NBA Power Rankings: OKC Thunder Gaining on Powerhouse Celtics, Bucks, 76ers
With Christmas and New Year's behind us, the NBA is flying into 2024.
And I do mean flying. Offenses are destroying defenses this season. Points are pouring in at a rate we've never seen before (more on that in this week's edition of Stat of the Week). And that could be contributing to some volatility here.
All the three-point shooting has introduced chaos and variance just about every night, but the same criteria will help us sort through it.
Based on individual and team numbers, championship chances, recent performance and plenty of subjectivity, here's where all 30 teams stand now.
30. Detroit Pistons (3-31)
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Previous Rank: 30
Net Rating: -10.8
After their record-tying 28th straight loss to the Boston Celtics last Thursday, the Detroit Pistons finally got off the schneid against the Toronto Raptors.
And then they immediately started another losing streak.
Detroit got blown out by the Houston Rockets on Monday and lost a 154-148 overtime thriller to the Utah Jazz on Wednesday.
On the bright side, Cade Cunningham got to double-digit assists in each of the three games mentioned here.
And though there are still concerns about his inefficiency and turnovers, 23.2 points, 7.5 assists and 1.9 threes are encouraging raw averages.
29. San Antonio Spurs (5-29)
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Previous Rank: 29
Net Rating: -11.4
The Detroit Pistons have lost over 90 percent of their games and are coming off the record-tying losing streak, but they don't have the worst point differential in the league.
Think about that. Somehow, these San Antonio Spurs have been worse in that category. And that's in spite of rookie Victor Wembanyama arguably performing like a top-50 player already.
In the long run, Wemby will almost certainly be fine. Transcendent talents usually, well, transcend situations like this. But the organization shouldn't want him getting used to losing. Whether that means trades before the deadline or the aggressive pursuit of difference-makers this offseason, San Antonio may have to push some chips in earlier than expected.
Wembanyama is good enough to at least compete for a play-in spot already. He just needs more help from his organization.
28. Washington Wizards (6-27)
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Previous Rank: 28
Net Rating: -9.8
There haven't been many bright spots for the Washington Wizards this season, but Kyle Kuzma's play and potential trade value might qualify.
Kuzma is on a declining-salary contract that ends with $19.4 million in 2026-27 (plenty reasonable in this era of the perpetually rising salary cap). And after Wednesday's 39-point loss, he's averaging 22.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists.
In exchange for that kind of production from a forward with good size and championship experience, a playoff team (or maybe even a contender) might be interested in giving Washington an asset to help the rebuild.
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27. Charlotte Hornets (8-24)
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Previous Rank: 27
Net Rating: -10.8
Thanks in part to injuries and a suspension, the Charlotte Hornets are cruising toward another lottery pick in the first round of the draft.
In fact, after an 11-game losing streak that finally ended with a win over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday, Charlotte is within striking distance of a bottom-three finish and a 14.0 percent shot at the No. 1 pick.
At this point, the losses continuing to pile up while Brandon Miller shows flashes of three-and-D-plus upside (he's averaging 14.9 points and 2.1 threes while shooting 39.6 percent from deep) is probably the best-case scenario.
26. Portland Trail Blazers (9-24)
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Previous Rank: 26
Net Rating: -7.0
The Portland Trail Blazers are capable of more regular bursts of competitiveness than some of the league's other tanking teams, but closing this week with back-to-back blowouts at the hands of the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks was a good reminder of their 2023-24 destiny.
We're just over a month away from the trade deadline, and Malcolm Brogdon and Jerami Grant are both still on the roster. Neither makes much (if any) sense there, but they could alter the contenders' landscape as fourth or fifth options.
On the season, Grant is averaging 21.7 points and 2.4 threes while shooting 41.6 percent from three. Brogdon is at 15.7 points, 5.6 assists and 2.2 threes with a 41.4 three-point percentage in 27.9 minutes per game.
