NBA Power Rankings (3/24)

By: Alex Dittmar

1. Golden State Warriors (57-13) – 6 straight victories, including one over Atlanta solidifies this teams spot as the best in the league by far. They lead the league averaging 109.7 points per game, and have a 10.7 point differential advantage per game, twice that of the second place team in that category, the Clippers. This team is for real.
2. Memphis Grizzlies (50-21) – They went through a bit of a rough patch out of the All-Star break, but are now winners of 5 of their last 6. Now with a little bit of momentum, they get a tough stretch against the Cavs, Warriors and Spurs this week that either solidifies their spot at #2 or drops them down a peg or two.
3. Atlanta Hawks (53-17) – It was a tough week for the Hawks with Kyle Korver having to sit out and now holding a 3 game losing streak. However those 3 losses came against high quality playoff teams, so there isn’t too much cause for concern. This is still the best team in the East, by record and by any other measure you wish to use.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers (46-26) – Since LeBron came back from injury, this team is 27-7, best mark in the league, and they continue to climb up the standings in the East. The LeBrons are very good, but they have to find a way to get Kevin Love involved in a way that’s effective, otherwise they don’t stand a chance.
5. Houston Rockets (47-23) – With Dwight expected to be back as soon as Wednesday, this team is prepping to make a last ditch effort at catching Memphis in their division. These last few weeks with the team at full strength will give a much better measure of how good this team can be than we’ve gotten before.
6. Los Angeles Clippers (46-25) – Winners of 4 straight, the Clips are in one of their upswings. The problem with them is you never know when a low point will come along. This is such a streaky team and it’s hard to put a lot of faith in them, but for now they are playing some good basketball, which the return of Blake Griffin has certainly helped.
7. San Antonio Spurs (44-25) – That loss at New York was troubling, but they have rebounded quite well, winning 3 in a row including one over the Hawks in what was a truly dominating performance. The Knicks loss may have been the wake up call they needed right before the playoffs, so the rest of the West better look out.
8. Portland Trail Blazers (44-24) – They were doing so well, even without Wes Matthews, and then all of a sudden the floor dropped from underneath them. 4 straight losses on the road and a date with Golden State coming up is not the position they want to be in at this point.
9. Oklahoma City Thunder (40-30) – Russ had 10 triple-doubles… And then they took a rebound away. How dare they. Still, 9 triple-doubles is ridiculous. However, Durant is now shutdown for the rest of the season most likely and that could be a huge hit to their chances in the playoffs. But if Westbrook keeps playing the way he has, they will give some team nightmares.
10. Chicago Bulls (43-29) – The storm has been weathered. Jimmy Butler is back in the lineup so at least one major piece is back in the puzzle. They have won 3 of their last 4, all against contenders in the East, so they seem to be hanging in there, just like every Tom Thibodeau lead team seems to do.
11. Dallas Mavericks (44-27) – Head coach Rick Carlisle ripped into his team for a lack of effort, with many people pointing the blame to Monta Ellis and his moodiness in the locker room. Regardless of who’s at fault, a lack of effort will get you into some bad places in the NBA, so they need to fix that fast.
12. Toronto Raptors (42-28) – At this point all they’re trying to do is hold on the 3 seed in the East ahead of the Bulls, hoping to draw the Bucks over the Wizards come playoff time. Losing to the Bulls in Chicago did not help though, and another matchup between the two this week will be key for holding their playoff position.
13. New Orleans Pelicans (37-33) – They are slipping away from the final West playoff spot thanks to 3 straight losses, however they were all on the road and against high quality opponents, so the fight isn’t over yet. It comes down to Anthony Davis staying healthy and turning on his inner beast mode.
14. Utah Jazz (31-39) – Still on a tear since the All-Star break, though a loss to Minnesota last night had to be tough to swallow. I’m a huge fan of what this team has to offer, and they are building up a future playoff contender as this season winds down.
15. Washington Wizards (40-31) – They looked like they were getting out of their funk, and then a 3 game losing streak came up out West. With losses coming against the Clippers and Warriors it’s not the worst thing that could happen, but they certainly looked lost in those games and clearly don’t have the ability to beat the best teams in the league.
16. Phoenix Suns (38-33) – Suddenly Phoenix is looking like they could back their way into the playoffs thanks to wins over Houston and Dallas. The Pelis are no longer alone in the quest to catch the Durant-less Thunder.
17. Miami Heat (32-37) – Speaking of a team re-born, Dwayne Wade has found the fountain of youth and put this team on his back. Suddenly the Heat are in control of the 7 seed in the East and look to be in a much more comfortable position in the playoff race.
18. Indiana Pacers (30-40) – One of the hottest teams has now gone ice cold. They have lost 6 straight and are now on the outside looking in for the playoffs. Now you have to wonder if they’ll even want to bring Paul George back even if they feel he’s ready because it may no longer be worth the risk.
19. Milwaukee Bucks (34-36) – They have now gone 3-13 in their last 16, and suddenly this dark horse team in the East is fading fast, thanks to injuries and the loss of Brandon Knight in a trade. That being said, Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo are still two of my favorite players in the league and can still make sure this team has an impact down the stretch.
20. Boston Celtics (31-39) – While what Marcus Smart did was despicable, this team has continued to stay in control of the 8 seed in the East. And Evan Turner got a triple-double, so you know something is going right for this team.
21. Charlotte Hornets (30-39) – This team just keeps trucking along at around a 40% win percentage. Kemba coming back has done nothing to change that, and they look destined to fall short of the playoffs despite being in a year ago. That being said, there is plenty of time to get hot and work their way in.
22. Brooklyn Nets (29-40) – The loss to Boston hurt, and they are now in the back of the pack in the playoff race. Brook Lopez has been playing quite well, though, and is keeping them very much alive considering how bad the East is.
23. Detroit Pistons (26-44) – They finally stopped their free fall, winning 3 of 4 and beating Chicago and Memphis. They still sit well out of the sad East playoff race, and it may be a case of too little too late.
24. Denver Nuggets (27-44) – They went 2-3 on their most recent road trip, which is still pretty solid considering where they were with Brian Shaw as the head coach. They must be wishing they were in the East, because there they’d still be in the thick of the playoff race, but out West they are already eliminated.
25. Sacramento Kings (24-45) – All they are worried about is that Boogie meshes with George Karl at this point, because if they don’t they would be in a lot of trouble. On the court they are not particularly exciting, they’re just prepping for the future.
26. Orlando Magic (22-50) – Another team looking to the future, which looks very bright after Elfrid Payton posted back-to-back triple-doubles, the first time since Antoine Walker did it in 1996-97. He’s an exciting talent that the team hopes is just beginning to grow.
27. Philadelphia 76ers (17-53) – Another blossoming star is Nerlens Noel in Philly, who continues to show defensive dominance and a growing offensive game. Him and Joel Embiid could be a scary combo come next season (if they’re both still there…)
28. Minnesota Timberwolves (16-54) – They beat the super hot Jazz last night, enough to bump them above the Lakers… For now. They face off Wednesday and that could switch up the bottom here.
29. Los Angeles Lakers (18-50) – They continue to be pretty awful, especially offensively. Interesting stat from Marc Stein at ESPN, Carlos Boozer just passed Kobe Bryant for the team lead in total points this season last week. Kobe scored 782 in 35 games and Boozer just got to 805 after over 65 games. That’s awful.
30. New York Knicks (14-57) – But the award for most awful stays with the Knicks, who are very bad and continue to be worse. Or better? Again, tanking is confusing, and it’s clear that this is the ultimate tank job, not the 76ers.