NBA Power Rankings: Can Anyone Catch Thunder, Cavs and Celtics?
Pressure is building all over the NBA's standings.
The Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers are in a chase for home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. Several teams in both conferences are jockeying for a top-six finish and automatic playoff berth. The play-in range, particularly in the West, is crowded.
And even the last few spots in the East and West feature the ever-interesting race to the bottom. This year's prize is do-everything forward Cooper Flagg, and several teams are doing all they can to land him.
And as all 30 teams angle to move up or down their respective ladders, we're here to sort through and rank the league by our typical weekly criteria: team and individual numbers, recent performance, championship chances and plenty of subjectivity.
30. Charlotte Hornets (14-47)
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Previous Rank: 29
Net Rating: -7.8
The tank rolls on for the Charlotte Hornets, who have lost eight straight and 16 of their last 18 games.
And as the losses keep piling up, point guard LaMelo Ball is having a truly historic season, though maybe not in the way you're thinking.
On the year, the 23-year-old is averaging a staggering 25.0 field-goal attempts per 75 possessions, the eighth-highest mark of all time. And Michael Jordan (three times), Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Russell Westbrook and Freeman Williams are the only other players in NBA history with 25-plus field-goal-attempts-per-75 seasons.
29. Washington Wizards (12-49)
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Previous Rank: 30
Net Rating: -12.0
The Washington Wizards just wrapped up a 2-1 week in which they beat the Charlotte Hornets for the fourth time this season. Yes, one-third of their total wins have come against one team.
That peculiarity aside, Washington is a respectable 6-8 since the start of February. With veterans Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart on the team, it's significantly more competent.
And if the Wizards start getting solid performances from the younger core—rookie Alex Sarr had his 12th game of the season with a 50-plus field-goal percentage in Wednesday's win—they should be able to maintain this pace for the last several weeks of the season.
Given how bad Washington has been to this point, even that probably wouldn't decrease its 14.0 percent chance at the No. 1 pick this summer.
28. Utah Jazz (15-47)
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Previous Rank: 28
Net Rating: -7.2
It's "extremely cautious with injury timelines" season, and the Utah Jazz leaned into that this week about as hard as anyone has all season.
Ahead of Wednesday's game, the team released the following update:
Don't be surprised to see a lot more nights like this from the Jazz down the stretch.
And remember, if you're a Utah fan, the short-term pain that may come from watching this version of the team is likelier to get rewarded with the top pick in the draft if it maintains a bottom-three record.
27. Philadelphia 76ers (21-41)
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Previous Rank: 26
Net Rating: -5.1
The Philadelphia 76ers' spiral below the East's play-in range continued this week, when they went 1-3 and moved to 2-14 in their last 16 games.
Joel Embiid is shut down the rest of the way. And now, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George are missing games again.
It seems abundantly clear Philly is now chasing improved lottery odds, which is exactly what it should be doing.
If the Sixers' first-rounder winds up outside the top six, it goes to the Oklahoma City Thunder. And right now, if the lottery went chalk, Philadelphia would be right at No. 6.
26. Toronto Raptors (20-42)
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Previous Rank: 27
Net Rating: -5.6
The Toronto Raptors ended their week with back-to-back wins over the reeling Orlando Magic.
And in a pretty stunning indictment of the Eastern Conference, that little winning streak puts Toronto 4.5 games back of 10th place and at a near-20 percent chance of making the play-in tournament.
Yes, roughly two-thirds of the way into the season, a team that has more than twice as many losses than it has wins might still make some form of the postseason.
And given the rest of the teams in that mix, you might think Toronto could escape the play-in with two wins and a real playoff berth.
That's not impossible, of course, but it's also not likely.
Immanuel Quickley has been healthy and consistently back in the rotation for just over a month now, and the Raptors are an abysmal minus-14.2 points per 100 possessions when he's on the floor with RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes.
25. Brooklyn Nets (21-41)
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Previous Rank: 23
Net Rating: -6.7
There was a brief moment when it looked like the Brooklyn Nets might make a little push for the play-in tournament. But even in the Eastern Conference, that possibility may soon be gone.
Brooklyn has lost six straight, and there's almost no incentive to get back on track. It traded to regain control of its 2025 first-round pick this past summer, and the rest of this campaign should be about improving its lottery odds.
Right now, the Nets have an 8.3 percent chance at the top pick, but there's an outside chance they could boost that to as high as 12.5 (depending on how many games Zion Williamson plays for the New Orleans Pelicans the rest of the way).
