NBA Power Rankings: Celtics back on top; Kawhi Leonard, Clippers catch fire
Streaks, both good and bad, abound in this week's Power Rankings
•
1 min read
This NBA season has been all about streaks, and a couple of them came into play with this week's Power Rankings. First and foremost, the San Antonio Spurs snapped their franchise-worst 18-game losing streak. The win only moved them up one spot, but the game had dire consequences for the team they beat.
The loss to the Spurs was one of three this week for the Los Angeles Lakers, who fall all the way from No. 1 to No. 17 in the rankings. Taking their place in the top spot are the Boston Celtics, who went 4-0 this week and are no strangers to the captain's seat. Chasing closely behind them is another team on a streak, the Los Angeles Clippers, who have rattled off a league-best eight straight wins after some awkward early days following the James Harden trade.
The final streak worth mentioning, of course, belongs to the Detroit Pistons, who have now lost 24 straight games and remain in the final spot in this week's rankings as they approach the all-time record for futility. On a far less troubling streak are the Indiana Pacers, who lost four straight games this week to drop 16 spots, tying the Lakers for the largest fall.
Oh yeah, and Stephen Curry also saw his record streak of 268 consecutive games with a made 3-pointer come to an end in a game in which he scored only seven points ... and the Warriors still won. Gotta love the NBA.
Here are this week's NBA Power Rankings.
*Please keep in mind that our NBA Power Rankings are based on weekly performance (Tuesday to Monday), not the whole season.
Biggest Movers
11
Clippers
16
Lakers
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | The Celtics won four games against two good teams this week (the Cavs and Magic), to bring their winning streak to five. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined to average 50 points and nine assists in the four games, while Derrick White put up 15 points, five assists and 4.5 rebounds per game on 46% 3-point shooting. | 1 | 14-9 |
| 2 |  | The Wolves bounced back from last week's loss with impressive wins over the Mavs, Pacers and Heat. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards each averaged 26 points for the week, with Towns adding 12 rebounds per game. Super-sub Naz Reid chipped in 20 points per game off the bench on 50% 3-point shooting, while the stingy Wolves defense allowed just 106 points per 100 possessions. | 2 | 14-8 |
| 3 |  | Head coach Ty Lue told all of us to be patient, and boy does he look like a genius right now. The Clippers beat the Kings, Warriors, Knicks and Pacers this week while scoring an astronomical 132 points per 100 possessions. Kawhi Leonard's efficiency was off the charts, averaging 31 points on 69/61/92 shooting splits for the week. James Harden is settling in nicely, averaging 22 points and 11 assists this week on 56% 3-point shooting. | 11 | 6-17 |
| 4 |  | "Gameball-gate" aside, the Bucks had a strong week with wins over the Pacers, Pistons and Rockets. Giannis Antetokounmpo irked Indiana with his franchise-record 64-point performance on Wednesday, then passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the Bucks' all-time rebound leader on Sunday -- decent little run. Damian Lillard averaged 31 points and seven assists for the week on 43% 3-point shooting. | 5 | 10-14 |
| 5 |  | The 76ers were absolutely rolling after three more wins this week, but their six-game streak came to an end on Monday against the pesky Bulls. Joel Embiid has been putting up silly numbers against not-so-great competition, averaging 40 points, 13 rebounds and four assists this week on 60/39/95 shooting splits. | 2 | 13-9 |
| 6 |  | The Kings lost to the Clippers to start the week before rattling off consecutive wins over the Thunder, Jazz and Wizards. Keegan Murray did the unthinkable on Saturday, making 12 of his first 13 3-point attempts en route to a career-high 47 points. De'Aaron Fox missed the Utah win, but averaged 28 points and five assists in the other three games, while Domantas Sabonis added 20 points, 12 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game on 65% shooting. | -- | 5-17 |
