It’s starting to look like the top and bottom spots in these power rankings won’t be changing for the rest of the season.
Between the Spurs, winners of 13 straight, and the Sixers, losers of 24 straight, it’s not hard to figure out the best and worst in the NBA right now. In between, however? Well, there’s plenty of room for debate.
Here’s this week’s rankings, once again dominated by Western Conference teams.
(Last week’s rankings in parentheses)
1. Spurs (1): Sunday’s win at Golden State, one of the hardest places to play in the league, without Tim Duncan or Manu Ginobili, is just the latest proof the Spurs are an incredible operation from the top down.
2. Clippers (2): If it weren’t for the Spurs, we’d be talking all about the Clippers, who are 9-1 in their last 10 games and cruising along behind an impressive jump up a level this season from Blake Griffin.
3. Nets (13): With four wins in a row, 11 in their last 13 and a 27-10 record since the start of 2014, it’s becoming hard to argue with the run of success the Nets have put together.
4. Grizzlies (6): The Grizzlies continue to roll, and have now moved into seventh place in the West. Is a Grizzlies-Clippers first-round series in the cards once again?
5. Rockets (6): If things wind up as they are right now – Portland in round one, San Antonio in round two – I don’t think Daryl Morey or anyone else in Houston will be complaining much.
6. Warriors (4): As well as Golden State has played this season, here’s something to remember: The Warriors are only two games ahead of ninth-place Phoenix in the loss column.
7. Thunder (10): The Thunder may not be rolling quite yet, but they got the best news of the weekend when the MRI exam on Russell Westbrook’s right knee came back clean.
8. Bulls (3): Keep on winning despite everything that’s happened this season, and it appears likely they’ll be in a showdown with the Nets in round one for a second year in a row.
9. Pacers (8): Have still managed to hang onto the top spot in the East despite their struggles lately, but Indiana has a lot of things it needs to figure out right now, especially offensively.
10. Heat (8): The Heat will be kicking themselves if they fail to catch the Pacers for homecourt in the East. Miami is 4-6 in its last 10, including several duds that are inexcusable — even if they are coasting at this point.
11. Raptors (11): If the Raptors go on to win the Atlantic Division, their big comeback in the fourth quarter to beat the Hawks at home Sunday afternoon will have been key.
12. Suns (15): Engineered a big comeback Sunday to beat the Timberwolves, which kept them right in the thick of the tight race at the fringes of the Western Conference playoff picture.
13. Wizards (9): Washington has begun to falter lately, dropping a couple of winnable games out West and looking more and more likely to wind up in sixth place in the East.
14. Mavericks (12): If Dallas winds up falling short in the tight three-way race for the final two playoff spots in the West, they may look back at Sunday’s loss to the Nets as the game that kept them home come playoff time.
15. Trail Blazers (14): Homecourt advantage in round one appears gone. The bigger question: Where will the Blazers end up, and is it possible they could slip all the way out of the playoffs?
16. Bobcats (16): Going 7-3 in their last 10 games has allowed the Bobcats to maintain a five-game lead over the ninth-place Knicks in the loss column in the East, which should allow them to make the playoffs for the second time in franchise history.
17. Timberwolves (17): Minnesota has gotten some nice production from rookie Gorgui Dieng lately with Nikola Pekovic sidelined, and they will keep their first-round pick. Those are the two remaining positives in a disappointing season.
18. Hawks (19): The five-game winning streak the Hawks put together before a pair of losses to end the week appears to be enough to get them into the playoffs.
19. Pelicans (20): The question about Anthony Davis now isn’t if he’s going to be a superstar, but when. The day when he’s considered the third best player in the NBA behind LeBron James and Kevin Durant appears to be coming sooner rather than later.
20. Nuggets (23): You have to assume Nuggets coach Brian Shaw was happy to come away with a victory over the Wizards on Sunday, given Andre Miller’s presence on the other side.
21. Celtics (21): It’s been a long season in Boston, but the two first-round picks the Celtics have in the upcoming deep draft will make the offseason more exciting than this regular season has been.
22. Knicks (18): Given the circumstances, Sunday’s loss at home to the Cavaliers – missing Kyrie Irving, mind you – was truly obscene. Now four back in the loss column with 12 to play, the Knicks’ slim playoff chances got much slimmer.
23. Cavaliers (24): The Cavs will be back in New York for the lottery despite Dan Gilbert’s guarantee they wouldn’t be again this year. Looks like they took Knicks down with them with Sunday’s win at MSG.
24. Kings (25): Rudy Gay had one of my favorite quotes of the whole season after Sunday’s win over the Bucks. Taking about overweight Bucks guard O.J. Mayo, he said: “Was I surprised to see it? Little bit. I haven’t seen him, but we talked a bit. He said he was hurt, and I guess when you’re hurt in Wisconsin, you eat.” Hat tip to Cowbell Kingdom.
25. Lakers (26): Steve Nash comes back Friday and has 11 assists and looks productive … and then he has nerve issues in his back again and immediately returns to the sidelines. Such a depressing end to such a great career.
26. Jazz (27): Gordon Hayward will be one of the more interesting restricted free agent cases this summer. Will Hayward, a versatile player averaging 15 points, five boards and five assists, be signed to a huge offer sheet by another team?
27. Pistons (22): With five losses in a row, the Pistons, trying to keep their top eight protected pick that otherwise goes to Charlotte, appear to be trying to replicate the end-of-season plummet the 2012 Warriors executed to keep their top seven protected pick.
28. Magic (28): The Magic have lost nine games in a row, and clearly are doing their best to maximize lottery position. There’s likely to be a lot of playing time for all of their young players over the final 11 games.
29. Bucks (29): One of the few dramas left to be played out this season will be whether Milwaukee (losers of seven in a row) or Philadelphia winds up with the most ping-pong balls at the draft lottery.
30. 76ers (30): The Sixers have been fighting valiantly in recent games, coming close to victories several times. But this isn’t horseshoes, and the close calls can’t change the fact the Sixers have lost a staggering 24 games in a row.