So it’s about seven weeks into the season, and it looks pretty clear who the two best teams in the NBA are in their respective conferences. The Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks have laid waste to just about anyone the two teams have faced and below them, the cracks are beginning to show that this league is becoming rather top-heavy, with approximately a good fifteen teams that fans can be confident they’ll finish the season with a postseason berth.

Giannis Antetokounmpo just keeps on trending up as the far and away frontrunner for league MVP, averaging 30.3 ppg. off 61 percent shooting in his last three outings, accumulating season averages of 30.8 points per contest off 51.6 percent. The Bucks continue to blow out opponents and are still on their historic winning streak, now at 14 games and counting.

But obviously not too far behind them are the Lakers, who are, in reality, doing the exact same thing while Anthony Davis looks like a dual MVP and Defensive Player of the Year favorite, with LeBron to chip in his extraordinary scoring and assisting efforts. It’s a toss-up for the two best teams in the NBA with the most stand-alone records, but as it stands for the other 28 teams, that’ll have to be discussed and debated a little more.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

1. Milwaukee Bucks (20-3, Last Week’s Ranking: 1)

What’s not to admire about the Bucks right now as the top-spot occupants on this Power Rankings list? Not only have they been dominating whoever steps in their path, but they also own the league’s top spot in average scoring margin, beating their opponents by an average of +13.6 points per contest. They’re on pace to break an NBA record set by the Showtime Lakers in the golden days of the ’70s in that statistic (and Kareem, Elgin, and crew used to beat their opponents by a record +12.7 points per game).

Fresh off their astounding 28-point beatdown on the championship-favorite Los Angeles Clippers, these Bucks have proven they’re the easy choice to stand atop the Eastern rankings.

Oh, and another fact worth sprinkling on like parsley, they’ve graduated from just the top 10 in team defensive rating to the No. 1 spot.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Los Angeles Lakers (21-3, Last Week’s Ranking: 2)

Lakers fans have to feel as if they’re on clouds nine, ten and twenty with the way their new-look franchise has gelled together so quickly and so effortlessly, without the slightest impingement of any salient media drama from a losing skid. Anthony Davis is making a case to be the greatest teammate LeBron James has ever had, and he posted a career-high 50 points off 20-29 shooting on the Timberwolves’ heads Sunday night. They own the league’s second-best average scoring margin, beating opponents by an average of +9.9 points a game.

Aside from their season-opening road loss on the road (or at home, your perspective) against the Clippers, the Lakers are still the best road team in the league with an 11-1 record outside of the Staples Center when it dons purple and gold.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Boston Celtics (16-5, Last Week’s Ranking: 8)

So, here comes the increasingly real possibility that this Celtics team is living up to the potential experts believed they could have achieved last year if that team wasn’t so dysfunctional, unlike this year’s Celtics team. The Celtics have been impacted by an abundance of unlucky injuries to some of their most impactful pieces, which isn’t unavoidable, and struggled to shoot the basketball with Kemba Walker not quite putting up regularly efficient Kemba numbers.

But they haven’t used those as excuses, now with a near-perfect record against the league’s top six teams (beat Milwaukee, lost to the LA Clippers, and Philly, beat the brakes off of the Nuggets, Mavericks, and Raptors). Sitting at No. 2 in the East right now, the trio of rising star Jayson Tatum, the 4 yr./$115M man Jaylen Brown and Walker are officially the new big three in Beantown, and once Gordon Hayward returns from his hand injury a couple of weeks (or days), watch out for these Celtics to make some noise in their claim staking as the best team in the East.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Los Angeles Clippers (17-7, Last Week’s Ranking: 3)

It’s impermissible to want to ignore how jarringly horrendous the Clippers got their tails handed to them in an embarrassing 28-point beatdown by virtue of the Milwaukee Bucks on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s birthday. That’s their second loss to the Bucks this year, this time with both Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, and that was the last time they’ll have to play them unless they see each other in June during the NBA Finals. Aside from that hiccup, they visit the Pacers, Raptors (Kawhi’s return and ring ceremony game!), Timberwolves and Bulls, and have an opportunity to sweep an otherwise easy road trip.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Dallas Mavericks (16-7, Last Week’s Ranking: 5)

Luka Doncic continues to amaze, still protruding through the NBA’s most defensively stout teams while dropping more than 20 points, grabbing five points and five rebounds a game, which hasn’t been done this long since the NBA and ABA merged (19 games in a row, to be specific). Detroit and Miami are on the Mavs’ schedule coming up, and those look like two big wins that Dallas can add to their already impressive resume in this up-trending year.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. Miami Heat (17-6, Last Week’s Ranking: 10)

