NBA Championship Power Rankings: Lakers Make a Push to Avoid Elimination

Welcome back to Sports Illustrated’s weekly NBA championship power rankings.

In case you’re new here, the premise for these rankings is as follows: At the start of each NBA season there are, realistically, about 10 teams who could make a run at a championship. By the time the All-Star break hits, those teams have made themselves known. The last stretch of the season further separates those with a legitimate chance to win and those destined to go home disappointed.

We began this endeavor with the first iteration of championship power rankings, ranking the top 12 teams in the NBA based on the standings at the time. Then the stakes were heightened: one team will get eliminated from the rankings every week as the season winds down. The first team to go was the 76ers. Then the Raptors got the axe. This week a new team will join them. The eliminations will continue until only six contenders remain for the NBA title when the regular season comes to a close.

After an entertaining week of basketball since our last entry, here’s how the championship landscape is shaping up in the third week of March.

Eliminated teams

76ers

Why they’re eliminated: Tyrese Maxey was playing some great basketball coming out of the All-Star break, but the 76ers still looked comically outmatched against any real contenders. Then the star guard hurt his finger and was ruled out for three weeks, effectively spelling the end of Philly’s contention hopes. The Sixers were a longshot to make a title run for most of the year but any belief this team could compete with the best, even at full health, is officially gone.

Raptors

Why they’re eliminated: The Raptors could definitely prove to be a tough playoff out against the right first-round opponent, but a deep playoff run culminating in a title? A touch too optimistic for our liking. Despite a consistently strong defensive effort led by Scottie Barnes, this is a mediocre team. Mediocre teams never come anywhere close to winning a title.

Rockets

Why they’re eliminated: This week was looking like it would be tough to cut a team but the Rockets wound up making it easy. Since our last rankings Houston got blown out by the Nuggets and came extremely close to dropping an otherwise easy game against the Pelicans. Most concerning was the Rockets’ most recent loss to the Lakers, a huge game for playoff seeding implications; they were completely shut down by a mediocre L.A. defense to the tune of 12 fourth-quarter points and 22 total turnovers. Alperen Şengün’s absence due to injury can’t be overlooked, but all three games highlighted the Rockets’ fatal flaw of late-game execution. Plus, even with Şengün in the lineup, Houston’s proven helpless against good teams without Kevin Durant making all his shots. Anything less and the team makes for an easy meal for their opponents. With the right playoff path the Rockets could certainly make a run, but they’ve shown too many warts to really believe they can make it out of the West.

NBA championship power rankings

9. Timberwolves

Julius Randle is under pressure to step up after Anthony Edwards’s injury. | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Last week’s ranking: 8
Record entering Mar. 18: 42–27

The title case: This Timberwolves roster is just as talented as last season with a better version of Anthony Edwards leading the way. Minnesota made a Western Conference finals run last season and hasn’t suffered any notable losses to the roster, so it should be ready to make another this season. On some nights that seems all but certain, especially given how Edwards has played after the All-Star break; the 24-year-old star is scoring north of 30 points per game since playing in his fourth All-Star exhibition.

Week in review: The Timberwolves solving their effort issues is easier to believe than the Rockets solving their personnel problems so Minnesota avoided elimination this week—barely. After back-to-back bad losses in Los Angeles the Wolves had a chance to remind everybody how good they can be in a conference finals rematch with the Thunder. They seemed to recognize that and took a lead into the locker room at halftime, but got thoroughly outplayed in the second half before losing. Now Edwards is out for at least a week with a knee injury. How his team fares in his absence will be reflective of how ready the supporting cast is for playoff basketball. Julius Randle inspired some optimism there with an important 30-point performance to beat the Suns and stay ahead of Phoenix in the standings on Tuesday.

8. Cavaliers

Last week’s ranking: 7
Record entering Mar. 18: 42–27

The title case: The Cavaliers have the talent to compete for a title, that’s for sure. The trade deadline brought James Harden to Cleveland, where he now suits up alongside Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley. Between those three, the Cavs should check every box for championship contention. Harden’s acclimation has gone pretty well so far, which is encouraging, and Mitchell’s return from injury came with enough ramp-up time that he should be at 100% when the playoffs arrive.

