NBA Power Rankings: Timberwolves whimper; Clippers silence Celtics
The 2023-24 regular season is in the dog days of January but this past week provided some fireworks as four players scored 60-plus points including a pair of 70-point outings by Joel Embiid and Luka Doncic.
The 2024 All-Star starters were also announced this week, which means we’re a step closer to the All-Star break as teams grind out the busiest part of their schedules.
A pair of bad losses have rocked the Minnesota Timberwolves a bit, who’ve lost possession of first place in the Western Conference standings to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Meanwhile, the LA Clippers blew out the Boston Celtics — LA looks every bit of a title contender.
Let’s look at this week’s edition of Thunder Wire’s NBA power rankings for the week of Jan. 22-28:
Detroit Pistons (6-40)
Previous ranking: 30
The Pistons continue to own the worst record in the league, but they’ve shown more fight recently. Detroit picked up a pair of wins this week over the Hornets and surprisingly the Thunder.
Washington Wizards (8-37)
Previous ranking: 29
After suffering through an awful season, the Wizards made the drastic change of removing Wes Unseld Jr. as their head coach. He piled up a 77-130 (.372) record over his 2.5 seasons. He will move to a front-office role while Brian Keefe will serve as the interim coach for the rest of the season.
Charlotte Hornets (10-34)
Previous ranking: 28
One of the first big trade dominos fell this past week when the Hornets dealt Terry Rozier to the Heat. The 29-year-old guard has had a stellar season wasted away with the Hornets. Expect Charlotte to continue to be aggressive sellers as the trade deadline nears. P.J. Washington, who scored a season-high 43 points in a loss to the Jazz, could be someone on the move.
San Antonio Spurs (10-36)
Previous ranking: 27
It was a productive week for the Spurs as they ride a two-game winning streak. It was also recently announced by Gregg Popovich that Victor Wembanyama’s minute restrictions will increase to the 30s. This should bolster the seven-footer’s odds of securing Rookie of the Year.
Portland Trail Blazers (13-33)
Previous ranking: 26
Even though the Trail Blazers have been one of the worst teams in this season, they’ve shown fight. Portland made national news this week when it protested its loss to the Thunder following Chauncey Billups’ costly two technical fouls. It later rescinded the protest, but the Trail Blazers nonetheless have played better recently.
Toronto Raptors (16-30)
Previous ranking: 25
The Raptors continue to pummel down the standings, losing X games. It’s been a tough season for Toronto — who’ve already parted ways with fan favorites like Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby. Expect Toronto to continue to tear it down as it enters a rebuild.
Brooklyn Nets (18-27)
Previous ranking: 23
It’s been a rough month for the Nets, who’ve gone 3-7 in their last 10 contests. Brooklyn just simply doesn’t possess the firepower to compete this season. Ben Simmons should near a return and at least the Nets picked up a nice win over the Rockets to cap off their week.
Atlanta Hawks (19-27)
Previous ranking: 22
The Hawks struggled in Trae Young’s absence from a concussion and even when he returned, they gave up 73 points to Luka Doncic — the guy they traded away to acquire Young. It only adds salt to the wound of a tough season in Atlanta as it’ll likely hit the reset button soon.
Golden State Warriors (19-24)
Previous ranking: 21
The Warriors returned to action following the death of assistant coach Dejan Milojević. Golden State will sport a “DM” patch on its jersey for the rest of the season to honor him. They capped off their week with a double-overtime loss to the Lakers.
Memphis Grizzlies (18-27)
Previous ranking: 24
Perhaps the victory laps of the Grizzlies’ downfall were a bit premature. Even though they won’t compete for a title this season without Ja Morant, Memphis could make a serious run for the play-in tournament. They’ve won three in a row and continue to battle through a slew of injuries.
Chicago Bulls (22-25)
Previous ranking: 19
The Bulls continue to meddle in mediocrity. Zach LaVine continues to miss time, as he’ll be out for at least another week with an ankle sprain. Chicago blew a 23-point lead over the Suns this past week.
Houston Rockets (21-24)
Previous ranking: 20
The Rockets continue to struggle this month as they’ve gone 3-7 in their last 10 contests. Jalen Green has struggled mightily this season and questions on his long-term future have arisen. Meanwhile, Alperen Sengun continues to put up impressive numbers as he’s become their franchise player.
Orlando Magic (24-22)
Previous ranking: 17
The Magic have played better this season but it’s evident they’ve hit a rough patch recently. Maybe their win over the Suns on Sunday can provide a boost. But perhaps Orlando’s youth is starting to show itself after a hot start to its season. Nonetheless, it has a nice young core led by Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner to be excited about.
Miami Heat (24-22)
Previous ranking: 12
It’s been a freefall for the Heat recently, who’ve lost six in a row, including an embarrassing 33-point loss to the Celtics this past week. Even with Jimmy Butler’s return, Miami is in a funk right now. The addition of Terry Rozier will try to provide a nice boost it desperately needs.
Los Angeles Lakers (24-23)
Previous ranking: 18
It looks like the Lakers have found a nice rhythm recently, going 6-4 in their last 10 contests including a two-game winning streak. Los Angeles won a double-overtime thriller against the Warriors on Saturday where LeBron James totaled 36 points, 20 rebounds and 12 assists. James also made history with an all-time best 20th straight All-Star selection.
