NBA Power Rankings: Can Anyone Join Thunder, Cavs, Celtics as Bona Fide Contenders?
Can you believe it? We are officially in the final month of the 2024-25 NBA season.
And we've learned plenty about the league from mid-October to now. Most notably, despite the NBA having several solid-to-good teams, there may be just three bona fide title contenders: the Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Is there anything any squad can do over the last few weeks to catch them? Did anyone, based on our typical criteria of team and individual numbers, recent performance, championship chances and plenty of subjectivity, get closer this week?
Scroll below to find out.
30. Utah Jazz (16-54)
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Previous Rank: 30
Net Rating: -7.1
Since the Utah Jazz were made an example and fined for holding players out of games earlier this month, their regulars have been more regularly available.
Aaand, the losses have kept piling up.
Lauri Markkanen appeared in four straight games immediately after the penalty was handed down. Utah dropped all four, bringing its losing streak to 10 total games.
He sat Wednesday. And, of course, the Jazz won that one.
The lesson may be that after trading Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley, Bojan Bogdanović, Malik Beasley, Simone Fontecchio and Kelly Olynyk over the last few years, the league's player participation policy may not matter much for this team.
29. Charlotte Hornets (18-51)
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Previous Rank: 29
Net Rating: -7.6
After cruising to a 17-point victory over the New York Knicks on Thursday, the Charlotte Hornets are now 4-3 in their last seven.
And a trio of Hornets who are all under contract for next season have looked solid together during this run. In these seven games, Miles Bridges is averaging 22.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists; LaMelo Ball is at 21.6 points and 9.4 assists; and Mark Williams is chipping in 15.5 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.7 blocks.
With those three, Brandon Miller and another top pick from the 2025 class all set to be around for 2025-26, there's a good chance Charlotte could be more competitive next season.
28. Washington Wizards (15-53)
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Previous Rank: 28
Net Rating: -11.6
The Washington Wizards ended their week with a loss to the similarly situated Utah Jazz, but they also wrapped up a season sweep of the Denver Nuggets on Saturday. And they're 6-6 in their last 12.
The slight uptick obviously has a lot to do with the acquisition of veterans Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart, but the young players are offering reasons for optimism, too.
Alexandre Sarr, specifically, has averaged 18.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.5 threes and 1.8 blocks in 27.1 minutes over his last eight games.
27. Philadelphia 76ers (23-46)
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Previous Rank: 27
Net Rating: -5.5
It's felt like the Philadelphia 76ers had pivoted toward 2025 draft odds for a while, but it's official now. This week, we learned Paul George is joining Joel Embiid in being shut down for the rest of the season.
And from now until the end of the season, the Sixers could use a loss in each and every game.
They have a bottom-five record, so two teams would have to jump them in the draft lottery for Philly to lose its draft pick. If it lands outside the top six, it goes to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Shutting the stars down and focusing on their recovery is the only reasonable choice for the Sixers, especially with the way Quentin Grimes has been playing.
His performance could keep Philadelphia competitive in certain games even without George and Embiid. Over his last 10 games, he's averaging 28.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 3.4 threes and 2.2 steals, while shooting 41.5 percent from deep.
26. Brooklyn Nets (23-47)
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Previous Rank: 26
Net Rating: -6.2
The Brooklyn Nets were flirting with the play-in range back in mid-February, but they are furiously adding losses to that column now.
After falling to the Indiana Pacers in overtime on Thursday, Brooklyn is now 2-12 in its last 14 games.
And though the Nets are probably too far ahead of the season-long tankers in the standings to finish with a bottom-four record, their current placement gives them a still-solid 10.5 percent chance at the No. 1 overall pick this summer.
25. Dallas Mavericks (33-37)
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Previous Rank: 23
Net Rating: -0.6
The easy out for Dallas Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont and general manager Nico Harrison is that a spate of injuries hit the team after the Luka Dončić trade, but it's hard to mentally separate that disaster of a deal from the bad luck that followed and is still plaguing the Mavs over a month later.
Seemingly every day, it feels like Dallas and its fans have to count the number of players who are available, in hopes of avoiding a forfeit. Wednesday, the Mavs managed to get eight players onto the floor. And though they kept things close with the Tyrese Haliburton-less Indiana Pacers, what's left of this decimated roster still came up short.
Dallas is now 2-11 in its last 13 games, and even this slide is probably coming too late to give it a realistic chance at the No. 1 pick this summer.
