The race for the highest positional placing is tightening up in the Eastern Conference, and as the games between the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets are under a tight microscope, it’s growing likelier by the day that the Sixers will finish with the best record in the East. Brooklyn is mulling their options on whether to give that extra push and fight for the No. 1 spot in the East with home-court advantage through the playoffs to boot or resting their most integral championship-winning parts in the waning weeks of the last full month of the regular season, but below the two, Milwaukee, Boston, Atlanta, and New York have relatively kept their distance amidst the current standings but are inching closer as the season winds down.

That being said, the same could transpire for the West-leading Utah Jazz, who are going through their own myriad of injuries. Donovan Mitchell will have to miss a few games due to an injured right ankle and without him so far, the Jazz lost to the Lakers in a thriller where they just went flat in extra time, scoring a mere five points in a 127-115 road loss. They currently hold a 2.5 game lead over the Phoenix Suns but are eeking by as winners of six of their last 10.

Another thing to watch: at season’s beginning, the Wizards were an afterthought, always appearing as an inefficient, talent-anemic team with its reigns carried by both an initially struggling Russell Westbrook and offensive aficionado Bradley Beal. Not so much now. Washington has won four straight games and if the season were to end today, would be smack dab into the mix as a participant in the play-in tournament — thanks to Russell Westbrook returning to his old triple-double-acquiring form.

The final four weeks of the season are upon us, so let’s get to this week’s Power Rankings and see where all 30 teams lie.

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1. Philadelphia 76ers (39-18, Last Week’s Ranking: 2)

Philly got some insurance on their lead over Brooklyn in the Easter standings this past week per their downplay and outside circumstances leaning toward their benefit, and over the past seven days, they’ve moved an entire three games ahead of the Nets with only 16 games left on the schedule.

The Sixers have looked, at more times than not, the NBA’s most efficient offensive and defensive team, due to their ample spacing, an MVP candidate in Joel Embiid scoring on whoever, Ben Simmons playing as the clear Defensive Player of the Year favorite, and as a team, have possessed the league’s best net rating from April 10-18. But they’re not exactly out of the woods just yet.

Two duels in a series with the Milwaukee Bucks will be their litmus test of just how dominant they can be before the season ends, and especially so considering they’ll have to outlast either Milwaukee or Brooklyn to advance to the Finals this year.

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2. Utah Jazz (43-15, Last Week’s Ranking: 1)

Utah went 1-1 on the short week, but more importantly, they’ll be tasked with finding a contingency plan to deal with the temporary loss of Donovan Mitchell, who sprained his right ankle after going for a loose ball against the Indiana Pacers. They haven’t had difficulty in adjusting without him, since the Jazz are 3-1 in games without him this year.

Their only loss? Though some heroics by Jordan Clarkson by way of a spot-up three-ball with mere seconds on the clock sent Saturday’s tightly-contested game to overtime, the Lakers kept the perimeter-swinging Jazz to only five points in OT and gave Utah their 12th road loss on the year. That game was a back-to-back and not quite exactly a game the Jazz were sweating since they rested both Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert, but their grip on the West’s best record is slipping a bit heading into their final 16 games.

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3. Phoenix Suns (41-16, Last Week’s Ranking: 3)

Though it ended abruptly against the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night, Phoenix’s 10-game winning streak was one to marvel. At one point during their streak, they stood at arm’s length and at the cusp of touching the top-seeded Jazz to claim the No. 1 seed in the West.

Chris Paul should likely land some MVP votes for how he has revitalized this franchise, dare stated, overnight, as the Jazz are primed to make the postseason with home-court advantage for the first time in 11 years. Paul also passed Maurice “Mo” Cheeks on the all-time steals list, further adding to his legacy as one of the best guards in the history of the game on both ends of the court.  Another thing to mention: CP3 passed Magic Johnson on the all-time assists list last night against the Bucks in a 128-127 barnburner.

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4. Brooklyn Nets (38-19, Last Week’s Ranking: 4)

The Nets are undergoing a bit of turbulence, which explains why they’ve fallen out of the top 3 in the Power Rankings for the first time in months. Let’s go down the list. First, they were quite undermanned and while they played until the final whistle, they couldn’t beat a fully healthy 76ers team in a marquee primetime showdown as the Sixers regained control of the East.

After that, James Harden would express further discomfort due to a hamstring strain and Kyrie Irving would miss a game due to a “personal issue” before returning to play against Philly one game later. Then, LaMarcus Aldridge, unknowingly, retires out of the blue due to an irregular heartbeat.

Finally, when it seemed like this black cloud flying over the heads of the Nets was finally passing, in came the thunder and lightning.

Kevin Durant scored eight points in nine minutes before leaving Sunday’s contest with a left quad contusion after it inadvertently made contact with Trevor Ariza’s knee on a routine drive to the hoop. The Nets then lost to the Miami Heat (who lost 3 of their last four games prior to Sunday’s contest) via a Bam Adebayo fadeaway jumper from 10 feet away from the rim.

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5. Los Angeles Clippers (40-19, Last Week’s Ranking: 6)

A seven-game winning streak came to an end this past Friday night, though it wasn’t quite a loss that the Clippers would be mulling over since star Forward Kawhi Leonard didn’t play. A fiery second-half comeback effort by the Clippers, led by Paul George’s 39 points on 14-29 shooting with four threes, came up short during their loss to the Sixers but quickly did these Clips ever rebound. Health is wealth to Tyronn Lue’s team, and the more rested they will be, the more optimal they’ll perform in the postseason.

