NBA Power Rankings: Will Anyone Catch the Juggernaut Boston Celtics?
With another week of NBA action behind us, it's time for a fresh round of power rankings.
There isn't much suspense over who'll be in the top spot—the Boston Celtics are dominating in increasingly historic fashion—but there's plenty of movement throughout the rest of the list.
After cold starts, the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers are both looking stronger. The New Orleans Pelicans and Cleveland Cavaliers continued their respective rises. And the Dallas Mavericks bounced back in a big way.
With our usual criteria of championship chances, numbers, recent play and loads of subjectivity, those moves and more can be found below.
30. San Antonio Spurs (7-18)
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Previous Rank: 30
Net Rating: -10.7
On Thursday, the San Antonio Spurs got their first win since November 11, but that won't earn them a bump in the power rankings.
It was a single-digit home victory over another rebuilding team. And the win moves the Spurs to just 2-16 in their last 18 games.
During that stretch, San Antonio is being outscored by 14.9 points per 100 possessions, a net rating that's in a different world than anyone else's (the 29th-ranked Charlotte Hornets are at minus-9.0).
29. Houston Rockets (7-18)
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Previous Rank: 29
Net Rating: -6.5
Every year, it seems like we have to get at least one highlight play waved off by a dubious call from the officials.
On Thursday, Houston Rockets center Alperen Şengün and referee Nick Buchert gave us an all-timer.
To add insult to the phantom charge call (OK, there was some off-arm action from Şengün, but you can't make that call in that situation), Houston went on to lose the game to the plummeting San Antonio Spurs.
We'll grant them an off night on the road and keep the Rockets one spot ahead in the power rankings, though. They aren't just four-plus points better in season-long net rating. They're over seven points better over the last two weeks.
28. Charlotte Hornets (7-18)
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Previous Rank: 26
Net Rating: -6.1
The race for Victor Wembanyama is on for the Charlotte Hornets, who've lost four of their last five and have only had LaMelo Ball on the floor for three games.
As long as they keep playing like this, it's probably fair to expect a very conservative timeline for Ball's return from an ankle injury.
The All-Star playmaker may not be good enough to suddenly vault this group into the play-in mix, and on-court reps are important, but the more Ls the better for Charlotte.
Even with question marks all over the rest of the roster, a duo of Ball and Wembanyama would be enough to get excited about Charlotte's future.
27. Orlando Magic (6-20)
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Previous Rank: 27
Net Rating: -6.1
The losses keep piling up for the Orlando Magic, but plenty of individual players are providing bright spots. You can't ask for much more in a rebuilding campaign.
And one of those individuals offering hope is Paolo Banchero, who may be starting to run away with this season's Rookie of the Year.
In Wednesday's win over the Los Angeles Clippers (Orlando's first since November 18), Banchero made 13 free throws and totaled a game-high 23 points.
He's now eclipsed 20 in 14 of his 19 appearances and is averaging 21.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists on the season.
26. Detroit Pistons (7-20)
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Previous Rank: 28
Net Rating: -7.0
A recent surge from Killian Hayes continued Wednesday, when he went for 17 points and 12 assists in a single-digit loss to the West-leading New Orleans Pelicans.
Over his last seven games, he's put up 14.6 points, 7.9 assists and 1.7 threes, while shooting 38.7 percent from deep.
That this run is coming during Cade Cunningham injury-related absence (shin) feels notable too. Hayes certainly isn't on track to replace the 2021 No. 1 pick, but it's becoming clear he's far more effective as the lead ball-handler.
25. Oklahoma City Thunder (11-14)
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Previous Rank: 25
Net Rating: -1.5
Most of the attention paid to the Oklahoma City Thunder this season has come by way of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. That might be sparing others on the roster.
One who may not mind the lack of a spotlight is Josh Giddey. His scoring average and shooting averages are up slightly from his rookie season, but not enough to overcome the decline in assist percentage and defensive effectiveness.
