NBA Power Rankings: Nets need a win, Lakers snap their spell, Philly looking fine | Week 21

The Miami Heat have soared up the rankings after a fantastic couple weeks while the Warriors losing streak has dropped them down the list. Teams that made midseason trades are finally starting to take shape, and in the City of Brotherly Love Philly fans have to be happy with the way the Sixers are shaping up. These are the Week 21 Power Rankings in the NBA as of Monday, March 7th.

1) Phoenix Suns 51-13 (1 last week)

The Suns have eight more wins than the next closest contender in the West, and in the East for that matter, and they have been keeping the comfy cushion without their two stars Chris Paul and Devin Booker.

2) Memphis Grizzlies 44-22 (2 last week)

The Grizzlies have lost two of their last three, including last game to the lowly Houston Rockets. This is still a very young team who will have their unexpected losses, but their character and mentality will be judged on how they bounce back from these hiccups.

3) Miami Heat 43-22 (5 last week)

The Heat have probably been the most impressive team since the All-Star break. They came into a meat grinder of a schedule after the restart and if it wasn’t for Jrue Holiday’s game winning buzzer beater in the Bucks game they would be 6-0 since the break with wins over the Sixers, Nets and the Bulls.

4) Philadelphia 76ers (4 last week)

The Heat handed the Sixers their first loss in the Embiid/Harden era although Harden sat that game out with a hamstring issue. It looked to be more of a preventative measure of Philly and Harden who have their second game of a back-to-back on Monday night.

5) Golden State Warriors 43-41 (3 last week)

The Warriors have some problems on their hands. First of all, Draymond Green being sidelined with a back injury is killing them on the inside. That was evident in their game against the Lakers on Saturday where LA torched them on in the paint. Klay Thompson will need a lot of time to get back to being a shadow of what he was before his two year long injury spell. The more pressing issue for the Warriors right now is they have lost six of seven including their last four.

6) Utah Jazz 40-23 (8 last week)

The Jazz have jumped up two spots since last week after winning four of their last five games. They have a big one against the Mavs on Monday night, and then will have a stretch of some very winnable games. Quin Snyder has his team on the right track with under 20 games to go in the regular season.

7) Dallas Mavericks 39-25 (7 last week)

That magic spark of Luka and Mavs seemed to be missing in the first half of the season looks like it’s back and it’s here to stay. They have won their last four games, including two against the reeling Warriors. Luka sat out their narrow win over the Kings, but in the three games before that he was averaging 33.3 points, 9 rebounds and 4.5 assists.

8) Milwaukee Bucks 40-25 (9 last week)

After losing their opener to the restart to the season to Brooklyn, Giannis and the Bucks have rolled for four straight and now sit third in a skin tight East from the two seed to the six seed. The Greek Freak is always at an MVP level, and Middleton and Holiday look to be back to where they were in the playoffs last season.

9) Denver Nuggets 38-26 (11 last week)

Another leap for the Nuggets, who continue to improve as Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray inch their way back to game shape. Nikola Jokic has led his side to eight wins in their last nine and are closing in on the top four in the West.

10) Chicago Bulls 39-25 (6 last week)

Last week we asked how long the Bulls were going to be able to keep up with the top teams in the East, and if the last week was any indication then there is bad news to come in the Windy City. They have lost their last four games and look like they are headed in the wrong direction as the post season nears.

11) Boston Celtics 39-27 (12 last week)

If you overlook the slip up to the Pacers in Indiana last Sunday the Celtics have been one of the best teams in the league over the last two weeks. They had a statement game against the Grizzlies and followed it up with a thriller over the Nets on Sunday. Jason Tatum looks like he can score 50 any time he wants, and did so against Brooklyn in the 126-120 win.

12) Los Angeles Clippers 34-32 (17 last week)

They might be sitting in eighth in the West the Clippers were rolling before their home loss to the Knicks on Sunday night. They completed the season sweep over the Lakers on Thursday night for their fifth consecutive win and Reggie Jackson went wild scoring 36 points with eight rebounds and nine assists. Who knows when Kawhi Leonard is going to be back, but Paul George could be back soon although the Clippers are keeping the status of both their stars a secret.

13) Minnesota Timberwolves 36-29 (14 last week)

The T’Wolves have opened a lot of eyes since the restart, winning five of their last six, with their only loss coming to the revamped Sixers. Since winning the three point contest Karl-Anthony Towns has been red hot, averaging 26.5 ppg and had his best game all season against the Warriors posting 39 and nine rebounds followed by a 36 and 15 night against the Portland Trail Blazers.