That has to be the most emphasized point heading into the last four weeks of the season, and to see just how well they play when they’re at full strength, take a gander at what they did last night to the Timberwolves during their 124-105 home win where George scored a game-high 23 points off an efficient 9-of-17 shooting and four threes made in nine attempts. In his return, Kawhi Leonard scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds off 55 percent shooting.

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6. Los Angeles Lakers (35-23, Last Week’s Ranking: 7)

The Lakers rise a spot in this week’s rankings, thanks to a rather productive week that saw the defending champions go a pedestrian-but-acceptable 2-2 on the week. It was capped off with an upset over the top-seeded Jazz in a battle that expanded to overtime, but in that same week that they beat the Hornets and Jazz, they lost in embarrassing fashion to the Knicks and Celtics by an average of 11.5 points.

But still, Lakers fans should have their heads kept up high; Anthony Davis is making his return to the court in a matter of a few days, as his Achilles Tendinosis is all but healed up. The Lakers are already the NBA’s leader in defensive efficiency (105.8) and are still second in the league when it comes to opponent points scored per game (106.1 points allowed per 100 possessions). LeBron James’ return is also imminent, so the Lakers are likely content with finishing in the top-5 of the conference and running the table until they meet up with either the Jazz, Clippers, or Suns at some point in the playoffs.

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7. Milwaukee Bucks (35-22, Last Week’s Ranking: 5)

When it’s mentioned that the Eastern Conference is an impending dogfight just waiting to go down in the season’s last four weeks, that sentiment should not be taken lightly. Milwaukee is having one of those under-the-radar seasons where they’re in a position to knock off one of the top two seeds in their conference, but at the same time, look susceptible to succumbing to a lower seed in an early round of the postseason.

This is a big week coming up for the Bucks, who have won six out of their last 10 games and sit four games behind the first-place Sixers and two in the loss column behind the Nets. Consider this stretch of games their biggest of the season, for they’ll go against the 76ers in two games and battle the Hawks next, following their OT loss to the Suns. They have the potential to shake things up in the East down the stretch, and if this week goes according to plan for Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, we’ll get a glimpse of just how good this team is and how serious their chances of coming out of the East as championship contenders are.

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8. Denver Nuggets (37-20, Last Week’s Ranking: 10)

What a horrible week to be a Nuggets fan, and that’s putting it lightly.

As said last week, Denver saw whatever chance they had of having an extensive playoff run evaporated into thin air last week, as Jamal Murray tore his ACL on a typical hop-step into the lane, and awkwardly planted his left knee into the hardwood against the Golden State Warriors inside the Chase Center in San Francisco, California during what was a comeback attempt down six points with only but a few minutes to go.

The devastating blow to the Nuggets’ backcourt will be annoyingly and inconspicuously felt throughout the rest of the regular season and the postseason, for the Kentucky product is capable of dropping 40-50 points on a nightly basis as the team’s purest isolation creator at all three levels. And while Nikola Jokic is playing like the easy choice for the MVP award this year and Aaron Gordon fulfilling the role of being the 3-and-D wing stopper and lengthy floor stretcher on the other end, it’s really hard to produce in the playoffs without your main bucket getter who can break anyone down off the dribble when spacing is non-existent.

Mike Malone has no other choice but to throw Michael Porter Jr. into the role of that No. 2 guy slot and will have to run the offense through the second-year player out of Missouri as their primary shot creator.

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9. Portland Trail Blazers (32-24, Last Week’s Ranking: 8)

Though previously hypothesized that the Blazers would’ve done better with all of their pieces fully healthy, the outcome of that experiment is anything but what was predicted. They’ve lost six of their last nine, and are only two games ahead of the Dallas Mavericks for the seventh seed after an ugly 1-3 week that saw them lose to the likes of the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, and Charlotte Hornets, in which they lost to on the road without Damian Lillard, who missed Sunday’s contest with a hamstring strain.

They’re likely looking at the play-in tournament spot for a second-straight year at this point, and certain questions arise on how the Blazers haven’t been performing to optimal standards: are opposing defenses finally catching up on how to stop Damian Lillard? Has his career-high usage (now at 31.9, previous highest usage was in 2016-17 at 31.5) finally caught up to him? They’ll have to adjust quickly if they’re to have a chance at making a deep playoff run like how they did in 2018 and last season in the bubble.

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10. Boston Celtics (31-27, Last Week’s Ranking: 15)

It’s been a long season of twists and turns, bumps and bruises, valleys and mountains, but finally, the Celtics can say that they’re playing the best ball of their season as winners of six straight.

They are a whopping 7-1 in the month of April and led by the wonderous offensive efforts of both Jayson Tatum (34.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists off 55 percent shooting, and 50 percent shooting from deep with a 91 FT percentage in his past five games) and Jaylen Brown (28.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists off 56.7 percent shooting and 41.5 percent shooting from deep with a 71.4 FT percentage in the past five games) who have led the cavalry, it’s the resurgence of Kemba Walker that is the most salient topic.

