NBA Power Rankings: Celtics, Wolves remain unassailable
In what was a short week for most teams, the Denver Nuggets (3-1), Minnesota Timberwolves (3-0), New York Knicks (3-0), and Boston Celtics (2-0) stand out as the biggest winners. Meanwhile, the Rockets, Spurs, and Pistons all went winless, with the latter two further extending long losing streaks.
Boston Celtics (15-4)
Last Week: 2-0
Net Rating: +9.5
Stock Up: Jaylen Brown, Al Horford
The Celtics took care of business in a short week, including a blowout In-Season Tournament win over the Bulls and a close win over a shorthanded Sixers team. Jaylen Brown is starting to play more consistently while Al Horford continues to hold the fort down at center while Kristaps Porzingis is out. They enter next week’s In-Season Tournament against the Pacers and potentially a matchup against the winner of the Bucks-Knicks game.
Minnesota Timberwolves (15-4)
Last Week: 3-0
Net Rating: +6.5
Stock Up: Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert, Nickeil Alexander-Walker
The Timberwolves went undefeated this week against mostly weak opponents but got an impressive win against the Thunder. Karl-Anthony Towns continued his hot shooting streak while Rudy Gobert had one of his strongest offensive stretches since his Utah days. Fortunately for them, they have another week against weak opponents which alleviates the absences of Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels.
Oklahoma City Thunder (13-6)
Last Week: 2-1
Net Rating: +8.4
Stock Up: Cason Wallace
The Thunder lost a close game to the Wolves this week before blowing out the Lakers in their following game. They were also on track to blow out the Mavericks before allowing them to come back on a ridiculous 30-0 run. Hopefully, that blown lead is an isolated incident and they will have better outings against stronger competition. As HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto notes, the Thunder have the assets to make an aggressive upgrade before the trade deadline.
Denver Nuggets (14-7)
Last Week: 3-1
Net Rating: +4.6
Stock Up: Reggie Jackson, Justin Holiday, Peyton Watson
The Nuggets had a wild and impressive week given their recent injury trouble, including an unexpected victory over the Clippers led by Reggie Jackson without Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, or Aaron Gordon. The missed time for their starters allowed several role players to step up, including Justin Holiday who now has a spot in the rotation, and Peyton Watson, who shut down Kevin Durant in his defensive assignment. This week helped answer a lot of questions about their depth and should give their bench players more confidence as we get deeper into the season.
Phoenix Suns (12-8)
Last Week: 1-2
Net Rating: +3.2
Stock Up: Jusuf Nurkic
Injuries continue to dominate the Suns’ season. Right when Kevin Durant returns upon the Suns extending their winning streak to seven games, Devin Booker departs with an ankle injury. The biggest difference this week compared to the rest of the season was their three-point shooting completely falling off a cliff, making a league-worst 8.3 threes per game on just 31.6 percent shooting. It’s starting to become a real concern that their Big Three’s lack of availability so far could mean they won’t be whole come playoff time.
Orlando Magic (14-6)
Last Week: 2-1
Net Rating: +4.4
Stock Up: Franz Wagner, Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs
Orlando’s magical start to the season continued when they extended their winning streak to nine games with back-to-back wins over the Wizards. While their fourth-ranked defense has been the biggest driver of their success, their offense has gone under the radar. They have the 14th-ranked offense but have had the sixth-ranked offense over their last eight games scoring 120.9 points per 100 possessions. They’ve been extremely efficient in that stretch shooting 51.3 percent from the field and 39.6 percent from three on a league-bottom 27.8 attempts per game. We will see how their offense holds up when they play tougher competition at the end of the month.
Philadelphia 76ers (12-7)
Last Week: 1-2
Net Rating: +7.0
Stock Up: Patrick Beverley, Robert Covington, Marcus Morris
An illness made its way into the Sixers locker room limiting Joel Embiid to just one game and Tyrese Maxey to two this week. They dominated the Lakers in the one game Embiid played before losing to a Pelicans team nearing full health. The most encouraging thing from this week was a hard-fought loss to the Celtics where several of their role players stepped up. Their star duo should be back soon, but they could afford to sit them out more and get their role players more reps. That’s because six of seven of their opponents over the next two weeks are against teams projected to be in the lottery.
