Time has flown by as we've rapidly approached the holiday season, which means we're drawing close to the midway point of the NBA season. And while we've had a few teams emerge as contenders, multiple teams surprise with their outlook and others who have let down in a big way, there's still a lot to learn.
With a fun Christmas slate on tap for Tuesday and then a few other big games this week, the NBA power rankings could wind up getting shaken up quite a bit. Even just from last week alone, things have changed a fair amount and we've got a whole lot to break down.
The most recent power rankings include games through Sunday, December 23. Just like last round of power rankings, the Western Conference remains one big jumbled mess. One thing that remained consistent was the Denver Nuggets remaining in the top spot. They currently hold a 21-10 record, although the Golden State Warriors are tied for that spot now while sitting at 22-11.
Even still, the difference between the Nuggets and the No. 14 team, the Minnesota Timberwolves sits at just 7.5 games. And as mentioned last week, the No. 8 seed Portland Trail Blazers are 4.5 games back of first place. It's beginning to look more and more like the West could remain tough to figure throughout the bulk of the season.
Latest on the Eastern Conference Standings
As for the Eastern Conference, we weren't able to receive any drastic eye-opening changes at the top. One thing that does jump out about the East is the emergence of the Miami Heat, who have won five-straight games and now sit tied for the No. 6 seed with the Charlotte Hornets.
That side of the league is basically split into different tiers with the top four-to-five teams, then the next five or six and then the last four, who are ready for the NBA draft lottery. Fortunately, we still had some great games this past week in the East also which certainly impacted the overall outlook of the rankings.
The good news for all the fans of teams in the East is that there's plenty of competition for various spots in the standings, even if they are broken into tiers. One or two trades for a few of these teams could really push them up to the next tier and completely shake up the landscape by season's end.
With all that fun wrapped up, let's take a look at the latest NBA power rankings. These rankings aren't purely based on the record of teams, as they factor in multiple things including recent play and quality of both wins and losses, among other things.
It's also worth noting before we dive headfirst into the rankings that we will break each section into tiers. There will be tiers for the legitimate contenders, on-the-fringe contenders, teams showing upside and growth of a few others.
Tier 1: The Legitimate Contenders
The top tier of the NBA deserves a ton of respect, but there's only a select group of teams who truly belong here at this point. Obviously, a lot can change in the span of one or two weeks, but right now it's hard to envision any team outside of a core three taking down the title, at least if all are healthy.
It's going to take a bit of time for any team to crack this top section, barring just an exceptional run. That's not to say that it can't and won't happen, but at this moment, there are three teams who can be considered the top-tier contenders.
1. Golden State Warriors
Last week: 2
I was all set to give the Toronto Raptors the nod for the No. 1 spot. The reasoning seemed simple enough when you consider they've navigated injuries consistently as of late and have played without Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry sporadically.
Then, I realized that the Warriors didn't just do that as well, but did so for an extended period earlier this year. This isn't to say that the Raptors couldn't defeat the Warriors in a seven-game series, but right now, Golden State looks good. This week alone they defeated three teams on the last edition of power rankings – the Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers.
The Warriors deserve a tip of the cap for the recent play and that comes in the form of the top spot in the power rankings. It helps when you have one or two legitimate MVP candidates as well.
Upcoming week's schedule: vs. Lakers, vs. Trail Blazers, at Trail Blazers
2. Toronto Raptors
Last week: 1
As stated above, figuring out how to rank the Raptors (whether it's No. 1 or 2) is tough to do right now. There's no denying that Toronto has an edge on the rest of the NBA with the exception of the Warriors. The injuries have made the situation somewhat tough to gauge, though, largely due to the fact that losses become a bit more understandable when multiple key pieces are out.
There's a strong argument to be made that Kawhi Leonard and company deserve to be in the top spot, and I wouldn't cause a scene arguing against it either. Unfortunately, the Warriors have simply looked better, largely due to the fact that they're playing at full strength. The Raptors are a force, and considering most of these injuries aren't overly series, it bodes well for their overall outlook.
If things continue to go the way they have to this point, the Warriors and Raptors could wind up battling for the top spot consistently throughout the year.
Upcoming week's schedule: at Heat, at Magic, vs. Bulls
3. Milwaukee Bucks
Last week: 5
The Milwaukee Bucks have won seven of their last 10 games and the three losses came against the Golden State Warriors, Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat, with the last two on the road. The Bucks are legit and I wouldn't want to face this team in the postseason. Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to build his MVP resume and doesn't seem to be showing any signs of slowing down.
