NBA Power Rankings: Nets, Knicks finally make move
1. San Antonio Spurs (29-8; last week's ranking: 5): Even without guard Manu Ginobili (hamstring) and center Tiago Splitter (shoulder), the Spurs are still rolling with four straight wins.
2. Indiana Pacers (29-7; last week's ranking: 3): Paul George's production in January has dropped (he's averaging 16.5 points on 34.3 percent shooting), but the Pacers are still winning.
3. Golden State Warriors (25-14; last week's ranking: 6): The Warriors are 5-1 in January and have won 12 of their last 14 games. Golden State is enjoying four days off.
4. Oklahoma City Thunder (28-9; last week's ranking: 1): The Thunder are 3-3 in January without Russell Westbrook. Next games are tough: at Memphis and Houston-Golden State back-to-back.
5. Miami Heat (27-10; last week's ranking: 2): The Heat are not expected to pursue free-agent center Andrew Bynum because they already have Greg Oden and have 15 roster spots filled, a league source said.
6. Portland Trail Blazers (28-9; last week's ranking: 4): Rookie shooting guard C.J. McCollum averaged seven points on 54.5 percent shooting from the field in his first two games.
7. Los Angeles Clippers (26-13; last week's ranking: 8): Chris Paul had custom Jordan Jumpman shoes made for Clipper Darrell, including a red-and-white model to match his split red-white suit.
8. Houston Rockets (24-14; last week's ranking: 7): Forward Chandler Parsons has missed three straight games with a sore knee, but worked out Sunday and is expected to play Monday at Boston.
9. Dallas Mavericks (22-16; last week's ranking: 10): Their D-League affiliate Texas Legends plan to claim former North Carolina guard P.J. Hairston. He is not eligible to play in the NBA until next season.
10. Phoenix Suns (21-15; last week's ranking: 9): The Suns are 5-7 without point guard Eric Bledsoe this season. Bledsoe had surgery last Friday to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.
11. Atlanta Hawks (20-18; last week's ranking: 11): Atlanta faces former Hawks guard Joe Johnson and the Nets at 3 p.m. ET at O2 Arena in London.
12. Denver Nuggets (19-17; last week's ranking: 16): The Nuggets are 5-0 since suspending point guard Andre Miller.
13. Toronto Raptors (18-17; last week's ranking: 13): The Raptors have won 11 of their last 15 games. They might soon move into third place in the Eastern Conference.
14. Minnesota Timberwolves (18-19; last week's ranking: 12): After averaging 30 points and 13.7 rebounds in December, Kevin Love has averaged 22.2 points and 10.6 rebounds this month.
15. Memphis Grizzlies (17-19; last week's ranking: 15): The Grizzlies are on a two-game winning streak for the first time since Dec. 21-23. Memphis is also 4-2 in January.
16. Chicago Bulls (17-18; last week's ranking: 19): Ex-Bulls forward Luol Deng said he has spoken in-depth with Derrick Rose since being dealt to Cleveland.
17. Brooklyn Nets (15-22; last week's ranking: 23): First-year coach Jason Kidd and the Nets finally appear to have gained some traction. Brooklyn was 5-0 in January before losing to Toronto.
18. Detroit Pistons (16-22; last week's ranking: 22): After playing five games in seven days, the Pistons have the next four days off before a back-to-back against Utah and Washington.
19. New York Knicks (14-22; last week's ranking: 24): The Knicks have won four straight games and are 5-1 in 2014. The only big loss was J.R. Smith dropping $50,000 for unlacing opponents' shoes.
20. Washington Wizards (16-19; last week's ranking: 21): The Wizards are 0-4 at the Verizon Center in 2014. Also embarrassing: The arena's roof leaks.
21. Sacramento Kings (13-22; last week's ranking: 25): The Kings begin a tough six-game road trip Tuesday at Indiana. Sacramento has won three straight, but is 4-9 on the road.
22. Los Angeles Lakers (14-23; last week's ranking: 17): Cavaliers coach Mike Brown returns to Los Angeles on Tuesday for the first time since being fired as the Lakers' coach.
23. New Orleans Pelicans (15-21; last week's ranking: 14): The Pelicans have dropped five straight games and seven of their past 10. San Antonio, Houston and Golden State are up next.
24. Charlotte Bobcats (15-23; last week's ranking: 18): The Bobcats have dropped three straight games and eight of their past 10. Charlotte is 0-6 in the Southeast Division.
25. Boston Celtics (13-25; last week's ranking: 26): D-League coaches and GMs were hoping to get Rajon Rondo for a few games because it would have set a standard for veteran NBA players to accept rehab assignments there.
26. Cleveland Cavaliers (13-24; last week's ranking: 28): The Cavaliers lost at Sacramento by 44 points on Sunday with Kyrie Irving and newcomer Luol Deng in uniform. It was the worst loss by any team this season.
27. Utah Jazz (12-26; last week's ranking: 27): The Jazz would benefit from acquiring former University of Utah guard Andre Miller, who could groom rookie guard Trey Burke. Miller is on the trade block for Denver.
28. Philadelphia 76ers (12-25, last week's ranking: 20): The Sixers are working out free-agent big men Monday, including D-Leaguers in Dewayne Dedmon and Jarvis Varnado, sources said.
29. Orlando Magic (10-27; last week's ranking: 29): The Magic are in the midst of an NBA-worst seven-game losing streak. Orlando's last win was on Dec. 27 against Atlanta.
30. Milwaukee Bucks (7-29; last week's ranking: 30): The Bucks are 0-5 in January with their last win on Dec. 31 against the Lakers. Milwaukee has yet to win consecutive games.