Forget all the doubters that wrote off Miami’s early season’s victories as virtues of an easy schedule. Last week’s huge OT win against the Toronto Raptors, or the game most commonly known as Jimmy Butler’s revenge takeover game against the team that ousted his Sixers from reaching the NBA Finals just six months ago. Just last night, Tyler Herro had his breakout game of the season in a five-point win over the Bulls, which saw the rookie hit shot, after shot, after shot. Miami handled their business against a team that was below .500 again, and have a chance to do the same against the Hawks this week before they duel with the Lakers and Mavericks.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. Houston Rockets (14-7, Last Week’s Ranking: 7)

The Rockets’ core of guards has been marred by injury, but what’s been a sight for sore eyes has been the play of Ben McLemore, who after signed to a veteran’s minimum deal has been, understatedly, a bargain. The former Kansas Jayhawk is averaging 10 points per contest off the bench and along with him, Russell Westbrook’s shot is falling and James Harden is having the best scoring stretch of his career, averaging 22.5 points off 57 percent shooting over the past four contests.

Houston has a very easy four-game stretch that involves Sacramento, Cleveland, Orlando, and Detroit this week, so those numbers that all four guards are putting up at the moment will possibly see a raise.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. Toronto Raptors (15-7, Last Week’s Ranking: 4)

Despite dropping an Overtime loss to the Heat and home loss to the Rockets, Toronto has looked every part of a championship retainer, completing a tough four-game stretch that saw them beat one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, the Utah Jazz. They had difficulty getting out of the gates early and could not complete the comeback against the Sixers last week, but are still in the thick of things in the East, just two games behind the Celtics. Even without Kyle Lowry, this team still managed to place in the top ten most-efficient scoring teams in the NBA.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

9. Denver Nuggets (14-7, Last Week’s Ranking: 6)

Losing four of your last five contests is never a confidence builder for a team desperate and hungry for wins. Their lone win came against the Knicks in the Garden last week, but suffered some questionable losses to the Lakers and Celtics, showing signs of chemistry issues when it comes to playing together and scoring the basketball. Only scoring an average of 104.8 points per game is not going to cut it, and it won’t get easier considering they have Philly and Portland to deal with this week.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

10. Philadelphia 76ers (17-7, Last Week’s Ranking: 9)

It seems as if there’s no middle ground for the Sixers; it’s either they look like an Eastern powerhouse, dominating opponents on their home floor, or really inconsistent and turnover-prone on the road, carrying an unattractive 5-7 record away from the Wells Fargo Center. Beating Cleveland after losing by six to the Wizards was what the Sixers needed, but if their reputation on the road stays as it is now, we’re looking at the Sixers as a potential second-round exit, at best.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

11. Indiana Pacers (15-8, Last Week’s Ranking: 11)

Eight of the past 10 Indy contests have been won by their multifaceted combination of Myles Turner and MIP candidate Domatas Sabonis. Despite missing eight games due to a knee injury, Turner is tied for 8th in the league in total blocks, while Sabonis is seventh in the league in total defensive rebounds. Malcolm Brogdon is dropping 19 points a game and while coming off a hand injury that sidelined him for their game against the Knicks, TJ Warren picked up the slack by averaging 20.4 points over their 10-game stretch.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

12. Brooklyn Nets (13-10, Last Week’s Ranking: 12)

The Nets don’t move at all on this week’s power rankings list but for all of the good reasons. Kyrie Irving’s shoulder injury has been detrimental to the Nets’ guard depth and it has caused Kenny Atkinson to really dig deep into his rotation, plucking out extra minutes from the likes of Theo Pinson and others.

But what has existed as a silver lining has been 1.) the right schedule, considering that the Nets have faced some subpar teams with the exception to the Celtics and have gone 9-3 without Irving and 2.) the stellar filling of Irving’s role by Spencer Dinwiddie. He’s been averaging just under 21 points off 42 percent shooting as the team’s primary quarterback of their offense.