Week in review: This was an unimpressive stretch for the Cavaliers, even if it wasn’t a disaster. Cleveland battled hard in a close loss to the thriving Magic before putting a beat-down on the Mavericks. However, the Cavs then lost to those same Mavericks days later as Harden shot 4-for-12, Mitchell scored 26 points on 24 shots and the defense gave up a 40-point quarter to blow the game open. We’re now at the point in the schedule where good teams need to take care of business against bad teams. Cleveland made up ground in that department by beating the Bucks on Tuesday night but still have been knocked down a few pegs.

7. Lakers

Luka Donci — The Lakers are playing quite well right now, led by the scoring talents of their Slovenian superstar. | William Liang-Imagn Images

Last week’s ranking: 10
Record entering Mar. 18: 43–25

The title case: Starpower. Most opponents cannot handle the full might of Luka Dončić, LeBron James and Austin Reaves. The trio boast ludicrous shot-making and creation skills against any opponent. Of late, James seems to have accepted the Lakers are at their best when he plays like a supercharged role player and the dividends have been clear as day since he returned from injury last Thursday. Los Angeles is healthy and coalescing at a great time, showing a consistent spark only seen in short spurs previously.

Week in review: The Lakers were teetering on the brink of elimination in these rankings and then crushed for a week. L.A. has won six in a row and the roster is really coming together on the defensive end, which is a true stunner considering how disjointed they’ve looked for most of the year. Given the defensive reputations of Dončić, James and Reaves are rightfully poor, it’s fair to hesitate before declaring the Lakers a defensive juggernaut. But they’ve been very good at that end, and perhaps no better than when they completely shut down Kevin Durant’s Rockets in an important win earlier in the week. The idea of an offense led by those three paired with a competent defense should be frightening for nearly everybody else in the West.

6. Knicks

Last week’s ranking: 5
Record entering Mar. 18: 45–25

The title case: The Knicks boast a very talented starting five that is quite difficult to stop offensively. Jalen Brunson is a proven No. 1 playoff option and the OG Anunoby-Mikal Bridges combo is a terror on the wing. New York is skilled on both ends and shouldn’t be quite as worn down entering the playoffs with Mike Brown in charge instead of Tom Thibodeau. At this stage the orange and blue are just hoping to get to the playoffs healthy; their identity on both ends is well-established, although the bouts of inconsistency are frustrating and worrying in equal measure.

Week in review: The Knicks won the games they were supposed to win over the last week but didn’t really profile as a dominant contender in the process. New York beat the Jazz, Steph Curry-less Warriors and Pacers (twice) but only played well in the latest win over Indiana on Tuesday. The other victories were far too close for anybody’s liking; the Knicks gave up 41 points in the first quarter of the Utah win and needed a furious rally to overcome Golden State at home. Wins are wins but at this point in the year struggles like those can’t be dismissed out of hand.

5. Nuggets

Aaron Gordon’s return is crucial for the Nuggets with the playoffs around the corner. | William Liang-Imagn Images

Last week’s ranking: 6
Record entering Mar. 18: 42–27

The title case: The Nuggets are enjoying another vintage Nikola Jokić season. As long as he’s healthy Denver has a shot. Jamal Murray enjoying his first All-Star campaign could lead to an even better postseason for an already-proven playoff performer. They just barely lost to the Thunder last year and have gotten better this season. The kicker for these Nuggets, more than any other team, is health. Injuries have plagued the roster up and down all season long. If they can hit the postseason at full strength there’s plenty of reason for optimism.

Week in review: The general consensus around the Nuggets right now is pretty negative because when things get bad, they get really bad for Denver. Especially on the defensive end. But the team put in a good week of work to stay steady in these rankings. The overtime loss to the Lakers stings quite a bit standings-wise but wins over the Rockets and Spurs were of undeniable quality. After annihilating the 76ers last night the Nuggets own the best net rating in the league over the last four games. There’s still plenty to work on and the flaws are glaring when they show up, but Denver proved its championship case is still worth considering.

