NBA Power Rankings: Lakers ride In-Season Tournament title to top spot, 76ers make huge jump, Knicks tumble
The Lakers have some extra hardware to take home this week along with their No. 1 ranking
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1 min read
An unprecedented event requires and unprecedented set of NBA Power Rankings, so it's time to throw one more accolade on the Los Angeles Lakers, who took home the first-ever In-Season Tournament championship on Saturday. The title win over the Indiana Pacers technically doesn't count toward the standings, but it certainly made an impact on this week's rankings.
The Lakers jump all the way to the No. 1 spot this week thanks to three impressive wins that resulted in the team hoisting a trophy and, eventually, raising a banner. They may not be the best team in the league, but nobody had a better week than Tournament MVP LeBron James and the Lakers, and that's what the Power Rankings are all about.
The Philadelphia 76ers also had a strong week, going undefeated to move up nine spots into the top three. Further down, the Houston Rockets vaulted into the top 10 after finally winning a road game during an impressive stretch behind an utterly stingy defense.
On the other side, we have the Knicks, who fell 10 spots by going 1-2, during which they gave up an obscene 136.3 points per 100 possessions. If you're not too familiar with analytics, the worst team in the league this season is allowing just over 121. So, yeah, that's real bad.
With the In-Season Tournament in the rearview mirror and the Christmas Day showcase rapidly approaching, here are this week's NBA Power Rankings.
*Please keep in mind that our NBA Power Rankings are based on weekly performance (Tuesday to Monday), not the whole season.
Biggest Movers
12
Lakers
10
Knicks
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | The champs are here! Well, sort of. The Lakers completed a clean sweep to take home the league's inaugural In-Season Tournament championship, finishing things off with impressive wins over the Suns, Pelicans and Pacers. Anthony Davis went full beastmode in the title game, putting up 41 points, 20 rebounds and four blocks on 16-for-24 shooting. But the MVP award went to ageless wonder LeBron James, who averaged 30.5 points, 9.5 assists and 6.5 rebounds in the quarter and semifinal wins. | 12 | 50-32 |
| 2 |  | Due to their In-Season Tournament quarterfinal loss to the Pacers, the Celtics have only played one game since last Monday, a 10-point win over the Knicks. Derrick White led the way with 30 points, while Kristaps Porzingis made his return to the lineup following a four-game absence due to a calf injury, putting up 21 points in 29 minutes in the win. | -- | 61-21 |
| 3 |  | The 76ers picked up three straight wins this week -- two over the Wizards and one against the Hawks. Joel Embiid dropped 50 points in the first Washington game, and probably would have done it again on Monday, if they didn't win by 45 points. Tyrese Maxey averaged 27 points and seven assists in the three games on 51/48/90 shooting splits. | 9 | 24-58 |
| 4 |  | The Wolves beat the lowly Spurs and Grizzlies to start the week, then had no answer for Zion Williamson in a loss to the Pelicans on Monday that snapped their six-game winning streak. Anthony Edwards re-aggravated his hip injury, leaving the Memphis game early and then missing the loss in New Orleans. In his absence, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mike Conley each averaged 18 points per game for the week, while Rudy Gobert put up 13 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks per game. | 3 | 49-33 |
| 5 |  | OKC started off the week with a loss to the Rockets, then came back from 14 down to beat the Warriors as Chet Holmgren found a new way to force overtime in the final seconds, drawing a three-shot foul from Draymond Green. After that, they easily dispatched of the Jazz on Monday, leading by as many as 38 points. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 34 points, six assists and five steals (!) per game this week on 62% shooting. Goodness. | 2 | 68-14 |
| 6 |  | The Kings only had two games this week, beating the Suns on the road on Friday night and then putting up 131 points in a home victory over Brooklyn on Monday. De'Aaron Fox had a great couple of games, averaging 31.5 points and 7.5 assists on 9-for-17 3-point shooting. Against the Nets, Keegan Murray had his best game since returning from a back issue, scoring 24 points and going 4-of-4 from beyond the arc. | 1 | 40-42 |
| 7 |  | Orlando split with the Cavs this week, with an extremely comfortable win over the Pistons in between. Paolo Banchero scored a career-high 42 points on 16-for-26 shooting in the loss to Cleveland, while Franz Wagner put up 20 points, five rebounds and five assists per game for the week. | 3 | 41-41 |
| 8 |  | If one of the goals of the In-Season Tournament was to shed some spotlight on teams that might not otherwise receive it, the Pacers are the league's success story. Tyrese Haliburton is officially a superstar after leading Indiana to wins over the Celtics and Bucks in the knockout rounds, before losing to the Lakers in the final. The Pacers followed that up with another high-scoring win over the Pistons on Monday to keep the train rolling. | 3 | 50-32 |
