NBA Power Rankings: Dominant Celtics take No. 1 spot; Knicks suddenly red-hot; Lakers hit latest rock bottom
Boston leads some major shakeups in this week's Power Rankings
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1 min read
How incredible is this? With just a month left in the NBA's regular season, pretty much only one thing is certain -- the Phoenix Suns are going to win the Western Conference. Other than that, everything is up in the air from the top of the East to the play-in races to the end-of-season awards. Whether it's true or not, this certainly seems like one of the more unpredictable finishes to a season we've had in a long time.
Adding to the intrigue, the Boston Celtics are running through the league like a mustachioed 17-year-old playing in a 10-and-under Pop Warner football league, winning 17 of their last 20 games to become a popular dark-horse NBA title pick. Their incredible stretch, led by Jayson Tatum's tremendous individual effort, has earned them the top spot in this week's NBA Power Rankings.
They're not the biggest riser, however, as the New York Knicks -- yes, those New York Knicks -- are suddenly one of the hottest teams in the league, putting up point totals reminiscent of the bygone Bing Bong Era. As a result, they jumped nine spots this week to No. 17.
The biggest fallers this week were the Utah Jazz, who got waxed by over 30 points at the hands of the New Orleans Pelicans to end their winning streak. And then there's the Los Angeles Lakers, who dropped two more spots this week after being blown away in overtime by the bottom-dwelling Houston Rockets -- the latest in a stretch of difficult losses for the struggling franchise.
With just a few more weeks left until the playoffs, the only thing we know for certain is that we certainly know nothing. Here are this week's NBA Power Rankings.
*Please keep in mind that our Power Rankings are based on the team's performance the previous week, not the entire season.
Biggest Movers
9
Knicks
8
Jazz
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | We're going to need to come up with a new word for the level of heat the Celtics are producing with their play of late, winning all three games this week to make it 17 of their last 20. This week's wins came against solid opponents in the Grizzlies, Nets and Hornets, as Jayson Tatum put up gargantuan scoring efforts of 37, 54 and 44 points, respectively. Jaylen Brown also returned strong from a minor ankle issue, averaging 18 points and five assists in the final two games of the week. | 7 | 14-9 |
| 2 |  | The Bucks are starting to roll, winning all four games this week to make it six in a row overall. They beat the Bulls and Suns in consecutive games to start the week, and the Thunder and Hawks to finish it. Giannis Antetokounmpo is in the thick of the MVP race once again, averaging 33.8 points, 12 rebounds and 5.8 assists this week on 63 percent shooting while going 5 for 12 from 3-point range. Khris Middleton is heating up as well, averaging 28.5 points this week, including a 44-point outburst in the win over Phoenix. | 1 | 10-15 |
| 3 |  | The Suns kept winning despite the absence of Chris Paul, Devin Booker and eventually Cam Johnson, who had a career night capped by a game-winning 3-pointer against the Knicks before being sidelined with a quad injury. Booker returned for Wednesday's convincing win over the Heat, putting up 23 points, nine assists and eight rebounds on 4-for-7 3-point shooting. Cam Payne has been excellent filling in for Paul, averaging 17.3 points and 11.5 assists per game this week on 39 percent 3-point shooting. | 3 | 13-10 |
| 4 |  | Miami's only loss this week came without Jimmy Butler against the Suns, with wins over the Nets, 76ers (without James Harden) and Rockets. Tyler Herro kept up his scoring rampage, averaging 24 points this week on 49/39/100 shooting splits. Bam Adebayo added 17.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per game on 59 percent shooting. Kyle Lowry also returned to the lineup for two games this week after missing four contests due to personal reasons. | -- | 14-10 |
