NBA Power Rankings: Lakers, Pistons among biggest climbers.
We are in the final full month of the NBA’s regular season — and that means the playoff picture will get clearer by the day ahead of the campaign’s final date on April 13.
It’s also been nearly one month since the Feb. 6 trade deadline that sent shock waves across the league. Since then, Luka Doncic has found his groove with the Los Angeles Lakers while the Dallas Mavericks are facing a tough road ahead because of injuries toAnthony Davis and Kyrie Irving. Predictably, the Lakers have shot up the Western Conference standings while the Mavs are likely fighting for just a play-in spot.
In the Eastern Conference postseason race, the Detroit Pistons are revving up toward their first playoff appearance since 2019. How far up the standings could they move? Keep an eye on the middle of the East pack with the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers pushing for the No. 4 spot.
Let’s dive into this week’s updated Power Rankings for all 30 NBA teams.
Note: Team rankings are based on where members of our panel (ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, Jamal Collier, Michael Wright, Tim MacMahon, Dave McMenamin, Ohm Youngmisuk and Chris Herring) think teams belong this season.
The Cavaliers have taken Phil Jackson’s 40-20 rule to another level this season. The 11-time championship-winning coach used to say that if a team wins 40 games before it loses 20, that’s an indicator of it being a legitimate title threat. Well, Cleveland’s 11-game win streak, including a road victory over the Celtics on Friday, has brought the record to 51-10. How’s that for legit? — Dave McMenamin
Oklahoma City still has the NBA’s stingiest defense by a wide margin — it allows 106 points per 100 possessions, which is 3.1 points better than the second-ranked Magic — but there has been significant slippage on that end of the floor recently. The Thunder have allowed 117.1 points per 100 possessions since the All-Star break, which ranks 22nd in the league during that time. Oklahoma City has still gone 6-1 in that span, when the Thunder have had the league’s most efficient offense (127.4).– Tim MacMahon
After Friday’s loss to the Cavaliers, Boston’s chances of catching Cleveland for the top spot in the Eastern Conference are extremely slim. The top priority for Boston over the next several weeks will be to try to make it to the postseason healthy. Jrue Holiday (finger) and Kristaps Porzingis (illness) sat out the loss against the Celtics and the win over Denver. — Tim Bontemps
The Lakers have won nine straight games against teams with a .500 record or better. But the schedule remains unrelenting. After handling the Pelicans on Tuesday (highlighted by LeBron James surpassing the 50,000-point mark), four of the Lakers’ next five opponents boast winning records. Lakers coach JJ Redick said he is stressing to his team to look at the schedule as a positive rather than a negative, with a chance to develop a “hardened mentality around competition.”– DaveMcMenamin
If the Knicks are going to find a way to compete with teams such as Boston, Cleveland and Oklahoma City — three contenders they’ve gone 0-7 against — they must play better defense. That’s where the return of center Mitchell Robinson, who rejoined the lineup Friday after rehabbing his surgically repaired ankle all season, could be vital. In particular, it will be fascinating to watch how he looks alongside fellow big Karl-Anthony Towns, who has struggled when New York uses drop coverage against high-powered offenses.– Chris Herring
The Nuggets are in a difficult stretch of the schedule that certainly will let them know where they stand among some of the league’s best teams. They went 2-2 on the road against four East playoff-bound teams — Indiana, Milwaukee, Detroit and Boston. And their next six games are against Sacramento, Phoenix, back-to-back games at Oklahoma City and at home against Minnesota and the Lakers. Nikola Jokic was seen limping a bit in the loss at Boston but still finished with 20 points, 14 rebounds and 9 assists in 39 minutes. — Ohm Youngmisuk
Having lost seven of its past 10 games, Memphis enters Wednesday’s matchup against Oklahoma City down yet another player as Jaren Jackson Jr. suffered an ankle injury Tuesday that leaves him week-to-week. Star guard Ja Morant (shoulder) remains day-to-day, and he has admitted to struggling to find a rhythm. He has already missed 24 games for a Memphis team using an entirely new and unconventional offense, so he’s running out of time to find his bearings. Road clashes Friday and Sunday against the banged-up Mavericks and Pelicans should help Memphis get back on track. — Michael C. Wright
Alperen engün provided one of the few bright spots Tuesday with his 20th career 25-5-5 night in a Houston loss at Indiana. It appeared the Rockets were finally whole again Saturday when point guard Fred .