| 9 |  | After a dominant win over the Knicks in the In-Season Tournament quarterfinal, the Bucks were run off the floor by the Pacers in the semis, prompting Bobby Portis to reportedly criticize the direction of the team. It didn't necessarily take effect, as Milwaukee narrowly escaped with an overtime victory on Monday, giving up 129 points to the Bulls. Giannis Antetokounmpo feasted to the tune of 35 points, 10 rebounds and six assists per game this week, shooting 68.5% (!) from the field. | 3 | 48-34 |
| 10 |  | Hey, the Rockets won a road game -- and in Denver of all places. That was one of three wins this week, as the defense has been absolutely suffocating, allowing just 98 points per 100 possessions. Alperen Sengun, Fred VanVleet, Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks all averaged 14 or more points this week in a spread offensive attack. | 12 | 52-30 |
| 11 |  | Losses to the Clippers and Rockets to start the week brought the Nuggets' losing streak to three, but they promptly put an end to that with an impressive win in Atlanta on Monday. Jamal Murray is getting his legs back underneath him, averaging 24 points, five rebounds and four assists this week on 56/50/100 shooting splits. Nikola Jokic went through an uncharacteristic shooting slump, going 18-for-58 from the field in the two losses this week. He snapped out of it against the Hawks, however, putting up 25 points on an efficient 9-for-13 shooting night. | 6 | 50-32 |
| 12 |  | The Mavs swept a trio of Western Conference bottom-dwellers this week, taking down the Jazz, Blazers and Grizzlies. Luka Doncic is simply on another planet, averaging 36 points, nine assists and eight rebounds this week on 39% 3-point shooting. Kyrie Irving exited the Portland win early after teammate Dwight Powell landed on his foot, causing him to miss the Memphis game as well. That allowed Dante Exum to step up, as the veteran guard averaged 19.5 points and 6.5 assists in the two games following. | 6 | 39-43 |
| 13 |  | What a roller coaster ride for the Pelicans this week. First, they get absolutely annihilated in the In-Season Tournament semifinal against the Lakers, then a report comes out alleging that Zion Williamson refuses to get in shape. What does he do the next game? Goes off for a season-high 36 points in a dominant win over the best team in the Western Conference. Williamson scored all of his points in the paint or at the free throw line in an absolutely dominant performance against the Timberwolves on Monday. | 3 | 21-61 |
| 14 |  | After wins over the Nuggets, Jazz and Blazers this week, that's now five victories in six games for the Clippers. Kawhi Leonard has taken on the alpha role, averaging 31 points this week on 57/53/100 shooting splits. James Harden has settled in as the facilitator, leading the team with nine assists per game this week. Since Russell Westbrook's move to the bench, the Clippers' starting lineup of Leonard, Harden, Paul George, Terance Mann and Ivica Zubac has a plus-12 net rating in almost 200 minutes played. | 2 | 50-32 |
| 15 |  | The Cavs split a home-and-home with the Magic this week, with a win over the Heat in between. Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland combined to average 55 points and 12 assists over the three games, but the story was the defense, which allowed just 106 points per 100 possessions. | 1 | 64-18 |
| 16 |  | The Suns started off the week by being booted from the In-Season Tournament by the Lakers in controversial fashion, as LeBron James' timeout call was granted when Austin Reaves didn't have control of the ball. Phoenix followed that up with a loss against the Kings, with Kevin Durant sitting out due to an ankle injury. Devin Booker averaged 24.5 points in the two games on 53% shooting. | 8 | 36-46 |
| 17 |  | The Nets started off the week on a high note, as Mikal Bridges' fadeaway jumper with five seconds left proved to be the game-winner against the Hawks on Wednesday. They followed that up with a blowout win over the Wizards before losing in Sacramento on Monday. Bridges averaged 25 points, five rebounds and five assists for the week on absurd 57/67/100 shooting splits. | 2 | 26-56 |
| 18 |  | The Heat beat the Raptors and Hornets this week, with a loss to the Cavs in between -- all without the services of Bam Adebayo, who continues to nurse a hip injury. Caleb Martin has been excellent as of late, averaging 20 points and nine rebounds per game for the week on 42% 3-point shooting. Kevin Love and Orlando Robinson have done well in making up for Adebayo's absence, combining to put up 23 points, 16 rebounds and six assists per game this week. | 1 | 37-45 |