Last season, OKC's net rating was 0.5 points worse when Giddey was on the floor. In 2022-23, his swing is a ghastly minus-16.5.
24. Washington Wizards (11-14)
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Previous Rank: 22
Net Rating: -1.7
It's 2021-22 all over again for the Washington Wizards, whose solid start has officially been overcome by a wave of losing.
The Wizards have dropped seven of their last eight, and Bradley Beal's durability is becoming a bit of a concern.
After missing six games earlier this season, Beal is back on the shelf with a hamstring strain.
Washington's point differential has actually been a little better without Beal this season, but it's hard to imagine the Wizards staying in the hunt for a playoff spot if this trend keeps up. Since the start of 2020-21, Beal has appeared in just over 60 percent of his team's games.
23. Chicago Bulls (10-14)
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Previous Rank: 23
Net Rating: -1.4
The Chicago Bulls stopped a three-game losing skid on Wednesday with the kind of performance their fans have surely been aching for.
In a 115-111 win over the Washington Wizards, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vučević all got to 25 points.
It was only the third time this trio has pulled that off, and it's been over a year since the last one.
22. New York Knicks (12-13)
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Previous Rank: 24
Net Rating: -0.5
The New York Knicks ended the week with back-to-back wins over the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks. They gave up a total of 170 points in those two games and crept closer to a top-half-of-the-league defense in the process.
There are still plenty of concerns for the sub-.500 Knicks, though, including the continuing shooting woes of RJ Barrett.
After failing to get to 50 percent from the field in each of the aforementioned wins, Barrett has now been below that threshold in 17 of his 25 games. On the season, he's shooting 40.3 percent from the field and 28.5 percent from deep.
If he's going to live up to the contract he signed this summer and be a long-term winning player for the Knicks, he has to recapture whatever form he had as a shooter in 2020-21.
21. Minnesota Timberwolves (12-12)
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Previous Rank: 19
Net Rating: -0.4
Much has been made of the fit (or lack thereof) with Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns, but the Minnesota Timberwolves' success may simply be in the hands of point guard D'Angelo Russell.
After having a clearly positive impact in 2021-22, Russell has seen his net-rating swing (the difference between a team's net points per 100 possessions when a given player is on or off the floor) plummet to minus-12.5 in 2022-23.
There are signs of hope, though. After Russell went for 28 points on 9-of-18 shooting in Wednesday's win over the Indiana Pacers, Minnesota is 6-3 in games in which Russell shoots at least 50 percent from the field (and 6-9 in all other games).
20. Los Angeles Lakers (10-14)
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Previous Rank: 21
Net Rating: -1.3
Just when it looked like the Los Angeles Lakers were starting to gain a little momentum, Anthony Davis left Tuesday's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers with an illness.
The next day, AD and LeBron James both sat out a blowout road loss against the Toronto Raptors.
Prior to this little two-game skid, Davis had announced his arrival at the MVP debate. Before the Cleveland game, he'd averaged 35.3 points, 15.6 rebounds, 2.9 blocks, 2.7 assists and 1.2 steals over a nine-game stretch.
If he's anywhere near that level upon his return from illness, the Lakers should head right back toward competitiveness and trade rumors regarding who can help AD best.
19. Miami Heat (12-14)
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Previous Rank: 20
Net Rating: -1.9
Moving Tyler Herro into the Miami Heat's starting five brought on a bit of an adjustment period for both the player and the team.
During his first 10 games of the season, Miami was comfortably better when Herro was off the floor. And he wasn't shooting the three or distributing as well as he did in 2021-22.
Since returning from injury on November 23, though, Herro has a triple-double and another 10-assist game to his name. Over his last five games, he's averaged 24.8 points and 3.4 threes while shooting 43.6 percent from deep.
