30. Charlotte Hornets (14-46)
Previous Week Ranking: 29th
There were some calls for other teams to be Ranked last this week, but straight up, the Hornets are the worst team in the NBA at the moment. They have lost 7 straight games, and their average margin of loss in those games is 26 points per game. Charlotte is not just uncompetitive; they deserve to be relegated.

29. Washington Wizards (11-49)
Previous Week Ranking: 30th
In a rare moment of the year, the Wizards have moved off of the 30th Ranking. Washington is still an awful team and franchise, to be clear. They have a -12.5 point differential, which is almost 5 points worse than any other team in the league. You’d have to pay me so much money to watch a Wizards vs Hornets game right now. I would rather watch paint dry.

28. Philadelphia 76ers (21-39)
Previous Week Ranking: 27th
The Sixers are not worth my time, and I almost just left this section blank. However, it is worth pointing out there were Philly tickets on the secondary market this week selling for $1. That’s right, the Phillies may have gotten rid of dollar dog night, but for the former price of a hot dog at the Bank, you can see this pitiful team play a basketball game.

27. Utah Jazz (15-46)
Previous Week Ranking: 28th
Utah has won two of its last 6 games, having beaten the Timberwolves and Rockets in those matchups. Both opponents have been inconsistent at times but are solidly playoff teams in the West. Not a smart move for the Jazz, though, if they want to Capture the Flagg.

26. Toronto Raptors (19-42)
Previous Week Ranking: 25th
It is too late in the season for any big standings adjustments to take place. One team the Raptors need to keep an eye on is the Sixers, though, as they are tanking spectacularly and trying to improve their lottery stock.

25. New Orleans Pelicans (17-44)
Previous Week Ranking: 26th
Zion continues to remind everyone that when he is healthy, he is very very good at basketball. Showing his versatility, Zion recorded his first triple-double last week and has propelled the Pelicans to winners of 4 of their last 5 games. I can only imagine this confuses the front office even more on whether to consider trading Zion or not.

24. Brooklyn Nets (21-39)
Previous Week Ranking: 23rd
Literally no one wants to be the tenth seed in the Eastern Conference. The Nets beat the Sixers twice in recent weeks, yet even with a four-game losing streak, Brooklyn remains above Philly in the standings. As for the team currently in the last Play-In spot, Chicago, they are 2-8 in their last 10 games.

23. Chicago Bulls (24-37)
Previous Week Ranking: 24th
As mentioned above, Chicago holds the last Play-In spot in the Eastern Conference. This year, there appear to be two juggernauts in the East, Boston and Cleveland, meaning whoever is in the Play-In Tournament will likely see a first-round sweep and swift exit. Franchises are starting to see more value in losing now as opposed to later.

22. Phoenix Suns (28-33)
Previous Week Ranking: 20th
Last week, the Rankings declared the Suns the most disappointing team this season, and they continued to prove that. Kevin Durant was even quoted as saying he and his team “embarrassed themselves” in a recent matchup with the Timberwolves. If you are a bettor, it seems safe to expect KD to be on a different roster this summer.

21. San Antonio Spurs (25-34)
Previous Week Ranking: 22nd
When a franchise is built around one player so specifically, it is reasonable to expect a swift decline when that player is out. San Antonio is Wemby, and Wemby is San Antonio. The interesting fact here is that with Wemby out, the Spurs have a chance at a high draft pick, which immediately conjures up memories of the David Robinson and Tim Duncan situation for the Spurs, which was the start of a dynasty.

20. Orlando Magic (29-33)
Previous Week Ranking: 17th
How can you not feel absolutely sorry for the Orlando Magic? They have been dealt one injury after the next, and now Jalen Suggs is out for the remainder of the season. Orlando has continued to show a next-man-up mentality, but when you start to run out of players, there is not much that you can do.

19. Atlanta Hawks (28-33)
Previous Week Ranking: 18th
With the turbulence among a number of other Eastern Conference playoff teams, it seems that the Hawks will make the postseason as long as they remain healthy. Adam Silver wanted more money, and that directly results in teams with losing records making the NBA playoffs.

18. Miami Heat (29-31)
Previous Week Ranking: 21st
Bam Adebayo has taken on the leader role for this Heat team, and a month after the trade deadline, they seem to be building some much-needed chemistry. Even though we have seen the Heat make deep playoff runs as a lower-seed, that will not be the case this year. Pat Riley needs to bolster this roster in the offseason to return to contending.

17. Portland Trailblazers (28-34)
Previous Week Ranking: 19th
If you have not caught yourself a Trailblazers game yet this year, give them a try. Portland has won 5 of its last 6 games, and the only loss came to the league-leading Cavaliers in overtime. With an upcoming schedule of Boston, OKC, Detroit, and Golden State, the Trailblazers are in for a huge test.

16. Dallas Mavericks (32-30)
Previous Week Ranking: 14th
Karma is real. For an organization that was in absolute shambles and battling injuries left and right, the person steadying the ship was, shockingly, Kyrie Irving. Kyrie deserves all the praise and respect he has gotten this year, and sadly, we have seen the last of him playing this year. He suffered a torn ACL Monday night and was a champion going out and still taking his free throws. Prayers up for a quick and full recovery.

15. LA Clippers (32-28)
Previous Week Ranking: 15th
The Clippers seem to have been going in the opposite direction of the Lakers since the Luka trade, even though that had nothing to do with them. The Clips have lost 5 of their last 6 and have fallen into the Play-In seeding in the Western Conference. The one bright spot has been an impressive Kawhi Leonard. Can he keep this level of production up?

