NBA Power Rankings | Boston remain on top, Clippers drop, Minnesota top two

We may be into the final stretch of the NBA’s regular season, but there is a lot of time for teams to rise and fall up the Eastern and Western Conference. One thing remains clear after the restart, and that is the Boston Celtics are the best team in the league. It’s shaping up to be a race for second in the East, while the West is wide open. Two up and coming teams hold the top spots, but can the Thunder and T’Wolves hold on until the end of the season?

Here are our Power Rankings after a week of action following the All-Star Break.

1) Boston Celtics 45-12, last week 1

The C’s aren’t just the team with the best record in the NBA, they are also the hottest team in the league, currently on an eight game win streak. They came out of the All-Star Break and picked up right where they left off with road wins over the Bulls and the Knicks. Five different players have led the C’s in scoring during their eight game wins streak, which means this team is getting deeper and more complete as the season goes on. That spells trouble for the rest of the East.

2) Minnesota Timberwolves 40-17, last week 3

After leading the West for the majority of the first 50 games of the season, the last thing the T’Wolves needed was a break in the action. We are always reminded of how young this team is, and their maturity is going to be tested from here on out. They lost to Milwaukee on their return to action after the All-Star Break, but got back to the win column against the Nets. They are at home for the next five games before hitting a long road trip that could be what determines where they finish heading into the playoffs.

3) Oklahoma City Thunder 40-17, last week 4

There were a ton of big games in the NBA’s return to action on Thursday night, but none were bigger than the Thunder’s game against the Clippers in OKC. Those games are going to go a long way in settling tie breakers come the end of the regular season and the Thunder have the 2-1 series lead over LAC at the moment. Their wins over the Rockets and the Wizards stretches their streak to five games, and this team seems to be getting stronger as they grow up in front of our eyes. SGA and Jaylen Williams are the top dogs on this team, but Chet Holmgren just set a record, becoming the first player in history to have 150 blocks, 150 assists and 100 three pointers in a season. This team is deep, talented and versatile.

4) Los Angeles Clippers 37-19, last week 2

While the T’Wolves and the Thunder weakness going forward could be their youth, the Clippers problem going forward could be the opposite. This is a team that’s foundation revolves around three players who are not only getting older, they have battled injuries throughout their career. If the Clippers stay healthy they have a chance to win the West, but they haven’t won two in a row since the beginning of the month, and we might just be seeing the wear and tear of the season take it’s toll.

5) Denver Nuggets 39-19, last week 6

The Nuggets were probably the team in most desperate need of a midseason break after losing three straight before the week long respite. Since their return they not only kicked the losing streak, but have rattled off three in a row including their Sunday showdown with the Warriors. Nikola Jokic posted triple doubles in all three of those games, but he isn’t the only one looking ready to make a sprint for a top seed in the final stretch of the season.

6) Milwaukee Bucks 37-21, last week 5

There are signs of a resurgence from a Milwaukee Bucks team who have come back from the break strong. Doc Rivers accused some of his players of already being in Cabo during their two losses leading up to the All-Star Break. Not sure if it was the sun kissed beaches of Cabo or a week long rest to recharge the batteries, but the Bucks have looked strong to start the final stretch. They beat the T’Wolves in Minnesota in a game that reassured those in Milwaukee that this team can still compete with the best of the best, and their win in Philly was one of the best defensive performances we have seen in the Doc Rivers era.

7) Phoenix Suns 34-24, last week 7

Just when it seemed like the Suns were going to get some consistency in their starting five, Bradley Beal was sidelined with a hamstring injury. The Suns dropped two of their last three since returning to action, and while KD and Booker are capable of steering the ship with out the three time All-Star, they are going to need all hands on deck as soon as possible if they plan on contending in the Western Conference.

8) Cleveland Cavaliers 37-19, last week 9

Cavs fans forgive me. I know your team is second in the East, and are one of only six teams that have yet to lose 20 games, but I’m not sold… just yet. Their return from the All-Star break has been a shaky one. They lost to Orlando and Philly, and squeaked by a terrible Wizards team for just their second win in their last five. Is this one of the best teams in the East? Yes. Is it one of the better teams in the league? No.

9) Dallas Mavericks 33-24, last week 10

Dallas had their seven game win streak snapped in Indiana on Sunday afternoon, but Luka and Kyrie might just be starting to sort out how to play on the same court. Two players of their caliber don’t need to be coached Xs and Os as much as they need to be coach cohesion. They look happier on the court together these days, which has led to better results and better results are going to make them more happy. They are still hovering around the Play-In Tournament spots, but they are only a game out of fifth in the West.

