NBA

NBA Power Rankings Update: The Orlando Magic Are Making a Push

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Teams Ranked 20th to 11th

The Detroit Pistons climb up into the middle tier, while the Orlando Magic leapfrog the Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans, and Brooklyn Nets in one shot.

RankingTeamRecordnERDLast RankingPlus/Minus
20Detroit Pistons37-3446.5222
19Minnesota Timberwolves32-4047.418-1
18New Orleans Pelicans31-4348.217-1
17Brooklyn Nets37-3649.116-1
16Orlando Magic34-3849.2193
15Miami Heat35-3651.414-1
14Sacramento Kings35-3651.5151
13Los Angeles Clippers42-3052.7130
12San Antonio Spurs42-3055.9120
11Houston Rockets45-2756.2110


Risers

The Detroit Pistons have had the second-best record in the Association since January 31st at 16-6, and they're now up to sixth place in the Eastern Conference as a result. They've been stuck in our bottom tier for a while, but they finally climbed out of it after a solid 3-1 week.

The Orlando Magic are 14-7 since January 31st with the league's best net rating over that span at 8.1. They've now won three in a row to boot, keeping them very much in the hunt for their first playoff berth in seven years. They now sit 1.5 games back of the eighth-place Miami Heat, and we give them a 38.6% chance of making it.

Fallers

The Minnesota Timberwolves have lost five in a row and are on the verge of being statistically eliminated from playoff contention. It's safe to say that this year has been a letdown for them on the heels of breaking a 13-year playoff drought last season.

The Brooklyn Nets are in the midst of a brutal seven-game road trip, which they've started 1-3. We still give them a fairly comfortable 89.9% chance of making the postseason, but with only 2.5 games separating them from the ninth-place Miami Heat, they had better be careful.