18. Indiana Pacers (13-12)
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Previous Rank: 16
Net Rating: -1.1
The Indiana Pacers are finally cooling off. They're 3-6 in their last nine games (and 1-4 in their last five), but there's still plenty to be excited about for this surprisingly above-.500 team.
Beyond the continued strong play of Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin, this week's most notable development came by way of rookie Andrew Nembhard.
With Haliburton out Monday, Nembhard went off for 31 points and 13 assists in a win over the reigning champion Golden State Warriors. Over his last four games, he's putting up 16.8 points, 8.5 assists and 2.5 threes while shooting 45.5 percent from deep.
Adding a high-end guard to the young core that already includes Haliburton and Mathurin, especially one who was a second-round pick, feels like a borderline steal for Indiana.
17. Los Angeles Clippers (14-13)
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Previous Rank: 15
Net Rating: -1.7
The Los Angeles Clippers are testing the validity of the regular season in a way that no one else really ever has.
After missing all of last season recovering from a torn ACL, Kawhi Leonard registered just his seventh appearance of the season in Wednesday's loss to the Orlando Magic.
And in that game, which went to overtime, Kawhi and Paul George were essentially load-managed to the final buzzer.
SiriusXM NBA Radio's Justin Termine was right about Kawhi sitting L.A.'s next game too (though Paul George did play). On Thursday, the Clippers lost again, this time to the Miami Heat.
Now that they're just a game over .500, FiveThirtyEight's projection system basically gives the team a 50/50 shot to make the postseason.
If Leonard's availability remains as sporadic as it's been throughout the season, L.A. sneaks into the playoffs and then wins it all, the regular season will feel as unimportant as it ever has.
16. Atlanta Hawks (13-12)
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Previous Rank: 13
Net Rating: -1.0
All is not well with the Atlanta Hawks.
Earlier this week, Trae Young chose not to attend a home game after an "exchange" he had with head coach Nate McMillan at that morning's shootaround.
Days later, he addressed the situation with the media.
That explanation and some wins might have been enough to put the whole thing to bed, but the Hawks have lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder and New York Knicks since then. They've now dropped five of their last seven.
And with Dejounte Murray potentially out with an ankle injury (he left Wednesday's loss after four minutes), that slide may just be beginning.
Losing has a tendency to exacerbate chemistry issues, so Atlanta's road-heavy slate over the next week (which includes stops in Brooklyn and Memphis) could be the most important stretch of the season to date.
15. Philadelphia 76ers (12-12)
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Previous Rank: 12
Net Rating: +1.7
The Philadelphia 76ers are on a three-game losing streak that may not have been all that alarming if not for the most recent disappointment.
With James Harden still sidelined, road losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Memphis Grizzlies weren't a huge deal. A double-overtime loss in Harden's return against the rebuilding Houston Rockets may be.
Philadelphia's stars, Harden and Joel Embiid, were on the right side of the plus-minus ledger, but they combined for 12 turnovers.
And the fit between those two—even though they were juggernaut-like at times last season—still looks a little wonky.
These aren't just two of the most ball-dominant players in the league today. Embiid and Harden are second and 15th in career usage percentage. To make this work, one of them will have to adjust (perhaps more than either already has).
14. Portland Trail Blazers (13-12)
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Previous Rank: 18
Net Rating: -0.8
Damian Lillard unleashed a barrage of jump shots in a Thursday loss to the Denver Nuggets that truly had to be seen to be believed.
Lillard went off for 40 points and 12 assists. He scored 14 of those points in the fourth quarter. Twelve of those came in the final six minutes. Over and over, he hit contested, moving jumper after contested, moving jumper. That included a triple with 8.8 seconds left that put his team up two.
And yet, the Blazers lost due to a nasty game-winner from Jamal Murray (more on that later) and Portland's inability to get stops for most of the game.
The team is now creeping toward a bottom-five defensive rating, but there's plenty to look forward to.
Gary Payton II is reconditioning for a return. His high-end perimeter defense and timely cutting on the other end will help.
