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NBA Power Rankings (Week 14)
With another week beneath our belts we have quite a bit of movement in our power rankings and a shake-up near the top. Maybe even more exciting we’ve got a shake-up at the bottom with two of the worst teams in the NBA having won four of their last five games. Who do you need to keep an eye on because they’re no longer horrendous and who’s falling? Did OKC’s blowout win against Cleveland gain them the top spot? Keep reading to find out.
30. Washington Wizards (6-36)
Last Week: 29
A return to the bottom for the Wizards. They opened up the new year with a surprising win over the Bulls and they’ve won exactly zero games since then. Their -14.1 net rating in January surprisingly isn’t the worst out there right now. Silver linings, maybe? Probably not. The only positive thing happening for Wizards fans right now is that the eyes of DC sports fans clearly aren’t on them with the Capitals leading the Eastern Conference in the NHL and the Commanders playing in the NFC Championship this weekend. At least you’ve got distractions, Washington.
29. Utah Jazz (10-31)
Last Week: 27
Just barely getting by, the Jazz have all of a sudden become an injury-riddled team. John Collins has played in just one game since Christmas. Lauri Markkanen has missed four straight games. Jordan Clarkson has missed eight straight games. Missing all those key contributors has led to the Jazz notching just three wins in January. Four of their losses have come by just five points or less, though, signaling that maybe they’d be winnings a bit more often if they were healthy. But that hasn’t been the case for the Jazz as they fall a couple spots this week.
28. Charlotte Hornets (11-28)
Last Week: 30
Don’t look now but the Charlotte Hornets have won four of their last five games. The offense hasn’t been surprising but their defensive rating in January of 110.7 is on par with teams like the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics. LaMelo Ball has been back for six games, putting up at least nine assists in four straight. Miles Bridges has started to regain some of his form from a couple seasons ago, putting up 21+ points in four straight. Charlotte won’t be in the mix for a play-in run any time soon but they may just be starting to turn a corner…excuse me…swerve and bend that corner.
27. Toronto Raptors (11-32)
Last Week: 26
The play-in dream may just about be over for the Raptors. With a -5.4 net rating in January they’re not exactly at the bottom of the barrel, but they’re not helping themselves much. A couple wins over the Celtics and Warriors may help ease the sting of what this season has become for Toronto but it’s a long road back into the play-in bracket as they’re 7.5 games back of the Chicago Bulls for the 10-seed with three other teams in front of them. If they want to make the big jump then Immanuel Quickley needs to be healthy, but that’s been an issue for him this season as he’s only played in right games. Toronto may be looking on to 2026 already.
26. Brooklyn Nets (14-30)
Last Week: 25
The absences of Cameron Johnson and Cam Thomas continue to spell doom for the Nets, who might be fine with that for now given they were projected as a team likely to tank coming into this season. Owners of the worst net rating in January at -15.0, things have turned ugly. Thomas was set to be re-evaluated this week but there hasn’t been much news on that front since he sustained a new hamstring strain earlier this month against Milwaukee. Brooklyn is 4.5 GB of the Bulls for the 10-seed but it seems very unlikely now that they’ll be able to make some sort of run into the play-in.
25. New Orleans Pelicans (12-32)
Last Week: 28
Dare I say that the Pelicans…look good? Believe it or not, New Orleans has a positive net rating in January and it’s led them to a 7-4 record, including winning four of their last five games. Sure, those were against the injury-riddled Jazz, Mavericks and an underwhelming Bulls team, but compared to what these guys have done this season it feels like a miracle. CJ McCollum hit 11 threes against the Jazz over two games while Dejounte Murray is shooting 40.9% from three over his last five games. Zion Williamson’s availability has been sporadic but the Pelicans are winning.
24. Portland Trail Blazers (15-28)
Last Week: 24
Right as things were looking up some for Portland it’s turned right back around. Losers of five straight before dispatching the underwhelming Bulls on Sunday and beating the Heat on Tuesday, Portland now finds themselves 6.5 games back of the Suns for the final play-in spot. They’re unlikely to make that run, but if they want to be competitive they need to step it up offensively as their 109.2 offensive ratings is fourth worst in the league for January.