Milwaukee Bucks (14-6)
Last Week: 2-1
Net Rating: +2.9
Stock Up: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Malik Beasley
The Bucks continue to build a strong record but with head-scratching results: mainly losing to the Bulls without Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. It’s losses like these that justify nitpicking their victories, such as defeating the Heat earlier this week but without Jimmy Butler. Aside from In-Season Tournament games this week, it may be a while until the Bucks are tested again with a generally easy schedule over the next two weeks.
Sacramento Kings (11-7)
Last Week: 2-1
Net Rating: -0.3
Stock Up: Malik Monk, Sasha Vezenkov
The Kings began the week with one of the most entertaining games of the season so far in a 24-point comeback against the Warriors. Domantas Sabonis struggled this week and Keegan Murray didn’t play with an injury, but De’Aaron Fox and other role players like Malik Monk and Sasha Vezenkov stepped up to help the Kings keep winning. They’ll have a tough test against the Pelicans, who handed them two of their last three losses, in the Play-In Tournament this week.
Miami Heat (11-9)
Last Week: 1-2
Net Rating: +1.3
Stock Up: Jimmy Butler, Josh Richardson, Jaime Jaquez Jr
The Heat have lost five of their lost seven games since going on a seven-game winning streak in November but their struggles can mostly be chalked up to injuries. Both Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo missed games while several other role players missed extended time. Butler had an incredible week but the Heat didn’t as they allowed opponents to shoot 56.5 percent from the field, which was the worst opponent field goal percentage in the league. The Heat have shown a lot of promise when fully healthy, but to Butler, it isn’t good enough.
New York Knicks (12-7)
Last Week: 3-0
Net Rating: +5.8
Stock Up: Julius Randle, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart
The Knicks had a relatively easy schedule this week and extended their record against teams below .500 to 8-0. They won all three games by an average of 14.4 points led by Julius Randle who has found his groove after a rough start to the season, including a massive 25-20 game against the Hornets. They enter the In-Season Tournament next week with what should be a fun matchup against the Bucks.
Los Angeles Lakers (12-9)
Last Week: 2-2
Net Rating: -1.0
Stock Up: D’Angelo Russell, Max Christie
The Lakers had a very concerning week playing the best competition. They tipped the week with a 44-point loss to the Sixers where they caused too many turnovers and got crushed on the boards. They rebounded by blowing out the Pistons but then followed that up with a 23-point loss to the Thunder. The Lakers are 8-1 against teams below .500 but just 4-8 against teams above .500 so far this season. Hopefully, they’ll be more prepared for tougher teams at the end of the month when they’re set to face off against the Timberwolves, Thunder, and Celtics.
New Orleans Pelicans (11-10)
Last Week: 2-2
Net Rating: +1.1
Stock Up: Zion Williamson
There may not be such a thing as a fully healthy Pelicans team, but they’re getting close enough with so many important players coming back. CJ McCollum and Trey Murphy III bring some much-needed shooting to a team ranked 27th in three-pointers made in the league this season. It’s hard to gauge this team since they at mostly full health should dramatically change things on the offensive end.
Indiana Pacers (10-8)
Last Week: 1-2
Net Rating: +3.0
Stock Up: Tyrese Haliburton, Bruce Brown, Obi Toppin
The Pacers continue to score at a historic level but it’s not leading to a meaningful result with their bottom-ranked defense. They now lost five of their last 9 games since starting the season 6-3 and could be more of a Play-In team than one that finishes above it. On the bright side, Tyrese Haliburton continues to put up unreal numbers while Obi Toppin and Bruce Brown are starting to look more comfortable.
Houston Rockets (8-9)
Last Week: 0-3
Net Rating: +2.6
Stock Up: Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green
The Rocket struggled this week losing three straight games and are now losers of six of their last nine games after starting the season 6-3. They remain the only team in the league yet to win a game on the road, but thankfully have three of their next four contests at home. Their overall improvement this season is very encouraging, but they’ll need to start winning some games on the road if they’re going to be more than a Play-In team.
Dallas Mavericks (11-8)
Last Week: 1-2
Net Rating: +0.1
Stock Up: Luka Doncic, Seth Curry, Derrick Jones Jr.