Walker has averaged a little over 18 points and 6.4 assists with 6 rebounds in the same time span, a big step forward from his abysmal first three months of 2021 where he averaged an inefficient 17.6 points per game and was more of an offensive liability than an additional asset. The return of Marcus Smart has also done wonders for this Celtics team that needed leadership and a stern, galvanizing figure to set the tone defensively.

With a fourth-place finish in a stalemate of an Eastern Conference picture looking the Celtics dead in the face, their schedule is not the easiest, to put it lightly. After Monday night’s contest against the Zach LaVine-less Bulls which resulted in a loss, the Celtics will then have to compete in some back-to-backs against the Suns and Nets, while finishing their week against the Hornets.

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11. Dallas Mavericks (30-26, Last Week’s Ranking: 9)

In a week that saw the Mavericks survive against the Memphis Grizzlies with one of the more skilled and “lucky” game-winners you’ll ever see from the likes of Luka Doncic, the underlying issues plaguing this team that’s likely primed to be a play-in tournament team are starting to come forward at the most inopportune time. In blowing an opportunity to move up the rankings with a struggling 2-5 slump by the Trail Blazers, a 1-3 week done by these Mavericks didn’t help matters at all. Losses to the Sixers, Knicks, and surprisingly, the Kings, has Dallas in the seventh seed at the moment.

And while Luka Doncic has averaged 30 points, 9 assists, and 6.3 rebounds in the Mavericks’ last four games, Kristaps Porzingis has not shown up the way Rick Carlisle has wanted him to do so. He’s still posting a horrible 110 defensive rating and is only a 47.3/35.9/85 scorer, which is, okay, but not to what the Mavericks are expecting of their second-best player.

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12. Atlanta Hawks (31-26, Last Week’s Ranking: 12)

Atlanta is in a dead-heat for the fourth seed with the likes of the Celtics and Knicks going into the final four weeks of the season, and while they’ve been productive thanks in part to a stretch of five games where they’ve gone 4-1, it hasn’t just been the Trae Young show.

While the former 3rd overall pick and Oklahoma standout guard has done everything and more to keep the Hawks within reach of the postseason for the first time since 2016, it’s been the return of Bogdan Bogdanovic and the All-NBA resume of Clint Capela built up this season. On Sunday, Capela posted 25 points and grabbed 24 rebounds against All-Star Domantas Sabonis and the Indiana Pacers, and after returning from injury, Bogdanovic has averaged 20.5 points (second behind Trae’s 25.4 points per game), 4.2 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game while shooting a little over 50.3 percent from the field and a startling 49.5 percent from deep on 8.1 attempts per game.

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13. Miami Heat (30-28, Last Week’s Ranking: 11)

When things started raining for the Heat, it started pouring. Up until the end of this week, however. They lost three straight, including an embarrassing loss to the Timberwolves. But the heroics of Bam Adebayo saved the day against Kyrie Irving’s Brooklyn Nets, as he gave Miami their 29th win of the year and kept them within reach of the fifth seed with a buzzer-beater of a 10-foot fadeaway jumper. Six of their next seven games are against teams with sub-.500 records, and with Adebayo continuously finding his confidence offensively, now averaging 19.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists over his last three games, Miami is certainly not off the radar just yet.

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14. New York Knicks (31-27, Last Week’s Ranking: 14)

What difficult schedule? These Knicks keep on winning during the Tom Thibodeau era, now winners of six straight and winners of seven of their last 10. And they aren’t just beating rinky-dink sub-.500 teams here; the Raptors, Lakers, Mavericks, and Pelicans were all put on the mantle inside the cabin of ol’ Thibs, who has given this Knicks franchise a new sense of identity as the league’s No. 1 defense who will make it known that any opponent will have to work to get their offense going.

The goal isn’t the play-in tournament any longer now — these Knickerbockers are legit and have the best chance they could hope for at this point in the season as a potential team that could finish with a top-6 record in the vaunted Eastern Conference, hanging with the likes of the Celtics, Bucks, Nets, and Sixers.

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15. Memphis Grizzlies (29-27, Last Week’s Ranking: 17)

Grayson Allen has found his place here in the NBA. Last week, the Duke standout averaged 18.5 points off 53.3 percent from the field as a veteran swingman off the bench and knocked down 20 threes out of 37 attempts in the Grizzlies’ 3-1 week. Still, this is a win-loss, results-driven league, and so he was subject to slander from both Grizz media and fans for bricking consecutive free throws with 2.2 seconds left on the clock, which was enough time to give the Grizzlies a buzzer-beating loss to Luka Doncic’s Dallas Mavericks last Wednesday night.

You can’t hang your head with losses like that and they will have to put that mishap in the back of their minds, and quite frankly they have no other option for they’ll have a rough stretch of games up next against the Clippers with two games against the Trail Blazers, for their contest against the Nuggets ended in an undesirable way as they allowed Nikola Jokic to score 47 points and rack up 15 rebounds with eight assists to boot during a 139-137 OT loss.

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16. Golden State Warriors (29-29, Last Week’s Ranking: 18)

We have to say it again…

Look at Curry man, so inspirational.

The two-time MVP is playing some of the best ball of his 12-year career, and quite honestly, is emulating Kobe Bryant during his legendary 2006 season where it’s commonplace for him to score 40+ points with 10+ threes on a nightly basis. He did so last week and through Monday night, breaking Kobe’s record of 10-straight 30-point games by a player 33 or older. And in his last 10 games, Curry has averaged an astounding 40.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in his last 10 games.

