30. Washington Wizards (6-39)
Previous Week Ranking: 30th
Another week came, and another four losses all by double-digits arrived for the Wizards. There is really not much to say about how bad this team really is. They have extended their losing streak to 14 games now and I am unsure when they may get a win.

29. Utah Jazz (10-34)
Previous Week Ranking: 28th
Thankfully for the Utah Jazz, the Wizards exist to keep them from being the worst NBA franchise. Do not sleep on the Jazz though, they have lost 6 straight games of their own although only half of them were losses by more than 10+ points.

28. Brooklyn Nets (14-33)
Previous Week Ranking: 27th
Is DeAngelo Russell out of pocket for saying that he will not take playing free for granted anymore after having been traded away from Los Angeles? Clearly, that is a shot at LeBron and that franchise, but the thing is he is likely not wrong. Brooklyn is awful, but at least DLo has lived and played there before and can play however he wants.

27. New Orleans Pelicans (12-35)
Previous Week Ranking: 24th
Free CJ McCollum from this disappointment in NOLA. The Pelicans lost all three games they played this week and two of those games were against the Toronto Raptors and Charlotte Hornets, the latter of which was a 31-point L.

26. Charlotte Hornets (12-31)
Previous Week Ranking: 25th
Charlotte is a League Pass watch for those who find themselves channel surfing. Yes, they have only won 12 games, but B Miller and LaMelo keep the city lit. After winning the fan vote, many thought LaMelo was snubbed from being an All-Star starter. Can he still get in as a reserve on a team that has a 28% winning percentage?

25. Toronto Raptors (14-32)
Previous Week Ranking: 29th
Schedules ebb and flow in terms of competitiveness and sometimes an easy streak is all a team needs to build some confidence and get back on track. The Raptors secured their first four-game winning streak of the year and face the Wizards in their next game. Let’s make it 5 in a row!

24. Portland Trailblazers (17-29)
Previous Week Ranking: 26th
You cannot make too much of these bottom-dwelling teams winning a few games as we are more than halfway through the season and their identity is clear. However, the Trailblazers put together a four-game winning streak that only ended when they faced the Thunder. Portland was mildly competitive against OKC too.

23. Atlanta Hawks (22-24)
Previous Week Ranking: 17th
The Hawks are dropping the ball and injuries are not helping them out. Jalen Johnson has been a revelation for Atlanta this year and he is out indefinitely due to a shoulder injury. Add to that Trae Young dealing with a hamstring issue and Atlanta could fall out of Play-In contention.

22. San Antonio Spurs (20-23)
Previous Week Ranking: 22nd
The San Antonio Spurs went to Paris this week to play two games against the Indiana Pacers, and no doubt cash in on the French popularity of the international superstar Victor Wembanyama. It is hard to compliment the professional sports leagues for anything, but this move was brilliant and drew basketball fans from all over Europe.

21. Chicago Bulls (20-27)
Previous Week Ranking: 21st
Zach LaVine continues to quietly have the best shooting season of his career. He is averaging 51.1% from the field and 44.6% from three-point range, which is good for 6th best in the league at the moment. He looks back to being the killer on offense we came to know and would be a tremendous addition for teams on the cusp of title contention.

20. Philadelphia 76ers (17-27)
Previous Week Ranking: 23rd
The most frustrating part of the Sixers season is that Joel Embiid continues to be sidelined with this knee injury and news about it is so vague and limited. Philly got two wins over the East-leading Cavs and Bulls this week behind Tyrese Maxey putting on a show. If you live in Philly you probably missed both games as the city, specifically Broad Street, is literally being overrun and all that matters is the Eagles heading back to the Super Bowl for the second time in three years. GO BIRDS!

19. Golden State Warriors (22-23)
Previous Week Ranking: 20th
There is no debate that the NBA has taken Steph Curry and LeBron James for granted. Their legendary careers are more than on the back nine, yet they both continue to kill. Golden State will likely make the Play-In game and maybe Steph and Draymond can put together some magic, but we should all tune in while we still can.

18. Orlando Magic (24-24)
Previous Week Ranking: 16th
Losers of six of their last seven games and eight of their last ten, the Magic continue to fumble after a great start to the season. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are both back from their respective injuries, however, the chemistry of this roster has looked different from early in the season.

17. Detroit Pistons (23-23)
Previous Week Ranking: 13th
Detroit had one of the most impressive wins of the last week, knocking off the red-hot Houston Rockets. Cade Cunningham has arrived and the Pistons have to be excited that he will be the leader of this team for the foreseeable future.

16. Miami Heat (23-22)
Previous Week Ranking: 14th
Heat Culture is crumbling in live time right before our eyes. Since the last Rankings, literally one week ago, Jimmy Butler received TWO more separate suspensions. The first was a two-game suspension for missing a team flight. Upon his return, he was told at practice he would come off the bench and subsequently walked out of practice. Queue the second suspension which is listed as “indefinite.” Please trade him already.

15. Dallas Mavericks (25-22)
Previous Week Ranking: 19th
An interesting question surrounding the Dallas Mavericks is if they will be buyers at the trade deadline. There was speculation they would trade Daniel Gafford, yet after Dereck Lively suffered an ankle injury and is likely out a month, Dallas can ill-afford to lose more front-court depth.

