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NBA Power Rankings: Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers Surging
Welcome to the NBA's 2024-25 stretch run.
The trade deadline and All-Star break are in the rearview. The contenders, for the most part, have separated from the pack. The tankers are cruising toward the lottery. Luka Dončić already has a game against the Dallas Mavericks under his belt.
And as the playoffs approach, we've ranked the entire league by our usual weekly criteria: team and individual numbers, recent performance, championship chances and plenty of good, old-fashioned subjectivity.
30. Washington Wizards (10-48)
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Previous Rank: 30
Net Rating: -12.6
The Washington Wizards aren't just the worst team in the NBA this season. They're in the mix for "worst team of all time."
Their average point differential is the third-worst ever. Outside of Jordan Poole, Malcolm Brogdon and Bilal Coulibaly are the only players averaging more than 12 points. The former has only appeared in 24 games.
Advanced numbers say Poole and the recently acquired and oft-injured Khris Middleton are the only players on the roster performing around a starter's level this season (and both are on the fringe).
With a month and change to go, there's still plenty to learn about this NBA season, but we almost certainly know the Wizards are and will likely remain 30th out of the league's 30 teams in terms of all the aforementioned criteria.
29. Charlotte Hornets (14-44)
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Previous Rank: 28
Net Rating: -7.4
Few teams are mashing the tank button quite like the Charlotte Hornets, and their recent schedule is helping in that pursuit.
The Hornets just lost to the injury-ravaged Dallas Mavericks on Thursday. It was their ninth straight game on the road. And six of those games were against above-.500 teams.
In a stretch that dates way back before the road trip, the Hornets are now 2-14 in their last 16 contests.
At this point, there's little for the fans to look forward to beyond the possibility of LaMelo Ball-to-Cooper Flagg alley-oops next season.
28. Utah Jazz (14-44)
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Previous Rank: 27
Net Rating: -7.1
The Utah Jazz still have a pretty good chance to finish the season with a bottom-three record, so even the fervently pro-tanking Jazz fans probably aren't too upset about four wins in February.
That's especially true when you consider the signs Isaiah Collier has shown since becoming a more prominent part of the rotation.
Since becoming a full-time starter, Collier is averaging 10.8 points and 8.6 assists. And for the entire season, the team's three-point percentage is higher when Collier is on the floor.
27. Toronto Raptors (18-41)
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Previous Rank: 26
Net Rating: -5.8
Their record and net rating may suggest the Toronto Raptors should be tanking, but their approach to the trade deadline said the opposite.
Toronto once again expended future draft capital to add a win-now player. This time it was Brandon Ingram, who signed an extension with the Raptors shortly after the trade.
And though Ingram is a solid wing and former All-Star, it's hard to imagine him doing much beyond slightly pushing Toronto's pick a few spots down the lottery.
This season, even when Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett are on the floor, the Raptors are minus-1.0 points per 100 possessions (and minus-13.8 when you add Immanuel Quickley to those two).
26. Philadelphia 76ers (20-38)
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Previous Rank: 23
Net Rating: -4.7
If you hadn't already bumped the Philadelphia 76ers across your own line between disappointing and full-scale disaster, this week probably did it for you.
Philadelphia's loss to the New York Knicks on Wednesday brought their current streak to nine games. They've dropped 11 of their last 12. And the organization is now considering "radical" surgeries to address Joel Embiid's lingering injuries.
At this point, the only silver lining is that the Sixers keep their pick if it lands in the top six of this year's draft (it goes to the Oklahoma City Thunder if it doesn't). After this stretch, Philadelphia now has the sixth-worst record in the league.
25. New Orleans Pelicans (16-43)
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Previous Rank: 29
Net Rating: -7.7
When you just compare the rosters of the teams at the very bottom of the standings, there's just no question the New Orleans Pelicans have more win-now talent than the rest.
And suddenly, more than a few of them are healthy at the same time.
New Orleans is 4-1 in its last five. Zion Williamson had a 27-point triple-double in the most recent win, which came on the road against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday. And for the entire season, when he's on the floor with both CJ McCollum and Trey Murphy, New Orleans is plus-4.1 points per 100 possessions.
24. Chicago Bulls (23-36)
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Previous Rank: 25
Net Rating: -4.1
The Chicago Bulls traded Zach LaVine at the deadline. They've dropped seven of their last eight games (with the lone win coming against the lowly Philadelphia 76ers). And somehow, they can't seem to get out of the play-in.