| 5 |  | The Sixers went 2-1 this week, but they're still undefeated with James Harden, who sat out the loss to Miami for hamstring maintenance. In the two games he played, Harden averaged 20.5 points and 12.5 assists, while Joel Embiid put up 29 points and 12.7 rebounds in three games. Tyrese Maxey, who has proven vital as the 76ers' third scorer, kept it up this week with 22.3 points per game on 59 percent 3-point shooting. | 4 | 13-9 |
| 6 |  | The Mavs won three more games this week over the Warriors, Kings and Jazz before losing to the suddenly hot Knicks by 30 points on Wednesday. Luka Doncic continues to peak as the postseason nears, averaging 35.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists in three games this week, while new addition Spencer Dinwiddie kept up his strong play with 22.3 points and four assists per game on 46 percent 3-point shooting. Dallas has won five of seven games since the All-Star break. | 1 | 9-16 |
| 7 |  | The Nuggets just keep on winning, beating the Rockets, Pelicans, Warriors and Kings this week to make it six out of seven since the All-Star break. Words can't even describe what Nikola Jokic has been doing, averaging a laughable 38.7 points, 15 rebounds, 10.3 assists and 2.3 blocks per game this week on 68/43/77 shooting splits, while delivering clutch bucket after clutch bucket. Just a complete joke. Jokic deservedly gets the majority of the credit, but Michael Malone might just work his way into the Coach of the Year conversation if Denver can keep this up without two of its three best players. | 3 | 16-6 |
| 8 |  | Memphis started off the week with a loss to the red-hot Celtics, then beat the Magic and Pelicans. Sandwiched between those wins, however, was a baffling loss to the Rockets, which shows you how unpredictable this league can be. Ja Morant averaged 27.3 points and seven assists on 36 percent 3-pointers for the week, as his All-NBA campaign continues, while Desmond Bane added 22.8 points per game on 50 percent 3-point shooting. | 3 | 10-13 |
| 9 |  | Two games each against the Thunder and the Blazers were just what the doctor ordered this week for the Wolves, who won all four by an average of 31 points. That was with Anthony Edwards missing three games and D'Angelo Russell missing one, as Karl-Anthony Towns took advantage of smaller defenders to the tune of 24 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game on 65 percent shooting. Malik Beasley set a franchise record with 11 3-pointers in Wednesday's win over OKC. | -- | 15-8 |
| 10 |  | The Jazz were handed a 34-point thrashing by the Pelicans in their first game of the week, later losing to the Mavs while beating the lowly Thunder and Blazers. Donovan Mitchell struggled from the field, but Bojan Bogdanovic is on a major heater, shooting 54 percent from the 3-point line this week while sinking a franchise-record 11 3-pointers in the win over OKC. | 8 | 8-14 |
| 11 |  | The Warriors' losing streak reached five games after dropping matchups with the Mavs, Lakers and Nuggets to start the week, but they got a much-needed, sound victory against the Clippers on Tuesday. Jordan Poole is on fire, averaging 24.5 points on 61/59/100 shooting splits for the week, while Steph Curry averaged 22 points and five assists on 45 percent 3-point shooting. Rookie Moses Moody has been a welcome addition to the rotation, and scored a career-high 30 points with the starters resting against Denver. | 1 | 12-12 |
| 12 |  | The Bulls got off to a rough start this week, losing to the Hawks, Bucks and 76ers, but they pulled out a win over the Pistons on Wednesday to get back on track. Their lack of healthy defensive personnel, namely Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso, showed in the losses to three high-powered offenses. DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine did the heavy lifting on offense, averaging 27.5 and 25.3 points per game this week, respectively. | 1 | 9-13 |
| 13 |  | The Cavs started off the week with a close loss to the 76ers, but bounced back to beat the Raptors and Pacers. Darius Garland was absolutely brilliant, dishing out a career-high 19 assists against Philadelphia, then scoring a career-best 41 points in the win over Indiana. Jarrett Allen is out indefinitely with a broken finger, but Evan Mobley proved that he was ready for the extra responsibility with 22 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high five steals against the Pacers. | 5 | 14-11 |
