Whoever said "the more things change, the more they stay the same" clearly doesn't watch NBA basketball. The changes brought on by a frenzied period leading up to Thursday's trade deadline have drastically altered the league's landscape, with the Phoenix Suns catapulting to the top of the championship odds by acquiring two-time Finals MVP Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets.
We need to pump the brakes, however, when it comes to the Power Rankings, and try not to get suckered into assuming how teams are going to perform once their new players are in the fold. But, even looking at what teams have done on the court, trade deadline moves have already shown their effects.
The Dallas Mavericks, for instance, jumped five spots after a couple of wins following the acquisition of point guard Kyrie Irving. The Nets, by contrast, dropped seven spots after parting ways with both Irving and Durant.
The top position in the rankings remains unchanged, as Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks have rattled off 10 straight wins. They're facing pressure from both the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers, but ultimately the Bucks have just been too good.
In addition to the Nets, the Los Angeles Clippers were also this week's biggest fallers with a seven-spot drop after a couple of losses. The biggest riser was the Oklahoma City Thunder, who spoiled LeBron James' record-setting night in Los Angeles.
It will be fascinating to see how teams move up and down after these massive trades, but for now, here are this week's NBA Power Rankings.
*Please keep in mind that our NBA Power Rankings are based on weekly performance, not the whole season.
Biggest Movers
6
Thunder
7
Clippers
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | The Bucks' winning streak reached a nice, round number of 10 with convincing wins over the Blazers, Lakers and Clippers this week. On top of their stellar play of late, Milwaukee also secured its reported trade deadline target in Jae Crowder, who will presumably slot into the rotation as soon as his conditioning gets up to speed. Giannis Antetokounmpo is putting himself back into the MVP race (if he ever dropped out), with averages of 32.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 6.7 assists this week on 58 percent shooting. | -- | 38-28 |
| 2 |  | Boston powered its way to four wins this week, including over the 76ers and Grizzlies, three of which came without Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart. Normally that would be enough to put them in the top spot, but that's how good the Bucks have been recently. Derrick White has been feasting with Brown and Smart out of the lineup, putting up at least 19 points in each game this week, including an outburst against the Hornets in which he tallied career highs in points (33) and 3-pointers (eight). | 1 | 49-19 |
| 3 |  | The Cavs capped off a week of smashing opponents by erasing a 13-point second-half deficit to beat the Bulls on Saturday. The defense was absolutely out of control in a 4-0 week, allowing just 98.9 points per 100 possessions. | 3 | 56-10 |
| 4 |  | The 76ers lost a showdown with the Celtics to start the week, but bounced back by beating the Knicks and the Nets, though the latter came within milliseconds of being sent to overtime. Joel Embiid was even more efficient than usual, putting up 33.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game on 65 percent shooting, while new addition Jalen McDaniels made his debut in the win over Brooklyn, logging five points and four rebounds in 15 minutes. | -- | 22-44 |
| 5 |  | Not the best week for the Nuggets on or off the floor, as they dropped a winnable game to the Magic and also saw the Western Conference add Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to their potential path to the Finals. Jamal Murray missed all three games this week, four straight overall, due to an issue with his right knee (not the one he had ACL surgery on, thankfully). | 3 | 43-25 |
| 6 |  | The Kings had consecutive Texas two-steps this week, going 3-1 in doubleheaders against the Rockets and Mavs. Saturday's win was one of the more entertaining games of the season, as they spoiled the debut of the Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving backcourt. | 3 | 33-33 |