24. New Orleans Pelicans (17-46)
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Previous Rank: 25
Net Rating: -7.9
The New Orleans Pelicans closed out their week with back-to-back losses to the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets, but they're still 5-4 in their last nine.
And as long as Zion Williamson remains fairly healthy, this team's shot at a bottom-three record and 14 percent chance at the first overall pick is in serious jeopardy.
The Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets and Utah Jazz (the current bottom three) are all dreadful. And despite being nearly 30 games below .500, New Orleans is still on the right side of the season-long plus-minus ledger when Zion is on the floor.
23. Chicago Bulls (25-38)
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Previous Rank: 24
Net Rating: -4.2
Try as they might, the Chicago Bulls simply cannot seem to escape the lowly Eastern Conference's play-in range.
They unloaded Zach LaVine at the deadline and are 3-9 in their last 12, but the cushion between themselves and 11th place has somehow grown over that stretch.
And over the last couple weeks, they've gotten some big performances from Coby White that may just book their appearance in the mini-tournament.
The 25-year-old has led the Bulls in scoring in each of their last four games, culminating in a 44-point explosion on Thursday.
Even if White's scoring streak prevents the team from getting the high lottery pick plenty of fans surely desire, they can take some solace in the fact that they have a heat-check scorer going into whatever the next era of Bulls basketball will be (or at least in the fact that he's raising his trade value heading into the summer).
22. San Antonio Spurs (26-34)
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Previous Rank: 22
Net Rating: -2.1
With Victor Wembanyama out for the remainder of the season due to deep vein thrombosis, it suddenly feels like 2024-25 will go down as something of a gap year for the San Antonio Spurs.
They're 3-5 since Wembanyama left the rotation. The play-in tournament is likely out of reach. And now, the more losses the team piles up, the better.
Right now, San Antonio has a 4.5 percent chance to land the No. 1 pick in the draft. It's within shouting distance of a 6.0 percent chance.
Can you imagine the 2025-26 Spurs with Wembanyama, the recently acquired De'Aaron Fox, and oh, say, Cooper Flagg?
Even a top-four pick (which San Antonio has a 20.3 percent chance of landing) could put it on track for a return to the postseason as early as next year (assuming, of course, Wemby makes it all the way back).
21. Dallas Mavericks (32-31)
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Previous Rank: 15
Net Rating: 0.4
In the space of about a month, the Dallas Mavericks went from legitimate title contender to the most miserable franchise in the NBA.
Seemingly every day, there's a new gut punch to a fanbase that experienced the thrill of an unexpected run to the Finals less than a year ago.
The swift and thorough meltdown started, of course, with the catastrophic and inexplicable trade of Luka Dončić. And this week, the team lost Kyrie Irving for at least the rest of this season with a torn ACL.
Suddenly, the most reasonable path forward appears to be shutting down Anthony Davis (who came over in the Luka trade) for the rest of the season, moving him in the offseason and starting from scratch.
Dallas has lost five of its last six, only had eight active players in Wednesday's loss and needs to do all it can to improve its lottery odds over the next few weeks.
But as we've seen in vivid and stunning fashion, this organization and its front office may not be a fan of reasonable paths forward.
20. Orlando Magic (29-35)
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Previous Rank: 17
Net Rating: -1.8
There was some hesitance to really push the Orlando Magic down the list in last week's power rankings. It's still easy to buy into the talent at the forward positions.
And you'd think a team that defends as well and as consistently as this one has for most of the season has to start winning eventually.
But if you think that (as I maybe still do), the last couple weeks haven't been very reassuring.
The Magic just lost a home game to the Chicago Bulls on Thursday. That brings their current losing streak to five games, and the two before Chicago came against the Toronto Raptors.
Paolo Banchero, the former No. 1 overall pick and ostensible face of the franchise, has a pair of 41-point outings in this stretch, but his big nights are typically sandwiched by bad ones.
Thursday, he was 5-of-15 from the field. In his 30 appearances this season, 16 have featured 15-plus shots and a sub-50 field-goal percentage.
Banchero doesn't have to score 41 every night, but he simply has to be more consistent, particularly as a shotmaker, if the Magic are going to take the next organizational step.
19. Portland Trail Blazers (28-35)
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Previous Rank: 21
Net Rating: -3.4
The Portland Trail Blazers ran into a Boston Celtics-shaped buzzsaw in Wednesday's loss, in which Payton Pritchard and Derrick White combined for 84 points and 19 threes, but they remain one of the NBA's best stories of the last several weeks.
Since mid-January, the upstart Blazers are 15-7. And while it's probably too late to squeeze into the play-in, Portland can ride whatever momentum it generates now into the offseason and 2025-26.
