30. Charlotte Bobcats (13-46, Last Week: 29): Losers of six straight, the Bobcats are also the worst team in the league, record-wise.
29. Orlando Magic (16-44, Last Week: 30): The Magic have lost three games in a row, and eight of their last nine.
28. Minnesota Timberwolves (20-36, Last Week: 25): The Wolves have lost five games in a row–all to Western Conference opponents.
27. Philadelphia 76ers (23-35, Last Week: 26): The Sixers have lost eight of their last nine games, and have had a hugely disappointing season compared with last season and the hopes they had for this season.
26. Detroit Pistons (23-39, Last Week: 23): Detroit has lost five of their last six games. Jose Calderon has seemingly found his role as a facilitator on his new team, though.
25. Sacramento Kings (21-40, Last Week: 27): The Kings went 2-2 last week, even taking the Miami Heat to overtime on Tuesday; although they lost 141-129.
24. Portland Trail Blazers (27-31, Last Week: 24): The Blazers played just two games last week, as they went 1-1 against the Denver Nuggets (lost) and Minnesota Timberwolves (won), respectively.
23. Phoenix Suns (21-39, Last Week: 28): Phoenix has found some sort of rhythm as they’ve won three games in a row, including a victory over the league best San Antonio Spurs in San Antonio.
22. New Orleans Hornets (21-39, Last Week: 22): The Hornets lost back-to-back games against the Brooklyn Nets and Oklahoma City Thunder, respectively, before defeating the Detroit Pistons on Friday.
21. Toronto Raptors (23-37, Last Week: 17): The Raptors have lost four games in a row. Rudy Gay missed their game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday due to back spasms.
Next Page: Middle Of The Pack
20. Washington Wizards (19-39, Last Week: 19): The Wizards went 2-2 last week, which somewhat deflates the bubble they had going while playing well despite a horrible record.
19. Cleveland Cavaliers (20-39, Last Week: 20): The Cavs went 2-1 last week.
18. Dallas Mavericks (26-33, Last Week: 18): The Mavs went 1-3 last week, but were absolutely drubbed by the Houston Rockets on Sunday as they lost, 136-103.
17. Golden State Warriors (33-27, Last Week: 13): The Warriors have lost four in a row, despite some amazing performances by Stephen Curry–one of which was a 54-point outburst against the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden.
16. Milwaukee Bucks (29-28, Last Week: 21): The Bucks are in the midst of a three-game winning streak, after losing seven of eight prior to that.
15. Boston Celtics (31-27, Last Week: 16): The Celtics won both of their games last week.
14. Chicago Bulls (34-26, Last Week: 14): The Bulls went 2-2 last week. Similarly, they defeated one Eastern Conference rival (Brooklyn Nets), but lost to another (Indiana Pacers). The Bulls stand pat this week.
13. Brooklyn Nets (34-26, Last Week: 12): The Nets went 2-1 last week; dropping back-to-back games to the Dallas Mavericks and Chicago Bulls, respectively.
12. Utah Jazz (32-27, Last Week: 11): The Jazz went 2-1 last week, with their only victory coming against the lowly Charlotte Bobcats.
11. Atlanta Hawks (33-25, Last Week: 8): The Hawks have lost two in a row–most recently a one-point loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Next Page: Not Much Movement, Lakers Gain Momentum
10. New York Knicks (35-21, Last Week: 15): The Knicks appear to have stopped the bleeding from Week 18, as they went 2-1 last week; and although they lost to the Miami Heat, it was a close game. This boosts the Knicks back up a bit closer to where they were two weeks ago (sixth).
9. Houston Rockets (33-28, Last Week: 10): The Rockets still maintain the eighth seed in the Western Conference above the Lakers.
8. Los Angeles Lakers (30-30, Last Week: 9): Yes, it is quite ridiculous for a .500 team to be ranked here, but the Lakers have won five of their last six, and appear to have the momentum and willpower to make the playoffs. However, Houston and Utah have held on tight to their respective positions.
7. Denver Nuggets (38-22, Last Week: 7): The Nuggets have won four games in a row, and still have just three losses on their home court all season.
6. Indiana Pacers (38-22, Last Week: 6): The Pacers have won seven of their last eight games. Danny Granger has struggled in the five games since he’s returned as he’s averaged just 5.4 points. Additionally, he played just over eight minutes on Sunday and was listed with a sore left knee after the game.
5. Memphis Grizzlies (39-19, Last Week: 5): The Grizz have gone 9-1 over their last 10 games, with their only loss coming against the Miami Heat on Friday.
4. Los Angeles Clippers (43-19, Last Week: 4): The Clippers have gone 8-2 over their last 10 games, with their only losses coming against the Spurs and Thunder. The Clips’ loss against the Thunder on Sunday raises concern, however, as OKC swept the season series, 3-0. The Clippers did make a late push after trailing significantly for much of the game.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder (43-16, Last Week: 3): The Thunder’s win over the Clippers on Sunday keeps them in third place.
2. San Antonio Spurs (47-14, Last Week: 2): The Spurs lost their best player in Tony Parker due to an ankle injury he suffered in a victory over the Sacramento Kings on Friday. The Spurs may lose some ground as Parker heals, but as long as the injury isn’t significant, San Antonio will still be poised to dominate the Western Conference.
1. Miami Heat (43-13, Last Week: 1): The Heat have won 14 games in a row, and don’t appear to be letting up on opposing teams any time soon.