24. New Orleans Pelicans (19-51)
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Previous Rank: 25
Net Rating: -8.5
The New Orleans Pelicans got some tough news this week, when they learned breakout forward Trey Murphy III would miss the rest of the season with a torn labrum.
Of course, the West's play-in range was already way out of reach for the Pelicans. And the chase for ping-pong balls in the draft lottery is somehow even more on than it was before.
Zion Williamson has been more consistently available of late, but New Orleans is still 3-8 in its last 11.
23. Toronto Raptors (24-46)
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Previous Rank: 24
Net Rating: -4.9
All four of the Toronto Raptors' games this season were on the road, and they went 1-3.
If their chances of sneaking into 10th place weren't already dead, they sure feel that way now.
And with just 12 games to go, catching the teams in the other direction should be the goal. The Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets and their slightly-better-than-Toronto's lottery odds are within reach.
22. San Antonio Spurs (29-39)
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Previous Rank: 22
Net Rating: -2.3
The second half of this San Antonio Spurs season has featured plenty of bummers. Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox are both out for the rest of the season. And this enforced pivot to losing happened too late for the team to have a realistic shot at this summer's top pick.
But some bright spots have also emerged during this slow slide down the standings.
Stephon Castle has averaged 20.8 points and 4.1 assists over his last 12 games and is now the overwhelming favorite for Rookie of the Year. He's looking like a near-ideal fit as a combo forward alongside Fox and Wemby.
And on Wednesday, Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 34 points while making all seven of his three-point attempts. It was the fourth straight game with a double-digit point total for a 25-year-old big man who's versatile enough to share the floor with the three bigger names.
21. Miami Heat (29-40)
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Previous Rank: 19
Net Rating: -1.9
Assuming the Miami Heat even want to make the playoffs (their 2025 first-round pick goes to the Oklahoma City Thunder if it's outside the lottery), they're lucky to be in the Eastern Conference, where the 11th-place team has almost twice as many losses as wins.
After coughing up a fourth-quarter lead and losing on a Cade Cunningham buzzer-beater on Wednesday, the Heat have now dropped nine straight. When they last won a game, they were in seventh place and within striking distance of sixth.
They're now in 10th. And though the conference is bad enough that they probably couldn't get out of the play-in if they wanted to, it's hard to imagine Miami winning back-to-back elimination games and making the playoffs.
Again, though, maybe that's the preferred outcome at this point.
20. Chicago Bulls (30-40)
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Previous Rank: 21
Net Rating: -3.1
The Chicago Bulls may have a little momentum heading into the play-in tournament.
After going 6-2 in their last eight games, they might even be at home for the 9-10 game (assuming they and the Miami Heat hold onto to those two spots).
And even without Zach LaVine, their offense may be the primary reason for this mini-surge. Chicago is averaging 118.8 points in these eight games, thanks in large part to the current starting backcourt of Coby White (who's led the team in scoring in each of the last five games) and Kevin Huerter (who had 25 and hit a dagger three against his former team on Thursday).
19. Portland Trail Blazers (31-39)
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Previous Rank: 20
Net Rating: -3.1
The Detroit Pistons are undoubtedly this season's best turnaround story, but Deni Avdija and the Portland Trail Blazers have an argument to be next on that list.
After the Blazers beat the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, they're now nine games clear of their preseason over-under of 21.5 wins. And Avdija, who had 31 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists against Memphis, is emerging as a potential star.
Over his last 12 games, the 24-year-old is averaging 20.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.2 threes, while shooting 44.1 percent from three.
18. Phoenix Suns (33-37)
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Previous Rank: 18
Net Rating: -1.2
Despite their sub-.500 record and the wildly uninspiring basketball the league's most expensive team has played for most of the season, the Phoenix Suns have been pretty lucky for the last month and change.
The Dallas Mavericks' inexplicable and unjustifiable Luka Dončić trade, as well as the injuries to Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, sent them in a spiral down the standings. That kept Phoenix within striking distance of the play-in.
And this week, the Suns were blessed with back-to-back games against the Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bulls. Blowing out both has officially moved Phoenix into the top 10.
Again, given the Mavs' issues, the Suns are likely to stay there. What they do with their play-in spot is a different question, but at least the team (likely) won't have to deal with the embarrassment of finishing 11th.
Of course, each of their next 10 games are against above-.500 teams, and the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder are both in that mix. So, maybe it isn't time to pop the play-in champagne quite yet.
