Basketball, as they say, is a game of runs. Those runs don't just happen within games -- they also happen within seasons. We recently saw the Boston Celtics rattle off 10 straight wins before finally seeing an "L" on Sunday night. Now the Houston Rockets take over the NBA's longest winning streak at seven games, thanks to the phenomenal individual effort of James Harden despite a depleted roster.

Not to be overlooked are the Los Angeles Lakers, who have won four in a row after last week's loss to the Toronto Raptors to reclaim the top spot in this week's Power Rankings. On the other side of the spectrum we have the San Antonio Spurs, who plummeted to the bottom third of the rankings due to an ugly five-game losing streak, and the Golden State Warriors, who find themselves the league's worst team after losing seven straight.

When a team's got it going it seems like they'll never lose, and when they're struggling it's the exact opposite. But as anyone who watches the NBA knows, these streaks don't last forever and things change extremely quickly. With that, here are this week's NBA Power Rankings.

Biggest Movers
11 Grizzlies
8 Raptors
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1 Lakers Anthony Davis had just 14 points and one rebound against the Hawks on Sunday, and the Lakers won by 21 points. So yeah, it's safe to say things are going well in La La Land. On Friday, LeBron hit two clutch free throws, then Davis picked up a game-saving block on Harrison Barnes to narrowly escape with a win over the Kings. With the Celtics finally losing a game, the Lakers are the only 11-win team in the NBA, leading the league in both defensive efficiency and net rating. They've certainly earned their spot atop this week's rankings. 2 0-0
2 Rockets The Rockets have won seven straight, and it literally does not matter who's on the court alongside James Harden. He's on another planet right now, averaging 44.8 points on 24-for-60 3-point shooting over the last four games. We saw Harden carry his team last season after a rough start, but he's put on the SuperBeard cape a little earlier this year due to injuries to Eric Gordon, Danuel House and Clint Capela. He'll need to keep it up with road games against the Nuggets and Clippers scheduled for this week. 10 0-0
3 Celtics The Celtics were one unfortunate roll away from extending their winning streak to 11 games, as Marcus Smart's floater hung on the rim for eternity before falling off at the buzzer in a one-point road loss to the Kings. Brad Stevens acknowledged that his team isn't playing its best basketball, but Boston has been pulling out wins with clutch play down the stretch. It will be interesting to see how they do with upcoming games against the Suns, Clippers and Nuggets to close out their West Coast trip. 2 0-0
4 Bucks The Bucks cranked up the defense in two solid wins this week despite the absence of Khris Middleton. Giannis Antetokounmpo continued his dominant play, while Donte DiVincenzo, Sterling Brown, Pat Connaughton and George Hill filled in admirably for Middleton. Eric Bledsoe has also taken on more of the offensive burden, upping his averages to 20.5 points and 6.5 assists in Milwaukee's two wins this week. -- 0-0
5 Heat After losing two games last week, the Heat bounced back with wins over the Pistons, Cavs and Pelicans to improve to 9-3 on the season. They've done all this without the services of Justise Winslow, who has missed the last five games with a concussion. Kendrick Nunn continued his surprising rookie season, averaging a team-high 21.3 points over the last three games. 6 0-0
6 Nuggets Nobody thinks that Denver has played anywhere close to its best basketball this season, yet it still sits at 9-3. The offense has struggled at times, but perhaps a 131-point explosion against the Grizzlies, in which Jamal Murray scored 39 points and dished out eight assists in 31 minutes, will get them going. If that happens and the Nuggets can maintain their top-five defense, they'll reclaim their spot among the league's legit title contenders. -- 0-0
7 Suns The Suns took a tough home loss to the Lakers but rebounded to handle the Hawks. They continue to have a top-five net rating and are in solid playoff position in the Western Conference. In addition to Devin Booker's consistently stellar play, Dario Saric has averaged over 20 points on 7-for-11 3-point shooting over the last two games. 2 0-0
8 Jazz The Jazz were slowly inching their way up the Power Rankings, but a rough loss to the Grizzlies stopped them in their tracks. It's likely just a blip on the radar, however, as the Utah offense is finally starting to click after a sluggish start. Donovan Mitchell has clearly benefited from his team's offseason additions, as his scoring average and 3-point percentage have increased while his turnovers have gone down. 1 0-0
