Ladies and gentlemen, your top-ranked New York Knicks. It's been a long time coming, as they've been utterly dominant since adding OG Anunoby just before the new year. Despite an injury to Julius Randle, New York won all four of its games this week -- including a 38-point statement win over the defending champion Denver Nuggets -- to make a huge jump and seize the No. 1 spot in this week's NBA Power Rankings.
The Knicks narrowly edged the L.A. Clippers, who have been just as hot but suffered a road loss on Monday to a strong Cleveland Cavaliers squad. The Clippers' big win this week came against the Boston Celtics, who land just behind them in the No. 3 spot.
A new No. 1 means the previous top dog has fallen, and this week the drop was steep for the Philadelphia 76ers. They lost all three of their games, the last two without Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, to wind up all the way down at No. 12. Call it a Power Rankings Curse if you must, but it was not a good week for the 76ers.
As we try not to curse any other teams, here are this week's NBA Power Rankings.
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*Please keep in mind that our NBA Power Rankings are based on weekly performance (Tuesday to Monday), not the whole season.
Biggest Movers
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| Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | 50-32 | |
The Knicks picked up four more wins this week, somewhat easing the blow of Julius Randle's shoulder injury that is expected to sideline him for multiple weeks. The Knicks aren't just winning -- they're absolutely destroying everyone, with a net rating of plus-21 points per 100 possessions this week. Jalen Brunson wasn't named an All-Star starter, but continued to dominate with 29 points and six assists per game this week on 55% shooting. The winning streak is now seven games in a row.
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| 2 | 3 | 51-31 | |
The Clippers were well on their way to the No. 1 spot after three straight wins to start the week -- including a statement victory over the Celtics on Saturday. Monday's loss to the Cavs knocks them down a peg, but they're still riding high in Clipperland these days. Kawhi Leonard averaged 24 points, eight rebounds and 4.5 assists in the four games, one of seven Clippers to put up at least nine points per game this week.
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| 3 | 1 | 64-18 | |
The Celtics beat the Heat and Pelicans this week, but were stomped by the Clippers at home on Saturday. Jayson Tatum averaged 25 points, 10 rebounds and four assists for the week, while Jaylen Brown added 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists per game.
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| 4 | 1 | 57-25 | |
The Nuggets beat the Pacers, 76ers (with a noticeably absence Joel Embiid) and Bucks this week, but also suffered an embarrassing 38-point loss to the Knicks on national TV. Nikola Jokic likely doesn't care much about the loss though, as he averaged 28 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists for the week on 56% shooting.
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| 5 | 3 | 56-26 | |
After beating the Wizards and Nets to start the week, the Wolves got sloppy in a loss to the Spurs on Saturday. They bounced back, however, for an impressive road win over the Thunder on Monday. Anthony Edwards took the reins of the offense, averaging 30 points and six assists on 50% 3-point shooting for the week.
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| 6 | 1 | 48-34 | |
Still shorthanded, the Cavs split with the Bucks to start the week before taking down the red-hot Clippers on Monday. Evan Mobley made his long-awaited return in the win over L.A., putting up 10 points and nine rebounds in 21 minutes. Donovan Mitchell averaged 28 points, nine assists and six rebounds in the three games, with Darius Garland expected to rejoin the lineup any day now.
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| 7 | 3 | 49-33 | |
The Bucks went 2-2 this week, but of course the big news is that Adrian Griffin is out as head coach, with Doc Rivers making his debut in Monday's loss to the Nuggets. Giannis Antetokounmpo averaged 29 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists for the week, while Damian Lillard added 24 points and five assists per game.
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| 8 | 2 | 57-25 | |
OKC started off a five-game week strong, beating the Blazers, Spurs and Pelicans before running out of gas in a shockingly lopsided defeat at the hands of the Pistons and a schedule loss to the Wolves the very next night. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 33 points, seven assists and six rebounds for the week on 53/47/88 splits.
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| 9 | 5 | 46-36 | |
A solid 3-0 week for the Kings, with wins over the Warriors, Mavericks and Grizzlies. De'Aaron Fox led the team with nearly 29 points per game, while Domantas Sabonis put up 18 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists per game for the week.
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| 10 | 3 | 47-35 | |
The Pacers successfully navigated another week without Tyrese Haliburton, beating the 76ers, Suns and Grizzlies with their only loss coming to the Nuggets. Newcomer Pascal Siakam has stepped right into the lead role in Haliburton's absence, averaging 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists this week on 59% shooting.
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| 11 | 1 | 49-33 | |
The Suns beat the Mavericks and the Heat this week, with losses to the Pacers and Magic. No stranger to high-scoring games, Devin Booker got in on the fun by dropping 62 in the loss to Indiana. He averaged 43.5 points, six rebounds and four assists this week on bonkers 60/44/83 shooting splits.
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| 12 | 11 | 47-35 | |
Disappointment surrounded the 76ers' week as it began with a loss to the Pacers, then Joel Embiid was unable to suit up for a rematch with MVP rival Nikola Jokic in Saturday's loss to the Nuggets. Embiid also missed Philly's 26-point loss to the Blazers on Monday, as Tyrese Maxey missed the latter two defeats as well. Kelly Oubre Jr. was the last scorer standing, averaging 18 points in the three games.