Kicking off the week with a 53-point explosion against the Nuggets, the Warriors survived a comeback attempt from Denver and a night after that, he dropped 42 against the lowly Thunder with 11 threes to help. Then, a 33-point performance against Cleveland followed that. To finish off the week, Curry went off on Saturday primetime, scoring 47 points and knocking down 11 threes in a loss to the Celtics.

Then on Monday night, Curry kept his streak going with an even-better 49-point showcase against top-seeded Philadelphia with 10 threes. The slew of six games in which Golden State went 5-1 in helped them find a silver lining in the wake of rookie center James Wiseman’s season-ending knee surgery.

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17. Charlotte Hornets (28-28, Last Week’s Ranking: 16)

Sunday’s win over the Damian Lillard-less Trail Blazers ended a free-fall of a four-game losing skid for the Hornets, and at the moment they are well in the fight of contending for the play-in tournament with a two-game winning streak. And while they’ve felt the blow of injuries piling up and hindering their chances of competing at full strength, they could possibly look forward to the next 7-10 games in which LaMelo Ball could come back and rejoin the team, since he’s 100 percent healthy and cleared to return to basketball activities. Terry Rozier has fared well as the primary shot creator with an increased role in the wake of Ball’s absence and Miles Bridges continues to show his upward development, now averaging a little over 24 points in his last four games.

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18. San Antonio Spurs (28-28, Last Week’s Ranking: 13)

San Antonio beat the Suns 111-85 after resting DeMar DeRozan, Patty Mills, and Jakob Poeltl, a decision that earned the team a $25,000 fine from the NBA for breaching the league’s player resting policy. San Antonio was a 12-point underdog going into the game against Phoenix but won by 26 points.

And then, they followed that with a 15-point win over the Pacers on Monday night, where Derrick White led all Spurs scorers with 25 points. While 4-6 in their last 10 games, they are smack dab in the middle of the play-in tournament picture as the 10th seed.

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19. Indiana Pacers (26-31, Last Week’s Ranking: 19)

It’s not uncommon to see significant discrepancies in a team’s record at home and on the road, but teams usually do much better in their own house. The Pacers aren’t your regular team this season. Indiana has a 9-17 home record, making it the only Eastern Conference team without a ten-win season, yet.

The Pacers, on the other hand, have 17 road victories, which makes them tied with Milwaukee and Philadelphia for the most in the East. They lost to San Antonio on Monday night, pushing them to ninth in the East but still within the middle of the pack for the play-in tournament.

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20. New Orleans Pelicans (25-32, Last Week’s Ranking: 20)

On Sunday, the Pelicans had a six-point lead with 1:48 remaining against the Knicks but lost in overtime, thanks in part to two poor plays on their behalf in the Knicks’ final play in regulation. It was the sixth time in Pelicans history that the team led by six points with less than two minutes remaining and failed to win.  It’s also the Pelicans’ second such occurrence this season, since it happened on January 4 against the Pacers.

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21.Toronto Raptors (24-34, Last Week’s Ranking: 23)

The resilient Raptors aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Despite all of the team’s misfortunes in recent weeks, Toronto is back in the Eastern Conference’s final play-in tournament spot after winning three straight games last week. The Raptors’ schedule doesn’t get any easier as the season progresses, but if they want to finish 10th, they should be able to fend off Chicago and Washington.

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22. Washington Wizards (24-33, Last Week’s Ranking: 25)

Don’t look now, but the Wizards’ roller-coaster season is finally starting to turn around. And it came just in time. The Wizards have won four straight games and six of their last seven, thanks to Russell Westbrook’s triple-double revival. In April, Westbrook has recorded a triple-double in 11 of his last 13 games, averaging 22.5 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 11.6 assists. Bradley Beal is gaining a lot of traction, scoring 30 or more in the past four contests.

Bradley Beal is gaining a lot of traction, scoring 30 or more in the past four contests. And more importantly, they’re tied with Chicago in the standings and are one game behind Toronto in the win column, making the play-in tournament a real possibility.

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23. Chicago Bulls (24-33, Last Week’s Ranking: 21)

The Bulls defeated the Cavs on Saturday to end a five-game losing streak, but it didn’t take away the sting of losing All-Star swingman Zach LaVine for an undetermined period of time due to COVID-19 protocols. LaVine’s absence highlights how far this team has fallen since acquiring Nikola Vucevic just before the trade deadline. Since making the switch, the Bulls have gone 5-9, thanks in part to an upset over the Celtis on Monday night. Also, Lauri Markkanen is averaging just 8.4 points and 4.2 assists over 10 April games.

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24. Sacramento Kings (23-34, Last Week’s Ranking: 22)

The Kings showed some signs of life on the road on Sunday, defeating the Mavericks 121-107 in a game Sacramento never trailed in. Despite the fact that Luka Doncic outscored De’Aaron Fox 37 to 30, Fox had 12 assists and zero turnovers to Doncic’s 4-4 assist-to-turnover ratio. Still, this season is all but lost considering that the Kings are 1-9 in their last 10 games.

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25. Cleveland Cavaliers (20-37, Last Week’s Ranking: 26)

This week’s matchup between the Cavaliers and Warriors was a bittersweet reminder of how much has changed since their annual NBA Finals showdown. Though Stephen Curry (33 points) and Draymond Green (10 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks) came close to matching their previous performances, Kevin Love was Cleveland’s only relic, scoring five points on 2-for-10 shooting with six rebounds.

