30. Philadelphia 76ers (23-52)
Previous Week Ranking: 27th
There has been a call for this Ranking for weeks and finally, it is solidified. The Sixers are actively not trying to win games and have lost 8 straight games. Teams that beat them include the Pelicans, Wizards, Heat, and Raptors, all of which are terrible in their own right. Go Phillies!

29. Utah Jazz (16-60)
Previous Week Ranking: 30th
If it were not for the Sixers, the Jazz would hold the longest active losing streak. There is a big difference though, considering Utah has lost to the Nuggets, Rockets, Cavaliers, and Celtics, all arguably title-contending teams.

28. Washington Wizards (16-59)
Previous Week Ranking: 29th
Washington let up 162 points this week…in regulation. And it was not a mutually high-scoring affair. The Wizards lost 162-109 to the Indiana Pacers. There were a number of franchise records set on both sides of this matchup, some better than others obviously.

27. Charlotte Hornets (19-56)
Previous Week Ranking: 28th
A fascinating statistic for how terrible Charlotte has been this year is that they are 1-15 against their own division. If you are wondering who is in their division, just know it includes the Washington Wizards and three other teams, none of which has a record above .500 for the season.

26. New Orleans Pelicans (21-54)
Previous Week Ranking: 26th
Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum were both shut down for the season this past week. Honestly, for how poorly this franchise has performed it is surprising this news did not come sooner. The likely reason was to avoid any fines or adverse consequences from Adam Silver for anticompetition.

25. Brooklyn Nets (25-51)
Previous Week Ranking: 25th
Brooklyn ended the week on a high note, securing back-to-back road wins at Washington and Dallas. Neither win is impressive and in reality, they are only hurting their draft stock at this point. Still, the young guys on this roster are probably trying to show out in order to get traded.

24. San Antonio Spurs (31-43)
Previous Week Ranking: 22nd
In the absence of Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle has been killing it. Castle is showing that he is much more than just a high-flying dunker. San Antonio having him as a third option for years to come is a scary scenario.

23. Toronto Raptors (28-47)
Previous Week Ranking: 23rd
The Raptors had a bit of a surprising surge this week, winning all four of their games, three of which were road games. They played some inferior competition in the Wizards, Nets, Hornets, and Sixers, but a win is a win. Winning this late in the season for non-playoff teams never makes sense though.

22. Portland Trailblazers (32-43)
Previous Week Ranking: 19th
It has been fun, Portland! As readers know, the Trailblazers were a favorite League-Pass team among the Rankings, especially in the latter end of the season. They made a mild push for a Play-In spot in March, but it was too little, too late.

21. Miami Heat (34-41)
Previous Week Ranking: 24th
When you hit rock bottom, there is nowhere to go but up. After struggling through a 10-game losing streak, Miami has won their last five. They have turned the streak around thanks to a light schedule, but they did dominate the Warriors in Jimmy Butler’s Miami return, which had to feel good.

20. Sacramento Kings (36-39)
Previous Week Ranking: 17th
Sacramento currently holds the 10th spot in the Western Conference. Yet, if they continue to play like they have, 3-7 in their last 10 games, they could easily fall out of any postseason. The only benefit to them is that the team chasing them just lost Kevin Durant for at least a week.

19. Chicago Bulls (33-42)
Previous Week Ranking: 18th
There was some mayhem in Chicago in recent weeks. Last week, they had some impressive wins over the Nuggets and Lakers, the latter of which was won with a half-court buzzer-beater by Josh Giddey. The Bulls have been a fun watch lately and we will see more of them in the Play-In.

18. Orlando Magic (36-40)
Previous Week Ranking: 20th
The comparison for the Orlando Magic in the Western Conference seems like the Phoenix Suns. Not in the sense that they have underperformed, but because they are a team that at a moment’s notice can play much better than their record. If they can click in the postseason, Orlando, like Phoenix, is not a team I would want to see in a first-round matchup.

17. Dallas Mavericks (37-39)
Previous Week Ranking: 21st
In what seems like an ill-advised decision, the Mavericks appear determined to continue playing into the postseason. Anthony Davis has looked so-so since his return and without Kyrie Irving, and a host of other healthy players, aiming to play additional games is confusing. No one ever said Nico Harrison made smart decisions.

16. Phoenix Suns (35-40)
Previous Week Ranking: 16th
The loss of Kevin Durant to an ankle injury seems like a sign that he and the team should shut it down for the season. An opposing argument would note that this team is likely to get blown up in the offseason so if they can sneak in and give it one more shot, why not go for it?

15. Milwaukee Bucks (40-34)
Previous Week Ranking: 14th
Within hours of the publishing of last week’s Rankings, news broke of Damian Lillard being sidelined indefinitely due to a blood clotting issue. This is the same issue that shut Victor Wembanyama down for the season a month ago. Without Dame, the Bucks are not built for any postseason success, regardless of his struggles as of late.