This is a fairly common path for young NBA teams. Talented players such as Anfernee Simons, Deni Avdija and Scoot Henderson start to get a little taste for winning at the end of the season that ends short of the playoffs.
And the confidence and experience they gain now can make them a real contender to crack the top eight the next season.
18. Phoenix Suns (29-33)
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Previous Rank: 20
Net Rating: -2.1
During Tuesday's national TV showdown with the Los Angeles Clippers, the Phoenix Suns were down 23 points. A video of Kevin Durant rebuffing coach Mike Budenholzer went viral. And seemingly all of the internet was ready to start shoveling dirt on this team's season.
But an extended cut of that clip showed the two having a much more civil back and forth about whatever started the initial disagreement. Phoenix started to roar back shortly after that timeout. And by the time the final buzzer sounded, the Suns had a two-point win over an above-.500 team with Kawhi Leonard and James Harden.
"If we both didn't care, we would never have stuff like that," Durant told reporters after the game. "I'm glad that the win is going to sweep all of that stupid stuff under the rug because ... some people in Phoenix couldn't wait to run with that. ... That shows that me and Bud really care about trying to win basketball games."
That desire to win was on vivid display for much of Tuesday's second half. And if the Suns can maintain that going forward, a spot in the play-in tournament is still well within reach.
The Dallas Mavericks are 2.5 games ahead of them for 10th place, but no team in the league is a bigger mess, and it just got the gut-wrenching news that Kyrie Irving tore his ACL this week.
And if the Suns can sneak into that mix, who knows where their talent might take them from there?
17. Atlanta Hawks (29-34)
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Previous Rank: 18
Net Rating: -2.5
The Atlanta Hawks may be the leader in the "that team should really be better than it is" clubhouse.
They have one of the best creators in the league—after dropping 16 assists on Thursday, Trae Young is averaging 11.6 on the season—and tons of length and theoretical defense on the wings from Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher and Jalen Johnson.
Of course, Johnson, the furthest along of that trio, is out for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury, but it still feels like the Hawks should be able to muster more wins with their superstar-and-grit model that served the early 2000s Philadelphia 76ers and the 2011 Dallas Mavericks so well.
16. Miami Heat (29-32)
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Previous Rank: 19
Net Rating: -0.5
The drama surrounding Jimmy Butler, as well as his many absences, certainly contributed to the Miami Heat's mediocrity this season.
But the up-and-down play has continued beyond the trade deadline, thanks in large part to a slight step back from Bam Adebayo.
After flirting with All-NBA nods in recent years, Adebayo is posting his lowest box plus/minus since his rookie campaign. If his true shooting percentage holds, it would be a career low.
With or without Butler, there's no way Miami was going to be much of a threat with this version of Bam.
Heat fans still holding out hope got some reason for it on Wednesday, though. In a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Adebayo went off for 34 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, so maybe there's an individual breakout on the way.
If it is, Tyler Herro continues to score at the clip he is and the younger members of the supporting cast take little steps forward, this team can still be a tough postseason out.
There's enough raw talent here (and enough slides from other teams around the league) to justify Miami's spot in the middle of the rankings.
15. Sacramento Kings (32-29)
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Previous Rank: 16
Net Rating: 2.0
The Sacramento Kings continue to hover around .500 and in the West's play-in range. They ended their week by giving up a double-digit lead in a loss to the Denver Nuggets.
But there are actually some reasons for optimism with this team.
The fact that they had a fourth-quarter lead against Denver without Domantas Sabonis playing shows some growth. The team is 7-3 in its last 10. And now about a month into the Zach LaVine-DeMar DeRozan reunion tour, this partnership appears to be working a bit better in Sacramento than it did with the Chicago Bulls.
The Kings are plus-5.1 points per 100 possessions when both are on the floor. And over his last seven games, LaVine is averaging 24.4 points, 4.3 assists and 4.0 threes while shooting 52.8 percent from deep.
14. Detroit Pistons (35-28)
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Previous Rank: 14
Net Rating: 1.7
The Detroit Pistons went 2-2 this week, but it's still hard to see them as anything other than one of the hottest teams in the NBA.
The Pistons' two recent losses came against the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers (with the second game on the road), and they're still 10-2 in their last 12.
During that stretch, Cade Cunningham is averaging 25.1 points, 9.2 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 2.1 threes while shooting 37.1 percent from deep.