17. Orlando Magic (32-38)
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Previous Rank: 17
Net Rating: -1.6
From a macro perspective, this season—even with all the injuries—feels like a bit of a letdown for the Orlando Magic.
Even when Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner have both been on the floor, the team's net rating is barely above zero.
But recently, the Magic have given signs of the upside provided by those two and the stellar defense that surrounds them.
Sunday, they beat the Cleveland Cavaliers (in Cleveland). Just over a week earlier, they beat the Milwaukee Bucks (in Milwaukee).
Orlando's star forward duo still presents some matchup problems for just about any opponent, particularly when their jump shots are falling. And if, night to night, they can just get one or two others to chip in, they have a chance to compete with just about anyone.
16. Atlanta Hawks (33-36)
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Previous Rank: 16
Net Rating: -2.0
The Atlanta Hawks are 5-2 in their last seven, but two of those wins were against the Charlotte Hornets, one against the Philadelphia 76ers and two against the Tyrese Haliburton-less Indiana Pacers.
It's natural to remain dubious about this team, particularly as any kind of playoff threat, but there have been some positive signs for the future.
Since January 30:
- 19-year-old rookie Zaccharie Risacher is averaging 14.4 points and 2.2 threes, while shooting 45.4 percent from deep.
- Dyson Daniels (who just turned 22 this month) averaged 15.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 2.9 steals(!), while shooting 48.8 percent from three.
- And 24-year-old Onyeka Okongwu averaged 15.1 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.0 steals.
If the Hawks can add a fully healthy Jalen Johnson to this group next season, the "Trae Young and defensive length and grit" formula has some real potential.
15. Sacramento Kings (35-34)
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Previous Rank: 15
Net Rating: 0.9
The Sacramento Kings are 3-6 in their last nine games, but the little slide hasn't really done anything to affect their play-in position.
They've been in ninth place since March 5, thanks as much to the Dallas Mavericks' implosion and Phoenix Suns' mediocrity as anything they've done to hang onto the spot.
Finishing there is far from guaranteed, though. Sacramento's next three games are against the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder.
14. Detroit Pistons (39-31)
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Previous Rank: 14
Net Rating: 2.5
The Detroit Pistons have certainly cooled a bit since their eight-game winning streak in February, but they started their current three-game road trip with back-to-back wins over the New Orleans Pelicans and Miami Heat. And all three of their games next week are against sub-.500 teams.
A 50-win season is probably out of the question, but they could still beat their preseason over-under by 20 wins.
This isn't just a turnaround. With just a few weeks left in the season, 2024-25 feels like an organizational rebirth for the Pistons.
Cade Cunningham, who capped the most recent win with a go-ahead three-pointer in the final minute and a game-winning buzzer-beater shortly thereafter, is a star.
And new coach J.B. Bickerstaff has established a defense-first culture around him that should help the team take another step forward next season.
13. Denver Nuggets (44-26)
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Previous Rank: 11
Net Rating: 4.1
After playing beat up and through injuries for weeks, the Denver Nuggets finally sat Nikola Jokić for their last two games of this week. And, as if that wasn't bad enough, after turning his ankle during an inexcusable home loss to the Washington Wizards, Jamal Murray joined him in street clothes.
What was left of the Nuggets surprisingly beat the Golden State Warriors this week, but they were throttled by the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. And this big a bite from the injury bug couldn't come at a much worse time.
With just a few games left, Denver is smack-dab in the middle of a four-team mix for second place in the West. And if they don't get Jokić and/or Murray back soon, the 4-5 matchup may be unavoidable. That, of course, means a potential second-round matchup with the juggernaut Oklahoma City Thunder.
On the bright side, Aaron Gordon, who's missed 29 games with his own nagging injuries, has looked healthy and dynamic as the first option. He scored 38 in the win over the Warriors and 26 against L.A.
For the entire season, the 29-year-old is a blistering 46.3 percent from deep. And if this little run gives him a jolt of confidence ahead of the playoffs, this stretch might not be all bad.
12. Indiana Pacers (40-29)
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Previous Rank: 12
Net Rating: 0.9
The Indiana Pacers are more than surviving without Tyrese Haliburton, who missed his third straight game with low back soreness on Thursday.
Indiana won the latest contest in overtime over the Brooklyn Nets; it had a furious come-from-behind victory over the Dallas Mavericks the night before; and it beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in overtime two nights before that.
