NBA Power Rankings: West teams battle Celtics for top spot
The NBA Power Rankings are selected by a panel of theScore’s basketball editors.
This week, we’re taking stock of matters with a month and a half left in the 2023-24 campaign.
1. Boston Celtics (46-12)
Previous: 1
Sure, the Celtics have won nine straight, but they haven’t beaten a team with a top-seven NBA record since Jan. 10, going 0-3 against those squads over that span.
2. Oklahoma City Thunder (41-17)
Previous: 3
The team needed a player like Gordon Hayward for its upcoming postseason run. Providing positional versatility and a veteran presence for a relatively young squad, Hayward will be useful for the grind of the playoffs.
3. Minnesota Timberwolves (42-17)
Previous: 2
No two-man pairing with at least 300 minutes together has a better defensive rating than the Rudy Gobert-Naz Reid combo (94.5). With 548 shared minutes, keeping those two together has been pivotal in Minnesota quieting teams.
4. Denver Nuggets (40-19)
Previous: 5
The Nuggets have cooked teams inside the 3-point line lately. A league-high 56.4% of their February points are on 2-pointers, while they rank 27th in percentage of points from beyond the arc (30%).
5. Los Angeles Clippers (37-20)
Previous: 4
The Clippers have cooled off since their red-hot January, going just 6-5 with a negative net rating in February. Wednesday’s collapse against the Lakers hurts, but at least they have a snazzy rebrand upcoming.
6. Cleveland Cavaliers (38-20)
Previous: 6
Cleveland can thank Max Strus for helping it hold on to the No. 2 spot in the East, keeping Milwaukee at bay. His bonkers fourth quarter Tuesday versus Dallas culminated in an insane half-court game-winner.
7. Milwaukee Bucks (38-21)
Previous: 8
Is anyone going to remember Doc Rivers’ slow start if the Bucks can play like they did while beating the full-strength Timberwolves on the road? Milwaukee has a title ceiling if it can unlock that level consistently.
8. New Orleans Pelicans (35-25)
Previous: 10
The Pelicans are 8-4 in February and making a push for home-court advantage. Since Feb. 1, New Orleans is second in the league in steals (8.3) and has the sixth-best defensive rating (112.4).
9. New York Knicks (35-24)
Previous: 7
Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks have provided exactly what the Knicks needed: 3-point shooting. While Burks is still adjusting, Bogdanovic is knocking down a scorching 43.6% of his shots from deep.
10. Dallas Mavericks (34-25)
Previous: 11
The Mavericks gave Doncic two play-finishers at the trade deadline in P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford. Since Feb. 8, Dallas has the ninth-best true shooting percentage in the league (59.4%).
11. Phoenix Suns (34-24)
Previous: 9
The Suns’ Big Three has lived up to its billing now that they have a decent sample size together, outscoring opponents by 12.4 points per 100 possessions when all three are on the floor.
12. Miami Heat (33-25)
Previous: 15
Miami is riding a five-game winning streak. During that stretch, the Heat have the third-best defensive rating in the league and have held their opponents to under 100 points three times.
13. Sacramento Kings (33-25)
Previous: 12
Good luck understanding the Kings’ February. Despite beating the Nuggets twice and notching a victory over the Clippers, they also lost at home to the Pistons. A bottom-10 defensive rating in the month probably doesn’t help.
14. Orlando Magic (33-26)
Previous: 16
After many counted out the Magic during an ice-cold January, Orlando’s won seven of its 10 games in February, putting the team in a decent position to compete for a top-six seed in the East.
15. Golden State Warriors (30-27)
Previous: 18
The Warriors have won 11 of their last 14, but don’t let that fool you: Seven of those wins were against teams currently outside the playoff picture, and two were against a shorthanded 76ers squad.
16. Philadelphia 76ers (33-25)
Previous: 13
Since Joel Embiid’s last outing on Jan. 30, the 76ers have gone 4-8 – falling to sixth in the East standings. Sitting a hair above the play-in bracket, Philadelphia has to pull it together to avoid a lost season.
17. Indiana Pacers (34-26)
Previous: 14
Pascal Siakam has fit in seamlessly with the Pacers. Since arriving in Indiana, he’s knocking down 39.3% of his 3-pointers, a drastic improvement from the 31.7% he was shooting from deep in Toronto.
18. Los Angeles Lakers (32-28)
Previous: 17
The Lakers can’t ask for much more from Anthony Davis. Despite his injury history, the 30-year-old has missed just four games all season while playing some of the best two-way basketball of his career.
19. Chicago Bulls (28-31)
Previous: 20
The Bulls are play-in bound for a second straight season largely due to their dominance over the league’s other sub-.500 teams: They’re 14-2 in those outings, with both defeats at the hands of the Pistons.
20. Atlanta Hawks (26-32)
Previous: 22
Trae Young being out the next month means it’s unlikely the Hawks make the playoffs this season. Atlanta has a 16.5% chance of reaching the postseason, ranking 10th in the Eastern Conference.
21. Utah Jazz (27-32)
Previous: 19
Selling at the deadline gives the Jazz a shot to keep their upcoming first-rounder. Utah will have to send the Thunder their pick this season if it falls outside the top 10.
22. Houston Rockets (25-33)
Previous: 21
The Rockets might have realistic play-in aspirations were it not for their horrid form away from the Toyota Center. Their 5-22 road record ranks second-worst in the league, only better than the 5-25 Pistons.
23. Toronto Raptors (22-37)
Previous: 25
The Raptors pieced together a season-best three-game winning streak, and rookie Gradey Dick has made an impact, averaging 12.5 points across his last six games while shooting 54.2% from deep on 24 attempts.
24. Memphis Grizzlies (20-39)
Previous: 24
The shorthanded Grizzlies are 2-11 in their last 13 games and haven’t given fans much to cheer about with a 7-22 record at home, an abnormal mark compared to their 13-17 road record.
25. Brooklyn Nets (22-36)
Previous: 23
The Jacque Vaughn era ended with a 50-point defeat in Boston. New head coach Kevin Ollie then debuted with a 28-point loss in Toronto, punctuated by 46 fast-break points from the hosts. The more things change, the more they seem to stay the same.
26. San Antonio Spurs (11-48)
Previous: 26
Other than Victor Wembanyama’s sensational rookie campaign, there hasn’t been much in the way of positives for a Spurs team that’s won just one of its last 13 games.
27. Charlotte Hornets (15-43)
Previous: 27
Since the trade deadline, the revamped Hornets have played some of their best ball – winning five of their last seven contests. A strong finish to the season would be a refreshing change in Charlotte.
28. Portland Trail Blazers (15-42)
Previous: 28
In a truly abysmal display last Sunday, the Blazers lost 93-80 to the lowly Hornets and went 3-of-32 (9.4%) from deep. They now own the two lowest-scoring outings this season (scored 77 versus OKC in January).
29. Detroit Pistons (9-49)
Previous: 29
Despite an otherwise putrid season, the Pistons’ acquisition of Simone Fontecchio seems to be paying off. Over seven contests with Detroit, he’s averaging 15.1 points – including 42.2% shooting from deep.
30. Washington Wizards (9-49)
Previous: 30
The Wizards have lost 12 straight as part of a 3-24 skid and are nearing the franchise-record losing streak (16). They also have four of the five worst plus-minus marks in the league, with Kyle Kuzma ranking dead last (minus-482).