Shout out to the Eastern Conference, which is bad enough for the 23-36 Chicago Bulls to be in 10th place.
Of course, a play-in nod isn't likely to lead to the playoffs. You have to believe someone else in that mix can beat Chicago at least once. But if this season results in the Bulls missing out on the draft lottery, plenty of fans will understandably be livid.
23. Brooklyn Nets (21-37)
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Previous Rank: 24
Net Rating: -6.1
The Brooklyn Nets have dropped three of their last four and are on pace for 50-plus losses, but being in the Eastern Conference means they're still in the mix for a play-in spot.
And with the Chicago Bulls ahead of them, they might just get it.
Since the trade deadline, Brooklyn has seven players averaging double-figures. Five of them have positive point differentials. And the recently signed Killian Hayes, who isn't in that group of seven, is averaging 6.0 assists for his new team.
22. San Antonio Spurs (24-33)
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Previous Rank: 17
Net Rating: -2.3
Victor Wembanyama's season ending prematurely due to deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder is one of this NBA campaign's bigger bummers, especially since there was nowhere near enough time for him to get used to playing with De'Aaron Fox.
The mandate for the rest of the season is now pretty clear, though.
The San Antonio Spurs have lost four straight and seven of their last nine. The play-in is likely out. And while it's too late for them to catch the season-long tankers, the Spurs can improve their draft lottery odds over the last month and a half of 2024-25.
21. Portland Trail Blazers (26-33)
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Previous Rank: 22
Net Rating: -4.0
The Portland Trail Blazers have already cruised past their preseason over-under of 21.5 wins, and they're getting encouraging signs from all over their young roster.
Deni Avdija had to leave Wednesday's win early with a calf injury, but he's been a steady source of defense and secondary playmaking all season. He's averaging 14.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists.
Over his last 20 games, Scoot Henderson is averaging 15.1 points, 5.5 assists and 2.5 threes while shooting 44.5 percent from deep.
And after scoring 36 points in Wednesday's win, Shaedon Sharpe is putting up 17.3 points per game.
20. Phoenix Suns (27-32)
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Previous Rank: 20
Net Rating: -2.2
Do you have any recollection of the Phoenix Suns' 9-2 start to this season?
After losing to the way-below-.500 New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday, Phoenix is now 18-30 since that hot start. And generally speaking, they can't even really pin this on poor health.
Bradley Beal missed Thursday's game, but he, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant have shared the floor for over 1,000 possessions this season. And the Suns are minus-0.4 points per 100 possessions when they're all in.
The team's defense is an absolute disaster. And the offense remains a little too "your turn, my turn" to make up for it.
With each passing week, it seems like the star-heavy and ultra-expensive Suns might miss the play-in.
19. Miami Heat (27-30)
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Previous Rank: 21
Net Rating: -0.7
The Miami Heat only have two wins since the trade deadline. And although Jimmy Butler missed a significant chunk of his last season with the Heat, his post-trade absence still feels significant, in part because of his replacements.
Andrew Wiggins has played six games and is shooting just 37.2 percent from the field. Kyle Anderson has a 39.1 field-goal percentage with Miami.
There's still time for the new additions to figure out their place and roles alongside Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo, but this slide now has Miami firmly in the East's play-range, which of course means missing the playoffs is a real possibility.
18. Atlanta Hawks (27-32)
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Previous Rank: 19
Net Rating: -2.5
For a brief moment, it looked like the post-trade deadline Atlanta Hawks might be a little feistier with Terance Mann, Caris LeVert and Georges Niang.
But after winning their first three games after those acquisitions, they've settled right back into mediocrity.
Atlanta has dropped four of its last five, including a blowout loss to the Miami Heat on Wednesday.
And perhaps now more than ever, the Hawks feel desperately dependent on Trae Young. He's had just four games this season with a field-goal percentage over 50. Atlanta is 4-0 in those games. It's 23-32 when he's at 50 percent or worse (or doesn't play at all).
17. Orlando Magic (29-32)
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Previous Rank: 18
Net Rating: -1.7
The Orlando Magic seemed to be stabilizing a bit in mid-February, but they went 1-3 this week and still have a bottom-three offense.
They're almost always locked in on the other end of the floor, but an attack as inconsistent and devoid as shooting as this one is tough to take seriously.
On the bright side, Paolo Banchero, in the middle of his third straight season as one of the league's very least efficient scorers, traded haymakers with Stephen Curry on Thursday night and finished with 41 points on 27 shots.