23. Chicago Bulls (19-25)
Last Week: 22
The definition of a team that can’t seem to get out of their own way. At 4-7 in January with a -1.7 net rating, Chicago has posted inexplicable losses to the Blazers, Hornets and Wizards this month. A nice win over an inconsistent Clippers team may ease some tensions for now, but the Bulls need to find a way to simply play consistent basketball. And they don’t have much time to do it as their schedule through February isn’t exactly filled with gimmes. If they don’t heat up soon the trade rumors for LaVine and Vucevic are bound to start up again.
22. Philadelphia 76ers (15-27)
Last Week: 20
At some point they’re going to need to be fully healthy or else this roster will start to face even bigger questions. Joel Embiid has barely played this season, making his mark in just 13 games. Paul George has been really inconsistent with his availability and has been underwhelming when active. If not for Tyrese Maxey, who’s averaging 26.4 PPG this season, then Philadelphia would be clearly out of the playoff picture. They’re just 2-9 in January and dwindling fast. But with Chicago flailing as well, and Philly just 2.5 GB of them, there’s still a shot to make the play-in. But if they don’t get healthy and stay healthy they won’t realistically make any noise this season.
21. Golden State Warriors (21-21)
Last Week: 23
They’re rising in our rankings but that’s more to the fault of the Sixers and Bulls floundering. The Warriors started to get things turned around before getting obliterated by Boston on Monday. They’re facing depth issues at forward now with both Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga dealing with injuries. Their shooting has improved, but a 117.2 defensive rating in January has made things tougher as soon as they started to find their offense. Golden State feels like a prime candidate to try and make a splash at the trade deadline. If not, they’ll be doomed to potentially miss the playoffs AND the play-in altogether.
20. Phoenix Suns (21-21)
Last Week: 21
The Suns have seemingly started to find their footing this season as they’ve gone 6-3 in their last nine games. The competition hasn’t been the most impressive in those wins, but the Suns will take them regardless. Their 57.1% eFG% in January ranks fourth best in the league, marking a significant turnaround after their offense struggled to get results at the end of December. A healthy Devin Booker certainly helps their cause as he’s put up 30+ points in six games this January. Who knows what’s in store for Bradley Beal and the Suns this trade deadline, but if they do things right they may make themselves a dark horse in the West.
19. Miami Heat (21-21)
Last Week: 19
Is the Jimmy Butler saga over? Teams didn’t seem to bite much during his team suspension and it doesn’t feel like the market for him is busy at the moment. But alas, he’s back in action in Miami. They got stomped by the Nuggets in his return but handled the Spurs fairly easily just two days later. With a 5-7 record in January, the Heat are simply trying to keep their heads above water until they find some consistency. If Butler isn’t traded at the deadline and feels bought in enough to play to his normal strengths, Miami could sneak above the Magic and Hawks to snag the six-seed and skip the play-in altogether, something they haven’t done in the past two seasons.
18. San Antonio Spurs (19-22)
Last Week: 18
A fun week’s ahead for the Spurs as they travel to Paris for two games against the Pacers in a homecoming for Victor Wembanyama. A change of scenery for the Spurs may be a good thing as they’ve lost three straight and need to get that bad taste out of their mouths. It won’t be easy against the Pacers, who are sizzling, but they’ll hope for at least a split in the Paris games. Spurs fans will hope they’ve brought their defense with them as San Antonio’s 119.0 defensive rating is fourth worst in January. An area they had been excelling in, defense needs to reign supreme for the Spurs if they want to keep pace with Indiana this weekend.
17. Atlanta Hawks (22-20)
Last Week: 17
The Hawks finally have Jalen Johnson back. A key piece to the reason the Hawks succeed, Johnson has grabbed 25 boards in his two games back. A good sight for Atlanta in deed as they’ve won three of their last four games. At 4-5 in January with a -5.2 net rating, the Hawks have to count themselves lucky that this month hasn’t been worse for them. They’ll need to be fully locked in to keep the six seed in the East as their upcoming schedule, outside of two games against Toronto, doesn’t do them any favors whatsoever.