With him in, they’ve spread the sugar with a combined average of 30.5 assists per game in their last two wins over the Hawks and Hornets during their road trip. They have Charlotte up next and another opportunity to keep their undefeated streak alive against sub .500 teams leading up to a trip up North to play the Raptors and trip to Philly to play the Sixers.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

13. Utah Jazz (13-10, Last Week’s Ranking: 13)

The Jazz also aren’t climbing or dropping in this week’s power rankings. Team-wise, early injury troubles and inconsistency from Quin Snyder’s most integral pieces have dropped them to being a middle-of-the-pack team in the West. Aside from thumping the Memphis Grizzlies, the Jazz haven’t won any other games in their past seven outings. That’s concerning, as they have the climbing Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves up this week. The last thing Donovan Mitchell and others need is a multiple game skid going into the new year against teams they should be viable enough to contend with.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

14. Minnesota Timberwolves (10-12, Last Week’s Ranking: 14)

Minnesota suffered one of their most egregious losses on Sunday night, letting LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the rest of Lake Show run rampant all over them in a 142-125 loss that dropped them to being two games out of an even .500 record. They’ve now lost eight of their past 11 games but still find themselves in a tug of war with the Suns and Thunder for the seventh spot in the Western standings.

Karl Anthony-Towns and Andrew Wiggins do their thing on a nightly basis, but this team lacks a third scorer, and albeit, a true identity on offense and defense. They are 17th in the league in total offensive rating only scoring 108 points per game which in today’s NBA is not that threatening, regardless of the play from the former Kentucky big man and Kansas Small Forward who are finally getting on their two feet in the league.

Conversely, they’re 20th in the league in total defensive rating. That speaks for itself.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

15. Phoenix Suns (10-12, Last Week’s Ranking: 17)

Devin Booker remains to hold the thread connecting the Suns and their playoff hopes together and while the tug of injury and suspension to their second-most important piece of offense in DeAndre Ayton tear away at Booker’s grip, he is doing everything he can and more to make sure this year isn’t a fluke for his team that’s experiencing an up year. Booker is living up to his preseason expectation of becoming an all star, averaging 25.5 points per game off 50 percent shooting and 40 percent from deep, the best in his career.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

16. Orlando Magic (11-11, Last Week’s Ranking: 16)

Don’t look now, but the Magic are at a perfectly even .500. They took advantage of their soft spot on the schedule last week and beat four straight teams with a combined .303 win percentage, but face a much tougher challenge this week when dueling with the Bucks, Lakers, and Rockets. That’ll tell a lot of us just how far or close the Magic are to looking like a threat in the East.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

17. Oklahoma City Thunder (10-12, Last Week’s Ranking: 18)

The Thunder have a playoff spot for the time being, which is pretty applause-worthy since this was to be a confirmed rebuilding year. Many predicted this team to get to the playoffs and so far, have not been disappointed. The Thunder have won four of their last five games and with quality wins over the Minnesota Timberwolves and Portland Trail Blazers last week, you have to think of the potential this team consisting of youthful pieces with loads of potential like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and veteran leadership from Chris Paul has in keeping this year going through April.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

18. Portland Trail Blazers (9-15, Last Week’s Ranking: 15)

Rodney Hood suffering a season-ending torn left Achilles against the Lakers last Friday night was just another mark on the long list of ailments on Terry Stotts’ squad to start the 2019 campaign. The Blazers have unsuccessfully dropped their last three games by double digits, and what’s worse, Carmelo Anthony’s most recent numbers against the top-tier teams they’ve faced recently have been completely unwelcoming of another Western Conference Player of the Week award.

Here’s an odd statistic that’s related to Melo’s history: last season after ten games with the Houston Rockets who sat at 4-6, Anthony finished his tenure with the Rockets with 13.4 points per game off 41 percent shooting. His numbers now after ten games with Portland? 15.9 points off 41 percent shooting. Not saying there’s any writing on the wall with the 10x All-Star’s possible plateau, but if Portland continues to slump, there’s a slight hint as to what could happen soon.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

19. San Antonio Spurs (9-14, Last Week’s Ranking: 20)

San Antonio lucked out in the NBA’s official reviewing process as they denied the Rockets’ request for an official replay for their Double OT loss to the Spurs last Tuesday, and what was even more impressive, was the defensive prowess of Lonnie Walker IV who disallowed James Harden to go off late in the waning moments of that win. It’s also an understatement to disclose that Walker went ballistic in the fourth quarter of that marquee Texas showdown, scoring 19 points in the fourth quarter while finishing the night with 28 points. The Spurs are starting to string together some wins, with DeJounte Murray drilling a game-winning jumper against the Kings on Friday.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

20. Sacramento Kings (9-13, Last Week’s Ranking: 19)

The loss of DeAaron Fox and Marvin Bagley for this long hasn’t quite been as bad as many expected it to be, especially in the team’s past five contests. They’ve beaten two Western elites in Denver and Dallas this past week and have looked dominant. But at times, they’ve also played the polar opposite role, getting handed losses to teams lower than them like San Antonio, Portland and Chicago. This week, that middle ground will have to be found, and fast, if they’re to stay within arms reach of a .500 record as they travel to Houston and Golden State, and then head back home to play the Thunder and Knicks.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