Turning both into draft picks and/or young talents could do a lot for Portland's rebuild.
25. Memphis Grizzlies (11-23)
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Previous Rank: 22
Net Rating: -6.6
The Memphis Grizzlies won their first four games with Ja Morant in the lineup, but the vibes from that streak are fading fast.
After dropping a home game to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, they've now lost three of their last four (with the only win coming against the San Antonio Spurs), are 12 games under .500 and sitting at a 0.0 percent chance to make the playoffs in Basketball Reference's Playoff Probabilities Report.
Now, those systems aren't foolproof. If Memphis suddenly rattled off another four- or five-game winning streak, the math would almost certainly change. But the Grizzlies' next three games are all on the road and against the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks.
24. Brooklyn Nets (15-20)
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Previous Rank: 21
Net Rating: -1.8
The Brooklyn Nets are in a full-fledged tailspin. On December 8, they beat the Washington Wizards to move to 12-9 on the season. They're 3-11 since, and the current losing streak stands at five games after they fell to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.
There isn't one single, identifiable reason for the slide. They've been terrible on both ends of the floor during this stretch. But if you had to settle on one general issue, it might be the total lack of star power.
Just about every player on the roster is one or two spots higher on the team's hierarchy than they'd be on a contender. And the perfect example of that might be Mikal Bridges, who's on track for his first below-average true shooting percentage since his rookie season.
As a No. 1 option, Bridges faces more focused defensive attention than he did as a pressure release for the Phoenix Suns.
23. Chicago Bulls (15-21)
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Previous Rank: 20
Net Rating: -3.2
With Zach LaVine's return imminent, it may be a good time to take stock of how the Chicago Bulls did without him.
They've now played 18 games without LaVine in the lineup (including one prior to this extended absence), and they're 10-8 in those contests. And when he's not on the floor, Chicago is still minus-0.5 points per 100 possessions.
All this is a longer way of saying this stretch shouldn't dissuade the Bulls from attempting a reboot. There were certainly some good vibes, largely generated by Coby White, when LaVine first went down, but it's hard to imagine any version of this team advancing beyond the play-in tournament.
Chicago needs to move LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vučević for whatever rebuild-ready assets it can get and start thinking about the next era.
22. Atlanta Hawks (14-19)
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Previous Rank: 23
Net Rating: -0.5
It's hard to decide whether the Atlanta Hawks' reliance on Jalen Johnson is encouraging or alarming.
After the 22-year-old forward scored a team-high 28 points in Wednesday's win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, Atlanta is 10-9 when he's in the rotation and 4-10 when he's not.
He's not bringing a ton of scoring volume (which shouldn't be surprising for a team with Trae Young and Dejounte Murray), but Johnson's steady shooting (he's at 41.5 percent from three), multipositional defense and willingness to accept a smaller offensive role really greases the wheels for a team that struggles when he's out.
21. Utah Jazz (16-19)
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Previous Rank: 25
Net Rating: -4.0
It took a little longer than it did last season, but the Utah Jazz are once again one of the bigger surprises in the league.
On Monday, Jordan Clarkson juiced team vibes (as he's often done during his Jazz tenure) with the organization's first triple-double since 2008.
Then, the Jazz dropped 154 points (with overtime, but still) on the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.
They've suddenly won six out of seven and are within striking distance of the play-in tournament.
20. Los Angeles Lakers (17-18)
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Previous Rank: 18
Net Rating: -1.2
Ever since their In-Season Tournament run, things have not gone well for the Los Angeles Lakers.
After losing by double digits at home to the Miami Heat, they're now below .500. They've dropped eight of their last 10. And coach Darvin Ham is blaming the struggles on injuries, while LeBron James and Anthony Davis have barely missed any time and the rest of the roster is saying injuries aren't an excuse.
All of the above suddenly has the rumor mill churning on Ham's future.