Prior a loss against the surging Heat on Saturday last week, they had reeled off four-straight wins, including victories. This run included road wins against the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics as well as a win over Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans.
I'd love to see the Bucks and Raptors in a seven-game series to decide who goes to the NBA Finals. Either one of these teams have the talent to keep up with the Warriors as well, so general fans may be in for a fun finish to the year when the playoffs roll around.
Upcoming week's schedule: at Knicks, vs. Knicks, vs. Nets
Tier two is up next, headlined by a few on-the-rise teams.
Tier 2: On-the-Fringe Contenders
The second tier of the rankings features teams who have flashed the ability to knock off big teams or at the very least have looked consistent for the most part this season. There have to be at least a few impressive wins on the recent resume (for the most part), but these teams are still up in the air a bit.
Each team in this group could easily drop from tier two down to the third tier with a slip-up or two along the way. We'll start with a few teams that are incredibly tough to gauge currently.
4. Denver Nuggets
Last week: 4
I have no idea what to do with the Denver Nuggets right now. This is a team who lost back-to-back games earlier in December against the Charlotte Hornets and Atlanta Hawks. They then proceeded to knock off the Memphis Grizzlies, Oklahoma City Thunder and Toronto Raptors two weeks ago.
The Nuggets, when playing well, are a very, very good team, but they (like many teams) play to the level of their competition in some cases. A loss to the Los Angeles Clippers to end last week wasn't bad, but the fact it came by 21 isn't ideal. Regardless, they've shown a ton of upside and have done so with Will Barton and Paul Millsap sidelined as well.
Upcoming week's schedule: at Spurs, vs. Spurs, at Suns
5. Indiana Pacers
Last week: 3
The Pacers take a bit of a tumble this week after winning seven-straight games and jumping into the top three. Maybe it was a bit early to move them up that high, but there's no question Indiana possesses the ability to be a legitimate threat in the postseason. A loss early in the week to the Cleveland Cavaliers hurts bad, especially on their home floor. They were unable to knock off the Raptors, but that's nothing to turn your nose up at.
Fortunately, after the two losses, the Pacers bounced back and won two games to end the week. With that said, victories over the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards aren't enough to hold off the Nuggets and Bucks. Especially considering the Wizards were on the second leg of a back-to-back which featured a three-overtime game to start.
Upcoming week's schedule: at Hawks, vs. Pistons, vs. Hawks
6. Oklahoma City Thunder
Last week: 6
Paul George has been playing at another level as of late. Dare I say it, PG13 has the look of an NBA Most Valuable Player candidate. Although he's unlikely to actually make it into the mix, he's scored 31 or more points in seven of 11 games in the month of December to this point. Most recently in a stretch of four-straight wins, Geroge poured in 33, 24, 43, and 43 points.
Pairing the fact that George has obviously grown far more comfortable with the Oklahoma City Thunder this season, it makes them an incredibly dangerous team. Russell Westbrook is still playing at an elite level, but that's almost expected at this point, while Steven Adams has emerged as an excellent big man.
The Thunder suffered a tough loss to end last week to the Minnesota Timberwolves but won the first three games last week. Those wins weren't the most eye-opening victories, though, coming against just one other team on the power rankings.
Upcoming week's schedule: at Rockets, at Suns, at Mavericks
7. Philadelphia 76ers
Last week: 7
If the Philadelphia 76ers hadn't been completely rolled over by the San Antonio Spurs to start last week, they'd be higher than No. 7. The Spurs are a solid team and it was the second game on a back-to-back when both were on the road, but they lost by 27 and the game was virtually never close.
Aside from that, after a tough week, the Sixers bounced back nicely to handle business against the New York Knicks and then knock off the Toronto Raptors by 25 points at home. Although many will turn their nose up at the Raptors win since Kawhi Leonard and Serge Ibaka were out, Toronto defeated the Golden State Warriors without the former.
There's a level of praise that should go to the Sixers for that win, and it may have started something special, especially considering the level Ben Simmons is playing at. We know how excellent Joel Embiid and Jimmy Butler can be offensively, but Simmons ramped up the scoring as well. He's totaled 16 or more points in seven of the last eight games, and the only one he didn't was a 13-point triple-double.