16. Los Angeles Lakers (23-18)
Last Week: 16
It’s kind of strange not really seeing the Lakers in the news much. They’ve gone 4-4 in January and currently hold the six seed in the West. The offense has been average but their defensive rating of 117.9 ranks as sixth worst in the league during January. That will have to pick up for them soon. Outside of a tough matchup hosting Boston on Thursday their schedule gets fairly soft as they embark on an east coast road trip to end January.
15. Detroit Pistons (22-21)
Last Week: 15
If you’ve been sleeping on the Pistons just know it’s about time to start paying attention. Their +4.8 net rating in January ranks them as a top ten team. Cade Cunningham has been playing lights out this month, averaging 25.8 PPG to go along with 8.5 APG. A big win in Houston on Monday should go a long way for this team. The next four games on their five game road trip are going to be tough tests for this young team, but with a 3.5 game lead over the Bulls they should stay squarely in the play-in bracket for the foreseeable future.
14. Sacramento Kings (22-20)
Last Week: 14
At a +9.2 net rating, the Kings have the fourth best net rating in January. Their only loss came at the hands of the Bucks while De’Aaron Fox was declared inactive. In fact, Sacramento even was able to handle the Boston Celtics on the road while Fox missed time. These guys seem to have found their stride in January after Mike Brown’s firing on both the offensive end (119.1 offensive rating) and defensive end (109.9 defensive rating). Currently in the eight seed in the West, it’s plausible they can jump the Lakers, Clippers and Mavericks shortly and find themselves in the five seed if they keep this up.
13. Orlando Magic (23-22)
Last Week: 9
The shine may be fading away here. After doing so well to keep their heads above water after losing Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner for significant time, Orlando just hasn’t found it’s stride. Their -9.3 net rating in January ranks as third worst in the league above just the Wizards and Nets. Banchero has returned for six games now, but the Magic are just 1-5 in those games. Granted, the competition hasn’t exactly been the easiest but four of those losses have come by 13 or more and two of those were by 25 or more. The schedule eases up here shortly, a good thing for Orlando who needs to find their footing again.
12. Dallas Mavericks (23-20)
Last Week: 10
Another team fighting their way through injuries, they simply haven’t been able to be successful without Luka Doncic as of late. At 3-7 in January with a -4.4 net rating, the Mavs have fallen to the seven seed after being the four seed on Christmas. The offense has dwindled with a 109.6 offensive rating, well below their 114.7 season long mark. As of now the team believes Doncic will be back before the All-Star break, but their schedule of ahead of then says it won’t be an easy road getting there.
11. Los Angeles Clippers (24-18)
Last Week: 12
A bad start to January has turned around for the Clippers after winning four of their last five games. With a +8.7 net rating to go along with a 5-4 record, when they’re winning they’re crushing it. But they’re still having some awkward losses, including a 112-99 loss against the iffy Chicago Bulls. The key may just be to have Kawhi Leonard active. When the Clippers aren’t resting him (which they need to do to preserve his health) they’re 4-1. They’ve stayed relatively under-the-radar, which is probably fine with them for now. At the five seed they’re in good position to at least be playing in the play-in.
10. Indiana Pacers (24-19)
Last Week: 13
If you haven’t been paying attention, the Pacers have absolutely turned their season around and are starting to look like a really strong threat in the East. At 8-1 in January with the only loss coming to Cleveland, they’re proving to be one of the hottest teams in the league right now. They’re top four in January with both offensive and defensive ratings, making them dominant on each end of the floor. They’re taking their show overseas as they’re playing two in Paris against the Spurs in what should be a pretty fun matchup for Parisian NBA fans.
9. Minnesota Timberwolves (22-21)
Last Week: 11
The rise for the Timberwolves here may be more of a factor of the fall for Dallas and Orlando more than anything but Minnesota has been through the ringer with their January schedule. They’ve escaped it with a 5-6 record and hold onto the nine seed right now. The offense has scored more recently but they’re also giving up more points. Their January defensive rating of 114.8 isn’t what you expect out of this team, even if they’re posting a 117.0 offensive rating. At just a half game lead over the Warriors and Suns for the 10 seed, they can’t afford to slip up much.
