NBA Power Rankings Update: Are the Celtics a Finals Contender or a First-Round Exit?
Teams Ranked 30th to 21st
The Los Angeles Lakers continue their descent, the Dallas Mavericks make room for them to fall, and the Detroit Pistons slide back into the bottom-tier despite their recent success.
| Ranking | Team | Record | nERD | Last Ranking | Plus/Minus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Phoenix Suns | 17-59 | 21.5 | 30 | 0 |
| 29 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 19-57 | 22.4 | 29 | 0 |
| 28 | New York Knicks | 14-61 | 24.8 | 28 | 0 |
| 27 | Chicago Bulls | 21-55 | 25.7 | 27 | 0 |
| 26 | Atlanta Hawks | 27-48 | 30.7 | 26 | 0 |
| 25 | Memphis Grizzlies | 30-45 | 42.9 | 25 | 0 |
| 24 | Washington Wizards | 31-45 | 43.0 | 24 | 0 |
| 23 | Los Angeles Lakers | 33-42 | 45.3 | 22 | -1 |
| 22 | Dallas Mavericks | 29-46 | 45.7 | 23 | 1 |
| 21 | Detroit Pistons | 38-37 | 47.0 | 20 | -1 |
Risers
The Dallas Mavericks have had the worst record in the NBA since February 11th at 3-17 and are 1-5 over their last six, but they still somehow managed to move up this week. I guess we'll just have to chalk that up to how much the Los Angeles Lakers have stunk lately.
Fallers
Speaking of the Los Angeles Lakers, they've gone from being a team on the fringes of the playoff picture at midseason, to now being 3.5 games off the sixth-best draft lottery odds. They've gone 3-11 since March 1st and have a pretty rough schedule down the stretch, with their last five games all coming against Western Conference playoff teams.
The Detroit Pistons have been one of the best teams in the NBA over the last couple months, amassing a record of 16-8 since February 4th, but they've gone 1-3 over their last four, and that's knocked them back into our bottom tier.