14. Minnesota Timberwolves (25-21)
Previous Week Ranking: 18th
The Timberwolves’ 3-0 week included a big win over the Denver Nuggets. Dating back to last year’s playoffs, Minnesota has won the last four games against Denver. Ant Edwards clearly has respect for the recent champions and elevates his game when he faces Nikola Jokic and company.

13. Phoenix Suns (24-21)
Previous Week Ranking: 15th
Jusuf Nurkic has not played in over three weeks and decided to air out not having any relationship with Mike Budenholzer to the media. If the goal was to get traded, he probably helped his case. The Suns have won 5 of 6 and do not seem to be missing his presence lately. Phoenix needs to trade Nurkic in order to upgrade their bench depth.

12. Indiana Pacers (25-20)
Previous Week Ranking: 10th
Indiana was the recipient of a midseason trip to Paris for the return of Victor Wembanyama to France. The Pacers split 1-1 with the Spurs and both games were blowouts. Indiana took a 30-point loss and then responded with a 38-point victory. The Pacers are another League Pass team to watch.

11. Sacramento Kings (24-22)
Previous Week Ranking: 9th
After a few weeks of rolling under a new head coach, the Kings took two losses to the Nuggets and Knicks, two of the league’s best teams. It is now being reported that Sacramento is open to trading their superstar De’Aaron Fox which may come as a stunner to many. However, his reluctance to sign a long-term extension may be forcing the Kings’ top brass.

10. LA Clippers (26-20)
Previous Week Ranking: 11th
The Western Conference All-Star selections have to be one of the hardest in recent memory. There are a plethora of aging superstars with a huge draw and also a large contingent of new faces emerging. With such a packed Conference, can the Clippers secure nods for both James Harden and Norman Powell who have been balling out all year? If only one goes, who are you selecting?

9. Los Angeles Lakers (26-18)
Previous Week Ranking: 12th
It is hard to not get swept up in the Lakers hype considering it is all that is talked about on ESPN. Still, they had two impressive wins this week over the Boston Celtics and at Golden State. Anthony Davis and the Lakers trounced a fully healthy Celtics team and played about as good as they could with this roster. At that level, LA can beat anyone.

8. Milwaukee Bucks (26-18)
Previous Week Ranking: 8th
Milwaukee continues to be rumored in trades linked to Bradley Beal and other big names, and they continue to shut them down. This is the right move for a team that is continuing to move in the right direction. They have won 9 of 11 games and are trying to close the gap to Boston and New York in the Eastern Conference.

7. Denver Nuggets (28-18)
Previous Week Ranking: 5th
The Nuggets have lost their last two games, one of which was a 29-point blowout against the Timberwolves, who have notably had their number as of late. Do not read too much into these losses. Denver has proved who they are through 46 games and likely just needs to get to the All-Star break mentally.

6. Memphis Grizzlies (31-16)
Previous Week Ranking: 6th
Riding a six-game winning streak, the Grizzlies headed into Madison Square Garden on a high. They were met with a buzzsaw that has some in the media questioning how they stack up to the top teams this season. Ja Morant is a draw every single night, yet they made need to look to add another piece at the trade deadline to enter that next tier.

5. Cleveland Cavaliers (37-9)
Previous Week Ranking: 2nd
It has been a rough week for the Cleveland Cavaliers. They lost three consecutive games for the first time this year: two to the Rockets and one to the Sixers. The total margin of loss in those three games was 8 points, so they were very competitive. It is still concerning that 5 of the Cavs’ 9 losses have come in their last nine games. Are they slipping a bit?

4. Boston Celtics (32-15)
Previous Week Ranking: 3rd
Speaking of slipping, Boston has been a .500 basketball team for almost a whole month now. Everyone recognizes the talent on this team and few have doubts they will turn it on come the playoffs. There may be a chink in their armor that is being overlooked since they are the reigning Champions.

3. New York Knicks (31-16)
Previous Week Ranking: 7th
The Knicks snagged two of the five Eastern Conference All-Star selections for Jalen Brunson and Karl Anthony-Towns. It is hard to argue they are not deserved. KAT is playing elite basketball and meshing perfectly into his new team and Brunson is arguably playing the best basketball of Eastern Conference guards to this point in the season.

2. Houston Rockets (31-14)
Previous Week Ranking: 4th
It is impossible to have a better week than the Houston Rockets had. Three games, a home and away, versus Cleveland and then a game at Boston. Would you believe the Rockets won all three games? They went into both homes of the leading Eastern Conference teams and planted their flag. Houston is not here for the discussion of being too young or a year or two away. They are here now and are a team to be respected!

1. Oklahoma City Thunder (37-8)
Previous Week Ranking: 1st
As good as Houston’s week was, there is still one team that is convincingly the best in the NBA right now and has been for a little while. That team is the Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC continues to grow its point differential which is now the only double-digit differential in the league at +12.3. They also have the unquestioned MVP favorite in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who is playing like the best player in the world right now. For another week, OKC reigns supreme.