Speaking of a blast from the past, Matthew Dellavedova (3 assists) harkened back to that golden-but-not-so-distant age from back to 2015-2018.

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26. Oklahoma City Thunder (20-38, Last Week’s Ranking: 24)

The Thunder have lost 11 games in a row, their longest losing streak since their inaugural season in OKC in 2008 when they lost 14 games in a row (which, if you remember, resulted in head coach PJ Carlesimo being replaced by a young, bushy-haired Scott Brooks). It has reduced them to the league’s fifth-worst record, only a few games behind/ahead of the Magic for the fourth-worst.

But, as has been the case throughout the season, even in the midst of a slump, positive things are happening in OKC. Luguentz Dort set a career-high with 42 points against the Jazz, then added 26 against Detroit and 29 against Toronto.

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27. Orlando Magic (18-39, Last Week’s Ranking: 27)

During Wednesday’s victory, Wendell Carter Jr. avenged himself against the Bulls, who traded him last month as part of a package for Nikola Vucevic. Carter had 19 points and 12 rebounds in his first game in Orlando against Chicago, and he has continued to impress as this season winds down.

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28. Detroit Pistons (18-40, Last Week’s Ranking: 28)

Last week, the Pistons faced the Thunder and won, despite the absence of Jerami Grant, thanks to some outstanding performances. Josh Jackson, a former lottery pick, scored 29 points, and rookies Isaiah Stewart (15 points, 21 rebounds) and Saddiq Bey (18 points) contributed significantly. Additionally, Bey, the Villanova standout, led the Pistons in scoring during their home win over Cleveland with 20 points off 6-12 shooting.

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29. Minnesota Timberwolves (15-43, Last Week’s Ranking: 30)

Although the optimistic energy that accompanied D’Angelo Russell’s return has faded, the Wolves’ success under Chris Finch must be commended. They’ve played at a faster tempo, with more discipline, and with more structure. And, perhaps most importantly, Karl-Anthony Towns’ position is changing, with him being featured in space and as a creator atop the key, similar to how the Nuggets use Nikola Jokic.

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30. Houston Rockets (15-43, Last Week’s Ranking: 29)

Jae’Sean Tate, a 25-year-old undrafted forward who started his professional career in Australia, has been a bright spot for the Rockets during their difficult season, emerging as an All-Rookie nominee. Tate, along with Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball, has averaged 11.1 points, 5.4 assists, and one steal per game.

Photo cred: Fox Sports 1430.

The battle for the top seed in the East is heating up after Easter Sunday, as the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, and Milwaukee Bucks are all separated by just 1.5 games. The same cannot be said for the rest of the East. From seeds 4 to 11, each team is separated by a total of 6.5 games, and are all treading lightly and have a litany of tough games down the stretch of the last seven weeks of the year. All teams in that position are all fighting to stay out of the play-in round as it stands.

And as it goes for a team like the Lakers, who aren’t playing up to their potential because of their injury difficulties, don’t have much of a margin for error in the final seven weeks of the year. LeBron James isn’t expected back for another three weeks, and Anthony Davis’ Achilles troubles are, concerning, to put it lightly. But as conference battles continue to take shape, we’re getting a picture of who can hang in the playoff picture, and who should hold off on their playoff hopes for another year.

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1. Utah Jazz (38-12, Last Week’s Ranking: 1)

The Jazz have won nine games in a row and are resembling the team that struck the league by storm at the season’s beginning. As the surprise team of the year, this is their third-longest win streak of the season, not to mention that on Friday against Chicago and Orlando, they won their 21st and 22nd home game and undoubtedly possess the most outstanding home record inside Vivint Smart Home Arena, scoring an absurd 118.5 points on their home court.

Donovan Mitchell looks as if he’s about to earn his first All-NBA First-Team selection, averaging 28.1 points with 5.6 assists off 53.1/51.6/95.3 shooting splits during this uptick in play and his accomplice should be a lock for Defensive Player of the Year, averaging 15.7 points, 12 rebounds and an eye-opening 3.3 blocks in the same span.

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2. Brooklyn Nets (35-16, Last Week’s Ranking: 3)

Kevin Durant is slated to finally return from a lingering hamstring issue that’s hampered him since the beginning of February, and with his imminent comeback, the machine will be fully operational. Brooklyn saw their four-game winning streak come to an end against the Bulls on Easter Sunday but still got an ample 24 points out of Kyrie Irving in the loss. Brooklyn’s focus is optimal health since the playoffs aren’t so far away anymore, though being only 1.5 games out of first place in the East doesn’t mean the top seed isn’t attainable. And with all their players (MVP candidate/favorite James Harden included) becoming more and more available for the final stretch, holding home court is also of importance.

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3. Phoenix Suns (35-14, Last Week’s Ranking: 4)

The second seed is well in the grasp of the Suns, who hold a 2.5-game lead over the third-place Clippers in the Western Standings. Devin Booker really got it going last week, averaging an insane 32.7 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds in his last three contests. The Suns are on a five-game winning streak, and when Booker dropped his season-high 45 points against the Bulls, that had been the most points he’d score since putting up 48 points in March of 2019, Booker then dropped 32 points against the Hornets, and then 21 points against the Hawks on Friday. That was another personal best for the former Kentucky standout, as it had been the second time this year where he’s had back-to-back games with at least 32 points.