But more importantly, Dame Time was in full effect this week. And knowing that Lillard can still reach that height should inspire plenty of confidence in Portland fans.
13. Brooklyn Nets (14-12)
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Previous Rank: 17
Net Rating: +1.1
Things are looking up for the Brooklyn Nets, who've won five of their last six (and eight of their last 11).
The improved team play has largely coincided with the end of Kyrie Irving's suspension, but the numbers suggest Kevin Durant's play without his fellow stars is more important.
During the aforementioned six-game run, Brooklyn actually has a negative net rating when KD and Kyrie are both on the floor. In the same stretch, Durant is comfortably in the black with Royce O'Neale (plus-5.3), Nic Claxton (plus-4.9), Joe Harris (plus-6.6) and Seth Curry (plus-18.7).
And this is a trend that's held true throughout the season.
The Nets will need Kyrie (and probably Ben Simmons) playing at his best to compete for a championship, but he may need to figure out how to redirect more energy to defense and team basketball between now and the playoffs.
12. Toronto Raptors (13-12)
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Previous Rank: 11
Net Rating: +1.7
Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and 2021-22's Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes have probably gotten the bulk of the attention among Toronto Raptors players over the last couple years, but the most consistent this season may be OG Anunoby.
The sixth-year wing has appeared in every Raptors game this season and is posting career highs in points (19.2) and steals per game. His mark in that second category (2.3) also leads the league this season.
If he can get his shooting back to where it was across 2019-20 and 2020-21, when he shot 39.5 percent from deep, Anunoby will be among the game's best and most versatile forwards.
11. Utah Jazz (15-12)
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Previous Rank: 10
Net Rating: +2.5
A five-game losing streak toward the end of November served as a bit of a reality check for the Utah Jazz, but they've bounced back by winning three of four since.
Now a third of the way through their schedule, it's apparent the Jazz aren't going away (unless the front office trades more of the veterans).
One of the primary reasons for this team's surprise effectiveness is Lauri Markkanen. He missed Wednesday's win over the Golden State Warriors with an illness, but he's put up 23.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.6 threes and 2.1 assists while shooting 50.0 percent from deep over his last 10 games.
10. Golden State Warriors (13-13)
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Previous Rank: 7
Net Rating: +0.7
The Golden State Warriors may have anticipated a loss with both Stephen Curry (ankle) and Draymond Green (hip) sitting Wednesday, but the way they picked it up had to be painful.
With as competitive as the West is this season, a random loss in December could haunt the Warriors, whose bench might keep them in the play-in range all season.
Even with Curry playing as well as he ever has, the lose-and-go-home format of that mini tournament could end Golden State's title defense before the official playoffs even start.
9. Sacramento Kings (13-10)
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Previous Rank: 9
Net Rating: +3.1
The Sacramento Kings closed the week with a road loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, but they also had comfortable wins over the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Clippers. Nearly a third of the way into the season, it's become clear that this team is just plain good.
And if the Kings remain in the West's top six for much longer, buzz surrounding potential All-Stars will get pretty loud.
De'Aaron Fox is averaging 22.8 points, 5.6 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game and sports a well-above-average effective field-goal percentage (.563). Domantas Sabonis is putting up a Nikola Jokić-ish 17.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 6.6 assists per contest.
And if you sort every qualified player in the league by the average of their ranks in popular catch-all metrics from around the internet, Fox and Sabonis come in at 18th and 19th, respectively. If you think of the top 25-30 there as a sort of All-Star range, both are obviously in the mix.
8. Denver Nuggets (15-10)
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Previous Rank: 6
Net Rating: +1.3
The Denver Nuggets can't completely escape the stench of a recent three-game losing streak, but Thursday's absurd win against the Portland Trail Blazers sure helped.
Denver trailed the Blazers by 10 to start the fourth quarter, but then Jamal Murray exploded for 14 of his 21 points and hit a number of clutch buckets, including a game-winner that wiped out a truly absurd shooting display from Damian Lillard.
