NBA power rankings: Should the charging Memphis Grizzlies replace the Phoenix Suns at No. 1?
OKLAHOMA CITY — With the NBA’s 75th anniversary season winding down, the Memphis Grizzlies are no longer a surprise team.
They’re a legit championship contender.
Not even predicted to make the playoffs by the NBA general managers heading into the 2021-22 season, the Grizzlies have gone from being eliminated as an eighth seed last year to securing the second overall seed this year.
They just topped NBA-best Phoenix, 122-114, Friday night without Ja Morant (knee), Jaren Jackson Jr. (thigh), Desmond Bane (ankle), Steven Adams (calf) and Tyus Jones (hand).
Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins was ejected late in the first half, but the Grizzlies snapped a nine-game win streak for the Suns, who were at full strength.
Memphis is the only team to have a winning record against Phoenix during the regular season. The Grizzlies took the season series, 2-1, but is that enough to rise to the top of The Arizona Republic’s NBA Power Rankings?
CHALLENGING GRIZZLIES: How Ja Morant and Grizzlies could challenge Western Conference elites now and into the future
1. Phoenix Suns (62-16, Last week 1st)
Yes, Memphis finished 2-1 against Phoenix, with Friday’s victory even more impressive considering it was short-handed and the Suns weren’t.
The Suns were also looking to set the franchise record for wins in a single season, but Memphis denied them that celebratory moment in its arena.
Still, Phoenix, who also lost to the lowly Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, is seven games ahead of the Grizzlies heading into the final week of the regular season. The Suns remain the NBA’s top team with their All-Star guard, Devin Booker, rising up the MVP ladder.
2. Memphis Grizzlies (55-23, Last week 2nd)
Dillon Brooks plays to exhaustion.
His 30-point performance in Friday’s win was not only a special performance, but he gutted through some major fatigue to lead the Grizzlies to the emotional victory.
Curious to see what his role is when Memphis is full strength in the playoffs, but whatever it is, the Grizzlies need him to be a difference maker come postseason.
3. Golden State Warriors (50-29, Last week 3rd)
The way they hung in there against Phoenix in an 107-103 loss without Stephen Curry and with Klay Thompson shooting 1-of-10 from 3 is a good sign for the Warriors.
Curry is going to miss the rest of the regular season with a foot injury. The Warriors could very well fall to fourth in the West as they have just a game lead on Dallas.
Andrew Wiggins says the Warriors are still the NBA's best team, "especially when everyone is healthy." With Curry progressing, Golden State will get a chance to prove that in the postseason.
4. Miami Heat (51-28, Last week Next 5)
The Heat bounced back from losing four straight games to winning four straight. The three road victories over the Celtics, Bulls and Raptors were impressive.
Jimmy Butler is averaging 24.3 points on 36-of-43 shooting from the field, five rebounds and five assists during this win streak. The Heat have a deep team, but they’ll still need Butler to play well to make a deep postseason run.
Back atop the East, Miami has the 23rd toughest remaining schedule, but Charlotte and Atlanta — the Heat's next two opponents — are separated by game in battling for play-in position.
5. Philadelphia 76ers (48-30, Last week 4th)
This is tough because Philadelphia is a half game behind Boston, but the Celtics will be without center Robert Williams III for the remainder of the regular season.
Williams suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee, has undergone surgery and is expected to return in four to six weeks. He’s not Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, but Williams is a key player for the Celtics.
So Philadelphia could easily push past Boston in the final week. The Sixers snapped a two-game skid with one of those losses coming to lowly Detroit with a dominant 30-point victory over Charlotte.
MVP RACE: A look inside the compelling three-man race for the NBA's MVP award. Who will win it?
Next five
Boston Celtics (49-30) – They still have one of the league’s best duos in Brown and Tatum, but the Celtics will need to lean even more on having the league’s top defense to keep winning.
Milwaukee Bucks (48-30) – The Bucks go from winning at Philadelphia and at Brooklyn to giving up 153 points in an ugly home loss to the Clippers. They rested their Big 3, but 11 3s for Robert Covington? They were at full strength in Sunday's home loss to Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.
Dallas Mavericks (49-30) – Kristaps Porzingis got a little revenge on the team that traded him as he scored 24 points in helping Washington blitz Dallas by 32 despite Doncic scoring 36 in 36 minutes. Mavs rebounded with impressive road win at Milwaukee.
Toronto Raptors (45-33) – The Raptors were once 9-13. They’ve gone 36-20 since. Nick Nurse can flat-out coach, but can Toronto, winners of five of their last six games, get past Chicago for fifth in the East?
Denver Nuggets (47-32) – Looks like Nikola Jokic could very well win a second-straight MVP award, and Sunday's win over the Lakers may help the Nuggets avoid the danger of falling into the play-in tournament.
One last thing
This regular season could end with the NBA’s most storied franchise not even making the play-in tournament.
The Los Angeles Lakers are two games behind San Antonio as an 11th seed in the Western Conference after Sunday's loss to the Nuggets.
SCAPEGOAT: Russell Westbrook has been Lakers' scapegoat but remains defiant: 'I live for adversity'
With four games left, the Lakers are in serious dangerous of missing out on the playoffs after being one of the preseason favorites to win it all. To put their highly disappointing season in perspective, they are 31 games behind Phoenix.
With Anthony Davis back from a foot injury, there is hope, but they have the third toughest remaining schedule.
The Lakers play Phoenix, Golden State, Oklahoma City and Denver.
Wow.
Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.
Support local journalism. Start your online subscription.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: NBA Power Rankings: Should Phoenix Suns or Memphis Grizzlies be No. 1?