The Mavericks continue to struggle against tougher competition after getting a head start to the season against mostly weak opponents. Luka Doncic missed his first game of the season this week and their performance without him put a glaring light on the overall lack of strength of the roster. He returned with one of the greatest fatherhood games against the Thunder including a 30-0 run but they ultimately fell short to the Thunder. The Mavericks will probably need to make some upgrades to the roster and have several large salaries they could look to move.
Brooklyn Nets (10-9)
Last Week: 2-1
Net Rating: +2.5
Stock Up: Mikal Bridges, Spencer Dinwiddie
The Nets are on a nice little run having won four of their last five games. They normally have the 20th-ranked defense but have raised it to 9th in that stretch. The other factor driving that span is holding the second-ranked offense scoring 125.2 points per 100 possessions. Some of that will likely come down when Ben Simmons returns and some of their players cool down, including a historical scoring performance by Mikal Bridges. Their competition this week wasn’t special, but it’s encouraging to see the Nets beat the teams that they’re supposed to.
Cleveland Cavaliers (11-9)
Last Week: 2-1
Net Rating: -0.5
Stock Up: Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley
Last season, the Cavaliers won 51 games and had home-court advantage being Top 10 in both offense and defense. So far this year, they’ve played as expected defensively, but rank 23rd offensively. Since a 4-6 start largely due to injuries, they’ve won seven of their last 10 games but continue to have a below-average offensive rating. It’s encouraging that they stabilized their record, but some of their losses at full health are concerning, including an eight-point loss to the Blazers.
Los Angeles Clippers (9-10)
Last Week: 2-2
Net Rating: +3.1
Stock Up: Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, Ivica Zubac
It’s tough to know what to make of this Clippers team. Once it finally felt like they were starting to get it together after a nice stretch following some lineup changes, they went ahead and lost to a Nuggets team led by Reggie Jackson and DeAndre Jordan. Paul George has been slumping recently, but Kawhi Leonard is starting to look more like Kawhi Leonard averaging 27 points per game on 55-53-84 splits this week. They’ll need to go on a big run soon to break above the Play-In range and justify further going all-in on this group.
Golden State Warriors (9-11)
Last Week: 1-2
Net Rating: +0.1
Stock Up: Klay Thompson, Moses Moody, Draymond Green
The Warriors season may have officially gone off the rails. They are now 3-9 over their last 12 games and this week included 24-point and 22-point blown leads against the Kings and Clippers, respectively. These meltdowns are a new phenomenon to these Warriors and it’s gotten the league speculating on the future of their veterans. Their trade deadline could be about saving money if they cannot turn things around soon.
Atlanta Hawks (9-10)
Last Week: 1-2
Net Rating: +0.2
Stock Up: Dejounte Murray, Saddiq Bey
The Hawks may really be missing Jalen Johnson. They’re 1-3 in the stretch since they lost him, which isn’t surprising considering they’ve played teams like the Celtics, Cavaliers, and Bucks. However, what’s extremely concerning is their drop off from their normally third-ranked offense to 28th-ranked in that stretch. Johnson has been an extremely efficient scorer from the field this season but the Hawks will need others to step up while he’s gone over the next 4-6 weeks.
Toronto Raptors (9-11)
Last Week: 1-2
Net Rating: -1.3
Stock Up: Scottie Barnes
The Raptors had an abysmal shooting week, including a close loss to the Nets despite taking 12 more shots and forcing twice as many turnovers. It’s not an encouraging sign when they do everything right on the defensive end but can’t capitalize at all on offense. It’s going to be hard to justify keeping this roster together and its high cost when they continue to chase the 10 seed like last season. They have a limited amount of time to turn things around before they may have to seriously consider making significant changes.
Memphis Grizzlies (5-14)
Last Week: 2-1
Net Rating: -6.1
Stock Up: Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr.
After getting crushed last week by an average of 21 points per game, the Grizzlies had a major turnaround where they finished this week with a +5.7 net rating. The biggest difference came on the defensive end where they raised their 117.6 rating last week to a top-ranked 103.8 rating this week. Granted, their two wins came against the Jazz and the Mavericks without Luka Doncic, but it looks like they cleaned some things up with some changes to their rotation and starting lineup. They also managed to get their first home win! We’ll see if they’ve reached a turning point when they get tested against tougher competition next week.
