A new decade is upon us, and to some people’s surprise, some unusual winning streaks are developing across the league’s infrastructure. The Oklahoma City Thunder are off to the fieriest of starts in 2020, going 14 for 18 in their most recent streak of successful results. Meanwhile, after a rousing victory late over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night, the Lakers are finally in a groove again, now possessing the second-best record in the league. As it goes for other teams like the Sixers and Blazers, their bad luck continues and it’s growing more apparent that the belief of these teams being competitive is dwindling, and fast.
With that in mind, this week’s power rankings are to look a little different than past weeks. So, let’s get to it.
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1. Milwaukee Bucks (32-5, Last Week’s Ranking: 1)
In what was perhaps the finest news to come from the Milwaukee training staff to br relayed by multiple Wisconsin media outlets, Eric Bledsoe finally healed up and was ready to go, pushing his Bucks to a five-game winning streak and are still undefeated against teams without a .500 record this season. They’ve beaten the teams that they were favored to beat and with the easiest five-game stretch in the NBA, their already impressive 23-0 mark against sub-.500 teams is likely to get even better this week.
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2. Los Angeles Lakers (27-8, Last Week’s Ranking: 3)
Lake Show has found its swagger again, or so it seems. Their four-game losing streak was thrown out of the window this past week, not losing a single game since their heartbreaking late loss to the Clippers on Christmas day. Last night’s heroic win over the slumping Pistons almost set a new precedent on the defensive end, as a team that’s already fourth in the league in overall defensive rating totaled 20 blocks, just one shy of their franchise record set in in the 1982-83 season.
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3. Boston Celtics (25-8, Last Week’s Ranking: 6)
Some inconsistencies in scoring outlets from the likes of Jayson Tatum and Gordon Hayward at times haven’t hurt the C’s at all since they’ve found ways upon ways to blitz opponents en route to going 3-0 last week without Kemba Walker. In fact, with the trio of Walker, Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the Celtics have won eight out of their nine games and have only lost one game to a team that didn’t have a record at or over .500 this week. It’s looking likely that they are separating themselves from a pack composed of teams like Philly, Miami and Indiana in the East.
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4. Miami Heat (26-10, Last Week’s Ranking: 2)
Barring a couple of concerning double-digit losses, the Miami Heat’s starting five of Kendrick Nunn, Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, and Goran Dragic have just been annoyingly difficult to gameplan against, now possessing the fourth-best record in the NBA. And yet in Sunday’s 11-point win over Portland, Erik Spoelstra rolled out Meyers Leonard, Derrick Jones Jr., Bam Adebayo, Duncan Robinson and Kendrick Nunn to start. Their depth is a bright spot for a team that’s still on an upswing competing in the packed Eastern Conference.
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5. Los Angeles Clippers (26-11, Last Week’s Ranking: 5)
For the “most dangerously defensive team in the NBA”, the Clippers’ past two games have made it look like they’ve been anything but that. Just days after questionably succumbing to the Memphis Grizzlies in a 140-114 loss, the Clippers got back on the winning horse by barely beating the Knicks but giving up 132 points in the process. A team that’s endowed with so much on the defensive end now finds themselves out of the top 5 best defensive teams in the league, and that’s a problem considering they have the second-place Nuggets on the road coming up this week.
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6. Houston Rockets (24-11, Last Week’s Ranking: 8)
Rockets fans: I’ve got good news and bad news for all of you. Good news first – James Harden’s absolute tear is still going on, and the Rockets are benefitting from his unguardable offensive arsenal. Bad news? Russell Westbrook is having the worst scoring season of his career despite his 27.8 points per game and is the league’s most inefficient jump shooter with a field goal percentage at 36.4 percent. Still, the Rockets have won 10 of their last 12 games when Westbrook has suited up, and during that stretch, he still put up regular Westbrook-ish numbers of 21.7 points per contest.