| 7 |  | The Grizz got back on the winning track against the Bulls and Wolves to start the week, but lost in Boston on Sunday. Ja Morant was his normal maniacal self, averaging 30.3 points, 7.7 assists and seven rebounds in the three games on 41 percent 3-point shooting. Trade deadline acquisition Luke Kennard got some run in his first game with the team, putting up four points and two rebounds in 21 minutes. | 4 | 43-25 |
| 8 |  | What happened? I must have blacked out for a second. The Suns beat the Nets on Tuesday, and then acquired their best player on Wednesday, officially kicking off the Kevin Durant era in Phoenix. They went from middle-of-the-pack to Western Conference favorites literally overnight, and it comes as Devin Booker is just starting to get back into shape, putting up 20 points and 5.5 assists in 26 minutes per game this week. | -- | 31-36 |
| 9 |  | The Knicks beat the Magic and Jazz this week, with a loss to the 76ers in between. Jalen Brunson is on a tear, averaging 31 points and 6.3 assists for the week on 59/47/88 shooting splits, while new acquisition Josh Hart played 25 minutes in his debut on Saturday, filling the stat sheet with 11 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals. | 1 | 42-24 |
| 10 |  | The Heat went 3-0 this week, but it certainly wasn't easy with hard-fought wins over the Pacers, Rockets and Magic. Miami was conspicuously quiet at the trade deadline, with the expectation that it will be active in the buyout market. Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler each averaged over 20 points per game for the week. | 2 | 29-38 |
| 11 |  | The Kyrie Irving era in Dallas got off to a rousing success, with wins over the Clippers and Kings in Irving's first two games. Ironically, the first game they lost was when Luka Doncic returned to the lineup on Saturday, as the offense looked great but the defense couldn't get enough stops -- perhaps a preview of the near future with this roster construction. | 5 | 33-35 |
| 12 |  | After building some momentum, the Clippers lost to the Mavericks without Luka Doncic in Kyrie Irving's first game with the team, then saw Giannis Antetokounmpo run all over them for the second time in nine days in a loss to the Bucks. The Clippers revamped their supporting cast at the deadline by adding Bones Hyland, Eric Gordon and Mason Plumlee, with perhaps more buyout moves on the way *cough cough* Russell Westbrook. | 7 | 37-30 |
| 13 |  | Atlanta lost to the Pelicans to start the week, but then took down the Suns and Spurs. It looks like their acquisition of Saddiq Bey will go through, adding some wing depth and 3-point shooting. Trae Young averaged 25.3 points and an absurd 15 assists per game this week on 43 percent 3-point shooting. | 2 | 32-35 |
| 14 |  | From Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to Mikal Bridges and Cam Thomas, what a whirlwind week for the Nets, whose roster is basically unrecognizable from eight days ago. Thomas took the lead offensively by putting up three straight 40-point games while he awaited reinforcements, and the new team is a swarm of length and athleticism that nearly pulled off an upset over the 76ers in their first game together. Who knows where Brooklyn goes from here, but the rest of the season should be fun. | 7 | 22-45 |
| 15 |  | All three of the Wolves' games this week were blowouts, but unfortunately they were on the losing side of two of them. They did show some diversity by allowing 146 points to the Nuggets on Tuesday and then coming back the very next night to score 143 points against the Jazz. Can't imagine that's happened too often. Minnesota cut bait on D'Angelo Russell and brought in veteran Mike Conley to potentially add some stability and defensive activity. | 2 | 39-29 |
| 16 |  | The Pelicans only had two games this week, a win over the Hawks and a loss to the Cavs, while they made a minor addition by bringing in Josh Richardson before the deadline. In alarming news, Zion Williamson's return date from a hamstring injury has been pushed back significantly after a setback in his rehab. He's expected to be out at least through February, according to reports. | 1 | 18-50 |
| 17 |  | What an up-and-down week for Golden State -- both on and off the court. It looks like their trade for Gary Payton II will finally go through, though it's unclear if, or how much, he'll play for them this season. In their first game since Steph Curry's latest injury, the Warriors dominated the Thunder, but then couldn't hold onto late leads in losses to the Blazers and Lakers. It was a fitting sequence of events for a team that's been unable to gain forward traction all season long. | 3 | 39-28 |
