The NBA Trade Deadline is now a thing of memory. We’ve gotten a glimpse of just how certain transactions have immediately impacted teams’ win probabilities, and have yet to see some other traded parts and buyout market acquisitions show their value as we enter yet another fluctuating week of NBA basketball. And by anticipated value, that evidently has to do with teams making a splash in the buyout market, like the Brooklyn Nets scooping up LaMarcus Aldridge and the Los Angeles picking up Andre Drummond. But what does it mean for the rest of the NBA heading into Week 14?

When it comes to the competition side of things, the Utah Jazz finally woke up out of their post-All-Star slumber, winning five straight games after losing five of their last eight. And in the East, the Philadelphia 76ers, who also grew a little during the Trade Deadline, are finding ways upon ways to accumulate wins and maintain their perch atop the East while Joel Embiid rests up.

As for everyone else, let’s break down the rest of the occurrences in the league, for that’s what we do every week in these Power Rankings.

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1. Utah Jazz (35-11, Last Week’s Ranking: 3)

So a slow 2nd-half start out of the blocks wasn’t to be the case for the West’s leading team. After losing five of their last eight heading into last week, the Jazz found a way to rattle off five straight, with a majority of those wins coming by way of the visiting Memphis Grizzlies during a two-game series. Donovan Mitchell, as always, has led the charge and during this five-game winning streak, is averaging over 31 points off .58/.51/.97 shooting splits.

Jordan Clarkson got out of his slump with a 28-point, 11-for-21 shooting night against the Grizzlies this past Sunday night, and as a team, the Jazz are back in the thick of things when it comes to stopping the other team from scoring. With a defensive rating of 108.3 on the season, they are now fifth in the NBA in the metric and offensively, are a position higher as the fourth-most-efficient offense in the game. With eight weeks to go, health and consistency heading into the playoffs are the bullet points that Head Coach Quin Snyder must drill in the minds of his team to ensure they’re on pace to remain hot.

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2. Philadelphia 76ers (32-14, Last Week’s Ranking: 1)

Philly only drops a spot in the Power Rankings this week, and while that’s partly due to their health fiasco, they’ve kept the ship from sinking and have found ways to scrap eight wins in their last ten contests without Joel Embiid on the floor, as the MVP candidate continues to nurse and rehabilitate from a hyperextended knee. Good news: Embiid and new pickup George Hill (as a result of the Trade Deadline) have been cleared for on-court activities and their return, while much-awaited, may not be too far away.

Still, with an entire game lead over the Goliath-sized Brooklyn Nets, who got even better with the signing of LaMarcus Aldridge this past weekend, Philadelphia has to love where they’re at. If they can get Embiid back on the floor, albeit in spurts, they’ll have an even greater chance to control their own destiny as the East’s best squad for the final eight weeks of the season.

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3. Brooklyn Nets (32-15, Last Week’s Ranking: 2)

Is James Harden the cumulative and prohibitive favorite to win the League’s Most Valuable Player award? Amongst a time period where the league itself is awash with ailments to its most integral players, it seems that only Nuggets superstar center Nikola Jokic is the only other competitor for the award at the moment. And keep in mind, the offense that Steve Nash employs on a nightly occurrence shows that Harden isn’t the main centerpiece in which it revolves around.

While Kyrie Irving (personal reasons) and Kevin Durant (hamstring) continue to miss time, Harden has put up all-world numbers, averaging around 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 11 assists per game in the span of 31 games in a Nets uniform. And as the Nets get more comfortable putting Blake Griffin on the floor who can — not to anyone’s surprise, I mean he is 6’10 after all — still get up and be a dynamic roll threat that plays above the rim, the LaMarcus Aldridge signing makes this team all the more dangerous. Though 35 and surrounded with anxieties over whether he can keep up with such an uptempo offense, considering that’s why the Spurs let go of him because he couldn’t, it’ll be analyzed just what role he plays on this team as a complimentary and presumptive understudy to DeAndre Jordan.

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4. Phoenix Suns (31-14, Last Week’s Ranking: 4)

It’s no longer moderately considerable to fathom that if these Suns were in the East, they’d only be a game out of having the best record in the conference. While not making any moves at the deadline — not like they needed to anyway, they have a top-10 offense, and top-3 defense, rating-wise — Phoenix opened and closed this week both with four games on the road, going 3-1 in the span of four games and in their last 10, have won seven of those games. For a team that’s heavily utilized a home-court advantage as one of the teams that have let fans re-enter the Talking Stick Resort Arena, they continue to prove just how dangerous they are away from their home stadium, now 16-6 on the road this year.

They eeked by a resilient Charlotte Hornets team Sunday afternoon in a game that went into extra time and devised a gameplan to keep Charlotte’s coveted young up-and-comer PJ Washington (who’s been relatively efficient this year as an 11.9-ppg. scorer) scoreless through 44 minutes.

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 5. Los Angeles Clippers (32-16, Last Week’s Ranking: 5)

The Clippers had their most productive and successful week of the season, and are just about ready to get rounded into shape. And quite frankly, it was a week that involved a sweep of Kawhi Leonard’s former team, the San Antonio Spurs, a defeat handed to the surging Atlanta Hawks and the road warrior Philadelphia 76ers. As a further incentive to get the best record they possibly can, the Clippers went out and traded for Rajon Rondo from the Hawks and in exchange, gave away three-time 6MOTY Lou Williams.