10) New York Knicks 34-23, last week 8

The new look Knicks came out of the break and put a much needed end to their four game losing streak against a wounded Sixers team in Philly before dropping their fifth in six games to the Celtics. That game was a chance for the Knicks to prove themselves against the cream of the crop, but if that matchup taught us anything, it taught us that the Knicks still have a while to go before we can consider them a top team in the league.

11) Sacramento Kings 33-23, last week 17

With things as tight as they are in the West we are going to see some major shifting in the standings and in the Power Rankings over the next couple months. The Kings are now in 5th place, but well behind the pack in the top four of the conference. They have done well working their way out of the Play-In spots with tough wins over over the Spurs at home and the Clips in LA. Mike Brown’s team hasn’t taken off just yet, and that’s because De’Aaron Fox hasn’t been as good as he was last year. One of the league’s most clutch players might be hitting stride in the most clutch part of the season, and that’s very good news for those in Sacramento.

12) New Orleans Pelicans 34-24, last week 11

Zion Williamson told reporters that he “loved that s**t” when asked about the Pelican’s skirmish with the Miami Heat on Sunday. While Zion was talking about the competitive spirit of his team, they haven’t come out and looked like a team that is going to compete in the West since returning from the break. They lost to two mediocre teams in the East, and what concerns me more about them is they are entrusting a guy that hasn’t played more than 61 games in a season to lead them to the finish line, and expect him to be at his best physically in the most important stretch of the year.

13) Los Angeles Lakers 31-28, last week 15

The Lakers began their final stretch of the season without LeBron James who was sidelined with an ankle injury against the Golden State Warriors. They dropped that game in the Bay, just barley edged the Spurs at home before losing to Phoenix on Sunday night. Games like the ones against the Warriors and the Suns are going to come in to play later in the season as tie breakers are settled in a tight Western Conference. If LA doesn’t start winning these kinds of games, they might find themselves fighting through the Play-In again.

14) Indiana Pacers 33-25, last week 12

The Pacers continue to fly under the radar in the Eastern Conference, but this is a team that doesn’t need a whole lot of accolades or recognition. They are going to go about their business and when the time comes they will make their mark on the national stage. Until then Tyrese Haliburton will carry on as one of the best PGs in the league and continue to get more and more familiar with Pascal Siakam who is already a welcomed addition to this team, and will be even more so once the postseason comes around.

15) Philadelphia 76ers 33-24, last week 13

The Sixers have only won four of their last fifteen games, and are in the top half of the Power Rankings only because of the possibility that Joel Embiid might return before the season ends. There is still no word on when or if he will come back from his knee injury that has kept him out since late January, but if he can come back it will make the Sixers one of the top teams in the East no matter where they are seeded heading into the playoffs. If Philly announces he’s out for the season, then expect a rapid plummet down the rankings.

16) Miami Heat 31-25, last week 14

This is right around the time where the Heat kick it into gear and start sorting out their problems that have shadowed them for the first part of the season. Coach Spoelstra knows he’s got a group that is capable of making a run in the playoffs, but also knows going through the Play-In isn’t going to do them any favors.

17) Golden State Warriors 29-27, last week 16

The Golden State Warriors may be coming off a loss to Denver, but they have won eight of their last ten games, and turned things around in the Bay. The new crop of talent has rekindled the belief at the Chase Center, and Klay Thompson seems to be relishing his role off the bench. This isn’t a team ready to compete against the defending champs, yet, but they are looking much better than they did only a month ago when they were five games below .500.

18) Orlando Magic 32-26, last week 18

The Magic restarted their season with a rapid fire road trip in Cleveland, Detroit and Atlanta. After back to back wins, they lost in Atlanta to wrap up the stint away from home, and you could see that fatigue got the best of them in the second half. They turned the ball over 20 times against a Hawks team that has one of the worst defenses in the league. This is a playoff team without question. They would have to implode to miss out on at least the Play-In, but with the talent this team has they should be gunning for home court in the first round, and that’s not too far away. The Knicks are just two and a half games above them in 4th place in the East.

19) Utah Jazz 27-31, last week 20

The slumping Jazz finally snapped out of their losing skid that stretched to five games after dropping their game home game to the Hornets. They got back in the win column against the Spurs on Sunday to stay in the mix with the Warriors and the Lakers. This team beat OKC and Milwaukee in back to back games earlier in the season. They can create problems for teams, especially when Collin Sexton steps up and takes the reigns in Salt Lake City.