21. Detroit Pistons (9-14, Last Week’s Ranking: 23)

Andre Drummond is on pace to set a historic average not touched by a Piston since Dennis Rodman, averaging 17 rebounds per contest while also chipping in his regular 17 points per game. Aside from him, Dwayne Casey’s Pistons are beginning to head in the right direction, winning their last three games in these past two weeks after losing eight of their last 10. During Week 8, New Orleans, Dallas and Houston await this Pistons team that’s finally starting to get healthy at the right time.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

22. Charlotte Hornets (9-16, Last Week’s Ranking: 21)

DeVonte Graham has emerged as a star for these Hornets and last week was one for the books for one of the league’s most unheralded prospects. In the three game sbefore Sunday’s loss to the Hawks (which saw Graham scorore well under his season-average 18.8 points per game with a horrid12-point night off 4-12 shooting) Graham was averaging a team-high 25.7 points per game, and an amazing 45.9 percent from deep, as well as dishing 10 assists per game. They’ve posted a respectable 8-6 record against sub .500 teams and have a chance to better that record with Washington and a revenge game against Chicago this week.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

23. Chicago Bulls (8-16, Last Week’s Ranking: 25)

It’s been a dismal first month of the year for the Bulls which displayed dismay and distrust between Jim Boylen and his players, but Lauri Markkanen is hoping to make this December a positive steer in the right direction for a team that’s eight games out of getting back to .500. He is averaging 19.3 points from the field and is shooting 43 percent from three-land. That’s big, considering that he didn’t even get the chance to score 20 points a game only once all last month.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

24. Washington Wizards (7-15, Last Week’s Ranking: 24)

Their win over the Philadelphia 76ers was surprising, but not really, since they have the capacity and team-level skill to score on anyone and compete with anyone on any given night. Rui Hachimura has something to say about Ja Morant winning the Rookie of the Year, showcasing a memorable rookie performance against one of the best defensive squads in the league in Philly. But again, the No. 1 problem for these Wizards has still been their defense, which is still dead-last in the league.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

25. Memphis Grizzlies (6-16, Last Week’s Ranking: 26)

These rough patches were expected for a rebuilding team like the Memphis Grizzlies, but not these plaguing injuries that have taken out rookies Ja Morant and Brandon Clarke for a couple of weeks. Morant is suffering from back spasms that’ll keep him in street clothes on a week-to-week basis and with a road trip to Golden State, Phoenix and a two-game home stand to face Milwaukee and Washington, expect some more slouches in productivity from this young team.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

26. New Orleans Pelicans (6-17, Last Week’s Ranking: 22)

Brandon Ingram is struggling, Lonzo Ball is getting benched, Jrue Holiday’s numbers aren’t rising, and the worst of all? Zion Williamson probably won’t play until early 2020. Bummer. They’ve been outscored by 119 points during this eight-game losing streak and with games against Detroit, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Orlando, that streak is probably going to continue even further.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

27. Atlanta Hawks (6-17, Last Week’s Ranking: 30)

There has been some pretty forgettable headlines that have been coming out of Atlanta this week. Trae Young has been dissatisfied with team officials who lied to him in saying that he was to get some “extra help” around him and a roster that direly needs it. He got into a spirited verbal altercation with his teammates a week ago in the Hawks locker room, and those arguments look as if they’re going to keep happening the way the Hawks continue to lose games. With Miami and the Lakers on the schedule this week, they’ll need all the “help” they can get if they don’t want to see their win percentage drop even more.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

28. Cleveland Cavaliers (5-17, Last Week’s Ranking: 27)

Kevin Love is reportedly asking to be traded to a contender, and it looks like the process has finally begun for Cleveland to sell Kevin Love, as they are now listening to offers from all suitors that can afford the former world champ back in 2016. As for the play on the floor, it’s been anything but persuasive towards Love in the efforts to keep him around for the rebuild, as they are on a six-game losing streak. They suffered their worst loss of the season, getting destroyed by the Sixers by 47 points. John Beilein’s job is in clear and present danger and it isn’t going to get any easier with the Celtics, Spurs, Rockets, and Bucks on the schedule up next.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