Rondo is the type of piece that, in the quintessential situation, can turn a fringe contender into a championship favorite, and with his leadership, equanimity under pressure, Basketball IQ, and championship experience, there is a considerable playmaking load taken off the shoulders of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. The Clippers hope they can get just a mere semblance of that since it helped deliver the Lakers a title back in the Bubble Playoffs.

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6. Milwaukee Bucks (29-17, Last Week’s Ranking: 6)

After eight straight wins, the Bucks dropped back-to-back games to the Knicks and Celtics as Giannis Antetokounmpo nursed a sprained left knee. As a team that worked its way into the Trade Deadline picture by picking up P.J. Tucker, another shooting addition to the already bolstered perimeter attack of Mike Budenholzer, they found some success with their bench making some notable contributions, including Giannis’ brother Thanasis scoring 23 points against the Knicks.

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7. Denver Nuggets (28-18, Last Week’s Ranking: 7)

While a lot of teams in the West have gone through their own myriad of injuries, the Nuggets have only been hampered by Health and Safety protocols and inconsistent scoring outings. Well, it’s looking like those are things of the past now. Denver’s won seven of their last 10 and went 3-1 in their last four contests, and as the league’s third-best offense, Nikola Jokic continues to build on his career-best campaign averaging 26 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 8.4 assists in their last five contests.

They were working heavily on the phones during Thursday’s Trade Deadline, picking up star forward Aaron Gordon, who immediately gives Jokic yet another versatile and athletic above-the-rim third option. Defensively, he’s the exact body frame capable of stifling LeBron James or Kawhi Leonard in the postseason for when they eventually coincide with them in May and June. Also, JaVale McGee made his return to the Denver Nuggets after being traded from them seven years ago, providing additional rim protection to stop the likes of Anthony Davis.

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8. Los Angeles Lakers (30-17, Last Week’s Ranking: 8)

The defending champions didn’t have the ideal week; LeBron James going down with a high ankle sprain is confirmed to keep him out for 4 more weeks at the most, while Anthony Davis’ (Achilles tendinosis) return isn’t to be until the playoffs, at the likeliest. Additionally, while LA went 2-2 on the week with six wins in their last 10 games, Los Angeles may have missed out on trading for Kyle Lowry by deciding to not give away assets like Talen Horton-Tucker or Dennis Schroder with some draft picks. It’s unknown whether or not Rob Pelinka’s apprehensiveness in the Trade market will come to bite the Lakers’ playoff time since the addition of a third All-Star couldn’t hurt in the wake of their conference rivals and potential Finals opponents (if they make it that far) adding supplementary help to increase their championship odds.

But the addition of Andre Drummond certainly shakes things up a bit. Drummond, a walking double-double machine and arguably the best player on the buyout market, will join the Lakers and will make his debut as their starting center this week against either the Bucks, Kings, or Clippers. With James and Davis coming back from injury heading into the postseason, Drummond could be that substantial player that takes them over the top and advances them to the Finals for a second-straight year.

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9. Portland Trail Blazers (28-18, Last Week’s Ranking: 9)

Portland was another additional active buyer during the Trade Deadline, and they went out and got Norman Powell from the Toronto Raptors. They were in search of a two-way slasher and three-level scorer at the three to fill in the minutes that Carmelo Anthony wasn’t on the floor, as well as an additional floor spacer that compliments the talents of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. Moreover, the Powell pickup is going to come in handy when Terry Stotts puts on small-ball lineups on the floor. The Blazers are getting healthier and to their benefit, where they’re placed in the postseason standings as-is will come to their aide with a presumptively easier path to the Conference Finals than expected, as a team that not a lot of people are giving a lot of credit to.

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10. Dallas Mavericks (24-21, Last Week’s Ranking: 10)

Dallas is prioritizing the health of its most impactful players over avoiding the play-in scenario, even to the point of resting both Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis this past week. Granted, the Mavs have won five of their last 10, and have slipped to only 3.5 games out of the sixth seed in the Western Playoff seeding but have, promptly, won only one game without Doncic on the floor. Luka missed last Friday’s contest against the Pacers in a 15-point loss. And then, Doncic sat out of Saturday’s contest against Pelicans, which also resulted in a loss. Health is a priority to Rick Carlisle’s Mavs, but they are running out of time to qualify for a non-Play-In Tournament spot with a thin margin of error left during this season’s last eight weeks.

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11. San Antonio Spurs (23-21, Last Week’s Ranking: 12)

In just 10 games together, SA’s modified lineup equipped for speed in the post-LaMarcus Aldridge days (composed of Derrick White, Jakob Poetl, DeMar DeRozan, Dejounte Murray, and Keldon Johnson) has helped the Spurs acquire a plus 1.4 net rating when those five share the court. Prior to that starting lineup’s formation in 16 games this season, the lineup of DeRozan, Murray, Johnson, Poetl, and Aldridge had a minus-12.5 in a combined 219 minutes together.