| 14 |  | The Clippers started off the week with a dominant win over their favorite opponent, the Lakers, before losses to the Knicks and Warriors. They bounced back on Wednesday to beat the Wizards behind 31 points and seven assists from Reggie Jackson, who led the team with 20.5 points per game for the week. Marcus Morris scored 27 points in the win over Washington, and averaged 14 for the week on 42 percent 3-point shooting. | 1 | 6-18 |
| 15 |  | The Hawks started off the week with wins over the Bulls and Wizards, but then fell in overtime to the Pistons before Wednesday's loss to the Bucks. Trae Young averaged 26.3 points and 11 assists per game on 42 percent 3-point shooting, while De'Andre Hunter had a strong offensive week with 19 points per game on 44 percent 3-point shooting. It's hard to win consistently when you give up over 120 points per 100 possessions, though, as the Hawks did this week. | -- | 14-11 |
| 16 |  | The Nets went 1-2 this week, losing to two of the best teams in the NBA in Miami and Boston, but the results are secondary to the highly anticipated return of Kevin Durant. He showed few signs of rust, typical of K.D., while averaging 27.3 points and 6.3 assists on 51 percent shooting in the three games. Kyrie Irving went off for a season-high 50 points on just 19 shots in the win over Charlotte, going 9 for 12 from 3-point range. Bruce Brown also had a great week, putting up 17 points, six rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. | 3 | 6-17 |
| 17 |  | Don't look now, but the Knicks are on fire! The good kind of fire -- not the dumpster-based variety we've seen from them for much of the season. They would have gone undefeated this week if not for a banked-in, 30-foot buzzer-beater from Suns forward Cam Johnson, and the Knicks have won their last three games by an average margin of 23 points. Julius Randle averaged 26.8 points and 8.3 rebounds for the week on 46 percent 3-point shooting, while Immanuel Quickley got hot off the bench, putting up 17.5 points per game on 47 percent 3-point shooting. | 9 | 16-7 |
| 18 |  | The Pelicans absolutely clobbered the Jazz to start the week, but that was the high point. Then came losses to the Nuggets, Grizzlies and Magic, along with the news that Brandon Ingram will miss at least a week with a hamstring injury. It's a shame, because Ingram averaged 33.5 points and 7.5 assists in the two games before his injury. CJ McCollum is now pretty much their only perimeter scorer/creator, and he averaged 28 points and eight assists in the four games this week. | 4 | 3-21 |
| 19 |  | Charlotte went 1-2 on its homestand this week, beating the Spurs before losing to the Nets and Celtics. Defense was once again a major issue, as they allowed 50 points to Kyrie Irving and 44 to Jayson Tatum in consecutive games. Terry Rozier led the way offensively this week with 25 points per game on 46 percent 3-point shooting, while LaMelo Ball added 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists per game. | 2 | 7-16 |
| 20 |  | Losing back-to-back home games to the Pistons and Magic is never a good thing, and the Raptors followed that up with another loss to the Cavs before beating the Spurs on Wednesday. The three losses came without Fred VanVleet, who returned to put up 26 points in the win over San Antonio. Pascal Siakam continued his strong season with 26.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game on 42 percent 3-point shooting for the week. | 4 | 15-9 |
| 21 |  | The Wizards suffered close losses to the Hawks and Clippers this week, with a win over the Pacers in between. Newly minted franchise cornerstone Kristaps Porzingis played in his first two games as a Wizard, averaging an impressive 22 points and 1.5 blocks in just under 24 minutes per game. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Kyle Kuzma continued their steady production, each putting up 21 points per game for the week. | 4 | 3-19 |
| 22 |  | The Lakers keep developing new definitions for "rock bottom," with Wednesday's overtime loss to the lowly Rockets the current leader in the clubhouse. Houston blitzed them with a 10-0 run to start overtime, making it six losses in seven games since the All-Star break for the Lakers. They could have lost all seven, but LeBron James put forth an inhuman display on national TV on Saturday, scoring 56 points in a home win over the Warriors. Outside of that glorious blip, however, it's gotten incredibly bleak in Laker Land, as they've fallen nine games under .500 for the first time all season. | 2 | 16-6 |
