NBA Power Rankings Update: The Detroit Pistons Are Firing on All Cylinders
Teams Ranked 20th to 11th
The Brooklyn Nets are peaking at the right time, it might be too little too late for the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Dallas Mavericks are losing any hope they once had of making the postseason, and the San Antonio Spurs are barely holding onto theirs.
| Ranking | Team | Record | nERD | Last Ranking | Plus/Minus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Dallas Mavericks | 27-34 | 47.8 | 17 | -3 |
| 19 | Brooklyn Nets | 32-31 | 48.3 | 21 | 2 |
| 17 | Charlotte Hornets | 28-33 | 48.4 | 18 | 1 |
| 17 | Los Angeles Lakers | 30-31 | 48.4 | 19 | 2 |
| 16 | Los Angeles Clippers | 34-29 | 49.9 | 13 | -3 |
| 14 | New Orleans Pelicans | 27-36 | 50.2 | 14 | 0 |
| 14 | Sacramento Kings | 31-30 | 50.2 | 15 | 1 |
| 13 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 29-33 | 50.4 | 16 | 3 |
| 12 | San Antonio Spurs | 34-29 | 53.0 | 11 | -1 |
| 11 | Houston Rockets | 37-25 | 53.4 | 12 | 1 |
Risers
The Brooklyn Nets have had a pretty great season, especially considering the fact that they share a division with three of the Eastern Conference's best teams in the Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers, and Boston Celtics. Brooklyn has now won three of their last five dating back to their last game before the break, and that's been enough to move them back into the middle tier after a brief stay in the bottom-10.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have lost three of their last four, but they won three in a row just before that, so this 4-3 stretch overall has kept them somewhat in the hunt for the postseason. The 4.5-game difference between them and the eighth-place Los Angeles Clippers is pretty substantial, however, and we only give them a 4.1% chance of sneaking in. It's a shame they have had such a rocky start to the season, because nERD considers them the eighth-best team in the Western Conference.
Fallers
The Dallas Mavericks are pretty well ready to pack it in for the 2018-19 season, having lost five of their last six, and now sitting a whole six games out of a playoff spot. Their future is plenty bright with Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis ready to take the torch from Dirk Nowitzki as he winds down his legendary career, but they're trending down for what's left of this year.
The San Antonio Spurs just concluded their worst "Rodeo Road Trip" in franchise history, going 1-7 over eight consecutive away games. Their grip on a playoff spot is getting pretty loose, as they and the Los Angeles Clippers are now tied for seventh in the Western Conference, with only two games separating them both from the ninth-place Sacramento Kings. We still give the Spurs a pretty commanding 80.2% chance of making the postseason, but it's certainly the closest they've come to falling out after 21 straight years of making it.