Consider this the official first year of Gregg Popovich transitioning into the modern, uptempo-style of play that’s helped fringe contenders become champions.

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12. New York Knicks (24-23, Last Week’s Ranking: 17)

And the Garden’s beat goes on. The Knicks keep winning, much against anyone’s expectations at this point of the season and still have cemented themselves as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. But a little streak of luck broke for them this past week, as the returning Mitchell Robinson III, who just recovered from a broken hand, will miss additional time due to a fractured right foot. It’s unclear just how much time he will miss and if he’ll even be in good enough shape to come back at some point this season. The Knicks haven’t quite missed his presence, but as a floor-spacing roll threat and a force on the glass, the Knicks could’ve really used him heading into the postseason. This week, the Knicks couldn’t fend off a resilient Miami Heat team visiting the Garden, but still, have to play both the Timberwolves and Pistons on the road.

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13. Boston Celtics (23-23, Last Week’s Ranking: 15)

As the Celtics get near the top-10 again, they became the 20th team to welcome fans back into their stadium, and for a team that’s swapped places with the likes of the Knicks, Hawks, Heat, and Hornets for the fourth and fifth seeds, a true home-court feel couldn’t have come at a better time, even though they sustained a loss to the Pelicans. Boston had to part ways with Daniel Theis prior to Thursday’s deadline, and will now look to Robert Williams III to be their starting center, even amidst his injury worries. Evan Fournier made his debut with his new team after clearing Health and Safety protocols, and with him being etched into Brad Stevens’ rotation for the first time, we’ll get an understanding of how well (or not) he compliments Jayson Tatum while Jaylen Brown sits with a knee injury.

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14. Charlotte Hornets (23-22, Last Week’s Ranking: 16)

Charlotte rebounded respectably in the wake of LaMelo Ball’s season-ending wrist injury by winning three of their last four games. And while it could’ve been four straight for the Hornets, they weren’t able to complete the comeback against Phoenix in a 101-97 home loss while PJ Washington didn’t score a single point in 44 minutes of play. Their highlight of the week came in their huge win over Miami this past weekend, in which they nearly gave away a 30-point lead but were carried to victory by the play of Malik Monk, who scored 32 points in 26 minutes off the bench. And Terry Rozier, who has had an amplified role in the offense with Ball not on the floor, has scored 22 points in the four games as his replacement.

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15. Atlanta Hawks (23-23, Last Week’s Ranking: 13)

Nate McMillan’s eight-game winning streak couldn’t extend to nine games, for it was stopped by the hosting Clippers in a close contest. On the road is where ATL is headed, for they’ll have to do battle with teams out West. The Suns, Spurs, and Pelicans will all play host to the Atlanta Hawks, the NBA’s 11th-ranked offense. The Hawks are on the longest road trip for any team in the NBA, and it’s likely that they’ll quickly incorporate new Hawk Lou Williams (as a result of the Trade Deadline) into the fold soon.

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16. Miami Heat (23-24, Last Week’s Ranking: 11)

As of last week, Miami entered the final week of March losing six games in a row. They are giving up an average of 113 points per contest and aren’t playing up to the standards expected of them, specifically reified by their winning of 11 of their last 12 two weeks ago. Fortunately, they’ve found a way to portray their formerly dominant selves with a 10-point road win against the defensively-stout Knicks on Monday night, as Jimmy Butler led all scorers with 27 points. Miami will be a team to keep an eye on as they etch in Houston’s Victor Oladipo into their postseason plans.

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17. Indiana Pacers (21-24, Last Week’s Ranking: 18)

The Pacers have won four of their last six games, and as a team that wasn’t so active during the deadline, they’ve begun to make their own plans of bolstering their own backcourt, as new Pacer Caris LeVert (15.0 ppg., 4.4 rpg., 3.9 apg.) has fit in Nate Bjorkgren’s gameplan like a glove. During their hot streak, Myles Turner scored 9 points and grabbed 7 rebounds with 7 blocks against the Mavericks.

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18. Memphis Grizzlies (22-22, Last Week’s Ranking: 19)

Memphis may not have to wait much longer to get Jaren Jackson Jr. back. At some point during the end of April, JJJ will accompany Ja Morant and the rest of the Grizzlies for the first time since the abridged season restart in the bubble. Justise Winslow, one of the other young players also impacted by injury who returned this season, has predictably struggled, shooting only 34.2 percent from the field in his first 16 games with the Grizzlies.

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19. Golden State Warriors (23-24, Last Week’s Ranking: 14)

Prior to their 14-point win over Chicago on Monday night, Golden State entered the week with a skid of losing four of their last five games. Stephen Curry’s return on Monday put the Warriors back into arm’s reach of the eighth seed in the West. Curry dropped 32 points in the first game back since he injured his tailbone earlier this month. His return, however, does not fully absolve the bad basketball they’ve been playing. Excluding their game against the Bulls, Golden State has given up an average of 121 points per game during their skid.

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20. New Orleans Pelicans (21-25, Last Week’s Ranking: 21)

With a vengeance, Zion Williamson rounded out the week. In back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday, he exceeded his previous career-high of 36 points. On Friday, he scored 39 points in a loss to the Nuggets before scoring 38 points in a win over the Mavericks the next night. And on Monday, Williamson dropped 28 on the Celtics on the road to stay undefeated against Boston in his career.

