30. Toronto Raptors (23-51)
Previous ranking: 29th
I said it last week. If the Raptors went another winless week, they earned the 30th spot in The Rankings. Toronto has a league-high 13-game losing streak and has arguably fallen off of a cliff since the trade deadline. At least Drake should now have the time to record another album.

29. Portland Trailblazers (19-55)
Previous ranking: 25th
Portland secured a top-10 record in the history of the NBA. Their 60-point loss to the Heat is among one of the worst losses since the NBA was created. It is hard to fathom professional basketball players, regardless of skill, losing by that many points to another team of professionals. Do better Portland.

28. Utah Jazz (29-46)
Previous ranking: 22nd
The time has come to give the Jazz the credit they deserve, the negative credit. Utah is on a 9-game losing streak but still appears to be competing. They lost to the Kings and Mavericks, two Western Conference playoff teams by 11 and 10 points, respectively.

27. Washington Wizards (14-61)
Previous ranking: 28th
Washington jumping one spot this week hurts me because they are, in my opinion, the worst NBA team this season overall regardless of records. Having three teams with losing streaks of 9+ games unfortunately bumped them up to 27th this week. Enjoy it while it lasts.

26. Detroit Pistons (13-61)
Previous ranking: 30th
Detroit is currently in the driver’s seat for the best odds at the #1 overall pick in the NBA Draft, however, a lot can change over the next 8 games. With no clear top prospect, it may not matter how the rest of the Pistons’ season plays out. Monty Williams needs the offseason to come quickly.

25. Charlotte Hornets (18-56)
Previous ranking: 27th
LaMelo Ball has been shut down for the season although that news may not have needed to be said out loud. Ball played only 22 games this season and 58 total in the last two seasons combined. When he is on the court, Ball is a must-watch. The problem is he, and his brother for that matter, have missed significant injury time and are not reliable for teams right now.

24. San Antonio Spurs (18-57)
Previous ranking: 26th
Last week’s question of whether Wembanyama is a top-20 player looks silly after his play this past week. The step-back three-pointer he hit to give him 40 points (along with 20 rebounds) sealed the game over the Knicks and continued to bolster his transcendence in this game. For a team with 18 wins, San Antonio must be ecstatic.

23. Memphis Grizzlies (24-50)
Previous ranking: 23rd
Memphis took 3 losses to playoff teams this week against the Nuggets, Lakers, and Magic. With the Pistons and Spurs upcoming this week, can they get another win or two before the season ends?

22. Brooklyn Nets (29-46)
Previous ranking: 24th
29 wins. 3-7 over their last 10 games. Final weeks of the season. Somehow the Nets are STILL alive for the playoffs. The Eastern Conference has proven to be the much weaker Conference this season and the Nets’ are proof. Do you think Kevin Ollie deserves to have the interim tag removed?

21. Chicago Bulls (36-39)
Previous ranking: 21st
Alex Caruso sort of embodies this Bulls team. A hard-fighting group of role players playing above their skill level together to grind out wins. Alongside potential Most Improved Player, Coby White, the Bulls will get a shot at the Play-In Tournament to show if they can surprise better teams.

20. Atlanta Hawks (34-40)
Previous ranking: 20th
Atlanta has won 4 of their last 5 games and beaten the Celtics TWICE in that span. It should be cautioned not to read too much into regular season games, although it is hard not to. If the Hawks can sneak into the 8-seed with wins in the Play-In Tournament, can they seriously threaten Boston in a first-round matchup? Atlanta has some confidence now.

19. Philadelphia 76ers (40-35)
Previous ranking: 18th
Joel Embiid is returning for the Sixers this week! Upon first hearing that, Philly fans are likely excited. Yet, expectations likely need to be tempered. The Sixers are likely still going to end the season in the Play-In Tournament where just two losses can end their season. Also, even though Buddy Hield’s and Embiid’s game will likely pair well together, they have yet to share the floor together. How healthy is Embiid and what will he look like on the court when he gets back? The answers to these questions will determine the true level of excitement for Sixers fans.

18. Golden State Warriors (40-34)
Previous ranking: 19th
A four-game win streak is still not instilling confidence that this Warriors team will do anything other than lose in the Play-In Tournament. Draymond Green had been relatively calm in the 30+ games since returning from his suspension. It was only a matter of time before he caught another ejection and this time it took less than 4 minutes of game time.

17. Miami Heat (41-33)
Previous ranking: 17th
Miami was on the other end of that historic 60-point blowout win versus the Trailblazers. They then got the Wizards and that 12-point victory looks weak in comparison. With 6 of their last 8 games against playoff-contending teams, the Heat have a chance to ramp up for their time of year.

16. Indiana Pacers (42-33)
Previous ranking: 16th
Another week passes, and Indiana continues to hold the coveted 6th seed in the Eastern Conference. Obviously it is better to avoid the Play-In, but it should be noted the success Indiana had against Milwaukee in the regular season. Maybe Milwaukee will fall to the third seed and give us the first-round matchup we want to see.