29. Golden State Warriors (5-19, Last Week’s Ranking: 28)

Eric Paschall will be a nice addition to the rejuvenated Warriors next year, as this year’s audition has gone quite well, according to his standards. He’s scored in double-figures in 13 consecutive games and ended last week with scoring averages of 17.1 points per contest and the rookie lead in total points with 393.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

30. New York Knicks (4-19, Last Week’s Ranking: 30)

The Knicks were literally a free throw away from tying the Pacers on Sunday night and sending their game to overtime and had it not been for Julius Randle’s drawing of iron on his trip to the line, it would’ve completed a quality four-quarter effort from new Interim Head Coach Mike Miller, as the Knicks probably played their most complete game of the season. Portland, Golden State, Sacramento, and Denver all await the Knicks (the worst team in the league) during their Western road trip.

December is finally here, and for some teams that have experienced a full month together, preseason expectations have been altered, since a certain few may have already underwhelmed in the first six weeks of play. Conversely, some contenders have faced the brute reality felt after the first month of the regular season. Every given night is a battle, and unexpected outcomes with parity come with the territory of contending for a title.

Some championship favorites are following the course, fervently executing in double-digit wins. Others have faced competition much lower or equal to their level of skill, and haven’t quite looked the part of what predictors fathomed at season’s beginning.

For the first time, the Los Angeles Lakers lose their pole position at the No. 1 spot. The Milwaukee Bucks become the first team to leapfrog the Lakers as the team with the most significant momentum going into the seventh week of the season. Winners of 11 straight, and leading them the undisputed early-season lock for league MVP again in Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks look like the most formidable foe that any team would rather watch a brick wall than face.

So, let’s get into the power rankings for this week.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

1. Milwaukee Bucks (17-3, Last Week’s Ranking: 3)

It was only a matter of time until the Bucks took the helm at the top spot of this list. Winners of their last eleven games while completing a November that saw the Bucks win 15 of their 16 games, Milwaukee, and more specifically Giannis Antetokounmpo, look almost unstoppable. The MVP is averaging 30.9 ppg. in 32 minutes per contest and while his 3PT percentage has dropped, just about every other offensive statistic of his continue to rise.

They are fourth in the league in blocks per game and are only two spots away from being the best defensive squad in the NBA. They have gone on a tearin their winning streak and Antetokounmpo looks like a walking double-double who can outduel whatever matchup put in his place. They got Khris Middleton back, and he hasn’t looked rusty at all.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Los Angeles Lakers (17-3, Last Week’s Ranking: 1)

Well, this is odd.

The Lakers lose one game to a plus-.500 team and all of a sudden, it’s a firesale. For the first time this year, the Lakers aren’t the top spot holders on this power rankings list.

Prognosticators feel as though they can lick their chops in frivolity from seeing the Lakers be trounced by Western rival Dallas on Sunday night, regardless of a franchise-best month going 14-1 in November. Last night’s loss to the Mavericks was their first since Nov. 10 when they faced Toronto. December is going to be a tough month for LeBron and the new-look Lakers. Trips to Portland and another duel with the in-house rival Clippers are up on their schedule this month.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Los Angeles Clippers (15-6, Last Week’s Ranking: 2)

Despite a random little hiccup in a ten-point Spurs loss that saw both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George shoot for a combined 28 percent from the field, the Clippers have been nothing short of dominant, displaying a 5-1 record when George and Leonard both take the floor together. It may not have been the ideal start that the Clips had in mind, but if the two’s early chemistry looking almost perfect together, this is only the beginning for Doc Rivers’ uber-talented team.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Toronto Raptors (15-4, Last Week’s Ranking: 10)

The defending champs are red-hot during their seven-game winning streak, and their defense continues to prevail in every matchup. Toronto has held five of its past seven opponents under 100 points, and what was even more impressive was during their signature win of last week over the 76ers, with the Raptors holding the best center Joel Embiid scoreless for the first time in his career in a 101-96 home win.

Also, It’s not asinine to declare Pascal Siakam as a viable candidate in the MVP race as the likely All-Star is posting up 25.6-point scoring averages off 47 percent shooting, and is currently playing at an All-NBA level every night.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Dallas Mavericks (13-6, Last Week’s Ranking: 9)

Since a weird 1-3 week that included two losses to the Knicks, the Mavs have strung together some really impressive wins, getting in the winning column in seven of their past eight games, including some huge road victories over the Rockets and Lakers. And of course, Luka Doncic is up to his regular shenanigans, posting up monster numbers at the startling age of 20 years young.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. Denver Nuggets (13-4, Last Week’s Ranking: 4)

