NBA Power Rankings: Celtics sit atop; Thunder make it in top 5
As Christmas nears, the entire league has collectively past the first quarter mark of the 2023-24 regular season.
Teams have reached the point in their schedules where teams are starting to separate themselves from the rest of the pack.
The contenders are slowly starting to make themselves known with a variety of teams we’ve grown accustomed to — like the Denver Nuggets and Milwaukee Bucks — while simultaneously seeing a new crop of teams pry open their window — like the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder.
At the bottom of the league, it’s a historic race for lottery balls as three teams have won less than five games midway through December.
Let’s look at this week’s edition of Thunder Wire’s NBA power rankings, capping off the week of Dec. 11 to Dec. 17:
Detroit Pistons (2-24)
The Pistons have lost 23 games in a row. 23. Enough said. Cade Cunningham has looked rough in his third season and it’s hard to figure out how much of that is on him compared to where he’s playing.
San Antonio Spurs (4-21)
After losing 18 in a row, the Spurs quickly returned to their losing ways with a 36-point loss to the Pelicans. Even though they won the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes, it’s a long road ahead for San Antonio.
Washington Wizards (4-21)
The Wizards have been another member of a miserable group of bad teams this season who’ve lost 15 of 17 games. It looks like D.C. might also look its team to Virginia. Tough times for the rebuilding Wizards.
Portland Trail Blazers (6-19)
The Trail Blazers entered the season vying for lottery balls and so far it’s been a success. They’ve lost seven consecutive games in a row. The good news is it appears No. 3 pick Scoot Henderson is starting to build momentum after a slow start to his rookie campaign.
Charlotte Hornets (7-17)
The Hornets continue to struggle without their franchise star LaMelo Ball, who continues to rehab from a severe ankle sprain. Charlotte has lost four consecutive games with their most recent defeat being a 53-point walloping handed by the Sixers.
Utah Jazz (9-17)
The Jazz continues to plummet down the standings but picked up a pair of nice wins over the Knicks and Trail Blazers this past week that coincided with the return of Lauri Markkanen following a multi-week absence. Utah has a better squad than the rest of the bad teams in the league.
Memphis Grizzlies (6-18)
It’s been a nightmare situation with the Grizzlies this season as they deal with a plethora of injuries. They’ve lost four in a row and possess one of the worst records in the league. The light at the end of the tunnel continues to get brighter though as Ja Morant is one game away from returning from his 25-game suspension.
Chicago Bulls (10-17)
After a disastrous start to their season, the Bulls have reeled it back in recently — going 5-3 in their last eight games. It’ll be interesting to see if Chicago can continue to survive Zach LaVine’s absence.
Toronto Raptors (10-15)
The Raptors continue to meddle in no-man land. They’re too good to be one of the worst teams in the league but too bad to be a serious contender. Recently though, Toronto has hit a skid as its lost seven of nine games.
Atlanta Hawks (10-15)
Everything said about the Raptors can be copied and pasted here too. The Hawks continue to nest in mediocrity except Trae Young has played phenomenally this season, averaging 28 points and 10.8 assists.
Brooklyn Nets (13-12)
The Nets have been a cute success story this season, outplaying the talent they possess on their roster. Head coach Jacque Vaughn has done a nice job making the most of his roster. Mikal Bridges and Cam Thomas are a nice two-man duo with both averaging over 20 points.
Golden State Warriors (12-14)
The Warriors look like a mess. Andrew Wiggins was benched, Draymond Green has been suspended for an unknown amount of time and Klay Thompson looks like he’s lost a step. Steph Curry is the only reason why Golden State is not lower as he continues to be one of the best players in the league.
Cleveland Cavalier (14-12)
It was a disastrous week for the Cavaliers as they’ve lost both Darius Garland and Evan Mobley for extended periods with injuries. It’ll now be up to Donovan Mitchell to keep Cleveland afloat.