To say the kid is making history is an understatement: Per ESPN, Williamson joined Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Adrian Dantley, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Scottie Pippen, and Giannis Antetokounmpo as the only players to have at least 75 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists while shooting at least 70% from the field in a two-game span.

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21. Sacramento Kings (22-25, Last Week’s Ranking: 23)

Talk about March Madness.

Harrison Barnes’ game-winning shot over the Cavs on Saturday, set up by a full-court inbound pass from De’Aaron Fox with 1.6 seconds left, was reminiscent of Duke’s Grant Hill’s game-winning pass to Christian Laettner in 1992. And seeing how as Monday was the 30-somethingth anniversary of that feat, the Kings are experiencing their own little Cinderella run. The glass slipper hasn’t come off just yet with the Kings winning five games in a row, and what’s even more comforting: Tyrese Haliburton is the real deal and the perfect developmental piece to build your future around.

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22. Chicago Bulls (19-26, Last Week’s Ranking: 20)

With three losses this week to Utah, Cleveland, and San Antonio and a week-opening loss to the Warriors, the Bulls failed to get in sync despite improvements to the starting lineup and rotation. Despite a loss in San Antonio, Nikola Vucevic put up a team-high 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists in 32 minutes in his Bulls debut. Billy Donovan and Bulls executives hope that Vucevic and Zach LaVine can form a sense of chemistry in the final stretches of the season for a playoff push.

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23. Oklahoma City Thunder (19-27, Last Week’s Ranking: 22)

With Al Horford out for the rest of the season, the Thunder aren’t holding back on their plans to get the best draft spot possible for the remainder of the season. However, there are a few things to consider: They were just 8-8 with Horford this season, and they weren’t doing much anyway with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander out for a month or so due to a foot injury. The Thunder also want to play their young players. One of whom is Horford protégé Moses Brown, who put up 21 points and 23 rebounds on Saturday against the Celtics while also earning himself a four-year contract with the team.

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24. Toronto Raptors (18-29, Last Week’s Ranking: 24)

After ending a nine-game losing streak, the Raptors immediately lost three games in a row, bringing them closer to 13th than 10th in the standings at this late stage of the season. There’s always time for Toronto to turn things around, and having Kyle Lowry will help if the right foot soreness that kept him out of Sunday’s loss to Portland doesn’t continue. However, the possibility of this team posing a challenge for an opponent in the first round is becoming increasingly unlikely. As a consequence, the much more pertinent question is whether it will jump up in a loaded lottery.

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25. Washington Wizards (17-28, Last Week’s Ranking: 25)

Russell Westbrook’s 15th triple-double (19 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists) virtually forced the Wizards to win against Detroit, snapping a three-game losing streak. Despite the fact that the Wizards have lost eight of their last ten games and Bradley Beal is sidelined with a hip bruise, they made a move that they hope would save their fading playoff hopes. On Monday, Westbrook then put on his most sensational performance of the season: a 25-point, 20-assist, 16-rebound game against the Indiana Pacers in a 132-124 home win, which would make that the 16th time this season that Russell Westbrook would get a triple-double this season.

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26. Cleveland Cavaliers (17-30, Last Week’s Ranking: 26)

The Cavaliers have dropped eight of their last 11 games, including a pair of blowouts over the weekend. Cleveland was held to just 86 points in a loss to the Lakers without LeBron James on Friday, scoring just 10 points in the third quarter. It then lost to Sacramento, scoring just 98 points while winning the turnover battle with seven turnovers to Sacramento’s 18. They opened their following week with a blowout loss to the Utah Jazz where they couldn’t even score more than 75 points. In that loss to the Kings, they let De’Aaron Fox score 36 points in a 100-98 road loss.

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27. Orlando Magic (15-31, Last Week’s Ranking: 27)

Orlando is in the middle of yet another rebuild after selling away their seasoned core of Nikola Vucevic, Evan Fournier, and Aaron Gordon before the deadline. Now they must hope that some of their recent first-round picks grow into important contributors in the future, as well as that Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz rebound from severe knee injuries and return to form.

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28. Detroit Pistons (13-33, Last Week’s Ranking: 28)

Prior to their 14-point win over the Toronto Raptors, the Pistons dropped four straight, including a 106-92 loss in Washington on Saturday during which they trailed by as many as 30 points but cut the deficit to three points in the fourth quarter. At the deadline, the Pistons traded Delon Wright to the Kings for Cory Joseph, and second-round picks in 2021 and 2024.

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29. Houston Rockets (13-33, Last Week’s Ranking: 29)

Keep an eye on things. Kevin Porter Jr.’s growth is one of the Rockets’ top priorities for the rest of the season, which is one of the reasons the team decided to trade Victor Oladipo despite not receiving anything in exchange. Porter scored 25 points in the Rockets’ win over the Timberwolves on Saturday, his third time doing so in eight games with the team. Per ESPN, the Rockets had previously had only two such performances by players 20 or younger in franchise history.