A six-game winning streak saw its demise at the hands of the Sacramento Kings, in which a 17-point lead was lost by the Nuggets in an overtime loss. That isn’t a sob story worth bawling over, considering those games happen every now and then. They still possess the best team defensive rating in the entire league, and this team is still rolling around the top of the West, just waiting for a streaking Western powerhouse to falter a few times.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. Houston Rockets (13-6, Last Week’s Ranking: 6)

James Harden is making a fine case to be the most dangerous offensive threat we’ve ever seen, and after we saw him drop 60 points through just three quarters against the Hawks this past weekend. As for Russell Westbrook, well, it hasn’t been rosy for the 2017 MVP. As a team, their three-point shooting isn’t stellar to put it lightly but with an above-average record against sub-.500 teams, the Rockets, barring a rare blowout loss to the Mavericks last week, are in prime position to secure a top-3 record in the West as the month goes by.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. Boston Celtics (14-5, Last Week’s Ranking: 5)

The Celtics limited the Nets to 11/25 shooting in the first half of a game that many expected the Celts’ to run away with in the second half. Of course, as history would precede, that wasn’t the case as Boston sustained a post-Thanksgiving loss to the Nets on the road that saw all of Boston’s stars struggle to guard the perimeter against the likes of Spencer Dinwiddie and Taurean Prince. Also, Boston is really having a tough time scoring the basketball, finishing last week nearly in the cellar of effective field-goal percentage since Nov. 17.

They started the year going 10-1 after a season-opening loss to Philadelphia. Since then, they’ve been a pedestrian 4-4,  but Gordon Hayward is nearing his return, and that could drastically transform the offensive and defensive difficulties the C’s have been having as of late.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

9. Philadelphia 76ers (14-6, Last Week’s Ranking: 7)

Pick apart the shooting of Ben Simmons, that’s warranted. What cannot be ignored is how elite his defensive prowess has been this season. The 6’10 guard is third in the league in steals, using those pickpocketing abilities in a clutch win over the Pacers at home as he came up with three steals in the final 14 seconds of the game. Philly is a perfect 9-0 at home, and what’e even more eye-opening (but not that surprising) is that the Sixers post an +11.7 overall net rating whenever Joel Embiid takes the floor.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

    10. Miami Heat (14-5, Last Week’s Ranking: 11)

Miami’s first games of the year were favorable and if your team had to play the same schedule, they wouldn’t make haste at the opportunity. Now a full month in, we’re starting to realize the early games for Miami have been nothing short of win-padding to look good in the standings. They have Boston and Toronto in a back to back this week, so we’ll witness the real mettle of this team and whether they can be taken seriously as a contender.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

11. Indiana Pacers (12-7, Last Week’s Ranking: 12)

Injuries have blitzed the Pacers at a surplus this year but in the first full month of the season, there’s no lament or complacency with their current situation. They finished last month with an 11-4 record and with last Wednesday’s 121-102 blowout win over the slipping Utah Jazz which was probably their best outing as a team this year, and they aren’t stopping considering how the sharpshooting and post-scoring skills of both their bigs in Domatas Sabonis and Myles Turner have vastly skyrocketed.

They also have the league’s easiest schedule, which directly benefits their most rudimentary of issues in letting their stars in Malcolm Brogdon and Victor Oladipo both heal up to being able to play at 100 percent.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

12. Brooklyn Nets (10-10, Last Week’s Ranking: 15)

Not having Kyrie Irving dampens some of the Sixth Man of the Year hopes for a certain Spencer Dinwiddie, who when on the floor provides enough offense for the Nets to be considered a top-10 offense in basketball. Last week saw the growth in confidence in one another and the growing chemistry between these new-look Brooklyn Nets, as they split a two-game series against the Boston Celtics.

It may have ended sourly with them suffering a 10-0 run to the Miami Heat to close out a win for them and put the Nets back at a respectable .500, but Dinwiddie has lit a fire under this offense that otherwise without him wouldn’t be able to crack the top-25 offenses in basketball in terms of overall field-goal efficiency.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

13. Utah Jazz (12-8, Last Week’s Ranking: 8)

Don’t let their positive record in a saturated Western Conference fool you: the Jazz had it rough on their last road trip, giving up 50 points to Giannis Antetokounmpo (without Rudy Gobert, worth adding) but were destroyed by the Pacers and Raptors in consecutive nights (with Gobert, worth adding). Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell have greatly underperformed and their path doesn’t get much easier as they’ll have to deal with the Sixers and Lakers in the same week.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

14. Minnesota Timberwoles (10-9, Last Week’s Ranking: 13)

The duo of Karl Anthony-Towns and Andrew Wiggins look to finally be finding their footing as arduous threats in the West, and quietly and ever so slightly, Towns is putting forth an MVP bid with his 25.9 ppg., 12 rpg. and 4.1 apg., which are all career-highs. Wiggins on the other hand is shutting doubters up quite often this year, peaking not too far behind Towns in scoring  at 24.8 ppg. off 47 percent shooting.