14. Sacramento Kings (32-28)
Previous Week Ranking: 16th
SAC-town has won four straight games, including three on the road and all by double-digits. DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine are playing complementary basketball and will be relied on much more now that Domantas Sabonis will be sidelined due to a hamstring injury.

13. Houston Rockets (37-24)
Previous Week Ranking: 11th
What is happening in Houston? This team was 2nd in the Western Conference coming into the New Year and now has lost 10 of their last 15 games. It has to be more than just their youth being exposed. Ime Udoka has exceeded expectations early as a coach, yet he will prove his worth with how he gets this Rockets team to close the season and enter the playoffs.

12. Memphis Grizzlies (38-23)
Previous Week Ranking: 7th
Memphis is in the exact same boat as the Rockets. After getting out to a hot start, they have hit some significant struggles lately. The Grizzlies have lost 7 of their last 10 games, and their last 3 losses came to the Knicks, Spurs, and Hawks, none of whom are world beaters.

11. Minnesota Timberwolves (33-29)
Previous Week Ranking: 6th
Minnesota had a big jump last week that was a reaction to some very impressive wins. They are a team that is much better than their record shows and seem to play up or down to their competition. Top to bottom, this roster has the ability to contend; they just need the right leader. Can Anthony Edwards mature to be that guy?

10. Indiana Pacers (34-25)
Previous Week Ranking: 12th
The Pacers, even though playing in what many consider the “home of basketball,” continue to go under the radar. Over the last few weeks, they have beaten the teams you expect them to beat and lost to ones you expect them to lose to. Indiana is still on the outside looking in from the top tier in the Eastern Conference, and their ceiling seems to be a second-round exit.

9. Golden State Warriors (33-28)
Previous Week Ranking: 13th
Following the Jimmy Butler trade, Steve Kerr said the Warriors were solely focused on climbing to the 6th seed to avoid the Play-In by the end of the season. Well, as of this writing, they have already accomplished this goal. Golden State is 8-2 since Jimmy Butler has been playing for them, and they should be taken seriously as a contender this season.

8. Detroit Pistons (35-27)
Previous Week Ranking: 10th
Take the Pistons lightly at your own risk! Detroit has won 10 of their last 11 games and is establishing itself as a threat in a weaker Eastern Conference. The irony here is that J.B. Bickerstaff will likely finish second in Coach of the Year voting, behind the guy who replaced him in Cleveland. Detroit and Cleveland seem to have had a win-win situation with their coaching changes.

7. Milwaukee Bucks (34-25)
Previous Week Ranking: 9th
Giannis is quietly scoring the second-most points per game in the league this year and having arguably a better statistical season than his most recent MVP season. In a matchup of the best international bigs, Giannis vs Jokic, Giannis and the Bucks got the better of the Nuggets, winning 121-112 this past week.

6. New York Knicks (40-20)
Previous Week Ranking: 8th
New York responded to a slew of media criticism calling them overrated by rattling off three straight wins this past week. The problem is they beat weaker competition which has been the criticism all along. This roster is thorough and deep, yet they struggle against the league’s best. Continue to be wary of the Knicks.

5. Denver Nuggets (39-22)
Previous Week Ranking: 4th
Whereas the younger teams in the Western Conference are going in the wrong direction, the veteran teams (Nuggets and Lakers) are climbing the standings at exactly the right time. That seems to be the biggest proof of peaking at just the right time. The NBA regular season is a grind, but knowing when and how to play hard is a skill in and of itself.

4. Los Angeles Lakers (38-21)
Previous Week Ranking: 5th
Do you want a realistic sleeper for Coach of the Year? JJ Redick is unquestionably deserving of being in the discussion. Three weeks ago, the Lakers traded their best defensive player, Anthony Davis, and lost all frontcourt size. In return, they received Luka Doncic, who is often fairly criticized for his lack of defense. So, the natural expected result would be a team that would drastically get worse defensively. Think again! The Lakers have won 6 games in a row, and in their last 7 games, no team has scored more than 102 points on them. That is a masterclass in coaching. The Lakers are a real title contender now!

3. Boston Celtics (43-18)
Previous Week Ranking: 2nd
If you needed another reason to hate the Boston Celtics, they have an HBO Max documentary kicking off this week documenting how historic their franchise is. Sick. Boston dropped a spot this week after blowing a 22-point lead to their Eastern Conference foes, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Boston probably still has the better roster, but I would love to see a 7-game playoff series between these two teams.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers (50-10)
Previous Week Ranking: 3rd
The last time The Rankings gave some real love to the Cavaliers, they immediately hit a cold streak. Let’s hope that does not happen this time. Cleveland has won 10 straight games, which is good for its third double-digit winning streak this season! Kenny Atkinson has this team firing on all cylinders, and they do not have a glaring weakness. Their frontcourt is strong on both ends of the floor. They have two guards that can create their own shot, one of whom is a closer in Donovan Mitchell.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder (50-11)
Previous Week Ranking: 1st
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put up 51 points in the second consecutive win for the Thunder against the Houston Rockets. This is the fourth time in the last seven weeks that he has exceeded the 50-point mark, and he is notably on his way to securing the MVP award this season. OKC appears to clearly be the best team in the Western Conference this season, as they hold a staggering 11-game lead over both the Lakers and Nuggets. The unspoken question is, would you take OKC in a 7-game series against either of those teams?