| 19 |  | The Knicks got the short end of the In-Season Tournament stick, losing to the Bucks in the quarterfinal and then being matched up with the Celtics on Friday. After falling to Boston, the Knicks bounced back to beat the Raptors on Monday. The brutal news is that Mitchell Robinson will miss at least two months with an ankle issue, but Isaiah Hartenstein appeared up to the task against Toronto, notching 11 points, eight rebounds, two steals and a block in 27 minutes. | 10 | 51-31 |
| 20 |  | The Warriors started off the week with an unconvincing win over the short-handed Blazers before losing yet another double-digit lead in an overtime debacle in OKC. Unlike the last time these two teams met in a nearly identical scenario, Draymond Green intentionally fouled Chet Holmgren late with Golden State up three points. Unfortunately for Green, Holmgren was ruled in the act of shooting and made all three free throws, sending the game to OT, where the Thunder won handily. The big story of the loss was the 28 turnovers the Warriors committed, the most of any NBA team this season. | -- | 48-34 |
| 21 |  | Hats off to the Bulls, who looked absolutely dead in the water a couple weeks ago. They took care of the Hornets and Spurs to start the week, then nearly came back to beat the Bucks before losing in overtime in Milwaukee on Monday. Noticeably absent from the improved play recently is Zach LaVine, who is out with a foot injury. Make of that what you will. DeMar DeRozan and Coby White have taken on lead scorer/playmaker roles, combining to average over 55 points and 13 assists this week. | 4 | 39-43 |
| 22 |  | The Hawks' struggles continued with losses to the Nets, 76ers and Nuggets. The defense is a consistent issue with this team, but at least Bogdan Bogdanovic has caught fire offensively, averaging nearly 27 points for the week on 51/46/100 shooting splits. Saddiq Bey has picked up some of the slack from Jalen Johnson's absence, putting up 18 points and six rebounds per over the week. | 1 | 40-42 |
| 23 |  | The Hornets lost to the Bulls to start the week, then got a nice win over the Raptors before nearly pulling off a late comeback against Miami on Monday. Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward and Miles Bridges took the lead offensively as LaMelo Ball continues to miss time, combining for nearly 70 points per game. Rookie Brandon Miller averaged 16 points, five rebounds and three assists for the week on 48% 3-point shooting. | 3 | 19-63 |
| 24 |  | The Grizzlies were able to pick up a win this week, beating the Pistons on Wednesday, before losses to the Wolves and Mavs. Desmond Bane averaged 31 points for the week on 48% 3-point shooting, while Jaren Jackson Jr. scored a season-high 41 points on 6-for-10 3-point shooting in Monday's loss to Dallas. | 1 | 48-34 |
| 25 |  | It was not a good week for the Raptors, who dropped games to the Heat, Hornets and Knicks to make it four straight losses overall. Pascal Siakam led the way offensively, averaging 25 points and five assists for the week on 65% shooting. Scottie Barnes added 21 points, nine rebounds and seven assists per game on 38% 3-point shooting. | 4 | 30-52 |
| 26 |  | The Blazers lost all three games this week, but that doesn't tell the whole story as they battled valiantly without key players like Jerami Grant, Deandre Ayton and Malcolm Brogdon. Luckily for Portland, Anfernee Simons is back in the lineup, and he hasn't missed a beat. The explosive guard averaged 32 points this week on 44% 3-point shooting. Shaedon Sharpe wasn't bad himself, putting up 26 points, six rebounds and five assists on 46% shooting from behind the arc. | 2 | 36-46 |
| 27 |  | The Spurs' offense has bordered on anemic, averaging just 97 points per 100 possessions this week in losses to the Wolves, Bulls and Rockets. Victor Wembanyama had the first 20-20 game of his career against Chicago, but he struggled shooting the ball over the three games, making just 40% from the field and going 1-for-12 from 3-point range. | 1 | 34-48 |
| 28 |  | The Jazz started the week by losing by 50 (!) points to the Mavs, and things didn't get much better. They trailed by as many as 18 in a loss to the Clippers, then fell behind by 38 in Monday's loss to the Thunder. Injuries have hurt, but there's no reason it should be THIS bad. The 50-point loss led head coach Will Hardy to call the performance "a masterpiece of dogs--t." It's an apt assessment for the entire week for the Jazz. | 1 | 17-65 |
| 29 |  | The Wizards were surprisingly competitive in a loss to the 76ers on Wednesday, then were nowhere near competitive in the ensuing loss to the Nets and one more against Philly on Monday. The Wizards scored just 102 points per 100 possessions for the week, led by Kyle Kuzma's 18 per game. Let's not talk about the defense. | -- | 18-64 |
| 30 |  | I guess we can start judging the Pistons on how well they play in losses, since it seems like that elusive win may never come. After getting blown out by the Grizzlies and Magic, Detroit competed hard against the Pacers on Monday, but, ultimately, ran out of gas. Cade Cunningham led the team with 20 points per game for the week, while Bojan Bogdanovic added 16 per game on 40% 3-point shooting. That's 20 in a row, unfortunately. | -- | 44-38 |