The likelier culprits for L.A.'s underwhelming campaign are the lack of talent on the roster after the top two or three players and Ham's seeming unwillingness to spam the lineups that worked so well last season (and postseason).
On paper (and last year's conference finals run backs this up), Davis and LeBron fit almost perfectly with Austin Reaves. And Ham's unwillingness to start all three together (until D'Angelo Russell's absence forced his hand on Wednesday) has been one of this season's more perplexing storylines.
19. Golden State Warriors (16-18)
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Previous Rank: 19
Net Rating: +0.3
On Thursday, news broke that Draymond Green's return from an indefinite suspension may be imminent, but the Golden State Warriors may have reached a point where it's fair to wonder how much that would even help.
Beyond all the chaos that can follow Draymond on the floor, the team has simply been better without him this season.
Golden State's minus-6.1 points per 100 possessions when Green plays and plus-3.3 when he doesn't. And after the Warriors took the Denver Nuggets down to the wire on Thursday, they're 6-5 during the suspension. They're 7-8 when Draymond's in the lineup.
All of this certainly doesn't mean Golden State has to trade their legendary forward, but the option should at least be on the table now.
18. Toronto Raptors (14-20)
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Previous Rank: 24
Net Rating: -0.8
It hasn't taken long for Immanuel Quickley to show Toronto Raptors fans why he so thoroughly endeared himself to New York Knicks faithful.
During his three-plus seasons with the Knicks, they were plus-7.3 points per 100 possessions with Quickley on the floor and minus-2.8 without him. In his two games with Toronto, the Raptors are 2-0, and Quickley was above zero in plus-minus in both.
He's a solid defender for his size (6'3") and position. And his willingness to get threes up in volume and ability to hit them at an above-average rate make him an obvious fit alongside Scottie Barnes.
17. Cleveland Cavaliers (19-15)
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Previous Rank: 15
Net Rating: +1.2
The Cleveland Cavaliers lost Donovan Mitchell's first two games after returning from injury, but they got on track against a team that's going to allow that for a lot of opponents this season.
Cleveland smashed the Washington Wizards, 140-101, on Wednesday, in another showcase for Mitchell's No. 2 (now that Darius Garland and Evan Mobley are out for the next several weeks).
Jarrett Allen had 17 points, 19 rebounds, seven assists and two blocks. He's putting up 21.2 points, 16.4 boards, 6.0 assists and 1.0 blocks over Cleveland's last five games.
16. Houston Rockets (17-15)
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Previous Rank: 16
Net Rating: +3.2
The NBA has seen examples of teams that tried to accelerate their rebuild with veterans a year or two too early. The Sacramento Kings signing Zach Randolph and George Hill the summer before going 27-55 in 2017-18 comes to mind.
But these Houston Rockets almost certainly aren't joining that club. They've come down to earth a bit after a 6-3 start, but we're deep enough into the season to know this team is at least going to remain competitive (assuming it stays healthy).
When the most important of their offseason additions (Fred VanVleet) is on the floor with the most important holdover from the young core (Alperen Şengün), Houston is plus-8.7 points per 100 possessions.
15. Indiana Pacers (19-14)
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Previous Rank: 17
Net Rating: +2.2
The Indiana Pacers had a little lull following their In-Season Tournament championship game loss, but they're very much back on track now.
Indiana is in the midst of a five-game winning streak that includes two victories over the Milwaukee Bucks, and Tyrese Haliburton's numbers during this run are absurd.
On Dec. 28, he had 21 points, 20 assists and no turnovers against the Chicago Bulls. Saturday, he went for 22 points and 23 assists. And on Wednesday, he closed out this week with 31 points, 12 assists and three blocks.
It sounds cliche, but Haliburton really is doing things previously reserved for video games. No, seriously. He's up to 24.9 points and 12.7 assists, marks that have never been maintained for an entire NBA season.
14. Orlando Magic (19-15)
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Previous Rank: 10
Net Rating: +2.0
The Orlando Magic have looked a lot closer to their age of late. After losing a double-overtime thriller to the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, they're now 3-7 in their last 10 and have fallen behind the Miami Heat in the Southeast Division.