Given his track record, it's not fair to expect anything near that point-to-shot ratio going forward. But even if the game just provides a confidence boost for a former No. 1 pick who's struggled with his shot, great.
Orlando needs all the help it can get on offense.
16. Sacramento Kings (30-28)
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Previous Rank: 15
Net Rating: +1.6
Zach LaVine's first few games with the Sacramento Kings were a little rocky, but he's found a rhythm over his last four, averaging 27.3 points and 4.5 assists, while shooting 57.5 percent from the field and 52.8 percent from deep in that abbreviated stretch.
But this isn't a hand-in-glove fit. Figuring it out will take time, which is something the ninth-place Kings may not have a ton of.
We've already seen years of LaVine and DeMar DeRozan trying to balance their roles and corresponding responsibility as scorers, and now the new Kings have to do the same in lineups that also include a point center in Domantas Sabonis and a heat-check scorer and playmaker in Malik Monk.
Given the struggles of the Phoenix Suns, Sacramento's spot in the play-in tournament is probably safe, but it'll be tough for them to climb much higher than that.
15. Dallas Mavericks (32-28)
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Previous Rank: 14
Net Rating: +1.6
The sting of the Luka Dončić trade has yet to wear off for Dallas Mavericks fans. It was made even worse when the biggest prize in the return, Anthony Davis, went down with an injury in his first game as a Maverick.
But the rest of the remaining members of the team aren't laying down without Luka and AD.
Since the trade deadline, the Mavs are 6-3, with Davis only playing in one of those games. And the victories are the product of contributions from all over the roster.
Not counting Davis, seven players are averaging double-figures since February 6. Dante Exum had 27 in his last game headed into the All-Star break. Former Los Angeles Laker Max Christie is averaging 13.9 points in those nine games. Klay Thompson has upped his scoring load, averaging 17.1 in this stretch.
And of course, Kyrie Irving is thriving in his suddenly elevated role, averaging 27.0 points, 4.3 assists and 3.1 threes since the deadline.
It certainly feels like Dallas' championship window closed a bit in the short term and a lot in the long term when it moved Luka, but there's enough talent here to remain frisky through 2024-25, assuming Davis can get back to full health (and stay there for a bit).
14. Detroit Pistons (33-26)
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Previous Rank: 16
Net Rating: +1.4
The Detroit Pistons were one of the best stories of the pre-All-Star portion of this season.
They've already surpassed their win total from 2023-24 and 2024-25 combined. And they've exceeded their preseason over-under for this campaign with over a month to play.
Now, it's about getting back to the playoffs. And at this point, the Pistons should even be able to do that without the play-in tournament.
Following an eight-game win streak that includes Wednesday's blowout over the Boston Celtics, Detroit is currently closer to a top-four seed in the East than it is to the play-in tournament.
13. Los Angeles Clippers (32-26)
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Previous Rank: 10
Net Rating: +2.5
The Los Angeles Clippers are in the midst of eight straight road games that stretches back to before the All-Star break.
And after beating the tanking Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, they're just 2-3 over the first five games of this run, with back-to-back contests against the surging Los Angeles Lakers up next.
It's quite the crash course for recent additions Ben Simmons and Bogdan Bogdanović, both of whom could be important down the stretch, particularly as playmakers.
Simmons and Bogdanović are averaging 5.5 and 3.5 assists, respectively, marks that would rank second and third behind James Harden on L.A.'s season-long leaderboard.
12. Indiana Pacers (33-24)
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Previous Rank: 12
Net Rating: +0.8
Way back on New Year's Eve, the Indiana Pacers dropped a game to the Milwaukee Bucks that pushed them two games under .500.
Since then, they're 17-6 with a well-rounded attack led by Tyrese Haliburton, who looks very much like an All-NBA player again.
Over his first 15 games of the season, Haliburton averaged 15.3 points, 8.5 assists and 2.2 threes while shooting 28.4 percent from deep. Since then, over 41 appearances, he's putting up 19.5 points, 8.8 assists and 3.3 threes while shooting 41.6 percent from three.
11. Minnesota Timberwolves (32-28)
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Previous Rank: 8
Net Rating: +2.8
The Minnesota Timberwolves authored one of the best comebacks in NBA history on Monday, when they overcame a 25-point deficit, outscored the West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder by 22 points in the fourth quarter and won in overtime.
But every time it feels like this team has a little momentum, it seems to quickly squander it.
The Timberwolves followed up that miraculous victory with a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in which Anthony Edwards was ejected in the second half.