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30. Minnesota Timberwolves (11-36, Last Week’s Ranking: 30)

One of the Wolves’ (many) problems is that they actually do not play competitive games. The experience of being in close games and making vital plays late is invaluable for a young team. Just one of the Wolves’ previous nine defeats was determined by two possessions. They are regularly blown out by 15 to 20 points, making it difficult to build a young roster.

As of now, there are officially 61 days until the end of the season on May 16, and as teams either prep for making their rosters stronger for the postseason or set a foundation for the draft or free agency, the opportunity exists this week with the Trade Deadline officially commencing on Thursday, March 25, 2021.

Slipping teams that desperately need a lineup adjustment like the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, and New Orleans Pelicans are said to be aggressive before Thursday’s transaction period, and several names like Lonzo Ball, Victor Oladipo, and John Collins are just some of the names that scratch the surface of the Deadline picture. It’s going to get hectic, like every season’s deadline, so be sure to check out our Trade Deadline preview that’ll be updated by the minute on Thursday.

The Brooklyn Nets saw Blake Griffin set foot on the floor of the Barclays Center in a win over Washington, and for the first time since 2019, he rose up and finished at the rim. Brooklyn looks to overtake the No.1 spot atop the rankings in the East as Kyrie Irving and James Harden continue to dominate and grow their indomitable chemistry.

But for the rest of the league, injuries have reared their homely head, as the injury bug has claimed yet two more victims: Rookie of the Year lock LaMelo Ball, (fractured wrist) and MVP candidate LeBron James (high ankle sprain).

Ball will miss the rest of the season, making what’s been so sweet of a season for the Charlotte Hornets has quickly turned sour. The injury to Ball, who had been averaging 15.9 points a game and had helped to make the Hornets one of the most exciting teams to watch this season, is the type of injury that can kill any momentum of a playoff push before the season ends. The same, in a way, could be said for the Lakers, who will have neither LeBron James nor Anthony Davis for an undisclosed amount of time. Davis, who is recovering from Achilles soreness, won’t be back for a Lakers team that looks out of sorts when their two best players aren’t on the court.

Throw in the wrinkle of the Utah Jazz stumbling out of the blocks following the All-Star break, and now the race for the top seed in the West is more open than you could imagine.

There’s a lot of madness going on as we enter the final week of March, so let’s go into detail where each team ranks heading into the 13th week of play.

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1. Philadelphia 76ers (30-13, Last Week’s Ranking: 4)

Just like last week, the Philadelphia 76ers hang tough for another week without Joel Embiid engineering the offense, going 3-1 in the extended week and 8-2 in their last 10 games. Their only loss came by way of an overtime loss to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks as the reigning MVP scored in every which way in the extra time period, which only happened due to some last-second heroics from Furkan Korkmaz who drilled a game-tying three with just seconds on the clock. They’ve looked like they haven’t missed a beat offensively, still posting an “okay” 105.6 offensive rating in their last four games but have absolutely hampered down defensively, posting a 99.7 defensive rating. They’ll head west this weekend, dueling with the Warriors, Lakers, and Clippers, and by this time next week, they could be adding a specific piece to their guard department ahead of the deadline.

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2. Brooklyn Nets (29-14, Last Week’s Ranking: 2)

Blake Griffin’s debut for the Brooklyn Nets wasn’t quite the most groundbreaking reveal – credit Griffin with only two points off two shot attempts and a couple of rebounds to supply on the stat line – but it’s going to be quintessential that the Nets factor the 6’8 Forward into primary and secondary lineups, especially during the anticipation of Kevin Durant’s return. With only a 1.5-game gap between them and the injury-plagued Philadelphia 76ers at the moment, the NBA’s top-ranked offense must gain a sense of knowledge of where Griffin is in his game. If he can resemble his former self, that’s a huge X factor for Brooklyn’s bench.

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3. Utah Jazz (31-11, Last Week’s Ranking: 1)

The Jazz have gone 6-6 since their 24-5 start and are ranked 21st in defensive efficiency during that period (113.9 points allowed per 100 possessions). They’re skidding, regardless of their win over Chicago on Monday night. And with the West tightening up, the margin for error for the team with the league’s best record is slim. After a defeat to the Wizards on Thursday, Rudy Gobert said, “We need to realize that we haven’t achieved s—-. We get upset when people laugh at us on TV and disrespect us. It’s on us to respect ourselves. We’re not the champions. We’re not a team that can just cruise and turn it on come playoff time. We have to stay hungry.”

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4. Phoenix Suns (28-13, Last Week’s Ranking: 3)

Suns point guard Chris Paul became a member of an exclusive club during Sunday’s game against the Lakers. Paul joined John Stockton (15,806), Jason Kidd (12,091), Steve Nash (10,335), Mark Jackson (10,334), and Magic Johnson as the sixth player in NBA history to hit 10,000 career assists (10,141). Paul will overtake Johnson later this season based on his current average. As it stands in the West, the Suns are the likeliest to claim the second seed in the confererence, considering the Lakers’ injury woes.

