30. Toronto Raptors (4-17, Last Week’s Ranking: 29): The Raptors lost all four of their games since our last power rankings, and were crushed by the Clippers last night, 102-83.
29. Cleveland Cavaliers (4-17, Last Week: 28): The Cavs have lost five games in a row and have a horrible record. Not much else to say here.
28. Washington Wizards (2-19, Last Week: 30): The Wizards still have the worst record in the league, but they somehow managed to beat the Miami Heat. That, in my book, deserves a slight jump in the rankings. We have to give Washington some kind of hope, right?
27. New Orleans Hornets (5-14, Last Week: 26): The Hornets are having a bad season. On top of that, first overall pick Anthony Davis has been sidelined since November 20. The Hornets even made the bi-polar Lakers look good on Wednesday.
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26. Detroit Pistons (7-15, Last Week: 25): Well, the Pistons actually went 2-2 last week, but both victories came against the Cavaliers.
25.Phoenix Suns (7-15, Last Week: 22): The Suns have lost seven games in a row! Giving up over 103 points per game isn’t helping, either.
24. Charlotte Bobcats (7-12, Last Week: 20): Well, NBA fans can feel at ease now. The Bobcats have lost seven games in a row, and dropped out of the top 20. All joking aside, the Bobcats may be playing bad once again, but Kemba Walker is surely a bright spot for Charlotte fans as he’s averaging 17.4 points, 6.1 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game.
23. Sacramento Kings (7-12, Last Week: 27): The Kings won all three of their games last week.
22. Portland Trailblazers (8-12, Last Week: 23): The Trailblazers are still struggling. They appear to have balanced scoring–as their starting five all average double-digits–but their defense isn’t there. Giving up 102.0 points per game likely causes Portland fans reminisce about Nate McMillan’s defensive teams.
21. Los Angeles Lakers (9-12, Last Week: 17): The Lakers continue to drop. I wanted to place the Lakers last out of anger and frustration last week, but I came to my senses. However, this week’s poor play justifies the Lakers’ continually dropping rank. Losing four of five games–two of which came at home to average teams–is simply unacceptable. Certain players are playing well in certain games, but there appears to be no continuity on offense and especially not on defense. It will get better…eventually.
Next Page: The middle of the pack
20. Orlando Magic (8-12, Last Week: 24): Orlando put together a winning record on a recent West Coast road trip (going 3-2), which started off with a victory over the Lakers. Who would’ve thought that Dwight Howard’s old team would be playing better than his new team?
19. Houston Rockets (9-10, Last Week: 14): The highlight of the Rockets’ week was a two-point, last second victory over the Lakers on Tuesday. James Harden has continued his solid play; putting up 39 points, dishing out nine assists, and pulling down six rebounds most recently in a 116-109 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday.
18. Indiana Pacers (10-11, Last Week: 16): Paul George is having a breakout season, and is averaging 23.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.75 steals per game over the Pacers’ last four games. However, the Pacers are still struggling without Danny Granger.
17. Denver Nuggets (10-11, Last Week: 18): The Nuggets have had a tough schedule so far; playing 15 games on the road, and just six at home this season. That should give the Nuggets hope for the future as they’re 5-1 at home, but just 5-10 on the road.
—- Show off your team pride with your own Lakers Nation t-shirt! —-
16. Minnesota Timberwolves (10-9, Last Week: 21): Kevin Love, after returning from an injury at the beginning of the season, has picked up where he left off and is averaging 21.2 points and 14.2 rebounds per game. The Timberwolves are 4-5 in that stretch, however. Ricky Rubio’s return is greatly anticipated in Minnesota, as well.
15. Utah Jazz (12-10, Last Week: 15): The Jazz went 3-1 last week, including a victory over the Lakers in Los Angeles.
14. Dallas Mavericks (10-10, Last Week: 19): O.J. Mayo is holding down the Mavericks’ fort while Dirk Nowitzki has been injured all season. Mayo is averaging 20.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists, as the Mavericks have won three of their last four; Mayo averaged 25.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in those four games.
13. Milwaukee Bucks (10-9, Last Week: 11): A solid victory over the Brooklyn Nets in Brooklyn was a highlight for the Bucks on Sunday, as Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis continue to lead the guard-driven Bucks.
12. Philadelphia 76ers (11-9, Last Week: 10): The Sixers went 1-3 last week and appear to have trouble scoring; averaging just 88.5 points per game.
11. Boston Celtics (11-9, Last Week: 13): The Celtics are alright.
Next Page: Crowded at the top
10. Brooklyn Nets (11-8, Last Week: 5): The Nets are dropping, but are hanging on by a thread to the top ten. Four losses in a row–although two were against Miami and Oklahoma City–definitely set the exciting, new-look Nets back a bit.
9. Atlanta Hawks (12-5, Last Week: 7): The Hawks went 3-0 last week, including a victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in Memphis, and continue to be an overlooked team in the Eastern Conference.
8. Golden State Warriors (13-7, Last Week: 9): The Warriors are 3-0 to start their seven game road trip; in which one victory came over the Nets in Brooklyn.
7. Chicago Bulls (11-8, Last Week: 12): The Bulls continue to climb. Still without Derrick Rose, the Bulls managed to defeat the New York Knicks on Saturday, and have won their last three games. It’s not uncommon to see their starting five reach double digits in points or put up other incredible stats as Luol Deng has averaged 20.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists; Joakim Noah has averaged 17.7 points, 16.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists, Carlos Boozer has averaged 15.3 points and 9.3 rebounds; and Marco Belinelli has averaged 20.3 points per game in that three-game stretch. The Bulls have definitely not given up on their season despite Rose’s prolonged recovery from injury all season, or the loss of depth over the summer.
6. Miami Heat (13-5, Last Week: 2): Losses to the dead-last Washington Wizards and a blowout by the New York Knicks–without Carmelo Anthony, mind you–set the Heat back four positions this week.
—- Show off your team pride with your own Lakers Nation t-shirt! —-
5. Los Angeles Clippers (14-6, Last Week: 8): The Clippers are currently on a six-game winning streak. Coupled with their incredible depth and Chris Paul’s timeliness for clutch shots, the Clippers are built for big games and a deep run in the playoffs.
4. New York Knicks (15-5, Last Week: 6): The Knicks have won six of their last seven games, including a solid victory over the Miami Heat in Miami, without Carmelo Anthony.
3. Memphis Grizzlies (14-4, Last Week: 4):The Grizzlies are a very well-built team, and have the type of size in the front-court no team wants to face.
2. Oklahoma City Thunder (17-4, Last Week: 3): The Thunder are on an impressive eight-game winning streak, which included victories over the Lakers and Nets. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have continued to improve their already elite-level skills. One positive from the James Harden move has been the superstars’ improvement of their all-around games. Durant has boosted his rebounds and assists averages compared with last season, and Russell Westbrook is averaging more than three extra assists this season compared with last.
1. San Antonio Spurs (17-4, Last Week: 1): The Spurs are still absolutely dominant. They’ve won nine of their last ten games, but the one loss came against Miami (a close 105-100 loss, at that) where coach Popovich sat four of his top players. Realistically, the Spurs could be on a ten-game winning streak right now.