The aforementioned losing streak raised legitimate concerns about Denver's lack of defense, but this is the kind of vibe-setting win in a hostile environment that could get Murray back on track (he was 8-of-28 in the two previous games and started this one 0-of-5).
If he can ride a wave of confidence through the return of Michael Porter Jr. (who's now missed eight games with a heel injury), the Nuggets can climb back to the contenders' tier.
7. Phoenix Suns (16-9)
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Previous Rank: 2
Net Rating: +5.8
It was Chris Paul's first game back from a lengthy heel-injury-induced absence, and the Phoenix Suns still haven't gotten anything from Jae Crowder's roster spot, but Wednesday's thumping from the Boston Celtics had to be a bit of an eye-opener.
Over the last couple of seasons, the Suns have moved into a title-or-bust phase, but that 125-98 loss in Phoenix suggests they'd be headed for a bust if they meet the Celtics in the Finals.
Still, there's plenty of time between now and the playoffs (or June) for Phoenix to shore up any issues. Ideally for them, CP3 will be healthy and up to speed in terms of conditioning in any potential playoff matchup with other contenders. The same goes for Cameron Johnson, who's out with a torn meniscus.
And between now and the Feb. 9 trade deadline, the Suns will almost certainly turn Crowder, who's sitting out following a trade request, into something that will help the rotation.
If all of those boxes are checked, and Devin Booker continues to play at an All-NBA level (he's putting up 29.6 points and 5.8 assists over his last 11 games), Phoenix should have a chance to get back to the sport's biggest stage.
6. Dallas Mavericks (13-11)
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Previous Rank: 14
Net Rating: +3.1
It's been an up-and-down campaign for the Dallas Mavericks, and this week certainly brought some of the ups.
Dallas fell below .500 with an almost embarrassing loss to the rebuilding Detroit Pistons last Thursday, but they're now on a three-game winning streak capped by a road victory over the Denver Nuggets.
With averages of 28.3 points, 9.0 assists and 8.0 assists, Luka Dončić has been his predictably dominant self in this run, but the more notable development may be the breakout of Tim Hardaway Jr.
In his first 18 appearances of the season, Hardaway put up 10.2 points while shooting 31.1 percent from the field and 29.4 percent from three.
Over his past five, he's at 24.4 points and 6.0 threes, with a 51.9 field-goal percentage and a 54.5 three-point percentage.
If this version of Hardaway sticks around, Dallas should be able to limit its downturns.
5. Memphis Grizzlies (16-9)
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Previous Rank: 8
Net Rating: +2.6
The Memphis Grizzlies went through a bit of a funk in mid-November, but they've now won six of their last seven, and Jaren Jackson Jr. is playing the best basketball of his NBA career.
After going for 12 points, five blocks, two steals and two threes in just 26 minutes on Wednesday, Jackson is on track for career highs in points (18.6) and blocks per game (3.1). And he has the highest 2022-23 net rating of any Grizzlies rotation player.
The team got some bad(ish) news on Desmond Bane Wednesday (he's set to miss another three to four weeks), but if JJJ can keep playing like this after Bane's return, Memphis will be among the West's biggest problems.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers (16-9)
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Previous Rank: 4
Net Rating: +6.6
The Cleveland Cavaliers cooled off the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, as Donovan Mitchell dropped 43 in a game Anthony Davis sat because of an injury.
On the year, Mitchell is now up to a career-high 29.0 points per game and shooting a career-high 42.4 percent from deep. During Tuesday's win, he basked in MVP chants against LeBron James in Cleveland.
Darius Garland and Evan Mobley both had—and continue to have—a chance to attain star status, but acquiring Mitchell served as a shortcut to Cleveland having a true superstar face of the franchise in the post-LeBron era.
