PBT's Week 13 NBA Power Rankings: Boston hangs on to top spot another week

As we approach the midway point of the NBA season, it seems fitting that Boston — the best team in the league this season — remains on top while the two upstarts below them (Oklahoma City and Minnesota) show that recent stumbles were nothing serious.

1. Boston Celtics (31-9, Last Week No. 1). We're throwing out the ugly loss to Milwaukee, a game the NBA's schedule makers should never have put on national television (Boston playing its fifth game in seven nights against a rested opponent). Still, there is reason for some concern that over the past couple of weeks the Celtics defense has looked pedestrian — 14th in the NBA across its last five games. No reason for panic, but if the Celtics want consistent wins that is the end of the court that has to be tightened up again. A possible NBA Finals preview is coming Friday night against Denver.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder (27-13, LW 2). The vibe around the league is the Thunder are not looking to make any bold moves at the trade deadline — nor do they need to, this team appears to have the core of a contender already in place. Still, that $17 million Davis Bertans contract is just sitting there, and the Thunder have plenty of draft picks, there is room for a move if a player they see as a long-term fit becomes available. Despite this high ranking, expect OKC to get just one All-Star, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, while teams below them will have a couple. The Thunder dropped both games in Los Angeles to start this road trip and have 5-of-6 more coming up on the road, including a showdown with Minnesota on Saturday night.

3. Minnesota Timberwolves (28-11, LW 5). If Anthony Edwards didn't have his second All-Star appearance locked up already — the West is deep at guard — his 33-point showing against the Clippers Sunday should have done it. While there will be doubters about this team in the playoffs until they actually win a round or two, beating the Clippers and taking the Celtics to overtime are good signs that this team can hang with the best when the postseason arrives. Minnesota gets another good test along those lines Saturday against the Thunder, but around that game the schedule is soft for a couple of weeks.

4. Los Angeles Clippers (26-14, LW 4). I was fortunate to get a look this week at the Clippers home starting next season, the Intuit Dome. It's going to be state-of-the-art. One way owner Steve Ballmer is putting a Clippers stamp on a building less than a mile from where the Showtime Lakers won titles is "The Wall" — an area of seating behind one basket where to get a seat you can't wear the opponent's uniform and have to do one of several things such as follow the Clippers on social media, buy a jersey from the team store or have been a season ticket holder. And don't get me started on the number of bathrooms. It's going to be an experience.

5. Philadelphia 76ers (26-13, LW 7). Are the 76ers, as constructed, title contenders? There are a lot of people inside the league who think they are one shot creator away, but if Joel Embiid is playing like he did against Nikola Jokic and Denver on Tuesday then put Philly in the top tier. He looked every bit the MVP and he's my mid-season pick for the awards, although I doubt he plays in the league-mandated 65 games by season's end (he's already missed 10). Daryl Morey is never quiet when it comes to trades, but don't expect the Sixers to chase a big name like Dejounte Murray at the deadline (a poor fit next to Tyrese Maxey, anyway). Philadelphia has 7-of-8 coming up on the road.

6. Denver Nuggets (28-14, LW 3). Someone set an alarm to wake the Nuggets up in late March, a few weeks before the playoffs start. Everyone understands how good Nikola Jokic is — he's in the MVP mix and dropped 25 and 19 on the Sixers — and that this team's starting five is as good as any in the league. It will be interesting to see if Denver adds depth at the trade deadline or decides to ride with Reggie Jackson, Christian Braun, and Peyton Watson. Still, whatever stumbles we see in the regular season, this team sets the bar in the West — if the Clippers, or Thunder, or any other team has dreams of the Finals they need to be better than Denver. Good luck with that.

7. Milwaukee Bucks (28-12, LW 9). Milwaukee has won three in a row and while we're not going to read much into the blowout win against the Celtics — the schedule makers aided the Bucks in that one — it's still evidence the team is starting to find its stride. Maybe. The Bucks' defense is still 24th in the NBA over its last seven games. But the concerns about depth and defense fade away — and the hope for them as a playoff team that can win close games — goes up when Damian Lillard is making plays like this.

8. Cleveland Cavaliers (23-15, LW 13). Jarrett Allen does not get enough credit for the Cavaliers winning 10-of-13, he now has nine consecutive double-doubles and has anchored the defense with Evan Mobley out. There is good news on the Cavaliers being shorthanded front as Darius Garland had the wire removed from his fractured jaw this week, but after a month on a liquid diet, he will need a little time to get back up to game speed. The Cavaliers' run of play will be tested this week with a game against the Bucks before heading out on the road for four.

9. New York Knicks (23-17, LW 6). The Knicks' fourth-quarter struggles and loss to Orlando on Monday may have made Jalen Brunson's All-Star starter case better than anything else — New York desperately missed his shot creation and organization of the offense with him out. Despite that loss, the Knicks are 6-2 since OG Anunoby came to town in a trade and the best reason for New Yorkers to be optimistic is the team has the best defense in the NBA over that stretch. Could these Knicks get to 50 wins? It's tough in a tight East, but they are on pace for 47 and Cleaning the Glass (using their point differential) projects 52 wins. It's a target to watch.

