NBA

NBA Power Rankings Update: The Oddly Efficient Oklahoma City Thunder

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Teams Ranked 20th to 11th

nERD welcomes a couple of formerly-uber-efficient teams to the middle of the pack, those being Charlotte and Portland.

Ranking Team Record nERD Last Ranking Plus/Minus
20 Los Angeles Lakers 10-15 41.5 21 +1
19 Denver Nuggets 14-12 47.3 17 -3
18 New York Knicks 13-13 47.4 18 Even
17 New Orleans Pelicans 14-13 48.8 19 +2
16 Philadelphia 76ers 13-13 48.9 12 -4
15 Detroit Pistons 14-12 49.9 13 -2
14 Charlotte Hornets 9-16 50.6 T-9 -5
13 Portland Trail Blazers 13-12 51.2 8 -5
12 Minnesota Timberwolves 16-11 52.1 12 Even
11 Milwaukee Bucks 15-10 52.2 16 +5


The Expected

Four is the magic number for the Philadelphia 76ers, who have dropped both four in a row and four spots in nERD-land. nERD was especially annoyed with their loss to Phoenix, an outing that was, frankly, beneath their dignity. The fact that they've allowed an average of 114.5 points a night over this streak is equally undignified. They've fallen behind the Knicks in the Eastern Conference standings, yet another reason to justify this.

On the other end of the win-loss spectrum, the Milwaukee Bucks are on a roll, having taken six of seven. After a brief bumpy patch, Giannis Antetokounmpo is back to doing cool Giannis Antetokounmpo-y things, averaging 32.4 points and 11.4 boards over his last five. (Seriously, who does that?) With Eric Bledsoe balling out, the Buck-os now sit ninth in offensive rating. We'll see if Pinocchio is a real boy on Saturday, when they have to deal with the scary Rockets.

The Unexpected

The Hornets have spent the majority of the season in the top-third of nERD rankings, but with eight losses in their last nine games, it appears they won't be seeing that rarified air for a good long while. Similarly, the Trail Blazers, losers of four in a row, have also slid out of the top-third. Their respective falls from grace were sudden and disconcerting, especially the Bugs', whose once lofty point differential has fallen to -2.2.

Coming into the season, Denver was one of the sexier bandwagons on which to jump, but after losing three of five -- including, yes, an L to the Mavs -- some are jumping off. They're a reasonable fifth-seed in the West, but with Nikola Jokic still nursing a sore ankle, some of that sexiness has faded.