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5. Los Angeles Clippers (28-16, Last Week’s Ranking: 7)

In an attempt to get the Clippers to play more regularly, head coach Ty Lue put Marcus Morris Sr. into the starting lineup, with Nicolas Batum coming off the bench, and prior to Monday’s 21-point comeback victory over the Atlanta Hawks, they’ve limited their three opponents to an average of 100.6 points in their last three games. With Patrick Beverley (knee) out, the Clippers could use some point guard support, so it’ll be interesting to see what they can do at the deadline with their limited trade chips.

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6. Milwaukee Bucks (28-14, Last Week’s Ranking: 6)

The Bucks have won six straight games and 11 of their last 12 as they attempt to reclaim first place in the Eastern Conference following Saturday’s victory over San Antonio. The question now is whether this team’s recent success will carry over to the playoffs, but reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is content with that for the time being. On Monday, it seemed so, as the Bucks dismantled the Indiana Pacers vis a 140-113 score as they are now 2.5 games out of claiming 1st in the East. However, they’ll be in negotiations over keeping or giving away Jrue Holiday as the new acquisition picked up this past offseason has had his name float in between trade talks.

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7. Denver Nuggets (25-17, Last Week’s Ranking: 11)

With Joel Embiid and LeBron James sidelined due to injury, Nikola Jokic’s MVP campaign appears to be gaining steam. Despite another triple-double from Jokic, the Nuggets lost to the Pelicans. Michael Malone’s offense averaged 127 points during the run before the Pelicans limited them to 108 points. Also, as the team’s third-most reliable scorer, Michael Porter Jr. has shot 50% or better in 12 of his last 14 games, continuing his hot streak. Denver, on the other hand, will play three games in a row on the road this week, and the bench will be able to use the formerly injured Monte Morris in his return back to the rotation.

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8. Los Angeles Lakers (28-15, Last Week’s Ranking: 5)

On Sunday against the Suns, the defending champions started Markieff Morris, Wesley Matthews, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, and Dennis Schroder, and lost back-to-back games. With LeBron James out indefinitely with a high ankle sprain, Marc Gasol getting his wind back after returning from Health and Safety protocols, and Anthony Davis (calf strain and tendinosis) out for at least another week, the Lakers are in a pickle, to put it lightly. “These challenges strengthen you throughout the course of a season…and will benefit you come playoff time,” head coach Frank Vogel said.

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9. Portland Trail Blazers (25-17, Last Week’s Ranking: 9)

Since CJ McCollum’s return last week, the Blazers are on the verge of reuniting. However, with reduced minutes and return-to-play management, having him all the way back would be an operation. With 32 points against the Mavs on Friday, he gave the Blazers all the signals they needed. To this point, Damian Lillard has taken on so much of the load that late-season fatigue is a concern. Still, With McCollum, and possibly some of the more developed role players returning soon after recovering from their individual injuries, those burdens of having an incomplete lineup will likely be eased in a few weeks.

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10. Dallas Mavericks (22-19, Last Week’s Ranking: 8)

Luka Doncic has 117 points in three games, shooting 59.5 percent from the field and 54.5 percent from deep. It’s the franchise’s second-highest-scoring three-game streak, behind only Doncic’s 118-point run last month. “When you feel like this, everything’s great,” Doncic said after scoring 37 points over three quarters (and hitting his first eight 3-point attempts) during Sunday’s rout in Portland. They’ll have the Minnesota Timberwolves, Indiana Pacers, and New Orleans Pelicans this week, and Doncic will look to improve those marks and further climb up the MVP rankings going into the last week of March.

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11. Miami Heat (22-21, Last Week’s Ranking: 10)

After winning 11 of 12, Miami cooled off to enter this week, dropping three straight last week. And more surprisingly, the re-energized team lost back-to-back games at home against the Pacers, a team they swept out of the bubble playoffs last season. Tyler Herro, who has gone 16-for-55 (29 percent) from the field in his last four games, needs to get back on track for Miami or he’ll likely have his name go around in trade talks as the team looks to bolster their unit of guards prior to Thursday’s Trade Deadline.

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12. San Antonio Spurs (22-18, Last Week’s Ranking: 16)

Keldon Johnson of San Antonio put on a display against the Cavaliers last Thursday night. The Spurs won with Johnson scoring 23 points and grabbing 21 rebounds, including 11 offensive rebounds as  Johnson became the first Spur to have a 20-point, 20-rebound game since Tim Duncan in 2013. Additionally, the Kentucky product became the first player listed at 6-foot-5 or shorter to have 11 offensive rebounds in a game since Adrian Dantley did it for the Jazz on April 6, 1985. The Spurs could not keep up their momentum to open the week, as they lost to a Hornets team that wouldn’t have Rookie of the Year favorite LaMelo Ball on the floor.

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13. Atlanta Hawks (22-21, Last Week’s Ranking: 17)

Atlanta’s winning streak began under interim coach Nate McMillan on Saturday, when the Hawks defeated the Lakers for the eighth time in a row. McMillan’s eight victories are the most by an interim coach since Lawrence Frank led the New Jersey Nets to a 13-0 start in 2003-04. The Hawks are doing it in a number of ways as well, including bolstering their defense. Since McMillan took over the starting job on March 2, the Hawks have the league’s second-best defensive rating at 105.2. However, they experienced their first loss of the McMillan era as they fumbled a 21-point lead in a road loss to the Clippers.