8. Milwaukee Bucks (24-17)
Last Week: 8
Maybe a bit under-the-radar, the Bucks are 7-3 in January with a +7.5 net rating. If not for a couple bad losses to the Nets and Blazers, we might have some real confidence in this team. Their 57.7% eFG% ranks second best in the league in January while Giannis Antetokounmpo has notched two triple-doubles. Milwaukee’s schedule doesn’t exactly get tougher throughout the rest of January, giving them more chances to rack up easy wins. As long as they’re locked in mentally, this team will continue to roll.
7. New York Knicks (29-16)
Last Week: 6
New York’s struggled a bit to really get going this January, essentially winning every other game and putting up a 6-6 record in the process. Karl-Anthony Towns has missed a couple games due to injury but he’s been massive to their success when healthy, posting up 26.2 PPG and 15.2 RPG in the month. They’re going to need him to produce over their next five games, a rough stretch against tough competition. Lucky for the Knicks they’ll all be at Madison Square Garden, but it will be a test nonetheless.
6. Denver Nuggets (27-16)
Last Week: 7
The Denver Nuggets are back to their winning ways, putting up an 8-3 record in January with a +9.6 net rating. Nikola Jokic is averaging career highs in PPG (30.1) and APG (9.9) while also snagging 13.2 PPG. In each of his three MVP seasons he never averaged more than 27.1 PPG or 9.0 APG, making this season look all the more impressive. Jamal Murray has also started to turn it up for Denver, shooting 42.4% from three in the month. They may not catch OKC but there’s a real shot they’ll grab the two seed in the West by the end of the season.
5. Memphis Grizzlies (28-15)
Last Week: 5
With a 5-4 record in January the Grizzlies have been a bit quiet, but a +4.0 net rating in that span ranks as 11th best in the league. Ja Morant has been able to return and play in four of Memphis’ last five, giving the Grizzlies more stability. They’ve also benefitted from the development of Jaylen Wells, who’s third in the Rookie of the Year race according to the betting markets. Memphis should stay steady for quite some time as their remaining January schedule isn’t exactly frightening.
4. Houston Rockets (28-14)
Last Week: 4
Houston had been rolling in January on offense before putting up an absolute dud against the Pistons on Monday. In January they’ve put up a 118.4 offensive rating, which has led to a 7-3 record. The Rockets had scored 119 points or more in seven straight games before falling back down to earth in a 96 point rock fight against Detroit. They’ll need the offense to show up as their next five games feature some stiff competition, including matchups against the Cavaliers and Celtics. If the offense doesn’t show up then they won’t be able to keep up. This stretch will be a test for this young roster.
3. Boston Celtics (30-13)
Last Week: 3
Boston keeps oscillating between being an absolutely dominant team and a team that seems disinterested when playing lesser competition. You can excuse a loss to the Thunder, but losses to the Raptors and the shorthanded Kings help spread the seeds of doubt in the reigning champs. But even with a drop in three point percentage in the month from the top threats of Jayson Tatum and Derrick White, they’re 6-4. Regression to the mean should be coming soon, but Celtics fans would prefer they flip back to their dominant ways ASAP.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers (36-6)
Last Week: 1
After taking down the Thunder at home in a high scoring game in Cleveland, OKC exacted revenge against the Cavs in a game that Cleveland really should have kept much closer. Because of the absolute drudging, compared to OKC keeping it close in Cleveland, the Cavs drop to our number two spot. Two 20-point losses are skewing Cleveland’s January numbers, which amount to just a +4.5 net rating with a 7-2 record. They’re in no real danger of losing the top spot in the East as it’s them and OKC who are heads and shoulders above everyone else.
1. Oklahoma City Thunder (35-7)
Last Week: 2
Last Thursday’s 20-point win over the Cleveland Cavaliers may just be one of the most impressive victories of the season. After losing Isaiah Hartenstein to a calf strain, Cleveland should have had a big man advantage they could exploit. But it meant nothing to the Thunder, who won the turnover battle 21 to seven. They’re clearly the best team in the West and after the blowout win they’re the best team in the league. The only question going forward is if they’ll be able to replicate this in the future behind MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. If they’re able to keep their strong defense going, and shoot at 58.4% eFG% like they’re doing in January, no team may be able to stop them.
