We all have to admit that sometimes we take it for granted. On a nightly basis, NBA fans are entertained by some of the best athletes on the face of the planet, and we were reminded of that this past week with tremendous individual play from Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic and James Harden. That's not to mention the regular greatness from the likes of LeBron James and Anthony Davis with the Lakers, or getting our first look at the devastating combo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George with the Clippers.

This isn't an MVP ranking, but it's impossible to ignore the fact that one player's spectacular effort can help will his team to victory night in and night out, and that's what we're seeing with many of the teams at the top of this week's Power Rankings. We've been treated to some of the best games of the season recently, and it should only get better from here on out.

Biggest Movers
11 Wizards
9 Rockets
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1 Lakers It wasn't pretty by any means, but the Lakers got the job done in three games this week to improve their winning streak to seven games. This is the best start ever for a LeBron James team, and the Lakers remain among the best in the league in net rating, though the defense did slip the tiniest bit in road games this week against the Thunder and Grizzlies. That's just us nitpicking, however -- the Lakers are the best team in the NBA right now. -- 47-35
2 Bucks An injury to their second-best player would at least slightly derail most teams, but not a team with Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Greek Freak has been otherwordly all season, but has turned it on since Khris Middleton's injury as the Bucks have now won seven games in a row. Milwaukee handled four pretty bad teams this week in the Bulls, Hawks, Blazers and Pistons, and should be able to rattle off some more wins with the likes of Atlanta, Cleveland, Charlotte and New York on the horizon. 2 49-33
3 Clippers Kawhi Leonard and Paul George finally took the court together, and it was every bit as terrifying as you would expect. They're still working out the kinks offensively, but they showed how devastating they can be on the defensive end in big wins over the Celtics and Rockets. Then, just for kicks, Montrezl Harrell went out and tied a career high with 34 points in a blowout win over the Pelicans. The Clippers are downright scary, and they're only going to get better as long as they stay healthy. 6 51-31
4 Nuggets Winners of five straight and nine of their last 10, the Nuggets are beginning to look like the team everyone expected to see at the start of the season. They're third in the league in net rating over the last 10 games, during which Jamal Murray has averaged nearly 20 points per game on 45-40-90 splits. Nikola Jokic still doesn't look quite himself, but they're finding a way to win games, which is all that matters. Will Barton has also been excellent in the early going. 2 57-25
5 Mavericks There's no hotter team in the NBA than the Mavericks right now, and Luka Doncic has established himself as a legitimate MVP candidate. They had four dominant victories this week, and sent a message by going into Houston and handling the Rockets. The scary thing for opponents is that Kristaps Porzingis is only going to get better. 7 50-32
6 76ers The Sixers punctuated a 3-0 week by sending a message in a blowout win over the Heat. The defense has remained strong, and the 76ers offense has started to hit its stride (possibly sparked by the first career 3-pointer from Ben Simmons?). They made more 3s this week as a whole, a positive sign for a team in the bottom third of the league in made 3-pointers per game. 5 47-35
7 Raptors Toronto just keeps rolling along despite the absence of Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka behind outstanding play from Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet, supported by a cast of excellent, experienced role players. Nick Nurse deserves a ton of credit for keeping his team clicking despite the major injuries, and in the age of load management he's not afraid to ride Siakam and VanVleet for huge minutes. So far it's been successful, and the Raptors aren't going away any time soon. 3 25-57
8 Jazz After losing to the Timberwolves at home to start the week, Utah got its revenge two nights later in Minnesota before beating the Warriors and Pelicans. The Jazz still haven't looked particularly impressive on the offensive end, but they're winning games with their defense, as has become their trademark. Once things start flowing offensively, the Jazz could be poised for a big run. -- 31-51