| 18 |  | OKC suffered a bad blowout loss to the Warriors without Steph Curry, but shook that off to spoil LeBron's record-setting night before taking over down the stretch in a gutty win in Portland. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tied a career high with 44 points against the Blazers on 13-for-16 shooting. Sheesh. | 6 | 55-12 |
| 19 |  | Utah expectedly sold off some of its veteran pieces at the deadline, which opened up more opportunity for the likes of Collin Sexton and Talen Horton-Tucker. It will also likely lead to more losses, however, as the Jazz went 1-3 this week with a ghastly 127.3 defensive rating. | 1 | 15-52 |
| 20 |  | After all the rumors, the Raptors ended up being buyers at the deadline, holding onto their key pieces while adding a familiar face in center Jakob Poeltl. On the court, they went 2-1 with wins over the Spurs and Pistons and a loss to the Jazz. | 1 | 24-43 |
| 21 |  | The Wizards lost to the Cavs to start the week, but followed that up with wins over the Hornets and Pacers. With Kyle Kuzma out, Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis have expectedly carried the offensive load, with each averaging 24 points this week. Washington is 7-3 in its last 10 games. | 5 | 15-51 |
| 22 |  | The Bulls beat the Spurs to start the week, but then were defeated by three teams that aren't actively trying to lose. Chicago largely stood pat at the trade deadline, raising questions about the direction of the franchise. On the floor, the offense struggled mightily, producing just 101.2 points per 100 possessions this week. | 4 | 28-39 |
| 23 |  | The Blazers avoided an 0-3 week with a comeback win over the Warriors on Wednesday, while the front office decided to part ways with Josh Hart and take a chance on Cam Reddish. That doesn't do anything to improve the defense, which allowed 128 points per 100 possessions in the three games this week. | 4 | 28-39 |
| 24 |  | Eventful week in Lakerland, as LeBron James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's NBA scoring record on a memorable night in Los Angeles. That was followed by an active trade deadline which brought in pieces that showed their worth in a win over the Warriors without James on Saturday. That was preceded, however, by a three-game losing streak, so the Lakers still have a lot of work to do to get into contention. | 2 | 40-25 |
| 25 |  | Orlando lost to the Knicks and Heat this week, but picked up a solid win over the Nuggets in between. The Magic had six players average double-figure scoring for the week, led by 15.3 per game from both Markelle Fultz and Wendell Carter Jr. | 2 | 31-37 |
| 26 |  | Tyrese Haliburton's return hasn't gotten Indiana back on the winning path, with defeats this week at the hands of the Heat, Suns and Wizards making it seven losses in their last eight games. The good news is Buddy Hield has been shooting the lights out, hitting 42 percent of his 11 3-point attempts per game this week. | 1 | 37-29 |
| 27 |  | The Pistons beat the depleted Spurs in overtime this week, but that's all they have to show for in the win column. The front office parted ways with wing Saddiq Bey to take a chance on lefty big man and former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman -- a near-identical move to when they bought low on Marvin Bagley III. The Pistons once again have a logjam at center, but they're clearly taking big swings. | 1 | 37-31 |
| 28 |  | The Rockets suffered one of the more egregious losses you'll ever see, as a foul was called on Eric Gordon (now a Clipper ... did that get him traded?) as Kings guard De'Aaron Fox attempted a desperation 3-pointer as time expired. The replay showed minimal contact, but Houston had already used its challenge. They've now dropped five straight, but that's obviously not a bad thing with Victor Wembanyama as a potential prize. | 1 | 43-25 |
| 29 |  | Three more losses for the Hornets this week, bringing their overall skid to seven games. They elected to hold onto most of their veterans (Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward, Kelly Oubre) at the deadline, but traded one of their younger players on the rise in Jalen McDaniels. Go figure. We'll see how that plays out for the rest of the season and beyond. | -- | 17-49 |
| 30 |  | Hey, the Spurs almost won a game this week, losing to the Pistons in overtime, but the losing streak now sits at 12. In good news, Devonte' Graham set a franchise record for points in a Spurs debut with 31 off the bench in the loss to Detroit. | -- | 28-38 |