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7. Denver Nuggets (24-11, Last Week’s Ranking: 4)
An unforseen loss to the Washington Wizards and a 26-point blowout handed to them by the Houston Rockets set these Nuggets back on the straight and narrow path to taking opponents seriously, as they’ve carried on to winning 10 of their last 13 contests. Also, I think it’s time to give Michael Porter Jr. some more minutes, after he scored a career-high 25 points on 11-of-12 shooting against the Pacers last week.
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8. Toronto Raptors (24-12, Last Week’s Ranking: 7)
These Raptors keep on battling without their main core of Pascal Siakam, Marc Gasol, and Norman Powell by blowing out the Cavaliers and Nets this past Tuesday and Saturday. While they weren’t able to finish off the week undefeated due to a close 84-76 loss on the road to the Heat, Toronto has an opportunity to climb the ranks of the East with a soft spot on the schedule as they’ll have the Trail Blazers, Hornets and Spurs this week.
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9. Utah Jazz (23-12, Last Week’s Ranking: 10)
The Jazz climb a spot in this week’s rankings, thanks to an easy stretch on their schedule with the Pelicans, Knicks, Hornets, and Wizards on the way. They’ve successfully won 10 of their last 11 contests against teams that have subpar records, and one of those 10 wins came against the Los Angeles Clippers, in which they scored 140 points on a top-10 defensive squad in the entire NBA. They’re doing all of this without Mike Conley Jr., who is still nursing an ailing hamstring. With him sidelined, the Jazz are outscoring their opponents by an astonishing 126 points.
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10. Oklahoma City Thunder (20-15, Last Week’s Ranking: 13)
The Oklahoma City Thunder are off to the hottest start of the decade, winning 14 of their last 18 games and have the second-best record in the entire league since Dec. 1. Only Milwaukee has experienced more positive marks in the win column than this young, impressionable Thunder crew, all in part to OKC’s ever-improving ability to finish games off in the fourth quarter. They started the season in a bad spot, ultimately falling below .500 because of failing to win games in the clutch.
Some numbers in how this youthful team fixed their most pertinent issue: They’ve gone 8-1 in two-possession games since Dec. 1, have won the most games decided in clutch time this season with 16, and they have the best offense in the league in the clutch with their 125.4 offensive rating. The Thunder making the postseason in a “down year” doesn’t look like a fallacious conclusion to be made anymore, now does it?
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11. Dallas Mavericks (22-13, Last Week’s Ranking: 9)
It looks like the historic streak that Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks have been going on is starting to lose a little steam, partially due to injuries to Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr., yes, but a team like the Mavs going 1-3 on the week is a little problematic. They may score a lot of points through the four quarters they play but when it comes to executing in crunch time, they’re almost in the cellar with an abysmal No. 28 ranking across the entire league-wide spectrum. Luka’s numbers don’t look great in those instances but those numbers could tell a different story than what’s portrayed due to Dallas’ compromised depth and Doncic’s expedited 32.4 minutes per game.
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12. Indiana Pacers (22-14, Last Week’s Ranking: 12)
The Pacers stay put in this week’s rankings, but in closely peeking at their injury report situation, their spot on this list is likely to improve significantly with the eventual return of Victor Oladipo. Their struggles cannot be ignored, however, as they’ve dropped five of their last seven games and allowed their opponents to score 118 points in their five losses, and only 106 points in their two wins. Other than a challenge in the visiting Miami Heat, the Pacers have the opportunity to right the ship against the Hornets and Bulls this week during a soft part of their schedule.
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13. Philadelphia 76ers (23-14, Last Week’s Ranking: 11)
So…maybe that Milwaukee blowout on Christmas Day wasn’t the clear indication that the Sixers looked like the best, standalone team in the East. At the very best, the Sixers are looking like a really strong 6 seed, and are still 7-12 on the road with only one win coming away from Philly (against Boston on Dec. 12) during the December stretch.