9 Heat Miami took care of the Cavs and Bulls before getting absolutely throttled by the 76ers in Jimmy Butler's return to Philly. The Heat were down 15 after the first quarter and trailed by as many as 41 points, but the Sixers had a particularly hot shooting night, so we'll chalk this one up to an anomaly. Miami has still established itself as a clear contender in the East, with a potential roster move or two a definite possibility. 4 46-36
10 Celtics Boston beat the Suns on Monday and then dropped two heart-breakers to the Clippers and Nuggets. Obviously the big concern is the status of Kemba Walker, who suffered a scary injury against Denver but reportedly avoided something more serious. Already down Gordon Hayward, the Celtics will have to rally to replace Walker, who has been as steady as they come this season, if he's forced to miss extended time. 7 64-18
11 Rockets Give the Rockets credit for stepping up their defensive intensity, but they ran into three red-hot teams this week in the Nuggets, Clippers and Mavericks, losing three straight. James Harden has done his best to keep Houston in games, but he just doesn't have the necessary help to compete with the league's elite. 9 41-41
12 Pacers Indiana picked up wins over the Nets and Magic, both shorthanded, in a light week, but it was good to get back in the win column after back-to-back losses to the Rockets and Bucks. Jeremy Lamb returned to the lineup on Saturday, a huge boost for an offense that dearly misses Malcolm Brogdon. 1 47-35
13 Nets Let the hot takes fly -- the Nets are now 4-1 since Kyrie Irving went down with a shoulder injury, including 3-1 this week. The competition hasn't been great, but the defense has kept them in games while Spencer Dinwiddie leads the charge offensively. He's been able to consistently get to the rim, and is averaging 25.3 points and 6.8 assists in the last four games without Irving. 4 32-50
14 Kings The Kings looked to be in trouble when De'Aaron Fox went down with an ankle injury amid a disappointing start for the team, but they've stemmed the tide and managed to go 5-2 since. Their only loss this week came to the Nets, but they were without Bogdan Bogdanovic, who's averaged 21.2 points and 6.8 assists since Fox's injury. 2 46-36
15 Suns The Suns went 1-4 in a very busy week, and the fatigue was compounded by missing Aron Baynes and Ricky Rubio for most of the action. Losing those two really hurts the Suns defense, which has been their calling card in their stunning turnaround to start the season. Frank Kaminsky and Cheick Diallo have gotten the bulk of the center minutes with Baynes out, and opponents have taken advantage. Devin Booker's blistering 3-point shooting also cooled off this week, which was reflected in the team's offensive struggles. 8 49-33
16 Timberwolves Minnesota split with the Jazz before losing a close game to the Suns on Saturday. The Wolves have a .500 record but have a negative net rating on the season. The defense has been much better, however, and that was a key point of emphasis for Ryan Saunders heading into the season. Not counting the few games Paul George has played, Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins are the only teammates in the league each averaging over 25 points per game. 1 56-26
17 Wizards The Wizards have learned that outscoring the opponent is their only hope, and they've proven they're capable of doing that on any given night. Bradley Beal is averaging nearly 30 points per game even with defenses keying in on him, and they've received big contributions from Davis Bertans recently, who's made 19 of his last 38 3-point attempts (50 percent). 11 15-67
18 Pelicans New Orleans beat the Blazers and Suns to start the week before losing to the Jazz and Clippers on the road, nothing for any team to hang its head over. The Pelicans have been decimated by injuries already this season, but they're slowly but surely getting healthy as Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball are back in the lineup. A bright spot from all the injuries: Jaxson Hayes has gotten plenty of minutes and appears ahead of schedule. He could be a foundational piece as he continues to mature physically. 4 49-33
19 Thunder The Thunder probably never want to see another L.A. team again after going 0-3 against the Lakers and Clippers this week. All of the games were close, but OKC just lacks the depth to compete with the league's elite teams. Chris Paul, Danilo Gallinari and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander reamain solid, but there's been wild fluctuation with the rest of the roster. 1 57-25
