star forwards for its four-game road trip last week. The fact Paul George—who dropped 36 points over the weekend—and Kawhi Leonard were back on the floor together was a much bigger story than the Clippers’ 2–2 mark: They beat the Hornets and Wizards and lost to the Magic and Heat. The one game Leonard missed was the second leg of a back-to-back and he played 30 minutes (a season-high) twice. L.A. is home for its next five and is on national television three times in the coming days against the Celtics, Timberwolves and Suns.
16. Utah Jazz
Record: 15–14
Previous ranking: 15
The Jazz eked out a one-point win in the closing seconds against the Curry-less Warriors last week. They couldn’t repeat that performance a few nights later in a loss to Rudy Gobert and the Timberwolves, and they dropped another one over the weekend in Denver. Utah was without its top scorer Lauri Markkanen the whole week due to an illness. Coach Will Hardy will hope to have him back for two in a row against the first-place Pelicans this week and a trip to Milwaukee as his team teeters on the edge of the crowded playoff picture.
17. Indiana Pacers
Record: 14–13
Previous ranking: 20
Pacers rookie Bennedict Mathurin struggled in his first career start last week against the Warriors. It was Andrew Nembhard, Indiana’s other first-year guard, who led the team to victory over the defending champs with 31 points, eight rebounds and 13 assists. The Pacers, who went 2–2 with a win against the Wizards and losses to the Timberwolves and Nets, couldn’t gain any ground in the East standings. It’s evident that the front office found not one but two gems in the 2022 draft, and the future is bright in the backcourt, especially with Tyrese Haliburton—who dazzled again with a season-high 35 against Brooklyn—in place alongside the rookies.
18. New York Knicks
Record: 14–13
Previous ranking: 24
The Knicks built on their suffocating win last weekend against the Cavaliers and added three more victories last week—all by double figures. New York set a new season-long, four-game winning streak after beating the Hawks (in a game where Young was held to 19 points), Hornets and Kings, and is back above .500 for the first time in a month. Julius Randle is leading the charge across five games in December with a 27.2-ppg average, plus nearly 10 rebounds. Up next is a few days off before a two-game set in Chicago.
19. Toronto Raptors
Record: 13–14
Previous ranking: 17
Last week did not go well for the Raptors. They went 1–3, and their lone win came at the expense of the shorthanded Lakers, who were on the second night of a back-to-back. Other than that, they lost at home to the Celtics and dropped consecutive games in Orlando over the weekend—both by double digits—and OG Anunoby (hip) missed the second game. Toronto is back north of the border this week to host the Kings, Nets and Warriors.
20. Minnesota Timberwolves
Record: 13–13
Previous ranking: 23
D’Angelo Russell stepped up last week to lead Minnesota to a pair of much-needed wins. The Timberwolves had dropped four out of five games before Russell went for 28 points in a victory against the Pacers and then matched a season-high 30 points in a win over the Jazz. The streak stopped at two after a loss to the Trail Blazers over the weekend. Gobert also put together a string of solid outings with 20 points or 20 rebounds in each contest last week. Minnesota’s run of road games continues Monday versus Portland again.
21. Chicago Bulls
Record: 11–15
Previous ranking: 25
Had the Bulls not lost at the buzzer to the Hawks, they would be celebrating their longest win streak of the season. Still, Chicago turned things around with a pair of victories last week over the Wizards and Mavericks, who were without Dončić. DeMar DeRozan led the team in scoring in each contest, though his 34-point, 13-rebound night was not enough to beat Atlanta. The Bulls host the Knicks twice this week, two games that could be crucial to getting back into a play-in position.
22. Los Angeles Lakers
Record: 11–15
Previous ranking: 19
The back half of the Lakers’ road trip could have gone better. A loss to the Cavaliers halted their three-game win streak, and Anthony Davis left early due to an illness. Then James and Davis both sat for a double-digit loss in Toronto, and L.A. took Philadelphia to overtime and was promptly outscored 13–2 in the extra period. James and Davis combined for 69 points Sunday to beat the Pistons to conclude the six-game trip. The Lakers are still trending in the right direction, though they have two tough home games ahead on national television against the Celtics and Nuggets.