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14. Golden State Warriors (22-21, Last Week’s Ranking: 13)

Given the Warriors’ injuries and COVID-19 problems, a 2-2 week isn’t too shabby. A bruised tailbone forced Stephen Curry to sit out two games. Health and safety protocols prevented James Wiseman, Eric Paschall, and Kevon Looney from playing. The good news is that second-year guard Jordan Poole is continuing to impress and is gaining more playing time almost every time he steps on the court. Since returning from the G League bubble on March 1, Poole is averaging 20.9 points a game.

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15. Boston Celtics (21-22, Last Week’s Ranking: 12)

Following disappointing defeats to Cleveland and Sacramento, Boston rebounded to defeat Orlando on Sunday. But as the story of this season goes on, Boston’s rollercoaster year saw another dip with an overtime loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on the road with Jayson Tatum not playing, or suiting up, due to an undisclosed illness. With the NBA trade deadline approaching and everyone in Boston waiting to see if Danny Ainge can use the $28 million trade exception to strengthen the roster, the Celtics continue to embark on this current four-game road trip that includes a pair of prime-time showdowns in Milwaukee on Wednesday and Friday.

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16. Charlotte Hornets (21-21, Last Week’s Ranking: 14)

The Hornets are dealing with the kind of injury that can derail a team’s season, with LaMelo Ball expected to miss the remainder of the season due to a broken right wrist that  Ball recently had a procedure o Thursday morning. Ball was not only a front-runner for Rookie of the Year, but his success sparked national interest in the Hornets for the first time in years. Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward will have to take up even more offensive slack now that Ball is out.

The Hornets’ problem, as it has been all season, is their porous defense. They surrendered at least 116 points in four straight games entering Monday’s game against the Spurs but broke that streak when they only allowed the Spurs to score 97 points.

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17. New York Knicks (21-22, Last Week’s Ranking: 15)

The Knicks came within five points of winning all four games this week, including a one-point victory over Orlando on Friday and a one-point loss to Philadelphia on Sunday. With a tough second-half schedule, any chance at a win is crucial, which makes the two games against Washington this week crucial as New York attempts to avoid the play-in games in a tight Eastern Conference playoff race. They’re still a top-5 team in terms of defensive rating (ranked 4th, 108.3 DRtg), so all is not lost as of yet for the Knicks as they try to make it to the playoffs for the first time since 2013.

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18. Indiana Pacers (19-23, Last Week’s Ranking: 18)

The Pacers drop two spots in these rankings this week and have lost six of their last 10. Indiana has lost five of its previous six games and nine of its previous eleven as they continue to look for answers, despite the addition of Caris LeVert. Indiana is now ranked ninth in the Eastern Conference and while they are ranked 13th in team defensive rating, they aren’t as productive on the other end of the floor, ranking at 16th in total offensive rating. It is now being reported that they are throwing the likes of Malcolm Brogdon, TJ Warren, and possibly Domantas Sabonis in trade talks to either bolster the talent level of the roster for now or the future or motivate their most integral pieces to play better.

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19. Memphis Grizzlies (20-20, Last Week’s Ranking: 19)

The Grizzlies stay put in this week’s rankings and stay as an even. 500-record team following a win over the Boston Celtics on Monday night, clutching a tough win over the Celtics in overtime. Despite the win, the jump shot of Ja Morant, Memphis’ point guard and biggest rising star, is the most conspicuous shortcoming for the second-year guard out of Murray State. This season, he’s shooting 22.9 percent on 3-pointers, the lowest rate of the 182 players who have attempted at least 100. When Morant runs the pick-and-roll, this causes defenders to repeatedly go under screens, forcing him to aim and negating his unusual explosiveness.

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20. Chicago Bulls (19-23, Last Week’s Ranking: 21)

With 19 30-point games this season, All-Star guard Zach LaVine is tied for third in the NBA with Bradley Beal and Damian Lillard. The Bulls, on the other hand, are continuing to experiment with their lineup and rotations in the hopes of finding long-term success, such as starting Tomas Satoransky and Thaddeus Young instead of Coby White and Wendell Carter Jr. Speaking of Coby White, his name could be included in a deal that sends him to New Orleans, as it’s been rumored that the Bulls are actively intent on trading for Pelicans starting guard Lonzo Ball to provide ball movement and defensive stability for the 17th-ranked defense in the NBA.

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21. New Orleans Pelicans (18-24, Last Week’s Ranking: 20)

For the Pelicans, it was another up-and-down week. The Pelicans surrendered a 17-point lead to the Trail Blazers in the final six minutes of Tuesday’s game, then lost an eight-point game to Portland two days later. They bounced back with a 113-108 win in Denver on Sunday, despite the absence of starting point guard Lonzo Ball (right hip flexor strain). Against the Nuggets, the Pels then bounced back and saw both Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram score with ease, as they both went for 30 points each, making that the third time they accomplished such a feat this season.

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22. Oklahoma City Thunder (19-24, Last Week’s Ranking: 23)

The game against the Rockets on Sunday had an irresistible force against an immovable object feel, but it wasn’t in a positive way. Thanks to Luguentz Dort’s lockdown defense, the Rockets lost their 19th-straight game. The Thunder started with the second-youngest starting lineup in NBA history, with four starters sitting. Houston was already a 4.5-point favorite at the start of the game, but if we’ve learned anything from Oklahoma City this season, it’s that Sam Presti is willing to play anyone.