| 7 |  | After a loss to the Kings on Thursday, the Thunder picked up a statement victory thanks to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's game-winner in Denver. OKC followed that up with a comfortable win over Memphis on Monday. Rookie Chet Holmgren had nine blocks in the win over the Nuggets, then swatted seven more shots in the encore against the Grizzlies, while Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 33 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in the three games. | 2 | 22-1 |
| 8 |  | The Nuggets beat the Bulls, Nets and Mavericks this week, while losing to the Thunder at home on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's game-winner. Nikola Jokic put up semi-human numbers this week, with Denver utilizing a more spread offensive attack. Defensively they were solid, allowing an average of 104 points in the three wins. | 3 | 16-6 |
| 9 |  | The Magic only had two games this week, and they lost both to the best team in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics, with neither being particularly close. Paolo Banchero averaged 25 points and seven rebounds in the two games, while Jalen Suggs added 16 points per game on 6-for-13 3-point shooting. | 2 | 14-9 |
| 10 |  | The Pelicans took care of business this week against three of the NBA's worst teams -- the Wizards, Hornets and Spurs. Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum and Jonas Valanciunas each put up over 20 points per game, while Zion Williamson averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds in the two games he played. | 3 | 3-20 |
| 11 |  | The Mavs beat the Lakers and Blazers this week, with losses to the Wolves and Nuggets as they continue to navigate the absence of Kyrie Irving (and others). The defense was spotty, allowing at least 119 points in each game, while Luka Doncic controlled the offense, as expected. | 1 | 8-16 |
| 12 |  | The Knicks lost to the Jazz and Clippers this week, while beating the Suns and Lakers. Jalen Brunson set multiple NBA records with a career-high 50 points in the victory over Phoenix, becoming the first player to ever score 30 or more points in a half without missing a single shot. He went 9-for-9 from 3-point range during the game. Julius Randle wasn't too shabby himself, averaging 26 points in the four games. | 7 | 15-7 |
| 13 |  | The Cavs started off the week with consecutive losses to the Celtics, but turned things around with wins over the Hawks and Rockets. They've won both games since Darius Garland was diagnosed with a fractured jaw, with Donovan Mitchell averaging 30 points and 10 assists on 40% 3-point shooting in the victories. | 2 | 14-10 |
| 14 |  | The Rockets beat the Grizzlies twice to start the week before losing to the Bucks and Cavs. Seven Rockets averaged double-figure scoring this week, led by 19 points and 10 assists per game from Fred VanVleet. In his first game in Memphis since signing with the Rockets, Dillon Brooks put up 26 points and seven rebounds, hitting a dagger 3-pointer in the final minute. | 4 | 15-5 |
| 15 |  | The debut of the Suns' "Big Three" didn't go so well, as they fell to Kevin Durant's former team, the Nets, on Wednesday. Things got worse when Bradley Beal landed on Donte DiVincenzo's foot in a loss to the Knicks, sending him to the injured list for at least two weeks. Overall, the Suns went 2-2 for the week, as Devin Booker and Kevin Durant combined to average nearly 60 points and 14 assists per game. | 1 | 13-10 |
| 16 |  | The Heat went 2-2 this week, but the big news is that Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro rejoined the lineup on Monday night, combining for 47 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in a loss to the Wolves. Jimmy Butler averaged 20 points for the week, and hit the game-winner at the buzzer against his former Bulls on Saturday. | 2 | 14-9 |
| 17 |  | The Power Rankings curse strikes again, as the Lakers lost three games this week -- including one that snapped San Antonio's 18-game losing streak -- after being ranked No. 1 last week. The defense was uncharacteristically sloppy, giving up an average of 122 points in the 1-3 week. Anthony Davis missed the loss to the Spurs (which explains some of the defensive slippage), but he averaged 35 points in the other three games. | 16 | 16-6 |
| 18 |  | The Warriors' week started with Draymond Green's latest aggressive on-court incident that led to an indefinite suspension, which clearly took an emotional toll on the team. Steph Curry went ballistic in the fourth quarter to beat the Nets on Saturday, however, then the rest of the team rallied to hold off the Blazers on Sunday with Curry scoring just seven points and ending his record streak of 268 straight games with a 3-pointer. | 2 | 11-12 |
