NBA Power Rankings Update: The Meteoric Rise of the Brooklyn Nets
Teams Ranked 10th to 1st
The Indiana Pacers move up, but suffer a brutal loss in the process. Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors continue to put the Association on notice.
| Ranking | Team | Record | nERD | Last Ranking | Plus/Minus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | San Antonio Spurs | 27-22 | 27.9 | 10 | 0 |
| 9 | Utah Jazz | 27-22 | 59.2 | 8 | -1 |
| 8 | Denver Nuggets | 31-15 | 60.0 | 8 | 0 |
| 7 | Philadelphia 76ers | 32-17 | 62.3 | 7 | 0 |
| 6 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 30-18 | 65.3 | 4 | -2 |
| 5 | Toronto Raptors | 36-14 | 65.4 | 6 | 1 |
| 4 | Indiana Pacers | 32-15 | 66.3 | 5 | 1 |
| 3 | Boston Celtics | 30-18 | 68.0 | 2 | -1 |
| 2 | Golden State Warriors | 34-14 | 68.5 | 3 | 1 |
| 1 | Milwaukee Bucks | 34-12 | 75.2 | 1 | 0 |
Risers
The Indiana Pacers have been one of the hottest teams in the Association over the last month and a half, going an NBA-best 19-5 since December 4th. They currently have the league's fourth-best record at 32-15, but they were just dealt a pretty crushing blow, losing All-Star Victor Oladipo for the rest of the season to a ruptured quad tendon. They should still be fairly good, but their hopes of keeping up with Eastern Conference elites like the Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, and Philadelphia 76ers from here on out are all but dashed.
The Golden State Warriors are all the way back and now they've added a surprisingly spry looking DeMarcus Cousins mid-season. The rich get richer. They are now back at the top of the Western Conference (with a two-game lead on the Denver Nuggets) after a half-season of floating a spot or two below it, and don't show any signs of wanting to give it back up. They're an NBA-best 11-1 since December 29th, with a commanding 15.2 net rating over that span. It was fun to think they looked mortal for a while, but it appears that ship has sailed.
Fallers
The Utah Jazz have won seven of eight, the Oklahoma City Thunder are on a four-game winning streak, and the Boston Celtics are on a five-gamer of their own. It's not really fair to call any of them fallers this week, but that's just how competitive things are up here in the top-10 these days.