Sunday, it was Lu Dort scoring 23 and coming up with a game-winning block. There’s something about the Thunder’s ability to play within a system and maximize their roster, which is somewhat reminiscent of the prime San Antonio Spurs days with Gregg Popovich maximizing the individual talents on non-household names.

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23. Sacramento Kings (18-25, Last Week’s Ranking: 24)

The Kings raise a spot in this week’s rankings, which was supplanted by a breakout, career-best performance by Tyrese Haliburton as the rookie scored a game-high 28 points with 2 assists and a rebound on his stat-line during Sac-Town’s 119-105 win over Cleveland on Monday night.

Prior to Monday’s win, Haliburton said that Sacramento is still looking for itself more than halfway through the season. “I don’t think we’ve found our identity yet,” Haliburton said after their loss to Philadelphia. “I don’t know that we’ve found exactly what makes us play our best basketball.” The quote was applicable for the week the Kings had: going 2-2 amid their six-game road trip and finding out that Marvin Bagley III will not require surgery on his fractured left hand but will still be out another month.

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24. Toronto Raptors (17-26, Last Week’s Ranking: 22)

As if things couldn’t get any worse during the eight-game losing streak the Raps had been experiencing, Toronto became the first team in nearly a month to lose to the Houston Rockets, ending Houston’s franchise-worst 20-game losing streak on Monday night. After the 117-99 loss to the Rockets, in which they allowed all five of the Rockets starters to score in the double digits as well as allow the quartet of John Wall, Sterling Brown, Jae’Sean Tate, and Christian Wood to score 19+ points, there was some friction between Pascal Siakam and Nick Nurse as the tandem that won a title together shared some choice words amongst each other after Toronto’s ninth-straight loss.

After falling to 11th in the East, it’s undetermined if Kyle Lowry or Norman Powell ever suit up in Toronto Raptor Red and black ever again as the Trade Deadline nears.

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25. Washington Wizards (15-26, Last Week’s Ranking: 25)

Since appearing to turn their season around, the Wizards are going in the wrong direction. Washington has lost eight of its last ten games after winning seven of its first eight in February. It’s not going to get any easier: The Wizards’ loss to the Nets in Brooklyn on Sunday kicked off a 14-game road trip. They’ll be without sharpshooter Davis Bertans and are five games out of eighth place. Their season isn’t quite in jeopardy just yet, but the Wizards are running out of time if they want to at least make the play-in tournament this year.

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26. Cleveland Cavaliers (16-27, Last Week’s Ranking: 26)

Collin Sexton (36 points, 4 assists, 2 steals) and Darius Garland (15 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds) stuffed the box score in the Cavs’ victory over the Raptors on Sunday. What wasn’t admired about Cleveland’s young backcourt? Despite Cleveland’s hot shooting from deep, the pair accounted for 12 of the Cavs’ 26 turnovers, a remarkable number that held the Raptors in the game (even though they went 17-33 for 51.5 percent shooting from the field).

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27. Orlando Magic (14-28, Last Week’s Ranking: 27)

Aaron Gordon scored 38 points in 36 minutes to lead the Magic to a surprise victory over the Nets on Friday, snapping a nine-game losing streak. Conversely, the Magic have fallen to 14-28 in the Eastern Conference and have lost nine of their last 10, now trailing only the Pistons. The most important question for this team this season might be what the front office does before the trade deadline on Thursday.

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28. Detroit Pistons (12-30, Last Week’s Ranking: 29)

The Pistons’ highlight of the week was handing the Rockets their franchise-worst 19th consecutive loss on Friday night. The Pistons must celebrate all of their successes and use them as tools for development as a rebuilding team that won’t come by many wins on occasion. Last  Wednesday, Detroit defeated Toronto, thanks to Saddiq Bey’s 28 points and 12 rebounds, but it’s becoming increasingly likely that Bey becomes a name for negotiation in the wake of the Trade Deadline on Thursday.

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29. Houston Rockets (12-30, Last Week’s Ranking: 28)

The Rockets had an unfortunate NBA record, according to the Elias Sports Bureau – the longest losing streak by a team that started the streak above.500. Since starting 11-10, Houston lost 20 straight games but finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel with a home win over Toronto. Victor Oladipo has been the center of attention leading up to Thursday’s trade deadline, with his post-All-Star break output (25.0 points and 5.6 assists per game, 46.4 percent from the field) potentially rising his value.

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30. Minnesota Timberwolves (10-33, Last Week’s Ranking: 30)

Prior to the draft, there was a widespread belief that there was no real No. 1 overall prospect and that the lottery was bad in general. Anthony Edwards, on the other hand, is looking like a first-round selection. “Ant-Man” is scoring 26.1 points per game in March, setting and resetting career highs almost every night. As this season winds down and we enter the final full month of the year, the likelihood of the Wolves landing the top prospects of either Cade Cunningham or Evan Mobley is increasing by the minute.

Photo cred: Fox Sports 1430