4. Celtics

Last week’s ranking: 4
Record entering Mar. 18: 45–23

The title case: The Celtics were an exceptionally well-coached team led by a true star in Jaylen Brown. Now they are all that plus Jayson Tatum. Boston has maintained its place as an elite offensive team while working extremely hard as a group to put forth strong defensive efforts every night despite boasting an unrecognizable roster from last year. Tatum’s return has gone very smoothly as well. The superstar forward already looks like a capable defender and rebounder who can hit open shots. It’s impossible to determine this team’s ceiling right now with the rotation still adjusting to Tatum’s presence, but that transition is going as well as the team could have hoped.

Week in review: The Celtics didn’t beat the Thunder last Thursday but they came awfully close in the two-point loss and that’s a great moral victory for a Boston team in the midst of an identity change. A clutch win over the Suns on Monday showed Brown’s place atop the hierarchy remains intact and Tatum is more than willing to recognize that by spacing the floor. The Celtics will be one of the most interesting teams to observe in the last month of the year as they continue to morph their strategy with Tatum getting more comfortable.

3. Pistons

Jalen Duren’s breakout season is a huge part of the Pistons’ successful campaign so far. | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Last week’s ranking: 3
Record entering Mar. 18: 49–19

The title case: The Pistons are an excellent, physical defensive squad with an MVP candidate leading the way offensively in Cade Cunningham. Jalen Duren’s All-Star leap has given the team a true centerpiece to man the middle on both ends. J.B. Bickerstaff has inspired a physical defense that overcomes a lack of offensive output from the players who surround Cunningham most nights. It’s all resulted in an in-your-face brand of basketball that offers multiple avenues to victory each night.

Week in review: The Pistons snapped out of a mid-March funk with two easy wins over tanking teams. Their Sunday loss to the Raptors wasn't ideal and reflected the downside of relying solely on Duncan Robinson for outside shooting. But it wasn’t nearly a bad enough showing to raise the DEFCON level. As long as Detroit keeps the Celtics at arms length for the top seed and homecourt advantage throughout the East playoffs it’ll be in good shape.

2. Spurs

Last week’s ranking: 2
Record entering Mar. 18: 51–18

The title case: Victor Wembanyama. That’s the start and end of the Spurs’ case to win a title way ahead of schedule this year. The third-year All-Star has been a force unto himself since coming into the league but figured out how to best apply his outrageous skillset to winning games this season. San Antonio’s supporting cast has proven ready to rise to the moment alongside him. This is a very good team with a hard-to-see ceiling due to the generational superstar manning the middle.

Week in review: While the Spurs did lose a game this week (only their second since Feb. 1), there is no reason for any real concern. Wembanyama is gaining steam with the playoffs around the corner and as long as he remains healthy San Antonio is going to be extremely unpleasant to play against. Ideally De’Aaron Fox rounds into form down the stretch but otherwise it’s business as usual.

1. Thunder

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is doing it all for the Thunder right now. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Last week’s rankings: 1
Record entering Mar. 18: 54–15

The title case: The Thunder have fallen off the historic pace they set to kick off the year but were still the first team to hit 50 wins on the year, as well as the first team to clinch a playoff berth. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander broke a Wilt Chamberlain record and seems poised to take home a second consecutive MVP award. Jalen Williams’s absence looms larger with every passing week but the Thunder seem well-suited otherwise to make a serious run at defending their title.

Week in review: The Thunder have won nine straight games and ripped off three quality wins in a row this past week over the Celtics, Timberwolves and Magic. All is well in OKC. In the fine-tuning realm, SGA’s clutch-time heroics have been extremely fun to watch but reflective of OKC’s mortality when Williams and/or Chet Holmgren aren’t playing. The team hopes to get some easy ones with a stretch of bad opponents coming up after a bunch of recent close games that have kept SGA’s minutes count a little high for March.