30. Washington Wizards (11-57)
Previous week ranking: 30th
The good news: there are only 14 games left for the Wizards. The bad news: NC State has more wins in the Capitol One Arena in five days than the Wizards have for the entire NBA season. Let that one sink in.

29. Detroit Pistons (12-55)
Previous week ranking: 29th
In the preseason rankings, I had the Pistons Ranked 24th in the league. Clearly, they are not a good basketball team and it was obvious they would struggle to find a rhythm with a new coach and a young core. It is still fair to say this team is one of the more surprising disappointments with just how bad they played this year.

28. Charlotte Hornets (17-51)
Previous week ranking: 28th
It truly is hard to differentiate among the bottom dwellers in the NBA. The Hornets have lost to both the Wizards and Pistons in recent weeks both by double digits, but then they play the Suns and Sixers competitively. Both of those teams are battling injuries, but still, the Hornets seem to somewhat compete when they want to.

27. San Antonio Spurs (13-50)
Previous week ranking: 26th
Spurs fans are looking towards the upcoming March Madness to look for potential draft prospects to pair with Victor Wembanyama. With a weak draft class this season, and Wemby’s development coming along exponentially, a trade would be more beneficial for San Antonio’s timeline.

26. Portland Trailblazers (19-48)
Previous week ranking: 27th
The Trailblazers hit a buzzsaw with games against the Celtics, Knicks, and Pelicans last week which led to them becoming the second team in the Western Conference to be officially eliminated from the playoffs mathematically. Is Chauncey Billups a lock to return next season?

25. Toronto Raptors (23-45)
Previous week ranking: 23rd
It was legitimately a discussion on if the Raptors could fall to the worst team in the league after an active seven-game losing streak. They are 1-9 in their last 10 games and 6 of those losses have been by double digits. The only win during that stretch was over the Hornets, who are losing to literally everybody.

24. Memphis Grizzlies (23-45)
Previous week ranking: 25th
The loss of Ja Morant feels like it completely reconstructed the Memphis roster. Before the season, this team had expectations for a deep playoff run and now the entire starting lineup is unrecognizable. At least Desmond Bane is expected to return this week and will have as green of light as he desires.

23. Brooklyn Nets (26-42)
Previous week ranking: 22nd
Brooklyn has won one of their last six contests, however, it was surprisingly over the Cleveland Cavaliers. It is unfathomable that this Nets team with 26 wins is only 4.5 games out of the 10-seed in the Eastern Conference. Did the playoffs really need to be expanded @ Adam Silver?

22. Utah Jazz (29-38)
Previous week ranking: 24th
This Jazz team is one we should keep our eye on in the offseason. They close with one of the hardest remaining schedules and should use this time to assess the next steps. Can they land a big free agent or trade piece over the summer to inject into this young and talented roster?

21. Atlanta Hawks (30-37)
Previous week ranking: 20th
Less than three years ago, the Atlanta Hawks were in the Conference Finals and within two games of making the NBA Finals. How quickly the fall has come for this franchise? They are likely heading towards a rebuild as Trae Young appears on his last run in the ATL.

20. Chicago Bulls (33-35)
Previous week ranking: 19th
Chicago is one of two teams, see Ranking 21 for the other, that has a record below .500 and is in a postseason seeding, albeit the Play-In Tournament spot. Lonzo Ball received some positive progress news in his long road back to the NBA that has seen him sidelined for over two calendar years. This Bulls team will likely look substantially different next season with or without Ball.

19. Houston Rockets (32-35)
Previous week ranking: 21st
It is likely too little too late for the Rockets who have won their last five games and seven of the last ten. They sit 3.5 games behind the Lakers for the last Play-In spot, but they also just lost their budding star, Alperin Sengun for the remainder of the season.

18. Los Angeles Lakers (36-32)
Previous week ranking: 14th
The Lakers cannot stop a nosebleed on the defensive end of the floor. They have allowed over 120 points in nine of their last thirteen games and seem disinterested. Risky move to bank on being able to turn up the intensity in the playoffs. They also need to keep an eye on the Rockets at their heels.

17. Philadelphia 76ers (37-30)
Previous week ranking: 17th
News surrounding Joel Embiid continues to be vague yet optimistic. There were reports of him on the basketball court in a limited capacity at the Sixers practice facility within the last week. The Sixers continue to struggle in Embiid’s absence, but the injuries up and down the roster this season have been abnormal. Can they get healthy in time for the games that matter most?

16. Golden State Warriors (35-31)
Previous week ranking: 18th
Steph Curry’s ankle injury appears to have been mild as he was back and shooting the lights out in no time. Can you imagine being a young team playing inspirational basketball, like the Thunder or Timberwolves, and potentially facing a healthy and upward-trending Warriors in the first round of the playoffs? Sometimes life is not fair.

15. Indiana Pacers (38-30)
Previous week ranking: 16th
Indiana is holding onto a highly-coveted sixth seed in the Eastern Conference by a half-game over both the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers. With less than 15 games left, the Eastern Conference playoff picture still has a lot to play out. Any of these teams can get hot and avoid the Play-In. Do the Pacers have the metal to be that team?