Continuing to slow-play this rebuild and banking on in-house development makes sense, but the Magic may have also proved good enough to make a win-now trade.
With his 14.1 points and 3.5 assists, Sixth Man of the Year candidate Cole Anthony has been solid, but Markelle Fultz's injury has probably overextended him and Jalen Suggs a bit offensively. A bona fide, table-setting point guard could elevate Orlando's 22nd-ranked offense and make life easier for Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.
13. Sacramento Kings (20-13)
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Previous Rank: 13
Net Rating: +0.7
It has to be difficult for some Sacramento Kings fans to see the gaudy numbers Tyrese Haliburton is putting up for the Indiana Pacers, but it's also hard to argue against the results that trade generated on the other side.
After missing the playoffs in every single year from 2006-07 through 2021-22, Sacramento is on track to make the postseason in back-to-back years. And De'Aaron Fox (elevated in a certain way by Haliburton's departure) and Domantas Sabonis (part of the trade itself) are both coming off recent reminders of how good they are.
On Friday, Fox outclassed Trae Young and Dejounte Murray with 31 points, eight assists, eight threes and five steals. He's now at 29.4 points and 6.1 assists for the season. And Sabonis went off for 22 points, 23 rebounds and 12 assists in a double-overtime win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday. He's now 12th in NBA history in career triple-doubles and is still just 27 years old.
12. Dallas Mavericks (20-15)
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Previous Rank: 12
Net Rating: +1.0
Kyrie Irving's first game back from injury went totally haywire. The Dallas Mavericks suffered a 37-point blowout at the hands of the sub-.500 Utah Jazz, and a video clip of Luka Dončić ignoring a wide-open Kyrie went viral.
Kyrie has given little to no reason to read too much into moments like those, though. Since he joined the Mavericks last season, he's never complained about his role on the offense or looked disengaged while playing.
And he quickly got back on track after his 14 points on 14 shots against Utah. In Wednesday's win over the Portland Trail Blazers, Kyrie had 29 points on 19 shots, five assists and two steals.
And for the entire season, in spite of occasional smirk-inducing clips like the one above, Dallas is plus-4.3 points per 100 possessions when Irving and Dončić share the floor.
11. Phoenix Suns (18-16)
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Previous Rank: 14
Net Rating: +1.4
The Phoenix Suns continue to have a hard time getting all three of their stars on the floor together (Kevin Durant missed Wednesday's loss), but the bright-side interpretation of this week includes Bradley Beal's recent availability.
After missing most of the first two months of the season, Beal has now played in four straight games. And it's starting to get easier to see his role on this team.
During this latest stretch, he's averaging 18.3 points and 3.5 assists while shooting just 15.4 percent from deep. As that last number rises (and it will), things should really open up for Devin Booker and Durant.
Those two have been the obvious focuses for opposing defenses, and they'll probably continue to be. But selling out on those two while Beal is on the floor will give him opportunities to light up the scoreboard. Playing all three more honestly means easier looks for Booker and Durant.
10. New York Knicks (19-15)
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Previous Rank: 9
Net Rating: +2.2
OG Anunoby's New York Knicks tenure is off to an ideal start. His 28 total points may not blow anyone away, but New York is 2-0 with Anunoby in the lineup, and his plus-minus in those games is a whopping plus-54.
As a replacement for RJ Barrett, the far less ball-dominant Anunoby allows Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle to take a bigger share of possessions. He's also a more reliable catch-and-shoot outlet for those two. And he instantly adds credibility and versatility to the defense.
The bigger loss from the trade was probably Immanuel Quickley, but Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart appear ready to pick up the slack there.
In short, the move simplified New York's rotation and offense and should have it in better position this spring (and hopefully summer).