Upcoming week's schedule: at Celtics, at Jazz, at Trail Blazers
Tier three features a group of talented teams who simply need to get the ship going in the right direction.
Tier 3: Upside Is There, but Concerns Are Obvious
There's a ton of talent in the third tier, but still looming question marks around these teams. In some instances, fans may be disappointed with the recent play or even the full season outlook from this group. It's tough to put talented teams outside of the top two tiers, but that certainly happened this week and the Los Angeles Lakers are proof of that.
Unfortunately, the Lake Show isn't the only well-respected and overall talented team who's been knocked down a peg as of late. King James and company have a few teams who may prove to be serious contenders hanging with them here.
8. Los Angeles Lakers
Last week: 9
The Lakers are a brutal team to try to figure out right now. They're 19-14 after the week and have gone back-and-forth from showing flashes of being legitimate contenders to looking average. LeBron James is going to continue to do a lot when it comes to carrying this team at points, but they haven't taken that huge step forward yet.
If or when that happens remains to be seen, but last week wasn't exactly ideal for the Lakers. They went 1-2 defeating the New Orleans Pelicans and falling to the Brooklyn Nets and Memphis Grizzlies. The two losses aren't horrible, but even going one step further back than that, it's fair to have questions about this group.
Although three of the four losses came during a road trip, the Lakers fell to the Houston Rockets by 15, Washington Wizards by 18 and then the Nets. Their only wins over the six-game span came against the Charlotte Hornets and Pelicans.
For what it's worth, LeBron and company did reel off six wins in the seven games prior to that, but that's where the issue of figuring this team out begins. We'll receive clarity soon enough, and the Lakers have a few tough matchups this coming week starting with the Golden State Warriors on Christmas.
Upcoming week's schedule: at Warriors, at Kings, vs. Clippers, vs. Kings
9. Houston Rockets
Last week: 11
The injury to Chris Paul couldn't have come at a worse time for the Rockets, who had finally started to turn a corner it seems. Prior to the game in which Paul got hurt, Houston had won five straight games. While the injury certainly hurts the immediate outlook, they did bounce back with a solid win against the Spurs to wrap up last week.
Overall, the Rockets may take a bit of a step back without Paul, but they've played far better as of late. Along with that, during the stretch in which they won five of six, James Harden and company have picked up a few solid wins. They knocked off the aforementioned Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, Utah Jazz, and Washington Wizards.
While there's still plenty of room to improve and the Rockets need to add another piece if they really want to become contenders, we're trending in the right direction. For good measure, if they manage to post a solid record without Paul, it'll massively boost their outlook and the media's overall confidence in them.
Upcoming week's schedule: vs. Thunder, vs. Celtics, at Pelicans
10. Boston Celtics
Last week: 8
It's tough to figure out exactly where to put the Celtics. On one hand, this is a team dealing with a fair share of injuries, but for the most part, they've had a decent amount of their core. Unfortunately, it just hasn't been at the same time in many cases. Kyrie Irving has been playing excellent as of late, but it wasn't enough during the most recent stretch.
Boston has lost three of their last four, including two games to start last week. The first loss came at home against the Phoenix Suns while the other was also a home game at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks. The Suns loss was a tough one to take and looks bad, but it's easy to forget the Celtics won eight games straight just recently.
Upcoming week's schedule: vs. 76ers, at Rockets, at Grizzlies
Tier four comes with question marks but a whole lot of talent as well.
Tier 4: The World of the (Somewhat) Unknown
There are teams in the NBA who find a way to win games in impressive fashion, but then falter against lower competition, and in some cases, that would be this group. That's not always the case and there are many instances where the below teams just haven't proven themselves ready for the next tier.
We'll kick this section off with the Portland Trail Blazers and one of the most enjoyable players to watch in the league in Damian Lillard. They're joined by a team that virtually every general NBA fan has embraced as well, and another brutally tough team to figure out.
11. Portland Trail Blazers
Last week: 13
Aside from one slip-up, the Blazers had themselves a nice week all-around. Three of the four teams they faced were on last week's power rankings and the team proceeded to pick up wins over the Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks. The lone loss came against the Utah Jazz and it was an ugly 30-point one, so that played a role in Portland jumping up too much.
Even prior to the most recent stretch, the Trail Blazers topped the Toronto Raptors to end last week and have been fueled by the excellent play of Damian Lillard (shocker). The star guard has led the team in scoring over the last five games and 10 of the last 11. Portland's a fun team to watch and center Jusuf Nurkic is having a strong all-around season as well.