20 Bulls A 2-2 week was capped with the Bulls' most exciting win of the season, as Zach LaVine hit 13 3-pointers and scored 49 points to beat the Hornets on Saturday. LaVine also made the game-winner after a late meltdown by Charlotte, and afterward he said this could be the "turning point" of their season. Bulls fans certainly hope it is. 5 39-43
21 Pistons The Pistons lost to the Bulls and Bucks this week, but Blake Griffin had his best game of the year in a win against the porous Hawks defense. Detroit could be interesting once Griffin gets back to full strength and Reggie Jackson returns given the growth it's seen from Luke Kennard and Bruce Brown. The Pistons need to get going soon, though, if they want to return to the playoffs. 6 14-68
22 Magic Orlando dropped both its games this week to the Raptors and Pacers, but the bigger loss is the news that Nikola Vucevic will miss at least a week, possibly more, with an ankle injury. The team was just starting to get on a roll and put some points on the board, so this could stop them dead in their tracks. Jonathan Isaac stepped up this week, and he'll need to continue to take on a bigger offensive role with Vucevic out of the lineup. 8 47-35
23 Grizzlies The Grizzlies won three out of four games last week, then followed that up by getting blown out by the Warriors at home. Thus is the plight of a young team. They bounced back nicely, however, to give the Lakers all they could handle in a one-point loss on Saturday. Ja Morant does at least one thing every game that makes your jaw drop, and he's established himself as the early Rookie of the Year favorite with Zion Williamson yet to make his debut. 4 27-55
24 Spurs Well, the Spurs finally found a team they could beat, taking down the Knicks on Saturday to snap an eight-game losing streak, but we're going to need some more credible evidence that they're out of their funk. Despite all the wailing about their penchant for mid-range jumpers, offense has not been the Spurs' problem. They're a top-five team in offensive efficiency, but have been sabotaged by a bottom-five defense. 1 22-60
25 Cavaliers The Cavs were having a rough week, losing to the Knicks, Heat and Mavericks by an average of 28 points, but they salvaged things by beating the reeling Trail Blazers at home on Saturday. With Kevin Love likely in and out of the lineup all season, they're going to need more consistency from Collin Sexton and Darius Garland if they're going to compete -- a tough task for a young backcourt. 1 48-34
26 Trail Blazers Carmelo Anthony joined the fold, but it did nothing to change the Blazers' fortunes. They lost all four games this week to fall even further toward the bottom of the Western Conference, and Saturday's loss to Cleveland in Damian Lillard's return may have been their worst of the season so far. We've all learned to trust Lillard, CJ McCollum and Terry Stotts, but this has to be getting a little bit scary for Portland fans. 5 21-61
27 Hornets Charlotte was creeping toward .500, but a quick four-game losing streak put an end to that. The Hornets' loss on Saturday to the Bulls came in epic fashion, blowing a five-point lead with under 15 seconds left to play and watching Zach LaVine hit his 13th 3-pointer of the game to win it on Charlotte's home court. 7 21-61
28 Knicks The Knicks beat the Cavs on Monday, but then got back to their losing ways against the 76ers, Spurs and Nets. They've certainly been competitive, however, making things interesting on a nightly basis. One of their problems is they don't have a go-to scorer, which has hurt them at the end of close games. RJ Barrett has cooled off after a hot start to his rookie season, and missed the Knicks' loss to the Nets on Sunday due to an illness. 1 50-32
29 Warriors The owners of the league's worst record finally snapped their losing streak with a convincing win over the Grizzlies in Memphis, but they followed that up with a 48-point loss to the Mavericks the next night and ended their week with a close loss to the Jazz. The defense has gotten better outside of the Dallas game, so that's a positive sign for the Warriors, who have the league's worst defensive rating and net rating. 1 46-36
30 Hawks After a solid start to the season, things are looking pretty bleak for the Hawks. Unless Trae Young has an absolutely phenomenal game, which he's done a lot of the time, Atlanta just has no chance. They're battling the Wizards and Warriors for the league's worst defensive rating, but hopefully the offense will be helped by the eventual return of Kevin Huerter and John Collins. 4 36-46