9. New Orleans Pelicans (21-14)
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Previous Rank: 11
Net Rating: +4.2
After their humiliating 44-point loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the In-Season Tournament semifinal, the New Orleans Pelicans have quietly surged into the top six in the West and first place in the Southwest Division.
Since that night in Las Vegas, New Orleans is 9-3 and finally giving us an extended run with all three of CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson available.
Over those 12 games, each is averaging at least 20 points and four assists. And the Pelicans are outscoring teams by 8.1 points per 100 possessions when all three are on the floor.
8. Miami Heat (20-14)
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Previous Rank: 7
Net Rating: +1.7
Extolling the virtues of the Miami Heat's team culture is hardly an original take. They toot their own horn on that plenty.
But just under halfway through this season, it may be worth shining some more light on it in this space.
Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler have missed 10 games each. Tyler Herro has only played in 16. But Miami is still in the top four in the East. They've more than made up for the losses of Max Strus and Gabe Vincent. And Jaime Jaquez Jr. looks like one of the steals of the 2023 draft.
After logging eight assists and a killer fadeaway jumper over LeBron James in Wednesday's win, Jaquez is averaging 16.0 points, 3.0 assists and 1.2 threes in his last 26 games. Duncan Robinson, who's averaging 14.6 points and a career-high 3.1 assists, has arguably been better than Strus this season. Kevin Love and Kyle Lowry (first and fifth on the team in wins over replacement player) are having renaissance seasons. And nine players are averaging between two and five assists per game.
7. Los Angeles Clippers (21-12)
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Previous Rank: 8
Net Rating: +4.8
Is everyone ready to bump the Los Angeles Clippers up to the legitimate contenders' tier yet?
After beating the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, L.A. is 13-2 over its last 15 games, and the three stars are coming together in a way few trios assembled midseason ever have.
During this stretch, Kawhi Leonard looks like the 2019 Terminator version of himself, with 28.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 2.7 threes and a 50.8 three-point percentage. Paul George is adding 22.9 points and 3.5 threes with a 44.2 three-point percentage. And James Harden is putting up 19.8 points and 9.7 assists.
Add solid supporting contributions from the likes of Ivica Zubac, Terance Mann and Russell Westbrook, and it's not hard to imagine a deep playoff run from this team.
6. Minnesota Timberwolves (24-9)
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Previous Rank: 3
Net Rating: +4.8
The 2023-24 Minnesota Timberwolves might be in the middle of their first real rough patch. They closed the week with a two-game losing streak (their first of the season). And now they're about to start a four-game road trip against four above-.500 teams.
It's sort of flown under the radar because of their record and solid defense, but they've also yet to really prove anything on offense. After Wednesday's 117-106 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, they're 20th in points per 100 possessions.
Still, it's hard to look at this season as anything but an unqualified success to this point. The Wolves are on track to finish at or near the top of the West, the fit between Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns is steadily improving, and Anthony Edwards looks like a superstar.
5. Milwaukee Bucks (25-10)
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Previous Rank: 2
Net Rating: +4.8
Just when it was starting to feel like we could put a lot of the Milwaukee Bucks-related hot takes to bed, they're suddenly in a 3-3 stretch that's put the focus back on a defense that is, at the very least, concerning.
The Bucks gave up some lowlight plays and 264 points in back-to-back losses to the Indiana Pacers this week. And they won on Thursday, but it was against the lowly San Antonio Spurs, who dropped 121 on them.
Milwaukee has now given up at least 100 points in all but one game (and 110 in all but four games). The Bucks are in the bottom 10 for points allowed per 100 possessions.
Of course, on the other end, the attack led by Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard typically looks like a juggernaut. And that's going to help this team cruise past 50 wins.
But they're going to have to start putting up some more resistance, particularly on the perimeter, to surpass last season's first-round exit.
4. Denver Nuggets (25-11)
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Previous Rank: 5
Net Rating: +5.7
It's hard to put a finger on exactly what's going on with the defending champion Denver Nuggets.
