30. Washington Wizards (9-44)
Previous Week Ranking: 30th
Was Washington a buyer at the trade deadline? In an odd twist, the Wizards got rid of Kyle Kuzma and Jonas Valanciunas but in return received Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart. Middleton and Smart are accomplished veterans who cannot be pleased with where they ended up. Even worse, the Wizards want them to remain on the team as good locker room additions for a young team.

29. New Orleans Pelicans (12-41)
Previous Week Ranking: 28th
The race to the bottom is heating up as the Wizards are suddenly close to having company in the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes. The Pelicans are on a 9-game losing streak, which includes losses to the Hornets and Raptors. The most recent time they stepped on the floor, they took a 36-point beatdown from the Thunder.

28. Utah Jazz (12-40)
Previous Week Ranking: 29th
One of the most head-scratching trade deadline realizations was the fact that the Jazz essentially did nothing. For how bad they are, they have a number of players that other teams were inquiring about, including Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler, and Collin Sexton. What is going on in Utah? (Brian Windhorst meme)

27. Charlotte Hornets (13-38)
Previous Week Ranking: 27th
The rescinding of the Mark Williams trade is likely a worse result for the Hornets than the Lakers. Upon the news breaking, Charlotte put out some statement essentially saying they are so happy to have Williams back and he was such a great factor in their organization. If that is the case, why did you trade him in the first place?

26. Toronto Raptors (16-37)
Previous Week Ranking: 24th
At least the Raptors are not the biggest embarrassment in The 6. Drake got shredded during the Super Bowl halftime show, where a reported 126 million people watched the game. I believe he is in Australia now, which is probably for the best. Maybe the Raptors can follow him and play in the NBL. At least Toronto got the surprise win of Brandon Ingram signing a 3-year extension.

25. Brooklyn Nets (19-34)
Previous Week Ranking: 26th
Brooklyn moving up a spot this week is solely due to the fact that they rid themselves of Ben Simmons. In actuality, the bump was due to the poor performance of the teams below them. The Nets continue not to be able to field an NBA-quality roster, but man, is it fun to watch D-Lo play on a bad team without a care in the world.

24. Philadelphia 76ers (20-32)
Previous Week Ranking: 21st
GO BIRDS! I know this is a basketball site, but really there is nothing worth talking about with the Sixers, and the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl for the second time in seven years! If you want to see the prime example of a timely news dump, the Sixers had a report come out about Joel Embiid potentially needing yet ANOTHER knee surgery during the Super Bowl.

23. Chicago Bulls (22-31)
Previous Week Ranking: 22nd
The Bulls are holding the last Play-In spot in the Eastern Conference, and being 9 games below .500 shows that the playoff expansion was probably needed. The answer to all of your questions is money, and due to that, either the Bulls or Sixers will likely be playing a nationally televised postseason game.

22. San Antonio Spurs (23-28)
Previous Week Ranking: 23rd
San Antonio sits at 12th in the Western Conference. Even with the addition of De’Aaron Fox, they have an uphill climb ahead of them to make the postseason this year. The trade was clearly a long-term investment in Wemby and Fox for years to come; however, it would be fun to see this iteration of the Spurs get some early playoff experience.

21. Orlando Magic (26-29)
Previous Week Ranking: 19th
You have to feel bad for the Magic. Before the Franz and Paolo injuries, this team was one of the best in the Eastern Conference. They have lost 11 of their last 14 games, and that is with their two stars back in the lineup. Something disconnected, and this has been a tale of two completely different seasons in Orlando.

20. Portland Trailblazers (23-31)
Previous Week Ranking: 20th
The Rankings is once again reiterating the stance that Portland is a surprise League Pass team. The Trailblazers took a couple of beatings on the road this week against Denver and Minnesota. Obviously, Portland is not in a league with the best in the West, however, they are a much-improved team from early in the season, and Chauncey has this team overachieving.

19. Miami Heat (25-26)
Previous Week Ranking: 15th
Good for Miami for moving on from Jimmy Butler. Honestly, Andrew Wiggins seems like a player who will fit perfectly into the Heat Culture, and Miami will likely be a better team on the court with this move. The more concerning issue for Pat Riley and the franchise should be the slipping of their positive reputation. Once a prime destination for players, the cracks seem to be showing, and that sentiment is changing.

18. Atlanta Hawks (26-28)
Previous Week Ranking: 25th
The mercurial Hawks registered three wins this week, although none were that impressive. Atlanta continues to be so inconsistent that it is hard to get a good read on them. The one good thing that happened in the ATL was Trae being named an injury replacement for Giannis in the All-Star game. He has been disrespected every year and deserved more selections than he has received.

17. Sacramento Kings (27-26)
Previous Week Ranking: 16th
Sacramento does not seem to have any idea what they are doing. After trading De’Aaron Fox at the trade deadline, they became aggressive buyers that seemingly put together a team much worse than had they mad no moves. Jonas Valanciunas and Domantas Sabonis do not fit alongside each other, and neither do Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. Chicago could have told you that last year.

16. Dallas Mavericks (28-26)
Previous Week Ranking: 17th
To be serious for a moment, the fact that Nico Harrison is receiving death threats is patently wrong. At the end of the day, this is just a game. If you thought trading Luka was the worst thing that could happen, you were wrong. In Anthony Davis’ first game with the Mavericks, he got hurt and is out at least a month. You truly cannot make this stuff up.