And it was that win over Minnesota that really highlighted the depth and resilience of this bunch. In a game Haliburton, Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner all missed, the Pacers beat a healthy and previously surging Timberwolves squad behind 34 points from Obi Toppin.
The offense, though it wasn't quite finely tuned as it looks with Haliburton, still hummed against a team with plenty of defensive talent.
And while another run to the Eastern Conference Finals seems unlikely, these few games have been a good reminder of how solid this supporting cast can look.
11. Milwaukee Bucks (39-30)
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Previous Rank: 10
Net Rating: 2.2
Home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs is still within reach for the fifth-place Milwaukee Bucks, who are a game and a half behind the Indiana Pacers.
But Thursday's win over the Luka Dončić- and LeBron James-less Los Angeles Lakers notwithstanding, momentum doesn't really seem to be on Milwaukee's side.
The Bucks are 3-5 in their last eight. And perhaps more concerning than that, Giannis Antetokounmpo doesn't look quite as explosive as he did prior to the All-Star break.
At the risk of stating the obvious, Giannis has to be at full strength if the Bucks are going to have any chance of making a deep postseason run.
10. Los Angeles Clippers (39-30)
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Previous Rank: 13
Net Rating: 3.3
The Los Angeles Clippers' playoff upside was on full display during their last game of the week on Wednesday, when they upended the East-leading Cleveland Cavaliers.
Ivica Zubac had 28 points and 20 rebounds. James Harden had nine assists. And Bogdan Bogdanović scored 20 points on 8-of-8 shooting and handed out seven assists off the bench.
But the most notable performance, at least the one potential postseason matchups are surely paying attention to, came from Kawhi Leonard.
The six-time All-Star dropped 33 points and hit multiple late jumpers when the game was in the balance. His offense felt reminiscent of the 2019 title run with the Toronto Raptors, when he almost brought a sense of inevitability with him.
Over his last eight games, Leonard has averaged 25.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.4 threes and 2.1 steals, while shooting 39.6 percent from three. And if this version of Kawhi is available for the playoffs, L.A. is a real threat for a deep run.
9. Memphis Grizzlies (43-27)
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Previous Rank: 8
Net Rating: 5.3
The Memphis Grizzlies are a roller coaster right now.
They dropped four straight in late February and early March, but they followed that up with four straight wins. And after ending this week with back-to-back losses to the Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers, they have now dropped three of their last four.
The sporadic availability of Ja Morant has something to do with the recent inconsistency, but Jaren Jackson Jr. hasn't been explosive since his own injury, either.
In his four games since returning to the rotation, Jackson is averaging 17.5 points while shooting 47.4 percent from the field.
This stretch of the season is often about merely surviving and staying as physically whole as possible until the playoffs, but Memphis is still in a tight battle for seeding in the West.
The key to staying in that mix may be Desmond Bane, who's averaged 23.4 points, 5.8 assists and 2.5 threes, while shooting 41.1 percent from deep, over his last 12 games.
8. Minnesota Timberwolves (40-31)
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Previous Rank: 7
Net Rating: 3.9
Right when it was starting to look like the Minnesota Timberwolves might make a charge outside the West's play-in range, they ended their week with a pair of dreadful losses.
Monday, they fell in overtime to an Indiana Pacers squad that was without Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner. Two days later, they dropped a home game to a 19-51 New Orleans Pelicans squad that just learned Trey Murphy III will miss the rest of the season.
On their good nights, Minnesota looks like a team that might even make life difficult for the Oklahoma City Thunder in a 1-8 matchup. They have a superstar scorer in Anthony Edwards, one of the game's best rim protectors in Rudy Gobert and tons of rangy, switchable defenders to make life difficult on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
On their bad nights, though, the offense can look a little cramped and the team can seemingly lose to anyone.
7. New York Knicks (43-26)
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Previous Rank: 5
Net Rating: 3.8
The absence of Jalen Brunson is catching up to the New York Knicks.
It's not just that they went 1-3 this week. That's bad enough for a slight drop in the rankings, but two of those losses came against the San Antonio Spurs and Charlotte Hornets. And New York is now 3-6 in a stretch that dates back to before Brunson's injury.
The Knicks have had some positive signs during this stretch, though. Mikal Bridges is averaging 21.0 points, 5.1 assists and 1.3 threes in these last seven games without Brunson. And they'll need something closer to this version of him for the playoffs.
