New Year's resolutions are rarely followed through, but there are a few NBA teams that hope the promising start to 2024 carries all the way through the season. First and foremost are the New York Knicks, who vaulted into the top three of this week's NBA Power Rankings thanks in part to their new forward, OG Anunoby, who was acquired from the Toronto Raptors just over a week ago.
The Knicks' undefeated week has them just behind the powerhouse Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets -- in that order -- as Boston's missteps weren't enough to knock them off the pedestal ... yet.
Another team that's been at the top of the rankings for most of the season, the Milwaukee Bucks, suffered a precipitous fall this week thanks to three bad losses and a seemingly unhappy Giannis Antetokounmpo. They were the league's biggest fallers, dropping 11 spots to No. 14. On the positive side we have the Indiana Pacers, whose 13-spot rise is somewhat bittersweet due to the injury suffered by Tyrese Haliburton on Monday night.
Here's a look at the first set of NBA Power Rankings for 2024.
*Please keep in mind that our NBA Power Rankings are based on weekly performance (Tuesday to Monday), not the whole season.
Biggest Movers
13
Pacers
11
Bucks
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | The Celtics lost a showdown with the Thunder to start the week, then handily beat the Jazz and Pacers before losing to Indiana in Monday's rematch without Jayson Tatum. Jaylen Brown went for a season-high 40 points in Monday's loss, and averaged 25 for the week on 51% shooting. | -- | 19-5 |
| 2 |  | The Nuggets started the week with a miraculous comeback win at Golden State in which they erased an 18-point deficit in the final six minutes, capped by Nikola Jokic's 39-foot, game-winning 3-pointer. They followed that up with a two-point loss to the Magic the next night before handling the Pistons on Sunday. Jamal Murray led the team with 27 points per game despite subpar 3-point shooting. | 3 | 12-10 |
| 3 |  | The Knicks couldn't have asked for a better start to the OG Anunoby era, as they dispatched the Bulls, 76ers and Wizards this week with a ridiculous net rating of plus-21.8. Overall, the team's net rating is nine points better with Anunoby on the court compared to when he sits, a nod to his two-way ability. | 5 | 15-10 |
| 4 |  | OKC started off the week with an exciting statement win over the Celtics, but suffered consecutive losses to the Hawks and Nets in the aftermath. They rebounded to handle the Wizards on Monday to make it a 2-2 week. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put up 34 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game this week on 57% shooting. | 2 | 19-5 |
| 5 |  | A perfect week for the Mavs, who beat the Blazers twice and picked up a huge win over the Timberwolves on Sunday. Kyrie Irving is back to his old self, averaging 29 points, nine rebounds and five assists this week on 53/56/88 shooting splits. Luka Doncic continued his MVP bid, averaging 37.5 points on 47% 3-point shooting in the two games he played. | 4 | 16-9 |
| 6 |  | The Wolves lost to the Pelicans and Mavs this week, with a sound win over the Rockets in between. Offense was a problem in the losses, as they averaged just 107 points. Anthony Edwards led the way with 32 points, six rebounds and four assists per game on 50/50/87 splits. | 4 | 12-11 |
| 7 |  | The Clippers notched three quality wins this week -- two against the Suns and one against the Pelicans -- with their only loss coming by three points to the Lakers. The offense was on fire, putting up 125 points per 100 possessions in the four games, led by 26 points per game from Paul George. George, Kawhi Leonard and James Harden each shot over 45% from 3-point range this week. | 3 | 14-11 |
| 8 |  | The Heat took down the Lakers and Rockets this week, with a loss to the Suns in between. Miami continues to do it by committee without its leader Jimmy Butler, as six players averaged double figures for the week. Bam Adebayo led the way with 22 points, 10 rebounds and three assists per game. | 1 | 12-10 |
| 9 |  | The 76ers started off the week with a win over the Bulls before losing to the Knicks and Jazz -- the latter coming without Joel Embiid. Tyrese Maxey averaged 24 points and eight assists in the three games, but shot just 27% from the 3-point line. | 5 | 7-15 |
| 10 |  | A strong week for the Pelicans, who beat the Nets, Timberwolves and Kings, with a loss to the Clippers along the way. Six players averaged double-figures for the week, led by 21 points per game from CJ McCollum. | 6 | 5-20 |
| 11 |  | The Pacers went 3-1 this week, beating the Bucks and Hawks before splitting a back-to-back set with the Celtics. The jubilation is on hold, however, as we await word on the severity of Tyrese Haliburton's hamstring strain that he suffered against Boston on Monday. The prolific scoring attack was spread out this week, as usual, with eight Pacers averaging double digits. | 13 | 10-15 |
| 12 |  | Orlando started off the week with losses to the Warriors and Kings, but pulled out impressive wins over the Nuggets and Hawks over the weekend. Paolo Banchero has been a madman, averaging 34 points, nine rebounds and 6.5 assists this week on 50% 3-point shooting. | -- | 17-10 |
| 13 |  | The Kings bookended the week with two horrible home losses, starting with the Hornets on Tuesday, then a 33-point blowout by the Pelicans on Sunday. In between, however, they managed to beat the Magic and the Raptors. Domantas Sabonis, De'Aaron Fox, Keegan Murray and Malik Monk all averaged over 16 points per game for the week, but Sacramento allowed nearly 122 points per 100 possessions defensively. | 2 | 12-13 |
