A quarter of the way through the 2016-17 season, and some of the usual suspects have begun to separate themselves from the pack in the Eastern and Western conferences. In the East Cleveland moved to 3-0 on the season against the Toronto Raptors with a 116-112 win in Toronto Monday night, with LeBron James accounting for 34 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Cleveland now holds the tiebreaker should they finish the season tied with Toronto, and while there's a long way to go this season there's a good chance that home court advantage in the Eastern Conference playoffs was determined Monday night.
Out west there's been more competition for the top spot with Golden State, the L.A. Clippers and San Antonio currently at the head of the class. But it's been the Warriors who have played well both at home and on the road, winning 14 of their last 15 games with the most recent being a blowout win over Indiana in which Klay Thompson scored 40 first half points. San Antonio's off to a 12-0 start on the road, with the Clippers 2-4 in their last six games after winning 11 of their 12 games prior. Here is this week's top 10, with the struggling Atlanta Hawks tumbling out of the rankings and Chicago departing as well. (Getty)
10. Boston
Record: 12-9
Last week: 9th
The Celtics let one slip away in Houston Monday night, losing by a point in a game they led by eight with seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Boston's 6-4 in its last ten games, with all four losses coming against playoff teams from a season ago and Golden State and San Antonio being two of those teams. Brad Stevens' team may not have that early "signature" win that makes the league take notice, but no one is overlooking Boston. Isaiah Thomas is averaging a career-high 26 points per game, with with Jae Crowder and Al Horford back in the lineup the Celtics have their full rotation. (Getty)
9. Oklahoma City
Record: 14-8
Last Week: Unranked
Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook (31.0 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 11.3 apg) is currently on one of the greatest runs in NBA history, as he's tallied a triple-double in six consecutive games. There's a lot of basketball to be played this season, but the possibility of Westbrook averaging a triple-double for the entire season doesn't seem as far fetched as it may have been a couple weeks ago. Just as big during the Thunder's current six-game win streak has been the improvements made by the players around Westbrook, with options such as Victor Oladipo, Steven Adams and Enes Kanter all having an impact. (Getty)
8. Utah
Record: 13-9
Last week: Unranked
Just when Utah seems to be getting back to full strength, someone else gets hurt. On two separate occasions this season it's been guard George Hill, whose absence results in Rodney Hood and Gordon Hayward being asked to do even more play-making on the ball. But through it all the Jazz have won two straight and gone 6-4 in their last ten games, thanks in large part to a defense that's allowing only 95.1 points per game. With athletic center Rudy Gobert serving as the rim protector, Utah's managed to adjust to the havoc that missing pieces can wreak on an offense by getting even stingier defensively (first in points allowed, eighth in defensive rating). That will serve them well when all of their key guys are in the fold. (Getty)
7. Houston
Record: 14-7
Last week: 8th
While he isn't averaging a triple-double like former teammate Russell Westbrook, James Harden has been incredibly good for the Rockets this season. In Monday's comeback win over Boston, "The Beard" finished with 37 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, with only 14 official field goal attempts. The best in the NBA at drawing contact for quite some time now, Harden shot 18-for-18 from the charity stripe against the Celtics. He's scoring and distributing at a high rate, and the other Rockets have taken to Mike D'Antoni's system as well. For all the conversation surrounding this team and whether they'd defend in the preseason, Houston's been one of the NBA's pleasant surprises thus far. (Getty)
6. Memphis
Record: 14-8
Last week: 6th
One could argue that David Fizdale's Grizzlies should be dropped simply because of who they're without currently. Point guard Mike Conley has been sidelined with a fractured vertebrae, Zach Randolph has been on bereavement leave following the passing of his mother, Chandler Parsons remains out with knee issues, and James Ennis is out of the rotation due to injury as well. But the Grizzlies have still managed to win three straight, which is a testament to not only Fizdale but leaders such as center Mark Gasol and guard Tony Allen. Memphis simply does not fold, and it's been that way for quite some time. That will help guards Andrew Harrison and Wade Baldwin IV as they look to fill the role left vacant by Conley's injury. (Getty)
5. L.A. Clippers
Record: 16-6
Last week: 4th
After going on a run of 11 wins in 12 games, there was chatter that the Clippers could very well be the best team in the NBA much less the Western Conference. Since then, Doc Rivers' squad has lost four of its last six, most recently losing to the Pacers at home Sunday night. Preceding that loss was a 3-3 road trip that included a blowout win over the Cavaliers and a double overtime loss to the Nets. The bench, which was a strength during the aforementioned 11-1 run, has not been as consistent of late and that's been an issue for L.A. With Chris Paul and Blake Griffin leading the way this stretch shouldn't be anything more than a minor hiccup, but they'll need greater contributions from the reserves if this group is to threaten Golden State in the West. (Getty)
4. Toronto
Record: 14-7
Last week: 7th
Prior to Monday's loss to the Cavaliers, Toronto had won six straight games and was one of the hottest teams in the NBA. It's tough to win games in the NBA, but the best win of that bunch came in Houston on November 23 to begin the streak. If anything Monday's contest, which Toronto managed to make interesting late, served as a reminder of what Toronto's target is (not that the team really needed it). While LeBron is going to be LeBron in such games, the Raptors can't afford to have a Kevin Love put up 28 points and 14 rebounds while Jonas Valanciunas goes 1-for-8 from the field if they're to knock off the Cavaliers in the East. (Getty)
SF: LeBron James, Cleveland
Opponent: vs. Brooklyn
Price: $10,100
While the Cavs had Thursday night off the Nets were in action, as they took a double-digit lead into the half before falling to Golden State by 16 points. LeBron is a tough enough matchup as it is. But to have to deal with him after guarding Kevin Durant the night prior is an unenviable task for the Nets small forwards to say the least. LeBron hasn't faced Brooklyn yet this season, but with an average of 48 FanDuel points per game he's likely a safe bet to meet that mark. (Getty)
2. San Antonio
Record: 17-4
Last week: 3rd
How often is a team that's just 5-4 at home ranked second in power rankings? Not very often, but when said team is 12-0 on the road things like that tend to happen. The Spurs have yet to lose an away game this season, most recently edging out Milwaukee by a point Monday night. In that game guard Tony Parker took a knee to the left thigh in the same spot where a contusion forced him to sit out the two games prior. But the Spurs are a "no excuses" team, so it was simply a matter of finding a way to win the game. Dewayne Dedmon chipped in with ten points and six rebounds off the bench Monday night, and during this current run there's been a reserve stepping forward on a consistent basis. (Getty)
SG: Klay Thompson, Golden State
Opponent: vs. Cleveland
Price: $6,500
Thompson is in a similar position to Booker when it comes to his fantasy value, but it should be noted that Thompson has grabbed five rebounds or more in four of his last seven appearances. Thompson was solid in the Christmas Day game against Cleveland, scoring 24 points on 9-for-16 shooting, but he finished with just two rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block. Getting into the twenties FanDuel-wise shouldn't be a major issue for Thompson, but the hope here is that he does more in areas other than scoring to truly make this pick worthwhile. (Getty)
NBA Top 10 Power Rankings for Week 7