3. New Orleans Pelicans (16-8)
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Previous Rank: 5
Net Rating: +6.9
The New Orleans Pelicans finished this week in first place in the Western Conference (and in second place leaguewide in net rating).
And with Brandon Ingram missing the entirety of this current five-game winning streak because of a toe sprain, it's easy to look to Zion Williamson as the primary reason for recent success.
With averages of 28.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.6 blocks per game during this stretch, Zion is the right answer to that question, but he's not doing this by himself.
Jose Alvarado went for a career-high 38 points in a win over the Denver Nuggets this week. Trey Murphy III is putting up 19.3 points over his last six games. And the team's net rating is 7.0 points better when Larry Nance Jr. is on the floor.
Zion, Ingram and CJ McCollum have the most recognizable names, but New Orleans has a deep, balanced and well-rounded roster that could compete for a title as early as this season.
2. Milwaukee Bucks (18-6)
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Previous Rank: 3
Net Rating: +4.9
The Milwaukee Bucks being first or second in the East until the All-Star break feels like a pretty safe bet. If they are, there will almost certainly be some discussion about their getting a second All-Star spot (with Giannis Antetokounmpo as the obvious first one).
While that conversation has often revolved around Jrue Holiday or Khris Middleton in the last couple of years, it's easy to envision Brook Lopez getting the nod in 2023.
Lopez is averaging 15.3 points and 2.4 threes while shooting 41.0 percent from deep and leading the league in blocks at 2.9 per game. When he's on the floor, Milwaukee is allowing 6.2 fewer points per 100 possessions.
That's not only All-Star worthy, it might also put Lopez in the early lead for Defensive Player of the Year. He's a clear betting favorite there.
1. Boston Celtics (21-5)
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Previous Rank: 1
Net Rating: +9.2
The Boston Celtics are starting to look like a juggernaut with loads of playmaking, size on the wings, defense and shooting. And this week, they shined a light on another luxury that few other teams can boast.
With a lengthy injury history, 33-year-old Blake Griffin is no longer an everyday player, but Boston has been using him as a spot starter.
Griffin has only appeared in 10 games this season, but the Celtics are 5-0 when he starts. This week, he gave Boston back-to-back starts and was plus-35 in those two wins.
And with the conservative approach to his playing time, Griffin has looked about as fresh and explosive as a player of his age and experience can in moments like this.
Stat of the Week
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The Sacramento Kings are giving us "Light the Beam," All-Star pushes from Domantas Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox, the rookie campaign of Keegan Murray and some of the most entertaining offense of the season.
Want another reason to get excited about their breakout campaign?
Cleaning the Glass tracks team point differential relative to the spread. In other words, it shows how much better (or worse) teams have been than Vegas expected them to be. If a team was supposed to lose by five points but won by five, that team would've outperformed the spread by five.
With that in mind, the Kings currently lead the league in differential against the spread.
Of course, that's in part a function of Sacramento having lower expectations than teams that were thought to be powerhouses coming into this season, but it's still worth noting.
Last season's leader in this column, the Boston Celtics, made the NBA Finals.
Individual Performance of the Week
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In a self-preserving effort to simply take this decision out of my hands, the top individual performance of the week was decided by a single stat.
"Game Score was created by John Hollinger to give a rough measure of a player's productivity for a single game," according to Basketball Reference's glossary. "The scale is similar to that of points scored, (40 is an outstanding performance, 10 is an average performance, etc.)."
The formula gives a player credit for each of the basic box score numbers, so it should come as no surprise that Anthony Davis' December 4 annihilation of the Washington Wizards produced a 49.5 game score, which is the highest mark since the last edition of the power rankings (and the second-highest of the entire season, behind Joel Embiid's 54.4 on November 13).
AD went off for 55 points on 22-of-30 shooting, grabbed 17 rebounds, hit all nine of his free-throw attempts and blocked three shots. He was plus-17 in a game the Los Angeles Lakers won by 11.