And after a little three-game winning streak earlier this month, Minnesota is now 2-5 in its last seven games.
Of course, injuries at various times to Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle, Mike Conley and Donte DiVincenzo have certainly contributed to the team's flirtations with mediocrity. But it's still hard to look back on last season's run to the conference finals and not feel like this team isn't living up to its potential.
10. Milwaukee Bucks (33-25)
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Previous Rank: 11
Net Rating: +1.5
The Milwaukee Bucks have been about as up and down as any team in the league this season. And right now, they're up.
From January 25 through February 10, they went 3-7, but they followed that stretch with the 5-1 run they're in now.
Most recently, they cruised past the Denver Nuggets behind 28 points, 19 rebounds and seven assists from Giannis Antetokounmpo.
And while the recently acquired Kyle Kuzma continues to miss the majority of the shots he takes, he's actually settling into his role as the third option fairly well. He was a team-high plus-19 in Thursday's win over Denver and now has a positive plus-minus in four of his last six games.
9. Golden State Warriors (32-27)
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Previous Rank: 13
Net Rating: +1.8
The Golden State Warriors are now 7-1 when Jimmy Butler is in the lineup. And Butler has been on the right side of the plus-minus ledger in six of those contests.
And while his passing and ability to get to the paint and draw fouls are certainly factors in Golden State's surge, the pressure he takes off Stephen Curry may be Butler's biggest contribution to his new team.
In the eight games Butler has played with the Warriors, Curry is averaging 30.6 points and 5.5 threes, while shooting 42.7 percent from three.
And in Thursday's road win over the Orlando Magic, he treated us to a vintage 56-point, 12-three masterpiece.
With a true co-star now alongside the face of the franchise, Golden State suddenly looks like a very real threat to make a deep playoff run.
8. Denver Nuggets (38-21)
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Previous Rank: 6
Net Rating: 5.3
The Denver Nuggets are close to the contenders' tier, but they're still not quite there.
Each of their opponents in their recent nine-game winning streak are currently sub-.500 teams. And this week, they got blown out at home by the Los Angeles Lakers and lost to the similarly uninspiring Milwaukee Buck on Thursday.
Nikola Jokić, who notched his league-leading 27th triple-double in the most recent loss, has been spectacular. The numbers say, once again, that he's the league's most valuable player (though the vote is likely headed a different direction). And when he's on the floor, Denver plays like a juggernaut.
But they, like the Orlando Magic, really only look like a contender on one side of the floor (it just happens to be the more glamorous end than the one Orlando thrives on).
If the Nuggets were even average defensively, it'd be easier to take them seriously. But they simply aren't.
7. Houston Rockets (37-22)
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Previous Rank: 9
Net Rating: +4.3
The upstart Houston Rockets went 2-7 in their last nine games leading up to the All-Star break, but starting point guard Fred VanVleet missed seven of those games.
When VanVleet is on the floor, Houston has a point differential around that of a 58-win team, and it's plus-5.0 points per 100 possessions when he's on the floor with the Rockets' latest breakout star: Amen Thompson.
Since he became a full-time starter just before Christmas, Thompson is averaging 16.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.7 blocks, while providing some of the best and most versatile defense in the league.
With his Swiss Army knife-like game, offense from VanVleet, Jalen Green and Alperen Şengün and the intensity of Dillon Brooks, Houston should get back to consistent winning after the break. In fact, it already has. The Rockets are 3-1 in their last four, with wins over the Minnesota Timberwolves and Milwaukee Bucks in that stretch.
6. Memphis Grizzlies (38-20)
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Previous Rank: 4
Net Rating: +6.2
They needed overtime to do it, but the Memphis Grizzlies beat the reeling Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, 151-148, bringing their record to a moderately concerning 3-4 over their last seven.
Of course, three of those four losses were on the road and to above-.500 teams. The other was to the first-place Oklahoma City Thunder. And Memphis is still fourth in the league in season-long net rating.
They're entitled to a bit of a late-season slide, especially with how conservatively they've managed Ja Morant this season. He's averaging a career-low 29.3 minutes and has missed 22 games.
When he's presumably ramped up for the playoffs, Memphis should be one of the tougher outs in the league. With Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. on the floor, the Grizzlies are plus-12.8 points per 100 possessions.
5. New York Knicks (38-20)
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Previous Rank: 5
Net Rating: +4.8
The New York Knicks are 11-4 in their last 15 games, with Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson both playing at an All-NBA level.