9 Clippers Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers to a win over his former Raptors, but then they followed that up with back-to-back losses to the Rockets and Pelicans. The good news is that Paul George looked phenomenal in his first two games back from injury, including scoring 37 points in 20 minutes in a 49-point win over the Hawks on Saturday. Leonard missed Saturday's game, which was not part of a back-to-back set, so that could be cause for concern, but once he and George get on the court together we'll have a better idea of this team's true ceiling. 4 0-0
10 Raptors The Raptors' offense sputtered as they dropped two of three games to finish out their five-game road trip. The team looked understandably exhausted this week, and you have to wonder if the extreme minutes played by offensive focal points Pascal Siakam (37.1 per game this season) and Fred VanVleet (38.5) have already started to take a toll. 8 0-0
11 76ers The Cavs saved what would have been an awful week for the 76ers. Sandwiched between two wins over Cleveland were losses to the Magic and Thunder, despite the return of Ben Simmons. Philly still has offensive issues to figure out, and Tobias Harris' horrific 3-point slump (4-for-20 over his last four games) certainly hasn't helped. Joel Embiid has been the lone consistent offensive option recently. 1 0-0
12 Mavericks The Mavericks were swept by the Knicks this season, which isn't something any team wants to say. They also lost to the Celtics to start the week before beating the Raptors on Saturday. Their offense has been one of the best in the NBA so far, but they're having major defensive issues. Kristaps Porzingis has been in a slump, but he should get on track as he continues to get his legs under him after such a long absence. Luka Doncic has continued his offensive assault, but his 3-point percentage took a dip this week. 4 0-0
13 Pacers Indiana beat the Thunder (Domantas Sabonis revenge game?) before losing to the red-hot Rockets and Bucks to close out the week. Myles Turner had a strong return from an ankle injury on Saturday against the Bucks, notching 16 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks in 33 minutes. Sabonis, who had been on quite a hot streak, may need to get used to playing alongside Turner again -- he shot just 3 for 13 from the field in that Milwaukee game. Malcolm Brogdon missing time with a back issue is terrible news for the Pacers, who depend on his production. -- 0-0
14 Magic A 3-0 week came at the best possible time for the Magic, who had gotten off to a horrible start. They're finally putting some points on the board, a great sign for a team with one of the league's worst offensive ratings. Nikola Vucevic has been steady, and Evan Fournier caught fire this week, hitting nearly 60 percent of his 3-pointers over the three-game streak. Markelle Fultz scored a career-high 19 points in Sunday's win over the Wizards, including an emphatic steal and and-one dunk to seal the game late. 10 0-0
15 Timberwolves The Wolves split this week, but the two games they lost came without Andrew Wiggins, who is suddenly looking like the player everyone hoped he would be. In the Wolves' two wins this week, he averaged 31.5 points, seven rebounds and six assists on 7-of-12 3-point shooting. Minnesota is certainly hoping that the illness that's sidelined him for the last couple of games doesn't have any lingering effects once he returns. 1 0-0
16 Kings Sacramento beat the struggling Blazers, then suffered a narrow loss to the Lakers due to a controversial non-call on Harrison Barnes' potential game-tying attempt. The Kings rebounded nicely, however, to end the Celtics' 10-game winning streak after Marcus Smart's floater slowly rolled off the rim at the buzzer. Considering all three games were without De'Aaron Fox, that's quite an accomplishment. Bogdan Bogdanovic has flourished with the extra minutes and responsibility, averaging 18.3 points and 8.3 assists on 40 percent 3-point shooting over the last three games. After a rough start, the Kings appear to have some momentum. 4 0-0
17 Nets Brooklyn lost to the Jazz and Nuggets on the road, before picking up a win against the Bulls on Saturday. Caris LeVert's injury will certainly take a toll, and Kyrie Irving haters will point out that the team's only win this week came with Irving on the sidelines. We're not ready to buy into that quite yet (the Bulls allowed 43 points in the fourth quarter!), but Spencer Dinwiddie played well while running the show. 3 0-0
18 Thunder OKC was blown out by the Pacers, then turned around and picked up a huge home win over the 76ers. The Thunder's net rating is almost dead even, which is consistent with them playing pretty much like a .500 team so far. They have a solid core in Chris Paul, Danilo Gallinari, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Steven Adams, but they simply don't have the depth to win consistently right now. 1 0-0
19 Grizzlies The Grizzlies showed real signs of competence this week behind Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr., beating the Spurs, Hornets and Jazz before getting blown out by the Nuggets. Jackson managed to avoid foul trouble and played nearly 30 minutes per game this week, averaging 17.8 points on 13-of-25 3-point shooting in the process. The Grizzlies have some dynamic offensive players, but they'll need to shore up the defense if they're going to keep up their winning ways. 11 0-0