14) Toronto Raptors 34-30 (15 last week)

After back to back wins over the Nets last week, the Raptors had a weekend to forget. They started off with a two point loss to the Pistons in the first half of a back to back stretch, and lost the second game to the Magic at home. They finished off the weekend with a loss to the Cavaliers and now find themselves locked in Play-In postioning.

15) Cleveland Cavaliers 37-27 (10 last week)

The Cavs put an end to their three game losing skid with the win over the Raptors on Sunday, but there will be cause for concern in Cleveland. Five of their next six games are against teams in playoff position.

16) Atlanta Hawks 31-32 (16 last week)

Three wins in their last four has the Hawks back in Play-In position, and people in Atlanta have to be wondering when they might get just a glimpse of the team that this used to be. Trae Young is averaging 34 points a game over the last four Hawks encounters, but he needs a sign of help to lift this team to where fans in the ATL think they should be.

17) Charlotte Hornets 32-33 (18 last week)

The Hornets are kind of in that middle ground were they aren’t a great team, but they aren’t a bad team. They are the kind of team that will most likely get to the Play-In game, and will give us some highlights along the way but this is not yet a side that is being taken seriously in the East.

18) Brooklyn Nets 32-33 (13 last week)

Kevin Durant’s long awaited return was met with disappointment in the shape of two straight six point losses to the Heat and the Celtics. Brooklyn is still searching for their new identity in the post Harden era but at the moment the Nets are heading south in a hurry.

19) Los Angeles Lakers 28-35 (21 last week)

Los Angeles finally broke their terrible spell of four straight losses on Saturday with a big win in a tight game over a good Warriors team. The stars were out to watch LeBron James put on a spectacle against Golden State, and it just seems like the kind of a game that could be a momentum changer in LA.

20) Washington Wizards 29-34 (19 last week)

Kyle Kuzma almost dropped a half courter to send the the game against the Hawks into overtime, but it checked off the rim and the Washington lost their third game in four encounters. They responded on Sunday with a 10 point win over the Pacers but now take a four game trip out west sitting two games out of the Play-In Spots.

21) New Orleans Pelicans 27-37 (20 last week)

Every game is going to matter for the Pelicans from here until the end of the season. That’s why their overtime loss to the Nuggets in Denver hurts so much.

22) Portland Trail Blazers 25-38 (22 last week)

Sitting two games out of post season play, the Blazers have lost their last four games including two straight against the Timberwolves. Damian Lillard will be back in a matter of weeks, and that will give the Blazers a big boost for the final stretch of the season.

23) New York Knicks 26-38 (24 last week)

The Knicks finally snapped their seven game losing streak against Clippers on Sunday night in LA. They have been the victims of a brutal schedule recently, having to play the Heat, the Sixers twice, and the Suns in that stretch but the Knicks are going to need a near miracle to get into the Play-In conversation.

24) Sacramento Kings 24-42 (26 last week)

The Kings did exactly what you would expect from a team with a 24-42 record on Saturday. They lost a 19 point lead to the Mavericks in their 114-113 loss and are having a tough time stringing together victories, which honestly could be a good thing when you consider the NBA draft lottery.

25) San Antonio Spurs 24-40 (23 last week)

Greg Popovic has waited a long time to reach the all time wins record for a coach, and he’ll have to wait a little longer after the four straight losses the Spurs have suffered. Will he tie Don Nelson’s record at home against one of his fiercest rivals, the Lakers, Monday night?

26) Indiana Pacers 22-44 (25 last week)

If wasn’t over for the Pacers before their three game losing streak over the last week, it is now. They are 10.5 games back of the Hawks who sit tenth in the East, and the Pacers should use the rest of the season to shape up for next season.

27) Oklahoma City Thunder 20-44 (27 last week)

If there’s one thing that should bring Thunder fans comfort after the possible loss of Josh Giddey for the rest of the season, it’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his 33+ ppg since the restart.

28) Detroit Pistons 17-47 (28 last week)

The Pistons have made the biggest turn around of anyone at the bottom of the league standings. They have won two straight, and five of their last eight and were in each of the games they lost until the very end. The young side led by Cade Cunningham is showing much improvement as we creep towards the end of the season.

29) Orlando Magic 16-49 (29 last week)

Getting Markelle Fultz was definelty a moral victory for the Magic, but it hasn’t bared it’s fruit just yet. The Magic are past the point of playoff contention, but they do need to getting the base of their team better.

30) Houston Rockets 16-48 (30 last week)

Don’t look now, but the Rockets have been on a bit of run. They took the Jazz to overtime on Wednesday, and then beat the Nuggets and the Grizzlies over the weekend.