14. Atlanta Hawks (36-38)
Previous Week Ranking: 15th
Atlanta appears locked into a Play-In spot at this point. They should fully be expected to come out of the Play-In with their recent play. Trae Young has elevated his game with his passing and the growth of Dyson Daniels and Zaccharie Risacher has been promising.

13. Memphis Grizzlies (44-31)
Previous Week Ranking: 13th
Taylor Jenkins getting fired by the Grizzlies felt a lot like the firing of Adrian Griffin by the Bucks last year. The difference here is that we are less than two weeks away from the start of the playoffs and the Grizzlies are fifth in the Western Conference. It is a stunning firing that feels almost impossible to have been anything other than a schism between Jenkins and Ja Morant.

12. Indiana Pacers (44-31)
Previous Week Ranking: 12th
In their last nine games, the only teams the Pacers have lost to are the Lakers and Thunder. Not bad losses anyway that you look at it. When Indiana put up 162 points against the Wizards, it conjured up memories of the run-and-gun team last year that had success.

11. Detroit Pistons (42-33)
Previous Week Ranking: 11th
Has anyone seen a highlight of Isaiah Stewart actually playing basketball? He seems to get a lot of media attention, but almost always for being in fights. The skirmish between the Pistons and Timberwolves was about as physical of an altercation as you can see in today’s NBA. There should not be any bad blood that comes of it considering they rarely play each other.

10. New York Knicks (47-27)
Previous Week Ranking: 9th
The Knicks being Ranked 10th despite their record may garner some pushback. However, they continue to underperform against teams that they will face off with during the playoffs. It does not matter how much you beat bad teams. The scoring is not aggregated.

9. LA Clippers (43-32)
Previous Week Ranking: 10th
LA is a buzzing city right now with both the Lakers and Clippers peaking at what seems to be the right time. The Clippers sit in 8th in the Western Conference but are only a game out of the 5th seed. The final week in the Western Conference is primed to shake up the standings a fair bit. Every team doing what they can to avoid the Play-In.

8. Golden State Warriors (43-31)
Previous Week Ranking: 6th
Since the acquisition of Jimmy Butler, the Warriors have undeniably looked like a completely different team. The playoff experience that their three stars have will be invaluable especially as they will likely be matched up with one of a few young teams that have racked up regular season wins.

7. Minnesota Timberwolves (43-32)
Previous Week Ranking: 7th
Minnesota got a spark from the fight with the Pistons. The Timberwolves were losing at the point of the altercation and ended up winning that game by 19 points. That has been a trend as the last four wins by Minnesota have been by more than 25 points per game. Anthony Edwards has this team pummeling opponents.

6. Houston Rockets (49-27)
Previous Week Ranking: 5th
The biggest concern for the Houston Rockets is that they do not have a superstar or even on go-to guy for when the playoffs call for it. Jalen Green is probably the most well-known player on this roster and he is supported by Alperin Sengun and Amen Thompson. Do you trust any of those three to close out a game in the postseason?

5. Los Angeles Lakers (46-29)
Previous Week Ranking: 8th
LeBron James on Pat McAfee was a moment many have been waiting for. Throughout his remarkable 22-year NBA tenure, LeBron has been relatively PC in not speaking too much in areas he does not have to. That changed last week when he made a surprising appearance on Pat McAfee and went in on Stephen A Smith, Brian Windhorst, and a plethora of other topics. He later shared a video of Stephen A boxing on IG and this is the LeBron that we need. He is feeling himself towards the end of his career and it feels like a relative getting to an older age where they just do not care at all what they say. I am here for it!

4. Denver Nuggets (47-28)
Previous Week Ranking: 4th
Nikola Jokic returned to the lineup for Denver this past week and got the team back to its winning ways. The Nuggets have had a number of players sidelined for one reason or another which is a smart move whether the reasons are valid or not. The biggest critique of Denver is their depth so getting their starts healthy and rested is key.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers (60-15)
Previous Week Ranking: 3rd
If you listen to any NBA media, the Boston Celtics should just automatically advance to the NBA Finals, it is predetermined. I am not saying I disagree, but the disrespect for the Cavaliers has been evident throughout the entire season. It is about to be put up or shut up time and they will either prove many wrong or right.

2. Boston Celtics (56-19)
Previous Week Ranking: 2nd
Winners of 14 of their last 15 games, the Celtics are playing like the team that raised the Larry O’Brien trophy last June. At many sportsbooks, Boston is a slight second in odds to win the NBA Finals. When compared to a Thunder team with limited playoff experience, the Celtics seem like a good bet at this moment.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder (63-12)
Previous Week Ranking: 1st
Oklahoma City sees Boston’s 14 of 15 wins and raises it to 17 of their last 18 wins. Add to it that in their current 10-game win streak, the Thunder’s margin of victory is 18+ points per game. They are not just beating teams, they are blowing them out. And they are playing playoff-level competition. OKC is going to be the most interesting watch in the upcoming playoffs.