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14. Brooklyn Nets (16-18, Last Week’s Ranking: 14)
Kyrie Irving’s absence is still looming largely over the heads of a struggling Nets team that’s lost five straight games and is going to head into their hardest part of the schedule this year. Coming up, eight of their next nine games will be against teams currently in playoff position and though Caris LeVert’s return from a seven-week hiatus helps a guard rotation that sorely needs it, the Nets will be hard-pressed to come back to right the ship without their all-star guard.
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15. Orlando Magic (16-20, Last Week’s Ranking: 15)
As if things were going to get any worse for a slipping Magic team, they just received the worst news about MIP candidate Johnathan Isaac, whose season is going to have a chunk bitten out of due to his two-month absence with a sever left knee sprain. Not only was he their best defensive player, he was Orlando’s most impactful player as he leads the Magic in overall plus-minus this year.
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16. Memphis Grizzlies (15-22, Last Week’s Ranking: 19)
Since Ja Morant came back from his back contusion, the other 29 NBA teams have been forced to circle these young Grizzlies on their calendars. They’ve gotten out of the gate with a 9-6 record with Rookie of the Year frontrunner Morant returning to the floor and recently acquired a signature win over the heavily-favored Clippers by 26 points, highlighted by a nasty stepback and deep three on Clippers backup guard Jerome Robinson that even garnered Sixth man Lou Williams’ respect.
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17. San Antonio Spurs (14-20, Last Week’s Ranking: 17)
For a team that fires the least amount of threes in the NBA, LaMarcus Aldridge is certainly trying to rewrite that narrative, as indicative of last week’s efforts by the former Texas Longhorn. Over the past six games, he’s knocked down nearly 67 percent of his attempts from downtown, and that’s more in a week than Aldridge hit all season last year. The Spurs are still on the outside looking in at 14-20 and with a difficult four-game stretch coming up on the radar, their streak for consecitive playoff visits that’s lasted since 1997 is in serious trouble.
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18. New Orleans Pelicans (12-24, Last Week’s Ranking: 20)
If there was any silver lining to the Pelicans lack of ability to produce any kind of winning streak, it’s been the surprisingly consistent play of Lonzo Ball. The former No. 2 overall pick faced being sent to the bench and since has worked to get back into the starting lineup, and succeeded in doing so he has. That always evolving jumper of Ball’s may have finally cracked the code to the safe that was his inconsistent and problematic shooting form, now hitting 40.9 percent of his deep balls while unabashedly launching over 10 threes a game.
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19. Portland Trail Blazers (15-22, Last Week’s Ranking: 16)
Like really, what has happened to the Portland Trail Blazers? Just a couple of months ago, they were competing in a four-game series to contend for a shot at an NBA title and now, they’re a whole tier below looking like a respectable postseason team. What gives? They’ve lost six of their last seven, the Blazers may be fielding trade offers for CJ McCollum, they’re in the bottom bunk of teams on the defensive end (allow 118.8 points per game) and it looks at times like Damian Lillard dropping his regular 35+ points per game just doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.
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20. Charlotte Hornets (15-23, Last Week’s Ranking: 21)
Whereas DeVonte Graham and others have sputtered this past week, cite Terry Rozier for the team-wide pickup. In their two wins on the week over Cleveland and Dallas, Rozier averaged nearly 30 points a game with 6 rebounds and 6 assists and the opportunity to let those numbers grow even bigger with trips to Utah and Phoenix on the schedule next.
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21. Chicago Bulls (13-23, Last Week’s Ranking: 18)
Now a full ten games under .500, the Bulls have only won two games since Dec. 21. They’re missing valuable contributions from the likes of Chandler Hutchinson (out since Nov. 27) and the Bulls have a really tough stretch of games ahead with the Mavericks, Pelicans, Pacers and Pistons up next.
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22. Minnesota Timberwolves (14-21, Last Week’s Ranking: 25)
Minnesota is finally gaining some traction, now only seven games out from obtaining a .500 record. They’ve won three of their last four contests even without Karl Anthony-Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Jeff Teague, and as it goes for their effort, they’ve really impressed in showing some competitive fire with pieces such as Robert Covington, Shabazz Napier, rookie Jarett Culver and Keita Bates-Diop helping out while their two stars are down.