Towns is also expanding on his offensive arsenal and shooting the three-ball with confidence, only falling short of James Harden’s 3.8 3PM per contest as he stakes the claim as the purest shooting big man in the NBA.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

15. Portland Trail Blazers (8-12, Last Week’s Ranking: 20)

Well whaddaya know, the 13th-greatest scorer in the history of NBA basketball can still play at a proficient and productive level.

Who would’ve thunk it?

The Portland Trail Blazers stopped their peculiar tailspin and have won their last three games to inch closer to topping their subpar, 8-12 record. Damian Lillard’s return has been paramount in the success of Portland’s offensive effect, as expected. What hasn’t, luckily has been the positive impact of Carmelo Anthony who, on Monday, raked in his first Western Conference Player of the Month award as a Trail Blazer.

He’s been excellent in excelling in his new role as the space-creating wing scorer that allows room for Lillard and CJ McCollum to operate. This week will be difficult for the new trio as they’ll duel with both Los Angeles teams (and two old friends in Paul George and LeBron James) so we can see just how far they have to go in order to be deemed competent competition in the West.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

16. Orlando Magic (8-11, Last Week’s Ranking: 17)

Though the Magic have been unsuccessful in picking up some wins over their last six games as they only picked up two wins in that span of time and also missing an opportunity to obtain an upset win over the Raptors on the road, these Magic have showed flashes of good play, winning a home game against the last-place Warriors on Sunday. They have a chance to get back in the win column this week with trips to Washington and Cleveland, as well as a home game against the Suns.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

17. Phoenix Suns (8-10, Last Week’s Ranking: 14)

Well, that was short-lived. Great start to the season. One month in, however…not so much.

The Phoenix Suns have had trouble scrunching together some wins, dropping six of their last seven. Issues in the paint have been a major difficulty in regards to the Suns’ defensive effort and really, how can you blame them? Aside from Aron Baynes and a combination of Frank Kaminsky and Dario Saric inside the paint, this team has been anemic in rim protector depth since their former first-rounder DeAndre Ayton was dealt a lengthy suspension just a little over a month ago.

Trips to Charlotte, Orlando, and New Orleans might help the Suns pack the win column as they prepare to duel with the Rockets on the road at week’s end.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

18. Oklahoma City Thunder (8-11, Last Week’s Ranking: 19)

This roster has proven time and time again that they love the challenge of competition in a rebuilding year, and these young, upstart Thunder have complimented their veterans in Chris Paul and Steven Adams almost seamlessly. Many saw this season as a long shot, and their pieces of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Hamidou Diallo and others as just developmental chips for better draft capital or free agency additions in the efforts to reconstruct a championship roster.

They’ve already won 8 games this year and are currently two spots out of the playoff-qualifying list of eight teams out west. With a trip to Portland and two home games against the Pacers and Timberwolves up next, there’s more incentive for these young Thunder to keep fighting in every game they find themselves in.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

19. Sacramento Kings (8-10, Last Week’s Ranking: 16)

Harrison Barnes has played lights-out ball for the Kings in both Marvin Bagley III and DeAaron Fox’s absence, averaging 18.5 ppg. off 52 percent shooting. Also worth mentioning, he’s shooting the three ball at a 48 percent clip in every Kings win. They’ll duel against Chicago and Portland to start the week, and finish it with two hard games against the Mavericks and all-of-a-sudden treacherous Trail Blazers to finish it off.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

20. San Antonio Spurs (7-14, Last Week’s Ranking: 21)

The problem with the Spurs isn’t so much their offense, which is led by DeMar DeRozan’s 21.6 points per contest. It’s their abysmal defense which, for the second week in a row, still appears in the top-5 of worst defenses in the entire NBA, as they sit at position No. 26 on the defensive rating list. San Antonio allows an averaged total of 115 points per 100 possessions, which sounds horrid. What’s even scarier, that number is probably going to dip even lower with the Rockets coming into town to start the week.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