13. Los Angeles Clippers (33-29)
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Previous Rank: 13
Net Rating: 2.2
Without Kawhi Leonard on the second night of a back-to-back and coming off an eight-game road trip that featured six losses, the Los Angeles Clippers needed a throwback James Harden performance to get back on track.
And that's exactly what they got.
In a win over the red-hot Detroit Pistons, Harden went for 50 points on 14-of-24 shooting. And the Clippers are now 7-1 when he gets to at least 30.
12. Indiana Pacers (35-26)
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Previous Rank: 12
Net Rating: 1.1
The Indiana Pacers ended their week with a loss to the Atlanta Hawks, but they were on the road and without Tyrese Haliburton (hip flexor strain).
Assuming the two-time All-Star doesn't miss too much time, things are still looking up for the Pacers, who are 19-8 since the calendar flipped to 2025 and getting another All-NBA-caliber season from Haliburton.
Over his last six games, Indy's point guard is putting up a whopping 24.2 points, 12.5 assists and 4.3 assists, while shooting 59.1 percent from deep.
11. Minnesota Timberwolves (35-29)
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Previous Rank: 11
Net Rating: 3.4
Various injuries may have forced the Minnesota Timberwolves into some lineup combinations that could serve them well down the stretch (and into the postseason, assuming they get there).
The level of competition wasn't great (the Phoenix Suns, Philadelphia 76ers and Charlotte Hornets are all below .500), but Minnesota is on a little three-game winning streak. And Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo were both on the right side of the plus-minus ledger in each of those contests.
Both also have positive net rating swings (the difference between a team's net points per 100 possessions when a given player is on the floor). And when they share the floor, the T-Wolves are plus-6.9 points per 100 possessions.
The numbers aren't hard to believe, either. DiVincenzo and Reid pull both guards and bigs away from the paint with their shooting, leaving the middle of the floor more open for Anthony Edwards' attacks.
When Edwards is on the floor with the sweet-shooting duo, that net rating swells to plus-8.0.
10. Memphis Grizzlies (38-24)
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Previous Rank: 6
Net Rating: 5.6
The Memphis Grizzlies have dropped four straight. And in Monday's loss to the Atlanta Hawks, Jaren Jackson Jr. went down with an ankle sprain and could be out for weeks.
It could be worse, but that's obviously bad news for a team already sliding a bit down the standings.
9. Houston Rockets (38-25)
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Previous Rank: 7
Net Rating: 3.7
Fred VanVleet was the steadying, veteran force who helped the Houston Rockets hold on to a top-three spot in the West for much of the first half of the season, but he's only played in one game since February 3.
And while his absences have led to more losing in the short term, it may pay dividends in the long run.
It's looking more and more like Houston might have its lead playmaker of the future in Amen Thompson. As long as the Rockets have Alperen Şengün, a plus passer for his position, they don't really need a Chris Paul-like distributor. And Thompson checks so many other boxes as a defender, slasher and finisher.
Since January 1, Thompson is third on the team in points per game, with averages of 16.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocks.
8. Denver Nuggets (40-22)
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Previous Rank: 8
Net Rating: 5.2
The Denver Nuggets are likely to win more than 50 games. They're less than two years removed from a championship. They have the best player in the world, who's averaging an absurdly efficient triple-double.
And yet, it still feels like this team is pretty comfortably shy of the legitimate title contenders' tier.
In the last week and change, the Nuggets have lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics, underscoring their inability to play with the league's best teams.
Denver is 0-6 against the top three teams in the East and is minus-9.2 points per 100 possessions (20th) in net rating against teams with top 10 net ratings.
7. Milwaukee Bucks (36-25)
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Previous Rank: 10
Net Rating: 2.2
The Milwaukee Bucks are rolling.
They've won eight of their last nine. Giannis Antetokounmpo looks healthy again. Damian Lillard has seemingly turned back the clock on his career. And after plenty of analysts criticized the acquisition of Kyle Kuzma (*writer sheepishly raises his own hand*), the infusion of a bit more athleticism appears to be helping.
Kuzma's three-point shooting is still an adventure, but he's averaging 7.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists for the Bucks, whose point differential per 100 possessions is slightly better when he plays.
6. Golden State Warriors (35-28)
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Previous Rank: 9
Net Rating: 2.0
Thursday's 121-119 win over the sub-.500 Brooklyn Nets was a little too close for comfort, but the Golden State Warriors are now 9-1 when Jimmy Butler is in uniform.
And while his secondary scoring, defense and playmaking have all contributed to that, his harder-to-measure ability to simply take some pressure off Stephen Curry has been huge.