New York Knicks (14-11)
The Knicks have been hovering around .500 for most of the season who blew out the Suns but then proceeded to get blown out by the Clippers in their two most recent games. It’s been a mixed bag of results during New York’s current West Coast road trip. At least Jalen Brunson scored 50 points.
Phoenix Suns (14-12)
It looks like the Suns will spend the first half of the season rarely seeing their star trio together. Bradley Beal is expected to miss several weeks following an ankle injury. Injuries continue to plague the 30-year-old as he’s appeared in just six games this season.
Indiana Pacers (13-11)
Is there such a thing as a post-in-season tournament finals hangover? If not, the Pacers are certainly speaking it into existence. Indiana’s lost three in a row and defense continues to be an issue, allowing an average of 135 points in those three losses.
Miami Heat (15-11)
The Heat capped off this past week’s slate of games with a Jimmy Butler game-winner over the Bulls. Miami has won three of its last four contests — albeit against the lowly Bulls and Hornets.
Los Angeles Lakers (15-11)
After winning the inaugural in-season tournament, the Lakers have lost two of three — including helping snap the Spurs’ franchise-record 18-game losing streak. With that said, this can be chalked up to the average rough week in a long regular season.
Orlando Magic (16-9)
The Magic has been one of the biggest surprises this season but has hit a recent road bump with a two-game losing streak handed by the Celtics. The duo of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner have headlined Orlando’s success.
Sacramento Kings (15-9)
The Kings continue to build off of their impressive season last year. Sacramento has won four of its last five games with the latest victory seeing Keegan Murray score 47 points and hit 11 3-pointers.
New Orlean Pelicans (16-11)
The Pelicans have won four consecutive games with two of those victories tallying 140-plus points. New Orleans made a franchise-record 22 3-pointers in their blowout win over the Spurs.
Dallas Mavericks (16-9)
The Mavericks continue to rack up wins as they’ve won five of their last six games. Luka Doncic continues to put up Herculean numbers as he put up 40 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in Dallas’ win over the Trail Blazers.
Houston Rockets (13-10)
The Rockets’ season continues to be feast or famine in terms of results. After losing three in a row, Houston won five consecutive games before they lost to the Bucks. Dillon Brooks provided a helping hand in Houston’s two wins over the Grizzlies this past week.
LA Clippers (15-10)
The Clippers continue to play excellent basketball since acquiring James Harden. LA’s won seven in a row and have gone 8-1 in its last nine contests. Kawhi Leonard’s enjoyed his healthiest season in some time as he’s played in every game this season so far.
Denver Nuggets (17-10)
The reigning NBA champions have gotten off to a bit of a slow start this season — at least in terms of their standards. The Nuggets’ three-game losing streak was recently snapped by the Thunder thanks to a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander game-winner.
Oklahoma City Thunder (16-8)
Speaking of the Thunder, they continue to be one of the best teams in the league despite their youth. OKC has gone 5-2 in its last seven games and has handled business against inferior teams. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has played like an MVP candidate, averaging 30.7 points on 54% shooting.
Milwaukee Bucks (19-7)
Sans the recent game-ball fiasco, it’s been business as usual for the Bucks. Milwaukee has won four in a row and six of its last seven. Giannis Antetokounmpo is averaging a ho-hum 31.6 points on 63% shooting and 10.7 rebounds.
Philadelphia 76ers (18-7)
The Sixers are on fire, winning six consecutive games. Reigning MVP Joel Embiid is making a strong case to recapture the award this season, averaging 34.2 points on 53% shooting and 11.7 rebounds.
Minnesota Timberwolves (19-5)
The Timberwolves continue to be one of the best teams in the league. Minnesota has gone 8-1 in its last nine games with several double-digit wins sprinkled throughout that stretch. Anthony Edwards continues to have a breakout season. Minnesota remains No. 1 in defensive rating.
Boston Celtics (20-5)
The Celtics continue to hit on all cylinders. Boston has won five consecutive games and eight of its last nine contests. They recently picked up a pair of impressive wins over the Magic with both being double-digit victories.