15. Los Angeles Lakers (42-33)
Previous ranking: 15th
LeBron is focusing on his health as opposed to playing more games or playoff seeding and it is hard to argue that is not the right decision. With a healthy LeBron James and Anthony Davis, tell me who they could not beat on any given night. Bron at 39 years old went 9-10 from three-point range the other night in a 40-point effort. The man is truly timeless.

14. Houston Rockets (38-36)
Previous ranking: 14th
This impressive run by Houston unfortunately may be too little, too late. The Rockets’ 11-game winning streak came to an end when they met the Mavericks who have now won 7-straight games and Luka Doncic who put up 47 points. Houston now sits 2 full games behind Golden State with only 8 games to go.

13. Phoenix Suns (43-31)
Previous ranking: 10th
Someone may want to tell the Suns they are fighting to avoid the Play-In Tournament. Phoenix lost a head-scratcher against San Antonio, who was missing Wemabnyama. Every game matters at this point in the season and a big loss to the Thunder was not the way they needed to end the week.

12. Cleveland Cavaliers (45-30)
Previous ranking: 13th
Masked Donovan Mitchell is back for the Cavaliers, and his superpowers have not yet emerged. Cleveland is going in the wrong direction at the wrong time. The Hornets beat them this week and the Nuggets dominated them by 29 points. Cleveland needs to be careful of dropping in the Eastern Conference standings.

11. Sacramento Kings (43-31)
Previous ranking: 12th
Do you know who has the longest consecutive double-double streak since the NBA/ABA merger? If your guess was a Kings’ player considering where this question was asked, good job. Domantas Sabonis has now registered a double-double in 54 consecutive games and the way this team plays, it will likely get much higher.

10. Orlando Magic (43-31)
Previous ranking: 8th
Orlando’s drop in The Rankings has less to do with them, and more to do with other team’s impressive weeks. The Magic still remain 1.5 games out of the third seed in the Eastern Conference and can realistically nab a first-round home-court advantage.

9. New York Knicks (44-30)
Previous ranking: 7th
It is hard to ever feel bad for the Knicks or New York City in general. This team though has been exciting to watch and when healthy may be the second-best team in the East. Unfortunately, OG Anunoby and Julius Randle remain sidelined and their returns remain uncertain. As a basketball fan, I hope they both return before the playoffs to see what this team can really do in the postseason.

8. LA Clippers (47-27)
Previous ranking: 11th
Apparently Karma does not exist considering the Clippers who were gifted a win against the Sixers have catapulted that into a three-game winning streak. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George have alternated the last two games carrying the offensive load. The wide range of top-end talent makes this team one of the biggest threats to Denver in the Western Conference.

7. New Orleans Pelicans (45-29)
Previous ranking: 6th
New Orleans dropped to sixth in the West this week as a result of the Mavericks’ heater the last two weeks. With the top three teams swapping seeds every day, the Pelicans’ first-round matchup is unpredictable. They should be aware of the Kings and Suns trailing them by only two games for the last playoff spot.

6. Milwaukee Bucks (47-27)
Previous ranking: 5th
The Bucks went 1-2 this week with the two losses coming to the Lakers and the Pelicans. The loss to LA was embarrassing as the Lakers were without LeBron James and the Bucks had a 19-point lead with 8ish minutes left. Milwaukee is an enigma and with Doc Rivers at the helm, the playoffs are a mystery for not just fans, but likely the players on the roster too.

5. Dallas Mavericks (45-29)
Previous ranking: 9th
Luka Doncic is elevating his case for MVP as the regular season winds down. Doncic is averaging 34 points per game, almost 4 points more than any other eligible player in the league. Kyrie has surprisingly bought into the second-fiddle role and the Mavericks are the hottest team at the moment.

4. Oklahoma City Thunder (52-22)
Previous ranking: 4th
The Western Conference’s number-one seed changes as often as the days on a calendar. For today at least, the Thunder sit atop the Conference after knocking off the Suns and Knicks in back-to-back games. Their next matchup is against the Sixers and there is a chance Embiid will be back on the floor. If so, this game is a headliner.

3. Denver Nuggets (52-23)
Previous ranking: 2nd
A healthy Denver team is likely the favorite to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals and that is where my money would be. Denver’s home-court advantage is well-documented, but the Thunder actually have the same amount of home losses this year. If the Nuggets want to make it easier on themselves, they need to close strong and get the 1-seed.

2. Minnesota Timberwolves (51-23)
Previous ranking: 3rd
Minnesota got a commanding win over the Nuggets by 13 points this week and looked like the better team. In their last 9 games, they have gone 7-2 and are allowing only 102 points per game to opponents. Can the Timberwolves be the team to finish 1st in the West?

1. Boston Celtics (58-16)
Previous ranking: 1st
Death, taxes, and the Celtics being ranked first in The Rankings are the only guarantees in life. Boston lost an uncanny game to the Atlanta Hawks for the second time in two weeks. Watching the Celtics, they appear bored with the regular season and are ready to test their strength against the league’s best in the postseason.