Upcoming week's schedule: at Jazz, at Warriors, vs. Warriors, vs. 76ers
12. Sacramento Kings
Last week: 10
The Kings are such an enjoyable team to watch and have so much upside. Although they're probably still one season away from being a team who will wind up causing issues in the playoffs, it doesn't change their current play.
Sometimes it winds up being a bit of a mixed bag of results from the Kings, but De'Aaron Fox and company have flashed major upside with solid wins. They began last week with losses to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder but bounced back by knocking off the Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans.
Buddy Hield caught fire as of late, scoring at least 27 points in five of the last six games and 21 in the other game. He's just one of a handful of young weapons who have helped this Kings team on the NBA radar again.
Upcoming week's schedule: at Clippers, vs. Lakers, at Lakers
13. San Antonio Spurs
Last week: 16
It was a productive week for the Spurs, there's no denying that. Gregg Popovich's squad won three of four games including a dominant win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Honestly, they probably deserve to be higher than this, but it's hard to justify jumping them up a whole lot higher based on the resumes of the other teams.
Regardless, San Antonio won their first three games last week by 27, 39 and 26 points. They did fall to the Houston Rockets on Saturday, but it was a seven-point road loss that I'm not docking them many points for. The Spurs are trending in the right direction, but I'm still having an incredibly hard time buying this team as a contender.
Upcoming week's schedule: vs. Nuggets, at Nuggets, at Clippers
The final tier offers up a mixture of teams on the rise, but also a group which has a whole lot still to prove.
Tier 5: Not Buying in, but They're Fun to Watch
It's a mixture of a little bit of everything in this fifth and final tier. The one side features a team like the Los Angeles Clippers who have surprised everyone this season. But the Clippers can't seem to just figure out if they're going to get over the hump or take a step back, so it's hard to believe in them currently.
Even beyond that, the final two spots are very tough this week, but one team's recent surge makes them more than deserving of a spot in the power rankings. A lot can change in this group as well, and we may even see some teams from the previous tier find their way here within a week or so.
14. Los Angeles Clippers
Last week: 14
When you look at most teams and see that they've lost five of seven games, odds are you're ready to throw them off the power rankings altogether. I wouldn't blame you, but I'm just not there. The Clippers' losses over that stretch came against the Toronto Raptors, San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland Trail Blazers, and Golden State Warriors.
That's some pretty elite company to lose to, especially when considering that the last three came by six or fewer points. Most recently, to finish out the week we saw the Clippers lose on the road to the Warriors by two points.
All of that is fine in my book, but the fact that they defeated the Denver Nuggets (who, as we saw are way up there) by 21 points this past week was impressive. That win helped keep them in the mix here and also makes the losses look even more respectable.
Upcoming week's schedule: vs. Kings, at Lakers, vs. Spurs
15. Miami Heat
Last week: Not ranked
We can welcome the Miami Heat to the show after winning seven of their last 10 and five straight as of late. This team still has a fair amount to prove but wins over the Rockets and Milwaukee Bucks this week opened more than a few eyes. The Heat have also hit this stride as of late with Goran Dragic now sidelined after undergoing a knee scope.
I wasn't buying Miami at all until the back-to-back wins over Houston and Milwaukee, but they look like they're on the verge of turning a corner. If the emergence of Josh Richardson continues, as he led the team in scoring in three of the last four games, the Heat could be a fun team to watch come playoff team.
Upcoming week's schedule: vs. Raptors, vs. Cavaliers, vs. Timberwolves
16. Charlotte Hornets
Last week: Not ranked
No one is going to really jump out of their chair here about the Charlotte Hornets being included, but I think it's deserved. Honestly, I also think that it's deserved because the Hornets had a solid week without Kemba Walker having to do everything. While he poured in 30 points in a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, Walker actually wasn't the team's leading scorer in a solid win over the Detroit Pistons.
Although the All-Star did score 22 points in the 98-86 win, Marvin Williams led the way with 24 points and the Hornets received some solid bench production. Charlotte isn't going to truly become a playoff team to fear (aside from Walker) until they acquire another piece. Based on their play to this point, there's an argument to be made that they should be buyers at the trade deadline.
Upcoming week's schedule: at Nets, vs. Nets, at Wizards
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