In his 42 games prior to Butler's debut for the team, Curry averaged 22.7 points and 4.2 threes, while shooting 38.9 percent from three. Since then, he is at 30.3 points and 5.3 threes with a 43.8 three-point percentage.
5. New York Knicks (40-22)
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Previous Rank: 5
Net Rating: 4.2
The New York Knicks just closed out their week with about as impressive a loss as a team can have. They pushed the red-hot Los Angeles Lakers to overtime (in L.A.) but fell short after Jalen Brunson went down with an ankle injury in the closing minutes.
Two nights before, they lost to the Golden State Warriors.
So, why are they hanging on to their No. 5 spot (especially with those same Warriors hot on their heels)?
First, this exercise isn't just a snapshot of the last couple weeks. New York has a more impressive season-long body of work than Golden State. And thinking back to our criteria in the intro, the Knicks, who play in the East, probably still have a slightly better chance at winning it all.
But if Brunson is out for a bit, this top-five spot may not be safe. Coming out of this week, New York now has four straight road games against the Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers and Warriors.
4. Los Angeles Lakers (40-21)
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Previous Rank: 4
Net Rating: 2.0
After one of the most intensely fought games of the season on Thursday, the Los Angeles Lakers have rattled off eight straight wins and are in second place in the NBA's vaunted Western Conference.
Five weeks ago, it felt like another play-in berth was very much in play. It was fair to wonder what the team's post-LeBron James era would look like.
Now, with Luka Dončić on the team, L.A. is a very real title contender this season. And it has one of the brightest futures of any team in the NBA.
With LeBron, Luka and Austin Reaves, the Lakers may have the best—and with their playmaking, least predictable—one-two-three punch in the league.
And the rest of the team's effort level on the other end is making every game winnable.
3. Boston Celtics (45-18)
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Previous Rank: 3
Net Rating: 9.0
In Wednesday's win over the Portland Trail Blazers, the Boston Celtics put on an absurd display of their combination of depth and firepower.
As noted, Payton Pritchard and Derrick White, the fifth and fourth leading scorers on the team, respectively, combined for 84 points and 19 threes.
That's both outrageous and a reminder that for most of two seasons now, it hasn't really mattered who's available for Boston. Regardless of who's in or out, the Celtics have enough talent to compete (and often dominate) just about anyone.
Since the start of last season, Boston has nine players with 1,500-plus minutes, and the lowest net rating in that bunch is Kristaps Porzingis' plus-7.9. Six of those Celtics (Sam Hauser, Luke Kornet, Al Horford, White, Pritchard and Jayson Tatum) have double-digit net ratings over that span.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder are undoubtedly real threats to win the title, but Boston is still a juggernaut, too.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers (52-10)
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Previous Rank: 2
Net Rating: 11.2
The Cleveland Cavaliers remain on an astronomical trajectory.
In their current 12-game winning streak, they've beaten the Boston Celtics (on the road and in a game they trailed by 23 points), Memphis Grizzlies, New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons (on the road).
And in nine of those 12 wins, the Cavs scored at least 120 points.
This is a bona fide offensive juggernaut that already has wins over every contender and just about every fringe contender this season.
1. Oklahoma City Thunder (51-11)
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Previous Rank: 1
Net Rating: 12.5
The Oklahoma City Thunder continued their historically dominant campaign with a 4-0 week that included three road wins and four more 30-point performances for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (including a 51-pointer and a 41-pointer).
The consistency of their leading scorer is nothing short of remarkable.
Over the last three seasons, he has a whopping 135 games with at least 30 points, 24 more than Giannis Antetokounmpo, who's second in the league over that span.
Stat of the Week
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It doesn't feel (very subjective take alert) like Cooper Flagg has generated quite as much hype as Victor Wembanyama, Zion Williamson or Anthony Davis did prior to entering the NBA, but we've gotten some pretty good indications that he may be a generational prospect.
Several teams have aggressively tanked throughout this season. Several more have joined them in recent weeks. In the meantime, Flagg has averaged 19.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.6 steals, 1.4 threes and 1.2 blocks as an 18-year-old freshman at Duke.
And when you put everything together, he is posting a whopping 17.0 box plus/minus that ranks fourth in Stathead's database (which dates back to 2002-03). Only Zion (20.1), AD (17.2) and Sindarius Thornwell (who put up a 17.1 as a senior) are ahead of him.
This kind of production from an 18-year-old is almost unheard of. And when you combine that with Flagg's motor and the development he's already shown as a shooter since coming onto the national scene, it's easy to see why so many teams are angling for the chance to add him this summer.
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