20) Chicago Bulls 27-30, last week 19

The Bulls started the final stretch with two tough games against the Celtics and the Pelicans. They dropped their opener at home against the league’s best team but responded with a big win over the Pelicans thanks to DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic who are going to be essential in their race to an automatic playoff spot.

21) Atlanta Hawks 25-32, last week 21

The good news for Atlanta is they snapped a three game skid with a win over Orlando on Sunday night. The bad news is, they will be without the face of their franchise, Trae Young for at least the next four weeks. The sharp shooter had surgery over the weekend, which means it’s going to be up to Dejounte Murray and Bogdan Bogdanovic to carry the load in his absence. This is a team that already had it’s fair share of problems, and Trae being sidelined is only going to make things tougher.

22) Houston Rockets 25-32, last week 22

This young Rockets team looked like it was going to have a chance to make a run to the Play-In tournament or better early in the season. They were right around .500 at the turn of the new year, and were beating teams like Denver and OKC. Since then, things have taken a turn for the worst, failing to win back to back games since early early January. In that stretch they have drifted to seven games back of .500, and are losing ground on the 10th seeded Warriors and 9th seeded Lakers.

23) Memphis Grizzlies 20-37, last week 24

The Grizzlies are just trying to keep their heads above water after an injury filled season. Luckily for them they had the All-Star Break and just one game since the league picked back up on Thursday. They lost that game at home against the Clippers. From here on out the mission should be developing rookies GG Jackson and Vince Wililams as the playoff door has shut on a team that was expected return to the playoffs for a fourth straight year.

24) Toronto Raptors 21-36, last week 25

The Raptors had to shake things up before the All-Star Break after a miserable start to their their first season without Fred Van Vleet. Immanuel Quickley looks to be the one who is going to bring a little excitement north of the border. He had 6 threes in the Raptors win over the Hawks over the weekend and they got a big win over the Nets coming out of the break. They will need to keep winning games against direct competition if they are going to have any chance at tasting the post season.

25) Brooklyn Nets 21-35, last week 23

The Nets are another team moving in the wrong direction after the All-Star Break. They have had to play the two best teams in the league, Boston and Minnesota, in three of their games on route to a four game losing streak. The 10th placed Hawks are still within reach, just four games ahead of Brooklyn, but this team can’t afford anymore lengthy losing streaks.

26) Charlotte Hornets 15-42, last week 26

Four game winning streaks aren’t anything to get crazy about, but when you are a team that has just 15 total wins on the season, a four game streak is headline news. They won their fourth in a row against Utah coming out of the break, and even though they lost their next game to Golden State they rebounded in Portland over the weekend. Charlotte has been doing it with defense, allowing less than 100 points in three of their last six games and under 110 in all of those games.

27) Portland Trail Blazers 15-41, last week 27

When you look at the Blazers recent run of form, it doesn’t paint a very promising picture. Sure, three of those games were against Denver, and another couple were against Minnesota but they had to games that they very easily could have and should have won. When you are a struggling team chances at wins don’t come very often, but they had Detroit and Charlotte come to town and could beat neither of the bottom feeders of each conference.

28) San Antonio Spurs 11-47, last week 28

We could talk about the Spurs losing four straight and 11 of their last 12, but I’d rather look at the positive for San Antonio and more specifically Victor Wembanyama. His game against LeBron, AD and the Lakers was simply sensational. He posted 27, 10, 8 assists, 5 steals and 5 blocks in a narrow loss to LA. He seems to play his best when he’s playing the league’s best. The Spurs might stink, but Wemby still makes this team one of the biggest TV draws in the NBA.

29) Detroit Pistons 8-48, last week 30

There are a lot of differences between what makes a good team good and a bad team bad. One of the main things that separates the good and the bad is a teams ability to make decisive plays in the final moments of the game. The Pistons had themselves a moment over the weekend against the Magic. After Cade Cunningham tied the game up with 12.1 on the clock, Paolo Bancherco got a layup and a foul to down the Piston in heartbreaking fashion and keep them at just 8 wins four months into the season.

30) Washington Wizards 9-48, last week 29

Unfortunately for the Wizards, this year is a leap year, which means there is one extra day in the month of February. That is terrible news for the league’s best team considering they haven’t won a game in the entire month of February. They have games against the Warriors and the Lakers to wrap up the month, and you’d have to bank on them losing their 12th and 13th straight before heading into March.