| 23 |  | The Kings beat the Spurs and dropped a close game to the Mavericks to start the week, then gave up 83 second-half points to the Knicks and watched a 20-point lead evaporate in an ugly loss. Wednesday's loss to the Nuggets made it a 1-3 week for the Kings, who fall further from play-in contention. De'Aaron Fox averaged 31.5 points and eight assists for the week on 53 percent 3-point shooting, but it wasn't enough. | 2 | 6-17 |
| 24 |  | What has gotten into the Pistons since the All-Star break? They're now 5-3 since the hiatus after three more wins this week, including impressive ones over the Raptors and Hawks. Cade Cunningham appears to be taking things to the next level, averaging 23 points, 7.8 rebounds and six assists this week on 45/44/91 shooting splits. Sacramento castoff Marvin Bagley has performed well in his audition with Detroit, averaging 15.7 points and eight rebounds in three games this week. | 3 | 19-5 |
| 25 |  | The Spurs lost to the Kings, Hornets and Raptors this week, but the win over the Lakers was a big one. It tied Gregg Popovich with Don Nelson for the most NBA coaching wins of all time, with sole possession of the record forthcoming. Dejounte Murray continues to be the brightest of bright spots in a down year for San Antonio, as he put up 26.3 points, 10 rebounds and 9.3 assists this week on 53 percent shooting. Keldon Johnson went off for a career-high 33 points in the loss to Charlotte, then scored 27 against Toronto on Wednesday. | 1 | 15-7 |
| 26 |  | The Rockets started off the week by losing to the Nuggets, then won their first game since Feb. 2 in a stunner over the Grizzlies on Sunday. After a loss to the Heat, Jalen Green exploded with 19 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter and overtime in an exciting victory against the Lakers on Wednesday. Green averaged 23.5 points in four games this week on 40 percent 3-point shooting, while Kevin Porter Jr. added 17.5 points, five rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. | 3 | 15-6 |
| 27 |  | Orlando won two more games this week, making it four victories in six games since the All-Star break. The Magic beat two pretty good, albeit slightly short-handed teams in the Raptors and Pelicans, losing to the powerhouse Grizzlies and Suns. Cole Anthony averaged 16 points and 4.8 assists for the week on 39 percent 3-point shooting, while the defense held opponents to just 104 points per 100 possessions. | 1 | 14-10 |
| 28 |  | Not a great week for the Pacers, who lost to the Pistons, Wizards and Cavs. Jalen Smith made the tank move of the year when he intentionally fouled Darius Garland with 14 seconds left ... in a tie game ... giving Cleveland the go-ahead points. To Smith's credit, he owned up to his mistake, even after head coach Rick Carlisle attempted to jump on the grenade. Malcolm Brogdon led the team in scoring this week with 21.7 points per game, but couldn't find the range from the 3-point line. | 5 | 5-18 |
| 29 |  | "Competitive" isn't exactly the appropriate word to describe OKC's week, with three of its four losses coming by 28 points or more. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was phenomenal as always, putting up 26.8 points, 9.3 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game despite being first, second, third, fourth and fifth on every opponent's scouting report. Despite his brilliance and a strong three games from Isaiah Roby, the Thunder managed just 102 points per 100 possessions for the week. | 7 | 22-1 |
| 30 |  | The Blazers aren't exactly putting the best product out on the floor these days, but at least we get a look at players like Trendon Watford and Brandon Williams trying to make a name for themselves in the league. Anfernee Simons played in one game this week, scoring 38 points and knocking down nine 3-pointers, proving himself far too good to be on the court for the tanking Blazers. Williams, Watford and Keon Johnson were the team's leading scorers in the other two losses, neither of which was remotely close. | -- | 9-14 |