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4. Philadelphia 76ers (34-16, Last Week’s Ranking: 2)

Joel Embiid’s return to the hardwood started off with a bang – not in a good way at first, with Karl Anthony-Towns dunking on him and turning him into somewhat of a meme – but he went off in the comeback game, scoring 24 points while grabbing 8 rebounds in the home win. Philly’s week ended sourly, however, and with the Grizzlies beating an Embiid-less Sixers team due to the MVP candidate missing time as a means of rest, they did so by holding a head-scratchingly un-aggressive Ben Simmons to 7 points on 2 of 6 shooting. The 76ers remain tied in a dead heat with the Nets and have a chance to separate themselves from the pack with trips to Boston, New Orleans, and Oklahoma City this week.

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5. Milwaukee Bucks (32-17, Last Week’s Ranking: 6)

Milwaukee’s right in the thick of things when it comes to competing in the East, and more importantly, they’re locking down their most integral parts to bolster their game plan. They blessed (pun intended) Jrue Holiday on Easter Sunday, signing the two-way guard to a four-year, $135M extension after giving away Eric Bledsoe to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Holiday in the offseason. As a team, the Bucks got out of their two-game slump with a three-game winning streak. A home-court advantage throughout the playoffs isn’t all that unattainable for Milwaukee, for they have the roster and talent to shake things up as a team that’s only a little under 2.5 games out of the Conference lead.

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6. Los Angeles Clippers (33-18, Last Week’s Ranking: 5)

What followed a productive week last week was anything but this week, as the Clippers put forth one of their most inconsistent weeks of the season. They opened the week blowing the doors off of Milwaukee via a 129-105 home win but continued in that same week to lose against Orlando and Denver while ending the week with a dominant blowout over the Lakers, their cross-hallway rivals in the Staples Center on Easter Sunday. Injuries to Marcus Morris, Paul George, Serge Ibaka, and Patrick Beverley have hampered the chances of the third-seeded Clips but recharged when they put new Clipper Rajon Rondo on the floor during a 104-86 rout against his old Laker team. DeMarcus Cousins officially signed his 10-day contract with the Clips and is expected to join the team at some point.

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7. Denver Nuggets (31-18, Last Week’s Ranking: 7)

Aaron Gordon being an acquisition for the Nuggets might be the signature piece that makes them contenders and upsetters in a tight Western Conference. Since getting him before the Trade Deadline, the Nuggets have yet to lose with him on the court as the star forward has been equally omnipresent on the offensive and defensive end. They’ve beaten the likes of fringe contenders like Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles (Clippers), and Jamal Murray, Will Barton, and Michael Porter Jr. picked up a Nugs squad while Nikola Jokic noticeably struggled this past week. Adding Gordon to this team gives them another big body to match up with the likes of LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, and just about any other big wing that chooses to create offense off the bounce, as well as present an additional target for Jokic to dish off some assists to.

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8. Los Angeles Lakers (31-19, Last Week’s Ranking: 8)

For a second-straight week, the Lakers find themselves nearly out of the top-10 for these weekly standings, and should their injury woes continue, they’ll fall even further. A prominent scoring option aside from Kyle Kuzma and Montrezl Harrell is just as necessary as a defibrillator after a heart attack, and quite frankly their chances of getting the West’s No. 1 seed this year are on life support. And prior to them going through the gauntlet of injuries, they finished February 21-6 and looked well enough to keep a home-court advantage. Andre Drummond couldn’t even stay healthy for an entire week, before leaving his first game with a loose toenail. Even worse, while a break in their schedule is needed to help them recalibrate, they aren’t getting one this week; Toronto, Miami, and Brooklyn are up next.

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9. Portland Trail Blazers (30-19, Last Week’s Ranking: 9)

Perhaps the greatest news needs reporting: Jusuf Nurkic is back, and for the most part, the Trail Blazers’ starting five is 100% healthy! That’s something that hasn’t been uttered since the season began, as both CJ McCollum and Nurkic haven’t but played more than five games together this year since the year began. They’ve capitalized in their uptick in health, winning five of their last six, albeit against rebuilding teams while stumbling against playoff teams like the Nets, Mavericks, and Bucks by an average of 20.6 points. Some tough matchups against the Clippers and Jazz this week give yet another opportunity for Terry Stotts’ team members to measure just how competitive they can be against the most tedious foes.

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10. Dallas Mavericks (28-21, Last Week’s Ranking: 10)

Dallas went 4-1 in their longest road trip of the year, finishing strong with a four-game winning streak after Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis sat out their road opener to improve an already expansive 3.5-game lead in the Southwest Division out West. That’s now 18 of the last 25 games that the Mavericks have gotten wins out of, giving them the league’s fourth-best winning percentage and raise their record to six games over .500.

Jalen Brunson has been the guard that Rick Carlisle and Mavs brass had hoped he developed into this season and during this increase in win percentage, the Villanova standout has averaged 13.7 points off an efficient 64.2 percent true shooting percentage. He’s shown he can be trusted enough to control the tempo of the floor, additionally averaging 4.1 assists per game in their last 25 games.

