NBA Power Rankings: Streaking Bucks back on top; new-look Lakers making moves; struggling Heat take a tumble
The NBA trade deadline and the All-Star break are behind us, and we’ve got things to do. The next stretch of 20 or so games will determine the playoff seeding, with tight races at the top of the Eastern Conference and throughout the Western Conference.
Since we quickly moved away from our weekly approach last time, this week’s strength rankings will take into account the period from the Monday before the All-Star break until today (most teams played four or five games over that period, so there’s not much difference). than usual). We’ll refer to this span as a “week” for ranking purposes, when it’s actually two weeks. With that annoying logistical stupor in the rearview mirror, let’s get on with it.
When we rebooted after the break, there’s one thing that hasn’t changed: The Milwaukee Bucks don’t seem to be interested in losing. Their impressive streak is now 14 games, even with a pair of superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo missing. Close behind them are the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets, who are no strangers to the top tier this season.
Another team to watch out for is the Los Angeles Lakers, who have won three games in a row and have looked impressive with a slew of signings on time. However, the biggest jump of the week came from the Charlotte Hornets, who made like an Undertaker meme and resurrected from the bottom of the rankings with four straight wins.
On the opposite side of the ledger is the Miami Heat, whose four consecutive losses have caused them to crumble.
As we prepare for the homestretch, here’s this week’s NBA strength rankings.
*Please be aware that our NBA Power rankings are based on weekly results, not full season results.
Biggest driving forces
13
Hornets
9
Heat
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Rk
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Teams
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Change
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Rcrd
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1 |
bucks |
Giannis leaves, doesn’t matter. The Bucks’ winning streak is now 14 games after Jrue Holiday scored 33 points to help Milwaukee beat Phoenix on Sunday. With Jay Crowder playing and Bobby Portis back, the Bucks just need an MVP nominee to put the puzzle together. |
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43-17 |
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2 |
Celtics |
Boston finished the week 3-1 with an impressive road win over the 76ers on Saturday. Their only loss came against the Bucks, minus Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum. Brown has looked great since returning from a face fracture in a sleek black mask, averaging 28 points in two games on 5-of-9 three-point shooting. |
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44-17 |
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3 |
Nuggets |
The Nuggets rolled to an unfortunate loss to the Grizzlies on Saturday, and on Sunday they had one of the best games of the year against the Clippers to return to the winning column. Aaron Gordon returned to the lineup against Los Angeles after a five-game absence, which was a welcome sight for Denver. |
2 |
43-19 |
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4 |
76ers |
The 6ers beat the Rockets, Cavs and Grizzlies this week to extend their winning streak to five games before losing to the Celtics on Saturday in milliseconds from overtime due to Joel Embiid’s miraculous sprint with fields in three quarters. This week, he and James Harden averaged almost 55 points, 18 rebounds and 15 assists per game. |
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39-20 |
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5 |
Grizzly |
Xavier Tillman stated that the Grizzlies regained their swagger after a 2-1 week that ended with a choke on the No. 1 Nuggets. Six players scored in double figures in the win, which came after a belated loss to the 76ers on Thursday. |
2 |
36-23 |
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6 |
Nix |
Things continue to evolve for the Knicks, who have won four games this week to make them fifth overall. Julius Randle has been on a roll lately, averaging 29.3 points per week on 51/42/94 shooting. |
3 |
35-27 |
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7 |
kings |
The Kings pulled off their best win of a very impressive season, launching several late comebacks in the second-highest scoring game in NBA history against the Clippers. They finished off the Thunder on Sunday to make it a 3-1 week as Sacramento’s business picked up. |
1 |
35-25 |
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8 |
Cavaliers |
The Cavs went on hiatus but lost to the Nuggets and Hawks on the other side ahead of Sunday’s victory over the Raptors. Donovan Mitchell averaged 30 points per game in a week on 42 percent three-point shooting. |
5 |
39-25 |
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9 |
Clippers |
The Russell Westbrook era began 0-2, although both games were extremely packed with overtime. They lost to the Kings in the second highest NBA scoring game of all time and then failed to make one of the most spectacular Finals of the year in Denver on Sunday. Westbrook averaged 17 points and nine assists in two games for the Clippers. |
3 |
33-30 |
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10 |
sun |
In the last week before the dawn of the Kevin Durant era, the Suns beat the Kings and Thunder to the Clippers and Bucks. Buyout acquisition Terrence Ross is already paying dividends, posting 10.7 points, four rebounds and two assists in 21 minutes per game. |
2 |
33-29 |
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eleven |
networks |
After a short honeymoon period, the reality of having a roster full of new faces could catch up with Jacques Vaughn and the Nets, who have lost three games this week. One constant is Mikal Bridges, who averaged 22.3 points on 45% three-point shooting for the week, including a career-high 45 points in Brooklyn’s win over Miami in their last game before the break. |
3 |
34-26 |
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12 |
Lakers |
The Lakers came out of the All-Star break with a mission, winning the last three games overall, including a 27-point comeback against the Mavericks on Sunday. The new pieces look great and they’ve won the last two tournaments mostly without D’Angelo Russell. Something might be brewing here. |
12 |
29-32 |
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13 |
Warriors |
The Warriors went 3-2 this week, which isn’t bad considering Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins have missed all but one game and Draymond Green hasn’t been fit for the last two. Klay Thompson was on offense in pre-injury form, averaging 37 points on 18 3-pointers in his last two games. |
4 |
31-30 |
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Source: www.cbssports.com