| 19 |  | The Bulls kept up their improved play, finishing a 2-2 week with an impressive road win over the red-hot 76ers. Coby White has stepped up considerably in Zach LaVine's absence, averaging 25 points, eight assists and six rebounds this week on 41% 3-point shooting. Nikola Vucevic and DeMar DeRozan averaged 20 and 21 points, respectively. | 2 | 9-13 |
| 20 |  | The Nets spoiled the debut of the Suns' "Big Three" with an impressive win to start the week, but the rest of their West Coast swing didn't go as well with consecutive losses to the Nuggets, Warriors and Jazz. Cam Thomas scored a season-high 41 points in the loss to Golden State, then followed that up with 32 points in Utah on Monday. | 3 | 5-17 |
| 21 |  | The Raptors split with the Hawks to start the week, then handily beat the Hornets on Monday. Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes combined to average 49 points, 17 rebounds and 13 assists per game, both shooting over 60% from the field. Gary Trent Jr. added 14 points per game on 44% 3-point shooting. | 4 | 15-9 |
| 22 |  | The Hawks picked up a split in Toronto to start the week, before a loss to the Cavs and a too-close-for-comfort win over the Pistons. Trae Young averaged 35 points and 13 assists while shooting 47% from 3-point range. Dejounte Murray added 20 points and six assists per game for the week. | -- | 13-11 |
| 23 |  | The Jazz had a great week, beating the Knicks, Blazers and Nets while losing to the Kings. It's not shocking that the wins coincided with the return of Lauri Markkanen, who averaged just over 20 points in the three games that he played, while flirting with the 30-minute mark on Monday against Brooklyn. Collin Sexton has stepped up in the absence of Jordan Clarkson and Keyonte George, averaging 27 points for the week. | 5 | 8-14 |
| 24 |  | Call it an IST hangover, but the Pacers dropped all four games this week, including a 14-point loss to the lowly Wizards. Tyrese Haliburton is going through a rough patch, averaging just 16 points this week on 27% 3-point shooting while committing nearly four turnovers per game (that's a lot for him). The biggest issue, as usual, was the defense, which allowed a generous 130 points per 100 possessions. | 16 | 5-18 |
| 25 |  | The Wizards picked up a win this week, beating the Pacers to go with losses to the Pelicans, Suns and Kings. Kyle Kuzma averaged 26 points on 20 shots per game, while Jordan Poole showed some signs of offensive life, putting up 21 points and 4.5 assists per game on 45% 3-point shooting. | 4 | 3-18 |
| 26 |  | San Antonio rejoice! The Spurs put to rest a franchise-record 18-game losing streak with a win over the Lakers on Friday, as Devin Vassell poured in a career-best 36 points. They followed that up with a 36-point loss to New Orleans, but any week with a win is a good week for the Spurs. | 1 | 15-7 |
| 27 |  | The Blazers are getting their pieces back, but it didn't help in the win column this week with losses to the Jazz, Mavericks and Warriors. Anfernee Simons averaged 22 points and six assists for the week, while Jerami Grant didn't miss a beat after a two-week absence, averaging 28.5 points in the two games he played. | 1 | 9-14 |
| 28 |  | The Grizzlies lost consecutive games to the Rockets to start the week, as they watched Dillon Brooks hit a dagger 3-pointer in his return to the FedExForum on Friday, then fell to the Thunder handily on Monday. The good news is that Ja Morant's return is set for Tuesday, since things couldn't have gone much worse during his absence. Jaren Jackson Jr. averaged 26 points in the three games this week. | 4 | 10-13 |
| 29 |  | It was a rough week for the Hornets (they've had a lot of those this season), as they lost to the Heat, Pelicans, 76ers and Raptors while dealing with myriad injuries. Terry Rozier left the Sixers loss early after an unfortunate encounter with Joel Embiid's elbow, but averaged 27 points in the other three games. | 6 | 7-16 |
| 30 |  | The Pistons started the week by losing twice to the 76ers and once to the Bucks by an average of 31 points -- not great. They only lost to the Hawks by six on Monday, so I guess that's progress? The streak now sits at 24 straight losses, despite Cade Cunningham's career-high 43 points against Atlanta. | -- | 18-5 |