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11. Miami Heat (26-24, Last Week’s Ranking: 16)

It’s an up-and-down season for the Heat, who a few weeks ago looked unstoppable with both Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo in the starting lineup. They head into Tuesday’s game against the Grizzlies with a two-game winning streak, which is coming off the cusp of a six-game losing streak, and that was followed by them winning 11 out of their last 12. Victor Oladipo got his first minutes in a Heat uniform, but even he would like a do-over as the Indiana product has started out his Heat tenure with a sloppy 5-of-21 shooting percentage in his first couple of games.

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12. Atlanta Hawks (26-24, Last Week’s Ranking: 15)

The Hawks raise three spots in this week’s rankings, and for good reason. Nate McMillan’s offense is fluid enough in its ability to allow each guard and wing to flow into a variety of floppy and side PnR actions that generate both simple looks at the rim and one-away, Hi-Lo finds around the perimeter. Moreso, this is a team that can finish in the clutch; Trae Young is tied for fourth in total clutch rating (110.6 Clth. Off. Rtg., per 82Games) with the likes of Damian Lillard, Buddy Hield, and Harrison Barnes, and with help from the bench (new Hawk Lou Williams scored 12 of his 15 points in the fourth and Danilo Gallinari scored 20 of his total 25 points in the second half) the Hawks won their third-straight game. While notable teams in the East struggle in a tight battle from seeds 5-11, the Hawks have crept their way into the fourth seed.

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13. San Antonio Spurs (24-24, Last Week’s Ranking: 11)

San Antonio opened the week with a win and loss to the Kings and then continued to split a series of games that went into overtime against the Atlanta Hawks and the Indiana Pacers. In both their successful results against the Pacers and Hawks, DeMar DeRozan was that aggressive, mid-post scorer that took over and led his team in scoring, which was a first considering that the Spurs hadn’t had the same player lead them in scoring in three straight contests.

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14. New York Knicks (25-26, Last Week’s Ranking: 12)

The Knicks remain in the hunt for a playoff spot as one of the teams in the 4-11 seeds that have nary a margin of error heading into this week. They sit in eighth place and currently have a better record than the Toronto Raptors, and are four losses above them in the column. They have to like where they’re at, as they weren’t even considered to even make it to this point of the season without bottoming out with only seven weeks left. If all goes well and should bad luck transpire for their Eastern opponents, the Knicks could be making the playoffs for the first time in eight years.

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15. Boston Celtics (25-25, Last Week’s Ranking: 13)

Evan Fournier was told that his 0-for-7 debut with the Celtics was to be only but a small “blip of your time as a Celtic” by Head Coach Brad Stevens, and while it seemed that those words of positive reinforcement went in one ear and out of the other (Fournier scored a combined six points in Boston’s consecutive losses to open last week) his tenured advice soon rubbed off on the French swingman.

Boston had been anemic without a playmaking wing with the departure of Gordon Hayward which delivered the deepest cut to a team that had, with his assistance, advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals only a few months prior to the new season beginning this past December. It seems like their search for that exact playmaking hybrid wing has come to an end, if their last two games told Boston fans anything.

In the two games that the Celtics won this week to get them back to a suboptimal-but-even-.500 record, Fournier would score a combined 40 points in his third and fourth outings wearing Green. A shooter of his caliber gives a predictable Boston offense a new dynamic layer and further promulgates a reality that, with an increasingly simple schedule to close out the regular season, Boston can play up to at least the semblance of what was expected of them at season’s opening.

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16. Charlotte Hornets (25-24, Last Week’s Ranking: 14)

Another week, another injury. Charlotte will likely slip if these injury woes continue, as Gordon Hayward is slated to miss four weeks with another sprained right foot, the same injury that kept him out of the majority of the Bubble Playoffs. The Hornets are now missing LaMelo Ball (wrist), and now Terry Rozier will be forced to have an even bigger role in the offense. He’s averaging a little over 20 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.4 assists over his past 10 games.

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17. Memphis Grizzlies (24-23, Last Week’s Ranking: 18)

The Grizzlies are getting healthier, and as they are waiting on the return of their star forward Jaren Jackson Jr., they had a very productive 3-1 week and ended it on a great note when they upset the East-leading Philadelphia 76ers, and kept an Embiid-less Sixers team under 110 points in a blowout. They held Ben Simmons to only 7 points off 2-of-6 shooting, and currently have a top-10 defense with the seventh-best defensive rating. After the win, Jonas Valanciunas has recorded a double-double in his past 10 games, and when he records that stat, the Grizzlies are 6-4 on the season.

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18. Golden State Warriors (23-27, Last Week’s Ranking: 19)

Golden State is in, arguably, one of the worst places they’ve been in all season, dropping seven of their last eight while things just aren’t seemingly getting better, Stephen Curry’s efforts to at least keep them competitive aren’t rubbing off. In his last three games since returning from a bruised tailbone, Curry has been averaging 35 points, 7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists and has done everything he can to keep the Warriors in reach of the final play-in tournament spot. What’s worse, is that James Wiseman is showing that he still has a long way to go in order to fit in and produce for a starting lineup. The Dubs’ bench was embarrassingly outscored 55-19 to the Hawks during Sunday’s loss.

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19. Indiana Pacers (22-26, Last Week’s Ranking: 17)

Since returning from Kidney Cancer, Caris LeVert had his best game as a Pacer, scoring 26 points and dishing nine assists in their win over San Antonio. That was only his 12th game in a Pacers uniform, and the win was significant; they were missing both Domantas Sabonis and Malcolm Brogdon weren’t on the floor. The nine assists he had were the most he had since his return.