21. Charlotte Hornets (8-13, Last Week’s Ranking: 24)

The Hornets know how to close out close games, appearing at a commendable 5-2 in one-possession games when the clock begins to tick down to its final seconds. The problem lies in their inability to win more of those games and with 13 losses, an impressive roster that could honestly fight for a playoff spot with the talent that is on it will all but likely be on the outside looking in. They’ve fallen victim to 17 and 41-point losses in consecutive nights to the likes of the Bucks and Heat, and it doesn’t get easier considering they have teams like Brooklyn and Phoenix to deal with this week.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

22. New Orleans Pelicans (6-14, Last Week’s Ranking: 18)

Since last week, the Pelicans went winless, and their defense has also been pretty suspect this early in the year. They possess the 25th best defense in basketball and on the offensive end, fail to get it done in the clutch as they have the league’s worst clutch offense, scoring only 79 points per 100 possessions in the final five minutes of regulation. Brandon Ingram and Jrue Holiday have looked like all-stars, but their depth has been questionable in their efforts to close out some winnable games down the stretch.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

23. Detroit Pistons (7-13, Last Week’s Ranking: 22)

In acquiring some otherwise simple pickups on the schedule, the Pistons continue to struggle against sub-.500 teams like the Bulls and Hornets, combining for an awful 0-5 against two of the East’s most struggling teams. If there is any silver lining to their insufficiencies, the team is getting healthier as Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose have played five full games together after injuries sidelined the two former All-NBA mainstays.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

24. Washington Wizards (6-12, Last Week’s Ranking: 22)

If only the Wizards played some defense…

Their first quarter against the Lakers made the Wizards look like the old Washington Wizards, who’d score on you from all three levels with a profusely skilled backcourt and dually-gifted frontcourt. That quickly changed as the Lakers began to pour it on the Bradley Beal-led Wizards who are now dead-last in total defensive rating in all of the NBA. Scott Brooks’ offense is actually pretty good and when Beal takes the floor, they are literally the second-best offense in basketball. So when they decide to play even a feather of defense, they have the opportunity to be decent.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

25. Chicago Bulls (6-14, Last Week’s Ranking: 26)

Coby White is an interesting paradox for the Bulls. On some nights, the former UNC guard will score at will, dropping 25 + points and shoot the three-ball as if his life depended on it. But more often than not, the rookie guard has struggled with his Bulls who altogether have been overwhelmed this season, sometimes scoring less than 10 points per contest. He’s a rookie and he’ll come to learn from his mistakes, but these Bulls are still having difficulty stringing together some positive results in the win column.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

26. Memphis Grizzlies (6-13, Last Week’s Ranking: 23)

Ja Morant is running alone in the ROTY race, and honestly it isn’t even close to the word close. He’s been a delight in an otherwise gloomy rebuild season for the Grizz, averaging 18.6 ppg. and 6.4 assists per game. Jaren Jackson Jr. is starting to come into his own as a solid stretch four as the Grizzlies esteemed 2018 high-lottery pick, as he is scoring a respectable 14.9 points per contest.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

 27. Cleveland Cavaliers (5-14, Last Week’s Ranking: 27)

Not too much moving up or down for the Cavs this week, since going 1-9 in the last couple weeks in the month of November. They turn the ball over a lot (turned it over 25 times to the Magic at home), as they are mainly coming from their backcourt of Darius Garland and Collin Sexton.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

28. Golden State Warriors (4-17, Last Week’s Ranking: 30)

Hey, look at that! The Warriors aren’t at the bottom of the weekly power rankings anymore!

Yes, with their 4 wins, plaguing injuries to their main scorers in D’Angelo Russell, Klay Thompson, and Stephen Curry, they should be dead last on this list. Trust me, there’s much worse.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

29: New York Knicks (4-16, Last Week’s Ranking: 29)

It’s pretty sad and downright disrespectful to NY’s first-round selection Kevin Knox in seeing his minutes decrease so much that he was registered as a DNP in Friday’s loss to the Sixers. Knicks fans sat in dismay over the Knicks insufferable inability to rotate a four forwards signed in free agency, since now it’s making it more and more difficult for Dave Fizdale to integrate  Knox into his lineups.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

30. Atlanta Hawks (4-16, Last Week’s Ranking: 28)

If there was an option to clone four other Trae Youngs, best believe Hawks fans would jump like Kangaroos once the chance presented itself. He’s posting career-highs what feels like every night he touches the floor, but during this 10-game losing streak for the Hawks, there hasn’t been much else for fans in the ATL to cheer for. They haven’t won a game since November 12 and the impact of losing John Collins to that 25-game suspension has rocked the Hawks to their core.