They've survived a nightmarish schedule and plenty of injury-induced absences from Jamal Murray, but they've still been near the top of the West all season. And yet, they just don't feel as dominant as teams like the Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder (who crushed the Nuggets in Denver on Friday).
And that remained the case for most of Thursday's win over the Golden State Warriors. The home-team Warriors peaked at a 99.6 percent win probability with a 123-107 lead in the fourth quarter, but Denver stormed back to win the game on a near-half-court heave from Nikola Jokić.
Perhaps the Nuggets can harness whatever energy they mustered to pull off that comeback and inspire a little more confidence in their title defense.
3. Philadelphia 76ers (23-10)
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Previous Rank: 4
Net Rating: +10.4
People are starting to bring attention to the Philadelphia 76ers facing the third-easiest schedule in the East to date (at least by opponents' winning percentage). The Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns are the only teams that have played more games against foes with a bottom-10 point differential.
But the Sixers can only face who's on their schedule. And not everyone dominates when dealt a good hand. Philadelphia has.
It is 13-2 against those bottom-10 teams, with a plus-19.6 net rating. That's certainly more encouraging than squeaking by those lowly opponents.
And despite missing seven of his team's last 12 road games, it's starting to feel like it won't matter who's put in front of Joel Embiid this season.
The reigning MVP has gotten to at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in each of his last 14 appearances, a streak matched only by a couple of legends.
And during that 14-game span, he's averaging 37.3 points, 12.5 rebounds, 12.3 free-throw attempts, 6.3 assists (perhaps the most encouraging number here), 2.3 blocks and 1.3 steals in just 33.8 minutes.
2. Oklahoma City Thunder (23-10)
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Previous Rank: 6
Net Rating: +8.1
The Oklahoma City Thunder were cooled off a bit on Wednesday, but they're allowed a three-point loss on the road and on the second night of a back-to-back.
OKC was coming off a five-game winning streak that included games against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets (a blowout at Ball Arena) and Boston Celtics.
And as much of the media clamors for the young Thunder to make a win-now trade, this run suggests they might be real contenders as is.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been a top 3-5 player this season, with an unstoppable mid-range game and underappreciated versatility on defense. Chet Holmgren is way ahead of schedule as a rim protector, floor-spacer and playmaker. And Jalen Williams has quickly developed into the perfect gap-filler for that duo.
OKC is young, athletic, long and fearless against the league's top teams. It's starting to feel eerily like the 2011-12 team that went to the Finals.
1. Boston Celtics (26-7)
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Previous Rank: 1
Net Rating: +10.0
The Boston Celtics lost a potential NBA Finals preview on Tuesday in Oklahoma City, but it was just their seventh loss of the season, and all of those games were on the road.
The contender indicators are still generally off the charts for this squad. They're undefeated at home. They've faced the fifth-hardest schedule in the East to date. And they have, by far, the best net rating in the NBA against teams with a top-10 point differential.
Perhaps most encouraging (because everyone sort of assumed the starters and Al Horford would be good), seventh and eighth men Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard have even been solid this season.
The former is averaging 8.5 points and 2.4 threes in 22.3 minutes while shooting 42.2 percent from deep. The latter is at 7.4 points, 3.1 assists and 1.6 threes in 20.6 minutes.
The common talking point on this team has been "Boston probably has the best top six in the league," but it might be time to change it to "Boston might have the best eight-man rotation in the league."
Stat of the Week
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Last season, this space was semi-regularly used to keep track of individual 40-point performances. It was a good barometer for the league's offensive explosion, and the total wound up at a record-obliterating 203.
This season, let's look at 120-point team performances. After the San Antonio Spurs and Milwaukee Bucks both eclipsed that total on Thursday, the league is up to 376 in 2023-24.
It's early January, and that's already the 14th-most in any NBA campaign and a pace that would put the total over 900 by the the end of the season.
The record, set in 2022-23, is 811.
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