20 Hornets For a team that some picked to be the worst in the league, Charlotte has been quite a pleasant surprise. Devonte' Graham is looking like a legitimate piece for the future, while the Hornets have shown an ability to pick off the NBA's bottom dwellers to keep their record looking decent. They beat the Pistons and the Knicks this week on back-to-back game-winners, first by Malik Monk at the buzzer and then by Graham with a few seconds remaining. If nothing else, the Hornets have been fun to watch this season. 2 0-0
21 Trail Blazers Was it a coincidence that the Blazers won their first game after agreeing to sign Carmelo Anthony? Either way it was good to get in the "W" column for a change, and they'll hope to keep the momentum going with games against the Rockets, Pelicans, Bucks and Cavs coming up. If Melo fits, he'll add a much-needed scoring boost so maybe Damian Lillard doesn't have to play 39 minutes a game. If he doesn't, it could send the team into even more dire straits. Get your popcorn ready! 2 0-0
22 Pelicans The Pels have been hit by the injury bug, but managed to pick up a surprising win over the Clippers and a not-so-surprising win over the Warriors to close out the week. They've played the last four games without Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball, while JJ Redick, Josh Hart, Derrick Favors and Jahlil Okafor have also missed time recently. It's going to be hard for them to win consistently until they get all their horses healthy. 5 0-0
23 Spurs Yeesh. If there was any truth to those DeMar DeRozan trade rumors, they're probably heating up even more right about now. San Antonio lost to the Grizzlies at home to kick off the week, then followed that up with road defeats at the hands of the Timberwolves, Magic and struggling Trail Blazers. The Spurs are among the league's worst defensive teams, and that's the first thing they'll need to address if they're going to pull themselves out of this spiral. 8 0-0
24 Cavaliers The Cavs had the unfortunate task of playing the 76ers twice this week, with a bout with the Heat in between. Cleveland lost all three, stopping the momentum it built with a modest two-game winning streak to end last week. This year is all about development (Tristan Thompson resurgence notwithstanding), and Darius Garland and Collin Sexton have both shown interesting flashes so far this season. 6 0-0
25 Bulls The Bulls got their revenge on the Knicks, but that was the only bright spot in a 1-2 week. Coby White hit seven 3-pointers in the fourth quarter of the win over New York, outscoring the Knicks by himself, 23-17, in the final frame. Zach LaVine and Wendell Carter had good weeks scoring the ball, but the Chicago offense has yet to hit its stride as a unit. -- 0-0
26 Hawks Trae Young is doing his best to keep the Hawks in games, but his team is simply overmatched on most nights with John Collins out of the lineup. They started the week with an improbable win in Denver, but proceeded to lose the next three games by an average of 28.7 points (the 49-point loss to the Clippers didn't exactly help). Atlanta is playing fast, but that's a recipe for disaster if your defense is terrible. 5 0-0
27 Pistons Blake Griffin is back, but it hasn't yet translated to wins for the Pistons, who dropped all three games this week. Reggie Jackson and Derrick Rose have missed time as well, so perhaps once the Pistons get healthy they can start to play a little more consistently. As of now, however, the prospect of a return trip to the playoffs isn't looking great. 4 0-0
28 Wizards We'll say this for the Wizards: They can put the ball in the basket. They averaged over 130 points per game this week, but that only led to one win. Bradley Beal has been incredible, averaging over 40 points per game on 48 percent 3-point shooting in the last three games. When he's off the court, however, the Wizards have been predictably terrible. 2 0-0
29 Knicks This week the Knicks lost to the Bulls and Hornets, but beat the Dallas Mavericks. Never underestimate the power or a rabid fan base. The MSG crowed booed Kristaps Porzingis every time he touched the ball (and even sometimes when he was nowhere near it), as they pulled out the biggest win of the season -- not saying much, considering they only have three. Unfortunately for the Knicks, Kristaps won't be back at MSG until next season. -- 0-0
30 Warriors Golden State has lost seven games in a row and now owns the league's worst record and net rating. If that doesn't make you the worst team in the league, nothing does. Another injury to D'Angelo Russell will keep him out for the next two weeks or so, while Draymond Green continues to try to lead his inexperienced cast through the gauntlet of the Western Conference. It's going to be a long year for Warriors fans, but at least they have some good recent memories to keep them occupied. 2 0-0