Relative to the 21 years prior to Brunson's arrival, when the Knicks had the absolute worst record in the NBA, things are going great.
But there are concerns for New York, whose starters may be being overworked in classic Tom Thibodeau fashion. The Knicks have two of the top three and five of the top 23 in minutes per game. And several starters, including the now-injured (though not seriously) KAT were in for the waning minutes of a blowout loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday.
Beyond that, New York was also crushed by the Cleveland Cavaliers this week. They're now middle of the pack in net rating against teams with a top-10 net rating and 0-7 against Boston, Cleveland and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
4. Los Angeles Lakers (36-21)
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Previous Rank: 7
Net Rating: +1.4
Twenty-nine fanbases are likely to scoff when they see this. Is it too early to bump the Los Angeles Lakers into the top five? Maybe, but they've surged to within a game and a half of second place in the West. LeBron James looks as spry and motivated as he has in years.
And L.A. is 16-4 in its last 20 games, despite Luka Dončić being ice cold from the field since joining the team.
Even without his shots falling, it's hard to name a trio that's definitively more dangerous than LeBron, Luka and Austin Reaves on offense. Once they start dropping, defending the Lakers is going to be a nightmare.
With their lack of frontcourt depth, plenty thought it may be a year or two before this team started contending for titles with Dončić. But they look ready for the biggest stage right now.
3. Boston Celtics (42-17)
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Previous Rank: 3
Net Rating: +9.0
The Boston Celtics got blown out by the red-hot Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, but they spent most of the last month reminding everyone of their championship-caliber ceiling.
Since January 29, they're 9-3 (including the loss to Detroit). And that stretch includes a road win over the Cleveland Cavaliers and two blowouts over the New York Knicks (one home and one away).
And while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić have certainly separated themselves from the field in the MVP race, this recent run from Boston has helped Jayson Tatum quietly work his way up to fourth in Basketball Reference's MVP Tracker ("based on a model built using previous voting results").
2. Cleveland Cavaliers (48-10)
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Previous Rank: 2
Net Rating: +11.3
The Cleveland Cavaliers have the best record in the league, a historic average point differential, four players performing at an All-Star level (maybe even three playing like All-NBA selections) and a recently acquired forward in De'Andre Hunter who looks like a hand-in-glove fit next to Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
But the bigger names driving this team's soon-to-be-60-plus-win season have gotten plenty of shine over the last few months. This week, we'll spotlight relatively unheralded reserve Ty Jerome.
The Cavs are beating teams by 12.1 points per 100 possessions when he's on the floor. Among players with at least as many total three-point attempts, he's tied for sixth in the league in effective field-goal percentage. He's made over half of his attempts from every zone on the floor. And he's averaging 11.8 points, 3.4 assists and 1.6 threes in just 19.2 minutes.
Having legitimate stars at both backcourt spots is certainly much of the fuel for this breakout season, but Cleveland may not be having it without its 27-year-old journeyman hitting all the floaters and threes he has, while also ably orchestrating the offense when called upon.
1. Oklahoma City Thunder (47-11)
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Previous Rank: 1
Net Rating: +12.6
Despite a seemingly impossible 25-point collapse against the Minnesota Timberwolves this week, and with all due respect to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Oklahoma City Thunder remain the NBA's top team.
They're on pace for the highest single-season point differential of all time. They have this season's leading scorer and MVP favorite in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. They have a second All-Star in Jalen Williams. And those two are surrounded by a near perfectly fitting supporting cast.
There's really nothing left for OKC to prove over the last several weeks of the season. They've done enough to reserve most judgments for the playoffs.
Stat of the Week
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Basketball Reference's MVP Tracker is "based on a model built using previous voting results," and it typically has a clear-cut favorite and a handful of other contenders between 10 and 20 percent by this point of the season.
The leaderboard (which always has 10 names) looks a little different this year.
Right now, it gives Nikola Jokić a 71.2 percent chance to secure the award. At 22.3 percent, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is in second place. And after that, there isn't a single player over 1.3.
At this point, MVP is clearly a two-man race. And good luck picking a definitive winner.
Nikola Jokić is averaging 29.2 points, 12.6 rebounds and 10.4 assists, while being the league's most efficient volume scorer.
SGA is putting up 32.4 points and 6.2 assists, while providing dynamic perimeter defense and posting a plus-17.3 net rating for a team that will win 60-plus games (Stephen Curry's net rating in the 73-win season was plus-17.7).
As political as it sounds, there truly might not be a wrong answer between the two.
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