10. Miami Heat (24-16, LW 11). Miami went 8-3 in this stretch of games Jimmy Butler missed due to a couple of injuries, then he returned on MLK Day and dropped 31 on the Nets in an OT win. Butler has missed too many games to make the All-Star team this year, but Bam Adebayo absolutely deserves a nod as one of the East reserve front-court players (selected by the coaches). Whether he gets that All-Star invite in a very crowded East chase remains to be seen. A stretch of winnable games is coming up for the Heat against Toronto, Atlanta, Orlando (not an easy one), and Memphis.

11. Dallas Mavericks (24-17, LW 15). Kyrie Irving may be the hottest player in the NBA right now: In his last five games he has averaged 37.4 points a game, is hitting 45.8% from 3, and is dishing out 6.4 assists and grabbing 6.4 rebounds a night. The threat of him and Luka Doncic together — along with what has been a solid, league-average defense in recent weeks — makes the Mavericks the early favorite for a team nobody wants to see in the first round of the playoffs. They will be a tough out. Good test against the Celtics on Monday.

12. New Orleans Pelicans (24-17, LW 8). This ranking may be too low for New Orleans and all their potential, but how much should we believe in them? They have a +4.7 net rating, the eighth best in the league, a top-10 defense, and a potential All-Star in Brandon Ingram. Still, the Pelicans are 3-3 in their last six, including splitting an odd pair with Dallas (the Pels won the game they rested four key guys and lost the one where they played everybody). The one bright spot has been Jordan Hawkins, who dropped 34 in one of those Mavericks games and is taking minutes from Jose Alvarado. There are good tests this week with the Suns and Jazz coming up.

13. Phoenix Suns (22-18, LW 16). Finally healthy, Phoenix may be figuring it all out. The trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal have played four straight games together, the team has won three (and 8-of-11), and the team has a +25.3 net rating when all three are on the court together. It's a small sample size, but it's promising. Phoenix sits eighth in the West but is just 1.5 games back of the Pelicans for the sixth seed and avoiding the play-in. Phoenix plays those Pelicans on Friday, then will see the new-look Pacers on Sunday, which will be a tough weekend.

14. Indiana Pacers (23-17, LW 10). Indiana got its man — Pascal Siakam is a Pacer. This is a natural fit, a high-level wing who likes to play in transition running next to Tyrese Haliburton (once he gets healthy). Plus, Indiana didn't give up Buddy Hield (they may need his shooting now), Jerace Walker, Bennedict Mathurin, or any of their other top young players. Indiana is going to have to overpay to keep Siakam, and there will be a financial crunch in a few years, but the league's best offense is about to get even more entertaining.

15. Utah Jazz (22-20, LW 17). This is not a fluke, not a Jazz team only making a run because other teams are in the January doldrums. Will Hardy has found rotations that work, Lauri Markkanen is playing like an All-Star (whether he makes it in a crowded West is another question), and they have scored 130+ points in their last three games. The question now is how does this impact the Jazz at the deadline? Jordan Clarkson and Kelly Olynyk are still available on the market, but the price is now not dropping as the deadline nears. Utah sees itself not as a play-in team but a playoff team that can be in the final eight.

16. Orlando Magic (22-18, LW 12). The Magic have gone 3-3 and kept their head above water — but not really impressed — while Franz Wagner has been out with an ankle injury. Orlando's name has started to come up more at the trade deadline, with them testing the waters as sellers of point guard Markelle Fultz and big man Wendell Carter Jr., but nothing appears to have traction yet. Tough weekend is coming up for the Magic with Philly, Miami, and Cleveland in a three-games-in-four-days set.

17. Sacramento Kings (23-17, LW 14). The Kings went 2-3 on a five-game road swing through the East (plus Phoenix), but they could have one more win with a few more made free throws in the clutch, not giving Damian Lillard a chance to do his thing at the buzzer. Or maybe it was the officials' fault — Mike Brown's rant at the referees using a laptop for video receipts was one for the ages. There is a legitimate case for both De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis to make the All-Star Team, but the reality of a deep West (and the 12-man ASG roster) means it's likely one of them is left off. Probably Sabonis.

18. Los Angeles Lakers (20-21, LW 19). Darvin Ham returned his opening night lineup — LeBron James, Anthony Davis, D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, and Taurean Prince — with much fanfare, and it earned him a win over OKC. For the season, that lineup has a +3.2 net rating (via Cleaning the Glass), not elite but certainly better than most Los Angeles lineups this season (the team has a -0.6 net rating for the season, once garbage time is removed). The concern with that new starting five is its lack of defense, which means much more is asked of LeBron and Davis. A couple of good tests coming up, Wednesday night against Dallas and next Tuesday against the Clippers.