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23. Phoenix Suns (14-22, Last Week’s Ranking: 22)
Devin Booker is on a historic run in scoring at least or more than 30 points in six straight games, confirmed after dropping 40 in a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday night. Other than Booker, the Suns carry very little weight in the scoring department, regardless of their sixth spot within the best scoring teams in the league.
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24. Sacramento Kings (13-23, Last Week’s Ranking: 23)
The Kings are in the midst of a serious tailspin, regardless of their most integral pieces finally getting healthy. That’s nine of their last ten games lost, and their most alarming L was a close one against the Pelicans in which star guard De’Aaron Fox bricked six free throws. They have Golden State and Phoenix up next before having to defend home court against the Bucks, so if all is right in 2020 for the Kings so far, they’ll waste no time in starting off the week on a good note.
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25. Detroit Pistons (13-24, Last Week’s Ranking: 24)
The Pistons have to be bumped down one spot in this week’s rankings, not just because of their inability to string together some wins with an otherwise respectable rotation, but because of the news that’s just released out of the Detroit media surrounding the health and future of their centerpiece in Blake Griffin. It’s growing more and more apparent that the former first overall pick will be undergoing what may be a season-ending knee surgery, and that’s not all.
Andre Drummond’s name is getting tossed around in trade talks and is likely to be dealt before the trade deadline in mid-February. As a team, they still possess the eighth spot in the playoff picture but have still dropped nine of their last 11 contests.
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26. Washington Wizards (11-24, Last Week’s Ranking: 28)
Call it an improvement from every week that the Wizards were under close watch, but a couple of upset victories over the Heat and Nuggets signify some trending up into the right direction for a team still so decimated by injuries. They are still the worst defensive team in the entire NBA and with the Celtics, Magic, Hawks and Jazz up next, their mettle will be heavily tested for the Wizards’ first four-game stretch of the new year.
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27. New York Knicks (10-26, Last Week’s Ranking: 27)
Well, hey, it’s still better than being at the bottom of the list again. The Knicks put up a brave fight that pushed the Clippers to the ropes in their three-point, 135-132 loss as the soon-to-be-traded Marcus Morris Sr. dropped a rousing 38 points on a top 10 defensive team, a career-high and certainly an audition tape for all scouts to closely examine when determining to pull the trigger on trading for Morris. The Knicks have a good amount of leverage in deciding what to do with Morris: either send him away in exchange for first-round draft capital or keep him for the rest of the year and pick up his expiring $15 million contract.
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28. Golden State Warriors (9-28, Last Week’s Ranking: 26)
Warriors fans may have to dread saying goodbye to another favorable roster piece (or pieces) in rookie Ky Bowman and Damion Lee (Steph Curry’s brother-in-law) as their two-way contracts are nearing their end. That’s additional offense being removed from the floor and it doesn’t make it easier that their grotesque scheduling requires them to play the Kings, Bucks, Clippers, and Grizzlies all in the span of this week.
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29. Cleveland Cavaliers (10-26, Last Week’s Ranking: 29)
This is not what first-year Head Coach John Beilein had in mind when he sought out to develop the young core of this Cavs team so awash with drama and now, apparent infighting with the sudden disgruntlement of Kevin Love who is just begging to be traded (or released). It’s hard to come over from a prominent college program at Michigan and keep the locker room confidence within a roster that’s average age is 25. On top of all that, veterans are looking for their next paycheck with expiring contracts and as a team, the Cavaliers are on a four-game losing streak.
Yikes.
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30. Atlanta Hawks (8-28, Last Week’s Ranking: 30)
Trae Young has been the only diamond in the rough season for a Hawks team that’s been crushed by injuries and suspensions to their core pieces, and although Young is second to James Harden in overall 40-point games this year, it’s looked at times like he’s the only scorer giving his best effort in a year that’s practically confirmed to be a lottery pick year.