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| 13 | 2 | 50-32 | |
Luka Doncic took his early career exploits to the next level of insanity this week, putting up 73 points on 25-for-33 shooting in a win over the Hawks. Simply breathtaking. Overall, the Mavs went 2-2 without Kyrie Irving in the four games, while Doncic put up befuddling averages of 45 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds on 54/39/82 shooting splits.
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| 14 | 3 | 49-33 | |
After starting the week with a win over the Jazz, the Pelicans ran into three stout opponents in losses to the Thunder, Bucks and Celtics. Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram each averaged over 20 points for the week, while CJ McCollum added 17 points per game on 45% 3-point shooting.
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| 15 | 3 | 47-35 | |
The Lakers went 2-2 this week, but won one of the most entertaining games of the season in double-overtime against the Warriors in a Saturday national TV showcase. LeBron James was simply phenomenal in the win over Golden State, putting up 36 points and 12 assists to go along with a career-high 20 rebounds (at 39 years old). He also made the game winning free throws after drawing a foul on the final possession. Like a fine wine.
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| 16 | 1 | 47-35 | |
The Magic lost to a couple of shorthanded teams in the Grizzlies and Mavs this week, but mixed in a solid win over the Suns on Sunday. Paolo Banchero averaged just under 30 points for the week to go along with seven assists and six rebounds per game.
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| 17 | 1 | 31-51 | |
The Jazz beat the Wizards and Hornets this week, but the defense was non-existent in losses to the Pelicans and Nets, allowing a combined 300 points(!) in the two games. Lauri Markkanen set the pace offensively with 21.5 points per game for the week on 46% 3-point shooting.
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| 18 | 3 | 41-41 | |
The Rockets picked up blowout wins over the Hornets and Lakers this week, but also lost to the struggling Blazers and Nets. Jalen Green is on fire, averaging just under 30 points and eight rebounds in the four games on 51% shooting. Alperen Sengun added 22 points, 10 rebounds and six assists per game.
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| 19 | -- | 39-43 | |
The Bulls split their two games this week, losing to the Lakers before beating the Blazers. DeMar DeRozan led the way with 26 points and eight assists per game on blazing 64% shooting.
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| 20 | 4 | 46-36 | |
It's hard to hit the panic button when it comes to the Heat, but they lost four more games this week and none was particularly close. That brings the overall losing streak to seven games as the normally dependable defense allowed over 127 points per 100 possessions this week.
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| 21 | 1 | 46-36 | |
The Warriors picked up an emotional win over the Hawks in their first game since the death of assistant coach Dejan Milojevic. That was followed by consecutive last-second losses to the Kings and Lakers, adding to the list of tough defeats for Golden State this season. On a positive note, the Warriors were plus-64 in Draymond Green's minutes over the three games.
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| 22 | 2 | 36-46 | |
The Hawks lost to the Warriors and Mavericks this week, with a win over the Raptors to close things out on Sunday. The defense continues to be abysmal with the trade deadline on the horizon, allowing over 131 points per 100 possessions in the three games.
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| 23 | 2 | 32-50 | |
The Nets started the week with losses to the Knicks and Wolves, but bounced back to beat the Rockets and absolutely stomp the Jazz on Monday. Mikal Bridges and Cam Thomas combined to average over 52 points per game for the week, with each shooting over 40% from 3-point range. Ben Simmons played his first game since early November in Monday's win over the Jazz, putting up 10 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds in 18 minutes.
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| 24 | 2 | 27-55 | |
The shorthanded Grizzlies defied common logic with wins over the Heat and Magic to start the week, but ran out of gas in losses to the Pacers and Kings. It's been a full team effort from Memphis with seven players averaging double-figure scoring this week, led by 23 points per game from Jaren Jackson Jr.
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| 25 | 1 | 21-61 | |
The Blazers went 2-3 in a rare five-game week, beating the Rockets and the Joel Embiid-less 76ers with losses to the Thunder, Bulls and Spurs. Anfernee Simons led the way offensively with 23 points and seven assists per game on 49/38/93 shooting splits.
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| 26 | 4 | 15-67 | |
The Wizards lost to the Wolves and Jazz this week, but bounced back to beat two of the NBA's other cellar dwellers in the Pistons and Spurs. Kyle Kuzma averaged 23 points, nine rebounds and 5.5 assists in the four games, but he shot just 21% from 3-point range.
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| 27 | 1 | 22-60 | |
San Antonio picked up two wins this week, beating the Blazers and notching a surprise victory over the Timberwolves. They also lost to the Thunder and Wizards, as Victor Wembanyama put up 23 points, 11 rebounds, 4.5 assists and three blocks in fewer than 30 minutes per game.
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| 28 | 1 | 14-68 | |
The Pistons picked up one-third of their season win total this week, beating the Hornets and the Thunder -- the latter being arguably the most surprising result of the NBA season. Their loss came to the Wizards in Cade Cunningham's return, but nobody in Detroit is thinking about that right now. Bojan Bogdanovic averaged 27 points for the week on 40% shooting, while Jalen Duren was a monster with 15 points and 16 rebounds per game.
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| 29 | 2 | 25-57 | |
Only two games this week for the Raptors, who were blown out by the Clippers and beaten on a last-second tip dunk by Atlanta's Saddiq Bey. Scottie Barnes averaged 23.5 points, six assists and 4.5 rebounds in the two games.
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| 30 | 7 | 21-61 | |
The Hornets lost all four games this week, the last two without LaMelo Ball. Miles Bridges and P.J. Washington have picked up the scoring slack, each averaging 21 points per game for the week.
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