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20. New Orleans Pelicans (22-27, Last Week’s Ranking: 20)

After their massive win over the Celtics last week, it was looking as if things were finally looking up. And then they weren’t. Health hasn’t been an issue for one of the most offensively balanced teams in basketball, but recently, it has; Zion Williamson avoided serious injury but will miss time with a sprained right thumb, as well as Brandon Ingram, who missed some time with what is being called a “right first MTP irritation”. After not trading Lonzo Ball, the Pelicans backcourt took some major hits with injuries to Josh Hart (torn thumb UCL) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (ankle) as well as their frontcourt with Steven Adams (concussion). They’ll get some additional artillery by signing former 32-year old All-Star Isaiah Thomas, meaning he’ll get a lump sum of minutes starting Tuesday night.

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21. Chicago Bulls (20-28, Last Week’s Ranking: 22)

The good news is that the Bulls ended a six-game losing streak on Sunday against a Nets team that was missing KD and Harden. The bad news is that the Nikola Vucevic signing hasn’t given the team the boost it needed. Vucevic’s numbers have been good, but the Bulls’ defense has been a problem. In their last seven games, they’ve given up an average of 114 points per game.

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22. Sacramento Kings (22-29, Last Week’s Ranking: 21)

Terence Davis made an instant impact in Sacramento, scoring 27 points in just his fifth game with the Kings, tying for the second-highest scoring output of his two-year career. In Sacramento’s narrow loss to Milwaukee, the 6-foot-4 shooting guard went 7-for-10 from three-point range, giving head coach Luke Walton a high-level backup behind Buddy Hield, who is back as a full-time starter.

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23. Toronto Raptors (20-30, Last Week’s Ranking: 24)

With their rout of the Warriors on Friday night, the Raptors matched their win total for the entire month of March in just two days. That pretty much sums up Toronto’s season, which has been a disaster since it got to 17-17 after a 2-8 start, only to be ruined by COVID-19 issues. On the positive side, despite their abysmal results, the Raptors are just 1.5 games behind Chicago for the 10th and final seed of the play-in tournament.

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  24. Oklahoma City Thunder (20-30, Last Week’s Ranking: 23)

Simply put, while it’s known they are developing talent and instilling confidence in their younger pieces, this Thunder team is just not good. They lost in embarrassing fashion, 132-108, to the lowly Detroit Pistons on Monday, and in their past two games prior to Monday, they’ve lost by 37 to the Suns and 48 to the Trail Blazers. This is a G-League roster, and they are likely primed to capture a high draft pick at season’s end.

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25. Washington Wizards (17-32, Last Week’s Ranking: 25)

Russell Westbrook is putting up triple-doubles as if he’s returned to his MVP self, but the Wizards are starting to lose ground as injuries mount. They’ve dropped three in a row, and Bradley Beal has missed the last four games due to a sore hip. Daniel Gafford played two games for Washington before suffering an ankle injury. Last Monday, Rui Hachimura took another developmental step forward, as he scored 30 points against Charlotte.

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26. Cleveland Cavaliers (18-32, Last Week’s Ranking: 26)

Cleveland has lost five straight games until their win on Monday night, but Kevin Love returned to the lineup for the first time since mid-March at the end of the week, giving the team a glimmer of hope. In two games against Philadelphia and Miami, the five-time All-Star averaged 11.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in 21.5 minutes. Love had only appeared in his fifth and sixth games of the season due to a calf strain.

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27. Orlando Magic (17-33, Last Week’s Ranking: 27)

Reconstruction is underway. The Magic swept the Clippers and Pelicans on the road this week, thanks in part to new forward Wendell Carter Jr.’s contributions. In his last three games, the former Bull has averaged 20 points and 12 rebounds. Chuma Okeke, a rookie guard, is also impressing and making the most of his increased playing time. In his last seven games, Okeke has scored in double figures six times.

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28. Detroit Pistons (15-35, Last Week’s Ranking: 28)

Detroit began the week 2-0, with victories over Toronto and Washington, before losing to the Knicks by 44 points on Saturday. The Pistons’ perimeter defense was non-existent, allowing the Knicks to shoot 19-for-39 from beyond the arc. With 14 points, newcomer Hamidou Diallo led Detroit in scoring, but he also had a minus-36 plus-minus in 24 minutes, which is difficult to achieve.

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29. Houston Rockets (13-37, Last Week’s Ranking: 29)

Since arriving in Houston as part of the Victor Oladipo trade with Miami, Kelly Olynyk has been productive. In the five games he has played, Olynyk, who will be a free agent this offseason, has led the Rockets with an average of 18.5 points on 58.2 percent shooting from the field. Though given a small sample, The early returns on an Olynyk/Christian Wood combination have not been encouraging, however. Houston has been outscored by 27 points in the 48 minutes that the duo has played together.

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30. Minnesota Timberwolves (13-38, Last Week’s Ranking: 30)

Anthony Edwards has gotten a lot of coverage, and rightfully so, but the Wolves’ other first-round choice is also on the rise. Jaden McDaniels’ defensive versatility is impressing teammates, and he was given assignments against James Harden and Ja Morant during his trial by fire last week. The Wolves are looking for signs of progress, and McDaniels’ ability to turn into a stopper could help.