Utah Jazz (24-23)
Previous ranking: 15
The Jazz returned to their winning ways following a three-game losing skid by tallying wins over the lowly Hornets and Wizards. Utah has been one of the hottest teams in the league and it should compete for a playoff spot for the rest of the season after being thought of as sellers heading into the season.
New Orleans Pelicans (26-20)
Previous ranking: 10
It was about as Jekyll and Hyde of a week as the Pelicans could’ve had. New Orleans scored a franchise-record 153 points in a regulation win over the Jazz. In the very next contest, it was held to a season-low 83 points in its loss to OKC.
Dallas Mavericks (25-21)
Previous ranking: 11
Even though the Mavericks have hovered around average, that doesn’t take away from Luka Doncic’s specialness. The All-Star starter shocked the sports world when he scored 73 points in a win over the Hawks this past week. It’s the most points scored in a game since Kobe Bryant’s infamous 81-point outing in 2006.
Indiana Pacers (27-20)
Previous ranking: 14
The Pacers’ offensive machine has been led by Tyrese Haliburton, so it was only fitting he was named an All-Star starter as the weekend festivities will be hosted at Indiana this year. Now, whether or not he plays is still up in the air. He continues to rehab from a hamstring strain. Indiana has won three consecutive games thanks to the addition of Pascal Siakam.
Sacramento Kings (26-18)
Previous ranking: 16
The Kings have won three in a row, including a thrilling 134-133 win over the Warriors where Harrison Barnes scored a career-high 39 points against his old squad. Sacramento desperately needed the wins after grueling through a four-game losing streak.
Phoenix Suns (26-20)
Previous ranking: 13
It looks like the Suns have figured it out with their trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. Phoenix has gone 7-3 in its last 10 contests now that all three have stayed healthy. The biggest story surrounding the Suns this week is Booker’s 62-point outing being overshadowed by a loss and Doncic’s historic 73-point night.
Philadelphia 76ers (29-15)
Previous ranking: 5
The Sixers have lost two in a row and have gone 6-4 in their last 10 games. The second loss drew national attention as Joel Embiid — who scored 70 points on Monday — was a late scratch in Philly’s loss to the Nuggets. It marked the fifth consecutive year the MVP candidate has sat out the Sixers’ matchup in Denver. Embiid can only miss six more games this season to stay eligible for the MVP award.
New York Knicks
Previous ranking: 9
The Knicks have built off of last season’s success with a great start to this season. New York has won six in a row thanks to its duo of Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle. They recorded arguably their most impressive win of the season this week with a 38-point destruction of the Nuggets.
Cleveland Cavaliers (27-16)
Previous ranking: 8
Not only have the Cavaliers survived the absences of Evan Mobley and Darius Garland, but they’ve been one of the best teams in the league for several weeks now. Cleveland has won nine of its last 10 contests and a lot of that can be attributed to Donovan Mitchell, who’s averaging 27.7 points and 6.1 assists. They collected an impressive win over the Bucks this past week.
Minnesota Timberwolves (32-14)
Previous ranking: 3
It was a rough week for the Timberwolves, to say the least. Minnesota suffered a pair of bad losses that included a defeat to the Hornets that went viral because Karl-Anthony Towns scored a franchise-record 62 points. The controversy surrounding it is the Timberwolves’ focus on getting Towns the record instead of focusing on getting a win. It came back to bite them in the end.
Milwaukee Bucks (32-14)
Previous ranking: 4
Even though they’re tied for the second-best record in the league, the behind-the-scenes chaos surrounding the Bucks is noteworthy. This week, Milwaukee made the stunning decision to fire Adrian Griffin a few months into his tenure. The Bucks quickly pivoted and hired Doc Rivers to replace him. The stunning decisions shocked the NBA world as it shows perhaps not everything is going great in Milwaukee despite its record.
Denver Nuggets (32-15)
Previous ranking: 6
The reigning NBA champions continue to be a successful regular season team. The Nuggets have kept pace with the rest of the Western Conference’s top teams to be in the hunt for the first seed. Denver fans enjoyed a win over the Embiid-less Sixers as the MVP candidate was heavily criticized for sitting out the contest against Nikola Jokic.
LA Clippers (30-14)
Previous ranking: 7
Health is the only thing that can prevent the Clippers from a deep playoff run. The trio of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and James Harden have been dominant since forming. LA had arguably its best win of the season when it blew out the Celtics to extend its winning streak to five. The Clippers are legit.
Oklahoma City Thunder (32-14)
Previous ranking: 2
The Timberwolves’ recent struggles have allowed the Thunder to surpass them for first place in the Western Conference standings. An ugly loss to the Pistons might come back to bite them at the end of the season. On the bright side, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named to his first All-Star starter spot of his career.
Boston Celtics (35-11)
Previous ranking: 1
Even with a bad loss to the Clippers, the Celtics sit comfortably as the best team in the league. Boston has been a winning machine all season long with a league-best plus-9.6 point differential and has sat at the top spot of these power rankings every week. Jayson Tatum was also named an All-Star starter as the rich get richer.