23. Miami Heat
Record: 12–15
Previous ranking: 18
A 1–3 stretch for the Heat hurts as they hover around the play-in tournament cutoff. The fact that two of those losses came against some of the league’s worst teams just makes matters worse. Miami began the week with a defensible loss in Memphis, then lost by 20 to the Pistons at home, beat the Clippers and then fell to the Spurs, again on its home floor. Health continues to plague the Heat, but the starting five were all active against San Antonio, and only Jimmy Butler was out versus Detroit. All four of Miami’s games this week are away, though just one is against a team currently above .500.
24. Oklahoma City Thunder
Record: 11–15
Previous ranking: 22
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lit up Atlanta for 35 points last Monday to stretch OKC’s winning streak to three. Though he led the team in scoring its next two games in Memphis and Cleveland, that wasn’t enough to keep the Thunder in the win column. Oklahoma City is slowly getting passed by in the standings but has a long stretch of home games to look forward to after it wraps up its five-game road trip Monday in Dallas. Nine of the Thunder’s next 10 games are at the Paycom Center, where they are 6–5 on the year.
25. Washington Wizards
Record: 11–16
Previous ranking: 21
Washington’s fall has been swift. Playing without Bradley Beal (hamstring) last week, the Wizards went winless across a three-game schedule and have now dropped six in a row and nine of their last 10. A few short weeks ago they were 10–7, but now they’re careening toward a lottery spot despite a stellar season from Kyle Kuzma and perhaps the best campaign of Kristaps Porziņģis’s career. After Washington hosts the Nets on Monday, it takes its 3–10 record away from the capital on a six-game road trip out West.
26. Houston Rockets
Record: 8–18
Previous ranking: 27
The Rockets beat two of the best teams in the East last week and lost to one of the worst in the West. First, they outlasted the 76ers in double overtime and held Harden to a poor shooting performance in his return to Houston. Then they lost to, of all teams, the Spurs, which gave San Antonio its first win in weeks. They beat the Bucks over the weekend and limited Antetokounmpo to a season-low 16 points in the process. It was an impressive showing for the Rockets, who scored 132 points to put away Philadelphia and grinded one out against the Bucks, despite finishing with just 97 points.
27. Orlando Magic
Record: 8–20
Previous ranking: 29
What a week it was for the Magic, who nearly doubled their season win total last week alone. Orlando’s string of losses stretched to nine in a row last Monday against Milwaukee, but a ferocious fourth-quarter comeback that made things interesting set the tone for its ensuing three wins over the Clippers (in overtime) and Raptors (twice). Rookie Paolo Banchero had 20-plus points in each contest and was aided by solid outings from Franz and Moritz Wagner.
28. San Antonio Spurs
Record: 8–18
Previous ranking: 30
The longest losing streak of the season came to an end Thursday when the Spurs beat the Rockets. They had dropped 11 games in a row before recording their first win in nearly a month. Two nights later, San Antonio won again, this time in Miami, which marked their first winning streak since late October. The Spurs still own the league’s worst net rating (-10.1) by a wide margin, though they gave up some ground in the race to the bottom.
29. Detroit Pistons
Record: 7–22
Previous ranking: 28
Detroit picked up a rare road win in Miami last week thanks to terrific three-point shooting. Bojan Bogdanović hit seven of the team’s 19 three-pointers in a 20-point blowout, the widest margin in the Pistons’ favor this season. Then the losing resumed, albeit against a tough schedule. They dropped one in New Orleans and then Memphis and returned to the Motor City on Sunday to host the Lakers. Bogdanović went for a season-high 38 points, but Detroit’s skid continued. Rookie Jalen Duren cracked the starting lineup for the first time against the Pelicans and responded with a double double.
30. Charlotte Hornets
Record: 7–20
Previous ranking: 26
Across a week that saw the NBA bottom-dwellers put together more wins than usual, the Hornets were the winners of the losers. Charlotte went 0–4 and dropped a pair of close games to the Clippers and Nets and then rolled over against the Knicks and 76ers over the weekend. It was a great run of individual statistical games for Terry Rozier and Kelly Oubre Jr., both of whom average 20-plus ppg for the league’s last-place offense. The Hornets have lost five in a row heading into a Monday-night matchup with the Pistons, the only team with a worse record than them.