Chicago Bulls (7-14)
Last Week: 2-1
Net Rating: -5.9
Stock Up: Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, Patrick Williams
The Bulls ended their five-game losing streak and are now on a two-game winning streak, both without Zach LaVine. It’s a small sample size but their defense was better this week without him, although the on/off numbers for him have not been favorable over the past three seasons. This development certainly isn’t helping his trade value among teams that have taken notice. They’ve been about the same offensively, but LaVine’s absence has unlocked Coby White, who averaged 24.3 points this week on 49-52-91 splits. The Bulls are still headed for the lottery and are expected to be sellers before the trade deadline.
Portland Trail Blazers (6-13)
Last Week: 2-1
Net Rating: -6.8
Stock Up: Shaedon Sharpe, Malcolm Brogdon
The Trail Blazers are nearing full health and have shown a lot of fight over the past week and a half. They had the fifth-best defense this week and got strong offensive performances by Jerami Grant and Shaedon Sharpe to steal wins against the Pacers and Cavaliers, respectively. Even without Robert Williams III, this iteration of the Blazers has the personnel to be an above-average defensive team. But that could go away if the Blazers trade their veterans for draft pick compensation and open up more minutes for their rookies.
Utah Jazz (7-13)
Last Week: 2-2
Net Rating: -6.2
Stock Up: Collin Sexton, Simone Fontecchio, Omer Yurtseven
After starting the season 4-11, the Jazz have found some footing over their past five games. They have the 23rd-ranked defense in the league but have a 5th-best 110.5 rating over their last seven games. On the other end, they’ve had the second-worst offense in that stretch, but the return of Lauri Markkanen should help improve that. They’re still expected to be a lottery team, and that could make several veterans like Talen Horton-Tucker and Kelly Olynyk available for trade.
Charlotte Hornets (6-12)
Last Week: 1-2
Net Rating: -8.3
Stock Up: Terry Rozier, Bryce McGowens
The bad news is that LaMelo Ball injured the ankle he had surgery on last season and is expected to miss at least four weeks. The good news is that their offense was stronger this week albeit on insane, unsustainably high three-point shooting, including a high-scoring affair against the Nets where they hit 21 threes. Perhaps they could win as many games as they would be expected to with Ball in the lineup, but their schedule over the next few weeks won’t give them any easy opportunities.
San Antonio Spurs (3-16)
Last Week: 0-2
Net Rating: -12.1
Stock Up: Jeremy Sochan, Julian Champagnie
The Spurs had a short week with two losses that extended their losing streak to 14 games, putting them on almost equal footing as the Pistons. The most encouraging part of the week was their close loss to the Hawks backed by massive performances by Victor Wembanyama and Jeremy Sochan. Beyond player development, the potential availability of veterans like Doug McDermott and Cedi Osman is worth monitoring.
Washington Wizards (3-16)
Last Week: 1-2
Net Rating: -7.8
Stock Up: Kyle Kuzma, Deni Avdija, Corey Kispert
The struggling Wizards finally ended their nine-game losing streak with a blowout win over the struggling even more Pistons. That victory inflated their defensive rating for the week, but they’re still a bottom-dwelling defense on pace to potentially have one of the worst defenses ever. They should remain at the bottom of the standings as they face a brutal schedule of opponents through December. As we get closer to the trade deadline, they are expected to have several veterans draw interest throughout the league.
Detroit Pistons (2-18)
Last Week: 0-4
Net Rating: -8.7
Stock Up: Killian Hayes, Marcus Sasser
The Pistons extended their losing streak to 17 games with some controversial lineup changes. Despite the return of Bojan Bogdanovic, it feels like there is no end in sight for this losing streak, especially after losing to the Wizards by 19 points. They weren’t expected to be a playoff team but they certainly weren’t expecting to be the worst team in the league. What’s most concerning is despite the poor ecosystem around Cade Cunningham, he just may not be the guy he was touted as a prospect. The longer this goes, the more their leadership will come into question.