19. Houston Rockets (19-20, LW 18). Having dropped 4-of-5 on their current road swing through the East (with one more game in New York City), the Rockets have slid out of even the play-in and down to 11th in the West. This recent poor run of play by the team hurts any chance of Alperen Sengun earning an All-Star reserve invite, which is unfortunate because his play has been good enough to earn it. It's a tough week to turn things around with the Knicks, red-hot Jazz, and Celtics on the schedule.

20. Golden State Warriors (18-22, LW 21). "We are absolutely devastated by Dejan Milojević's sudden passing," Steve Kerr said. "This is a shocking and tragic blow for everyone associated with the Warriors and an incredibly difficult time for his family, friends, and all of us who had the incredible pleasure to work with him. In addition to being a terrific basketball coach, Dejan was one of the most positive and beautiful human beings I have ever known, someone who brought joy and light to every single day with his passion and energy. We grieve with and for his wife, Natasa, and their children, Nikola and Masa."

21. Chicago Bulls (19-23, LW 22). Zach LaVine has played well since his return from injury. In his past five games, he has averaged 17.2 points a game, shooting 42.4% from 3, and has played some of his best defense as a Bull. He has been slammed by some during this trade process, but the man can go get a bucket and a lot of teams could use that. However, his contract — $40 million this season and $138 million guaranteed over three more seasons beyond this one — continues to keep the market for his services tepid. Nobody wants to take on that salary.

22. Toronto Raptors (15-25, LW 20). Getting Bruce Brown back and three first-round picks for Pascal Siakam is not a bad haul, and maybe as good as the Raptors could have done considering he's about to be a free agent (who was not re-signing in Toronto). It's also not a great haul — none of those are lottery picks, they are players to draft and hope to develop over a few years. The Raptors got a better return from the Knicks in the OG Anunoby trade (RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley). Don't be surprised if the Raptors flip Brown in another trade before the deadline.

23. Atlanta Hawks (16-23, LW 23). One of the most talked about teams heading into the trade deadline, everyone outside of Trae Young and Jalen Johnson is available. The biggest name available is Dejounte Murray, and the reason is simple: When Young and Murray are on the court together this season, Atlanta has a -4.2 net rating. Their games have never meshed. All that trade chatter has not helped the team on the court as they have dropped 4-of-6 (but they did hold the Spurs under 100 points, the first time this season a team didn't score in triple digits against them).

24. Memphis Grizzlies (15-25, LW 24). Ugh. Now Desmond Bane joins the all-too-extensive injury list for the Grizzlies, who went out and beat the slumping Warriors anyway. Gregory Jackson II had 23 points and six boards in that win. While the Grizzlies will never use the word tank, they control their own pick and need to focus on the draft, adding depth, and coming back next season healthy and dangerous.

25. Brooklyn Nets (16-23, LW 26). At least the Nets got to see the sights of Paris around their 26-point loss at the hands of the Cavaliers. We all went into this season expecting the Nets to be up-and-down but for their defense to carry them to the play-in at least. Instead their defense is 22nd in the league and the team is incredibly inconsistent because of it. Brooklyn has dropped 13-of-16 games yet somehow remains tied for the 10th seed (with Atlanta) for the final play-in position.

26. San Antonio Spurs (7-32, LW 29). San Antonio may not be good, but they move up a little in these NBA Power Rankings after beating both Detroit and Charlotte in the past week. There are other bright spots as Victor Wembanyama looks more comfortable at center and we get the occasional standout Devin Vassell night. Wemby and the Spurs are on the road this week, including games in Boston and Philadelphia.

27. Washington Wizards (7-32, LW 28). The trade that landed Washington Marvin Bagley III and Isaiah Livers was not just about taking on some salary to land a couple of second-round picks, they want to give Bagley a real chance to see if he can find a home and contribute more in the NBA. He will get plenty of run. He gets to go up against a couple of good centers this weekend when the Nuggets and Spurs come to the nation's capital.

28. Portland Trail Blazers (10-29, LW 25). There is reason for Scoot Henderson optimism this week. It's not just that he dropped 33 points Sunday night against Phoenix, it's how he did it — he got to the rim 12 times and drew fouls to get nine free throw attempts. Anyone who watched him in the G-League saw him as a player who could get downhill, attack the rim and finish, but that has faded in the NBA where he shot just 48.7% at the rim and has been seemingly hesitant to attack because of it. The finishing will come, he just can't lose that mindset and we've seen more of it lately.

29. Charlotte Hornets (8-29, LW 27). He's not going to make the cut, but Terry Rozier is deserving of All-Star Game consideration. Through all the injuries and strife in Charlotte, Rozier is averaging 24 points and 6.8 assists a game while shooting 36.9% from 3. He's available at the trade deadline and could help a lot of teams, and he is under contract for this season and two more at a fair price.

30. Detroit Pistons (4-36, LW 30). Detroit got another win, knocking off the Wizards behind 34 from Alec Burks off the bench and 24 from Jaden Ivey. Detroit has gone 1-3 with Cade Cunningham out, and we should get an update on his progress and possible return in the coming days. Tough week ahead for the Pistons as they face the Timberwolves then have two games against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks.