NBA Power Rankings

Rankings are updated every Monday of the NBA season.

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Rank		Team		Record		Change		Comment
1			Houston Rockets	64-16		—		The Rockets have lost just three times now since January 26. They should finish with 68 wins. But are they the favorites to win it all? We’re not convinced, yet.
2			Toronto Raptors	58-22		▲ 3		With a 6-5 record over their last 11 games, the Raptors may appear to be on cruise control. Are they good enough to do that and get away with it in the postseason?
3			Golden State Warriors	58-23		▲ 1		Injuries can derail the best of teams, as the Warriors are just 7-9 over the last month. Will they be fully healthy for the postseason? Do they need to be?
4			Utah Jazz	47-33		▲ 6		This is Utah’s best team on paper since Jerry Sloan’s last full season as head coach. This may be the season the Jazz returns to the conference finals for the first time since 2007.
5			Philadelphia 76ers	50-30		▲ 4		The Eagles won the Super Bowl. The Flyers are in the playoffs. The 76ers have won 14 straight. What’s in the water around Philly these days?
6			Cleveland Cavaliers	49-31		▼ 4		Losing on Friday in Philadelphia may come back to haunt the King & Co. in the postseason, where matchups are everything. Even two closing games against the Knicks may not help.
7			Boston Celtics	54-26		▼ 4		Losing the Super Bowl now feels even worse for Boston sports fans, as the Celtics won’t have their best player for the NBA postseason. Oh well, at least the Bruins and the Red Sox look good.
8			San Antonio Spurs	46-34		—		On paper, this is Pop’s worst team since 2009. The fact the Spurs are still in our Top 8 says a lot about the organization and its winning ways, however.
9			Oklahoma City Thunder	46-34		▲ 3		Russell Westbrook is averaging 9.8 rebounds per game. Can he board enough in the final two games to average a triple double for the second season in a row? We hope so.
10			Portland Trail Blazers	48-32		▼ 4		The Blazers have lost three straight games, all on the road in Texas. How could they lose to the Mavericks at this point in the season? That’s not good.
11			Minnesota Timberwolves	45-35		▲ 2		It’s been 14 years since the T’wolves made the postseason. They’re clinging right now to the final playoff spot in the West, two games to go. Crunch time!
12			Denver Nuggets	45-35		▼ 1		The final game of the season on the road against Minnesota could decide the final postseason spot in the West, along with the right to get hammered by the Rockets in the first round.
13			Indiana Pacers	48-33		▼ 6		After beating the Hornets on the road Sunday, the Pacers get to close the season with Charlotte at home on Tuesday. That's extra rest for the playoffs.
14			New Orleans Pelicans	46-34		▲ 2		The Pelicans have been streaking toward the playoffs, and not always in a good way. W4, L4 and now W3. Can they make it a W5?
15			Washington Wizards	42-38		▲ 4		Even with a postseason spot clinched already, it’s been ugly for the Wiz lately. Just six wins in the last 19 games means a quick exit in the first round of the playoffs.
16			Los Angeles Clippers	42-38		▲ 1		After six straight years in the postseason, the Clippers will be watching from home this spring. Despite clinching a winning record, L.A. will post its lowest win percentage since 2011.
17			Miami Heat	43-37		▼ 2		Just making the postseason is an accomplishment for the Miami franchise these days. It will be a quick exit, though, and then it’s on to baseball season for sports fans in South Beach.
18			Milwaukee Bucks	43-37		▼ 4		Here come the arguments that the playoffs should be more reflective of accomplishment rather than geographical good fortune. But hey, all the Bucks can do is play who is on the schedule.
19			Charlotte Hornets	35-46		▲ 1		Point guard Kemba Walker needs just one more season in Charlotte to become the franchise’s all-time leader in Win Shares. He’s only 27 years old.
20			Detroit Pistons	38-42		▼ 2		With just one postseason berth since 2009 now, the Pistons have fallen upon hard times. It’s hard to remember this team once made six straight trips to the Eastern Conference Finals (2003-2008).
21			Los Angeles Lakers	34-46		—		Speaking of hard times, this is now five straight seasons without playoffs for the Lakers. Perhaps it’s just karma for catering to Kobe Bryant for so long.
22			Dallas Mavericks	24-57		▲ 7		Since winning the NBA title in 2011, the Mavs have never won another postseason series. And this is the second straight year without playoffs for Dallas. The last time that happened was in 2000.
23			New York Knicks	28-52		—		What is with all these flagship NBA franchises in the gutter? Five years in a row now with no postseason for the Knicks, which isn’t as bad as the six-year absence the organization suffered from 2005-2010.
24			Brooklyn Nets	27-53		▲ 1		Remember when the Nets lost in the NBA Finals two seasons in a row? We do. Seems like it was 15 years ago ... because it was.
25			Orlando Magic	24-56		▲ 1		Even for a 1990s expansion team, it seems crazy that this current six-year absence from the postseason is the longest in Orlando franchise history. Ouch.
26			Atlanta Hawks	24-57		▲ 1		In 2015, the Hawks won 60 games. Consider the dismantling of the franchise complete in 2018. How does Head Coach Mike Budenholzer still have a job?
27			Memphis Grizzlies	22-58		▲ 1		The bottom fell out in Memphis this year, as it will be the first time since 2010 we do not see the Griz playing in the postseason.
28			Sacramento Kings	26-54		▼ 4		Crazy to consider the Kings haven’t made the playoffs since 2006. That year was their eighth straight postseason appearance. No wonder everyone in Sac suddenly became big San Francisco Giants fans.
29			Chicago Bulls	27-53		▼ 7		This is the first losing season for the Bulls since 2008. Thank goodness the Cubs are finally a good team again, right?
30			Phoenix Suns	20-61		—		The NBA dry spell in the desert is now reaching its eighth year without playoffs. Before that, the Suns had qualified for the postseason 28 times in 35 years. This really is a drought.