Getty Chris Paul, Warriors point guard.
Every NBA player will tell you, if there is something not quite right with his shot, there’s probably a team on the schedule you just know will help. You’ve probably got a slump-buster. And for the Warriors, one of our new Top 3 teams here in the Week 3 NBA Power Rankings, the Pistons are good slump-buster fodder.
Chris Paul entered Monday’s game against Detroit in one of the worst slumps of his career, 3-for-21 over his last three games. But he is a career 49.6% shooter against the Pistons, and sure enough, Paul went 6-for-9 from the floor and 2-for-3 from the 3-point line to finish with 17 points in Monday’s win over the Pistons.
Oh, and the Warriors are now 5-1 away from home. Remember, they were 11-30 on the road last season. That is why they’re now No. 3 on the Week 3 NBA Power Rankings …
Week 3 NBA Power Rankings Top 10: Golden State Warriors Rise
- Boston Celtics, (5-1). Crunch-time follies cost Boston vs. Minnesota, but the big matchup with the Sixers looms on Wednesday.
- Denver Nuggets, (7-1). Huge comeback W from 20 points down, but the Jamal Murray hamstring injury is a problem.
- Golden State Warriors, (6-2). A quiet Andrew Wiggins (11.7 points per game) is the one issue lingering.
- Philadelphia 76ers, (5-1). Kelly Oubre (21.0 points) wondered why no one was signing him in the offseason. Now a lot of teams are wondering why they didn’t sign him in the offseason
- Dallas Mavericks, (6-1). Still has much to improve, but we’re seeing why the Mavs wanted rookie big man Dereck Lively as much as they did in last year’s draft.
- Milwaukee Bucks, (4-2). Should stack up some wins in the next two weeks. The Bucks’ next six opponents are 18-25.
- Minnesota Timberwolves, (4-2). Anthony Edwards (38 points, 15-for-25 shooting) outdueled the Celtics down the stretch. MVP buzz is starting in Minnesota.
- Oklahoma City Thunder, (4-3). The starting 5 is as well-rounded as any in the league. Had a wire-to-wire win over Atlanta on Monday.
- Phoenix Suns, (3-4). Seems no matter where Kevin Durant lands, he winds up having to do most of the work himself. Devin Booker has played two games, and Bradley Beal is still yet to appear.
- Los Angeles Lakers, (3-4). Question 1: Is there an element of toughness missing with this team? Question 2: Is Jarred Vanderbilt enough to change that?
Week 3 NBA Power Rankings: Shuffling in the Middle
One of the features of this early season has been parity. No one, other than the first five teams (Boston, Denver, Golden State, Philadelphia and Dallas) is more than two games over .500, and only two teams (Milwaukee and Minnesota) are two games over.
But we are expecting good things, still, from Cleveland, and the Julius Randle breakout vs. the Clippers was impressive on Monday. So we start the second 10 with Cavs and Knicks.
- Cleveland Cavaliers, (3-4).
- New York Knicks, (3-4).
- Atlanta Hawks, (4-3).
- Orlando Magic, (4-3).
- New Orleans Pelicans, (4-3).
- Indiana Pacers, (4-3).
- Miami Heat, (3-4)
- L.A. Clippers, (3-3).
- Toronto Raptors, (3-4)
- Chicago Bulls, (3-5).
Finally, 21-30: Bummer for the Kings
What a disaster. The Kings went to Houston for two games with the Rockets, who were sporting a 1-3 record, and even without star point guard De’Aaron Fox (ankle), they looked to have an opportunity to pile on a pair of wins. Instead, they lost both games, by a combined 43 points.
Not easy to play without Fox, for sure. But 0-2 in Houston? By 43? The Kings want to nudge themselves forward into contender-ship but you’ve got to be able to win without your best players to get there. We had to punish them here in the Week 3 NBA Power Rankings. - Houston Rockets, (3-3).
- Brooklyn Nets, (3-4).
- Sacramento Kings, (2-4).
- San Antonio Spurs, (3-4).
- Portland Trail Blazers, (3-4).
- Utah Jazz, (2-6).
- Charlotte Hornets, (2-4).
- Detroit Pistons, (2-6).
- Memphis Grizzlies, (1-6).
- Washington Wizards, (1-5).