| 14 |  | Something is rotten in Milwaukee. Less than 48 hours after Giannis Antetokounmpo complained that the Bucks needed to be better in every facet of the game, they went out and allowed 132 points in a home loss to the Jazz on Monday. They've now lost four of five games, with their only win in that stretch a close one over the Spurs. Not great. | 11 | 13-11 |
| 15 |  | The Cavs had just about the friendliest schedule you could ask for this week, taking care of business against the Wizards twice before narrowly beating the Spurs on Sunday. Donovan Mitchell averaged 22 points and six assists for the week on 37% 3-point shooting, while Jarrett Allen was dominant with 19 points, 16 rebounds and four assists per game. | 1 | 21-4 |
| 16 |  | The Rockets beat the Nets and Bucks this week, while losing to the Timberwolves and Heat. Alperen Sengun led the way offensively with 23 points and nine rebounds per game, while Fred VanVleet added 18.5 points per game on 49% 3-point shooting. Overall, however, the Rockets only mustered 107 points per 100 possessions for the week. | 1 | 17-8 |
| 17 |  | Another impressive week for the Jazz, who beat the Pistons, 76ers and Bucks to make it eight wins in their last 10 games. Lauri Markkanen averaged 25.5 points and 10 rebounds for the week on 44% 3-point shooting, while Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson each put up over 19 points per game. | 3 | 5-18 |
| 18 |  | This was all set to be a positive blurb about the Grizzlies' 3-1 week, but that all changed when the team announced that Ja Morant will miss the remainder of the season due to shoulder surgery. Just a devastating blow for a Memphis squad that was finally finding its groove. Moving forward, the offense will once again be in the hands of Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr., who each averaged 23 points this week. | 4 | 17-8 |
| 19 |  | The swirling rumor mill may have been briefly quieted with the Lakers' win over the Clippers on Sunday, but there's no denying their poor play of late. Prior to Sunday's win, the Lakers had dropped four straight and nine of their previous 11 games, prompting LeBron James to say "we just suck right now." The struggling offense mustered just 104 points per 100 possessions in three games this week. | 2 | 13-11 |
| 20 |  | The Suns struggles continued this week, losing to the Grizzlies and the Clippers twice while beating the Heat. Phoenix allowed 124 points per possession, and the offense simply couldn't keep up. Kevin Durant averaged 26.5 points in the two games he played, while Devin Booker put up 25 per game for the week. On the plus side, lineups with Durant, Booker and Bradley Beal have a net rating of plus-eight in over 100 minutes this season. | 1 | 12-11 |
| 21 |  | The Raptors beat the Grizzlies and Warriors this week, with a loss to the Kings in between. Newcomers RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley have made a strong impression, combining to average 40 points and 12 assists this week on 46% 3-point shooting. | 4 | 7-18 |
| 22 |  | The record for the week says 2-2, but the vibes read much worse. Blowing an 18-point lead to the Nuggets, barely scraping past the three-win Pistons and getting throttled at home by the Raptors is one of the worst stretches of an already disappointing season for Golden State. Adding injury to insult is Chris Paul's expected two-month absence due to a broken hand. There's a lot to fix, and we'll see whether Draymond Green's return from suspension helps. | 9 | 14-10 |
| 23 |  | The Bulls lost to the 76ers and Knicks to start the week before beating the Hornets in consecutive games. Zach LaVine returned to the lineup for the two wins after missing more than a month, putting up 12 points and 4.5 assists in nearly 33 minutes per game. | 5 | 10-15 |
| 24 |  | The Hawks started the week with an impressive win over the Thunder, but followed that up with losses to the Pacers and Magic. Dejounte Murray averaged 25 points on 40% 3-point shooting, while Trae Young added 23 points per game, but shot just 17% from long distance. | 1 | 14-12 |
| 25 |  | The Blazers lost consecutive games to the Mavericks to start the week before outlasting the Nets in overtime on Sunday. Anfernee Simons shook off two rough shooting games to put up 38 points and 11 assists in Brooklyn on 13-for-25 shooting. | 2 | 8-16 |
| 26 |  | The Nets lost to the Pelicans, Rockets and Blazers this week, but picked up an impressive win over the Thunder on Friday. Mikal Bridges went off for 42 points on 15-for-26 shooting in the loss to Portland on Sunday. | 5 | 10-14 |
| 27 |  | Charlotte started off the week by snapping an 11-game losing streak in an impressive road win over the Kings, then dropped consecutive games to the Bulls. Terry Rozier led the way offensively, putting up 29 points and seven assists per game, while Miles Bridges added 26 points and six rebounds per game on 56/47/82 splits. | 1 | 7-17 |
| 28 |  | The Wizards lost four games to three good teams this week, with the offense finally waking up in a 128-point performance against the Thunder on Monday. The defense continues to be atrocious, as Washington allowed over 128 points per 100 possessions for the week. | 2 | 3-19 |
| 29 |  | The Spurs lost all three games this week, but the Victor Wembanyama-Giannis Antetokounmpo showdown was one of the most entertaining games of the season thus far. San Antonio's phenom averaged 24 points, nine rebounds and five blocks in the three losses. | -- | 12-12 |
| 30 |  | Detroit nearly picked up wins against the Jazz and Warriors to start the week but, alas, finished 0-3 after a loss to Denver on Sunday. Cade Cunningham and Bojan Bogdanovic each averaged 21 points for the week, while Alec Burks averaged 19 points in just 25 minutes per game. | -- | 10-15 |