14. Miami Heat (37-30)
Previous week ranking: 12th
How do you stop a concerning four-game slide in the NBA? Easy, just play the Pistons back-to-back games. The second of these games was not an easy win as they needed a buzzer-beater from Bam Adebayo to secure the victory. The Heat picked a bad time to be struggling.

13. Phoenix Suns (39-29)
Previous week ranking: 8th
Over the last few weeks, the Suns have played average basketball and have an 8-8 record in their last sixteen games to show for it. The trend for the Suns is beating bad teams and losing to good teams which is not something you want to see if you are a Phoenix fan.

12. Sacramento Kings (38-28)
Previous week ranking: 11th
Similar to the Eastern Conference, the race for the sixth seed in the Western Conference is hotly contested. Currently, the Kings hold this spot having tie breaks over both the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns who all have the same record. In a much tougher Conference, these last sixteen games are paramount for Sacramento.

11. Dallas Mavericks (39-29)
Previous week ranking: 15th
I do not believe it is hyperbole or recency bias to say that Kyrie Irving’s game-winner over Nikola Jokic is one of the best basketball shots I have seen in my life. Kyrie put up a one-handed offhand hook shot 20 feet away from the basket and sunk it at the buzzer. With Kyrie the magician and Luka playing the best basketball of his life, I want nothing to do with Dallas if I am a playoff team in the West.

10. Cleveland Cavaliers (42-25)
Previous week ranking: 9th
Cleveland does not look good lately. After streaking to the 2-seed in the Eastern Conference, the Cavs have struggled and been passed by the Bucks. In their last four games, they have lost three to the Nets, Suns, and Rockets. Those are some bad losses for a team with high expectations.

9. LA Clippers (42-25)
Previous week ranking: 4th
This felt like the Clippers year once James Harden integrated into the roster and LA was winning more than any other team in the league. Well in their last 20 games, they have a record of 10-10 which includes four of their last five with an average margin of loss of 12.5 points. Can the Clippers figure out their issues in the next fifteen games?

8. Orlando Magic (40-28)
Previous week ranking: 10th
The Magic are too young to know they should not be this good yet. Jamahl Mosley should get serious consideration for Coach of the Year for what he has done in Orlando. This team has won three in a row and eight of their last ten games. Should we believe in Magic?

7. New York Knicks (40-27)
Previous week ranking: 13th
The Knicks have been playing unbelievable basketball lately. If you do not believe me, read these stats. The Knicks have held teams to 82 points per game over the last five games. Reread that sentence and consider the average scoring output this season to be well over 100 points. Tom Thibodeau has this team bought in on defense and when Jalen Brunson puts up 45 and 42 points in the last two games, this Knicks team should scare every team.

6. New Orleans Pelicans (41-26)
Previous week ranking: 7th
Do you believe the Brian Windhorst reporting that Zion Williamson has lost 25 pounds since the NBA In-Season Tournament? That seems like a remarkably high number although with the amount of weight he was carrying, maybe that is not as much as it sounds. Whatever New Orleans is doing with their superstar, it is working. The Pelicans have won six of their last seven games and are trending toward the fourth seed in the West.

5. Minnesota Timberwolves (46-21)
Previous week ranking: 5th
Minnesota stayed Top 5 this week after dominant wins over both the Clippers and Jazz. The Timberwolves held both teams to 100 points which shows this team’s strength remains on the defensive end of the floor. They still hold opponents to the least points per game for the season at 106.6.

4. Milwaukee Bucks (44-24)
Previous week ranking: 6th
The Bucks had a strong week taking down the Clippers, Sixers, and Suns, in the last game without Giannis Antetokounmpo. The good news for Milwaukee was that Kris Middleton returned to the lineup and looked good. The Bucks will need Giannis, Dame, and Middleton healthy for a deep postseason run.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder (47-20)
Previous week ranking: 2nd
The Thunder and Nuggets are neck and neck in The Rankings. Dropping the Thunder to 3rd following five wins in their last six games was a tough decision. The thing is though, who would you trust more in a seven-game series against the other? Watching the Nuggets recently has me leaning towards Denver. All NBA fans should be salivating over that potential series.

2. Denver Nuggets (47-21)
Previous week ranking: 3rd
With just a few weeks until the end of the NBA season, the cream is rising to the top in both Conferences. The Nuggets had won 11 of 12 games before the most recent loss to the Dallas Mavericks. A miraculous last-second shot was needed to knock off the Nuggets. My money is still on Denver when it comes to the team to beat in the Western Conference.

1. Boston Celtics (53-14)
Previous week ranking: 1st
Boston became the first team to mathematically clinch a playoff spot with fifteen games remaining. Obviously, this is not the end goal for the Celtics, but rather a stepping stone towards the Larry O’Brien trophy. After two tough losses to the Cavs and Nuggets by a combined 8 points, the Celtics started a new five-game winning streak. They have won 16 of their last 18 games, with those two losses being narrow. Until I see otherwise, Boston remains the title favorite.