15. Golden State Warriors (27-26)
Previous Week Ranking: 18th
It is unclear whether Kevin Durant’s rejection of a Golden State return speaks more of KD or the Warriors. Golden State does feel like they are hanging on to something that is rapidly fleeting. Not long ago, they were the apple of many players’ eyes, and now they struggle to attract players. In the end, they landed Jimmy Butler. For this year, this might actually work out; in the long run, though, this feels like the Titanic slowly sinking.

14. Phoenix Suns (26-26)
Previous Week Ranking: 13th
Phoenix might have the worst locker room in the league right now, and that is saying a lot. The last few weeks before the trade deadline were a whirlwind. Bradley Beal seemingly laughed at any trade rumors since he has a no-trade clause and wanted to stay in Phoenix. The Suns, at the last minute, pivoted to trying to trade Kevin Durant, who adamantly stated his desire to stay and forced management’s hand again. In the end, a team with three overpaid superstars and a .500 record remains intact.

13. Detroit Pistons (27-26)
Previous Week Ranking: 14th
With the Bucks’ recent struggles, Detroit is in striking distance of the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. Cade Cunningham is a force on the court and a true leader for this franchise. The Pistons feel like last year’s Magic team that had a very unexpected and abrupt turnaround. That is likely why no one is taking them seriously.

12. Milwaukee Bucks (28-24)
Previous Week Ranking: 11th
Khris Middleton has to be sick. He was traded from a good team where he had the best years of his career to the literal dumpster fire of the league in Washington. Middleton is injury-prone and getting older, but he was one of the keys to Milwaukee winning a Championship a few years ago. He is perpetually overlooked playing in Giannis’ shadow, and this move might backfire on the Bucks.

11. LA Clippers (29-23)
Previous Week Ranking: 10th
If you believe in karma, the Clippers are in for a bad ride. The most interesting development in LA this week may have come from the signing of recent Nets’ buyout player, Ben Simmons. The oft-ridiculed player needs to just retire, however he chose to go to a potential contender hoping to revitalize his career. Everywhere he has played, the opposite of success has followed. Thoughts and prayers, Clippers.

10. Indiana Pacers (29-22)
Previous Week Ranking: 9th
The Rankings was informed that the Pacers apparently have the best record in the NBA in 2025. If true, this speaks to the continuity of this team to find their rhythm after a disappointing and slow start to the season. Last year’s deep playoff run could explain the early season hangover.

9. Minnesota Timberwolves (30-24)
Previous Week Ranking: 12th
The big news in Minnesota was off the court as it appears A-Rod and Marc Lore will win the right to purchase the franchise from Glen Taylor. On the court, Anthony Edwards has been reminding the league what his name is. The Timberwolves have won 8 of their last 10 against some strong opponents.

8. Houston Rockets (33-20)
Previous Week Ranking: 6th
Houston has been the hot team to talk about lately and choose as an outside Western Conference contender. What Ime Udoka has done in a short time is extremely impressive. The last couple of weeks have been the opposite. Houston was only able to stop a 6-game losing streak with a home win over the lowly Raptors.

7. Denver Nuggets (35-19)
Previous Week Ranking: 7th
For the third consecutive week, the Nuggets come in at 7th in The Rankings. Denver always goes under the radar as they are not a big basketball market like NY or LA. Still, this year feels like they are getting even less attention and are quietly maintaining near the top of the Western Conference.

6. Los Angeles Lakers (32-19)
Previous Week Ranking: 8th
The much anticipated Lakers debut of Luka Doncic came on Monday! And the Lakers did it up, giving every fan a Luka shersey, and LeBron even let Luka be announced pregame as the last player. Granted, they played the Utah Jazz, LeBron and Luka on the court at the same time, which was hard to take your eyes off of. With the rescinding of the Mark Williams trade, Los Angeles is still lacking a big man, but I would not count them out of anything.

5. Memphis Grizzlies (35-17)
Previous Week Ranking: 5th
Jaren Jackson Jr. seemed to be one of the more criticized All-Star selections. He has responded by killing this past week, and in his last four games, he is averaging 30 points per game, which has included games with and without Ja Morant. Not that it matters, but the most recent game was without Ja Morant’s dad, who got a nice ejection for chirping courtside at the refs.

4. New York Knicks (34-18)
Previous Week Ranking: 4th
New York is always in the spotlight, and similar to the Lakers, this can cause biased interpretations, good and bad. As the Knicks have been disappointing for so long, it is understandable to ride the highs of the KAT and Brunson duo. Yet, in a primetime matchup versus the reigning champs, the Knicks were embarrassed, and that should be a wakeup call.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers (43-10)
Previous Week Ranking: 3rd
The Cavaliers still feel like they are not being taken seriously despite having the second-best record in the NBA. It may be due to the lack of a dominant superstar, although Donovan Mitchell has been at points in his career. It also may be that they have not proven it when it matters, having not been relevant since LeBron last left. Either way, they appear to be fine with going under the radar.

2. Boston Celtics (38-16)
Previous Week Ranking: 2nd
If the best team in the East was up for grabs, the Celtics shut that down this week, beating both the Cavaliers and Knicks on the road (the 2nd and 3rd seeds in the Eastern Conference, respectively). Boston has had some ups and downs, but when they are on, they are almost impossible to beat.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder (43-9)
Previous Week Ranking: 1st
OKC is the undisputed best team in the NBA at this moment. They have won 6 games straight by an average margin of victory of 26 points per game! Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the definitive MVP and registered his 3rd 50-point game over a 7-game span this past week. The Thunder are making a big statement.