But they're not going anywhere without a healthy Brunson.
6. Houston Rockets (45-25)
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Previous Rank: 9
Net Rating: 4.7
Every win in this streak has come against sub-.500 teams, but eight straight is eight straight. And one of the softer stretches of the schedule couldn't have come at a better time for the Houston Rockets.
Before winning eight in a row, Houston was coming off a 5-11 stretch, and this little reprieve has them right back in the mix for a second-place finish in the loaded West.
The other good news is that this streak has coincided with a little breakout for Jabari Smith Jr. as a reserve. In those eight games, he is averaging 15.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.0 threes.
5. Golden State Warriors (41-29)
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Previous Rank: 4
Net Rating: 2.6
They went 3-1 for the week, but it's hard to feel great about the current state of the Golden State Warriors.
During the second half of their win over the Toronto Raptors on Thursday, Stephen Curry was knocked out of midair and onto his backside by a closing defender.
For now, the team is calling the injury a pelvic contusion, and if it costs him an extended period of time, there's still a chance Golden State could wind up in the play-in tournament.
There, of course, playoff spots aren't guaranteed. Even with an absurd record of 16-2 when Jimmy Butler is in the rotation, the gauntlet that is the West could keep them out.
4. Los Angeles Lakers (43-26)
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Previous Rank: 6
Net Rating: 1.4
Being without LeBron James since March 13 obviously isn't ideal, but it has given Luka Dončić an opportunity to grow accustomed to his new surroundings as the alpha. And he's taken advantage.
The 26-year-old got his own rest game on Thursday, but he averaged 30.8 points, 8.8 assists, 8.2 rebounds and 4.2 threes, while shooting 39.6 percent from deep over his 10 games prior to then.
And whenever LeBron is back in the mix, he, Dončić and Austin Reaves may represent the most dynamic playmaking trio in the NBA.
3. Boston Celtics (50-19)
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Previous Rank: 3
Net Rating: 8.7
After ending last week with a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Boston Celtics tipped off one of the easiest stretches of their 2024-25 schedule.
This week, they beat the Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets (twice). And though their next five are on the road, four of those are against sub-.500 teams.
The Celtics are pretty much locked into the East's No. 2 seed, but runs like this can do a lot for confidence heading into the postseason.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers (56-13)
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Previous Rank: 2
Net Rating: 10.1
After becoming just the sixth team in NBA history to have two separate 15-game winning streaks, the Cleveland Cavaliers have earned plenty of benefit of the doubt.
But losses to the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento Kings have given them their second three-game losing streak of the campaign. And each contest highlighted one of Cleveland's only potentially exploitable weaknesses.
The Cavs are in the bottom half of the league in both offensive and defensive rebounding percentage.
Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Wendell Carter Jr. combined for 33 boards against them. Ivica Zubac had 20 by himself. And Jonas Valančiūnas had 13. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen were both available for the latter two games, too.
And while all of this may feel a little nitpicky, ending Cleveland's possessions with one shot and getting a few extra on the other end could be the key to upsetting the Cavs in the postseason.
1. Oklahoma City Thunder (57-12)
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Previous Rank: 1
Net Rating: 12.6
We saw another striking example of how deep the Oklahoma City Thunder are on Wednesday, when they closed their week without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Luguentz Dort, Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein.
Granted, the game they missed was against the reeling Philadelphia 76ers, but they won by 33. Aaron Wiggins had 26 points. Jaylin Williams had 19 points, 17 rebounds and 11 assists.
And for the entire season, when SGA is off the floor, OKC has a point differential around that of a 58-win team. No, that's not a typo.
The non-Shai Thunder might still be in the mix for the West's top seed, which should be terrifying for the rest of the conference as we head toward the playoffs.
Stat of the Week
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The Boston Celtics made history this week when Wyc Grousbeck agreed to sell the team for a record-breaking $6.1 billion.
And while the sale of a team can make fans worry about "new owner syndrome" and the moves that come with it—like Mat Ishbia decimating the Phoenix Suns' young core and asset stockpile for a team that turned out to be mediocre or Patrick Dumont trading one of the best playmakers of all time for an aging and injury-prone big man—there's reason to believe the Celtics will be more than fine going forward.
All of the core that just won a championship is under contract through next season. The salary cap is going up under the new TV deal. And new owner Bill Chisholm is already saying he's willing to do what it takes to keep the title window open.
