NBA Power Rankings: Break up the Hornets

With fewer than 20 games remaining in the NBA season for all 30 teams, additional emphasis is placed on each and every game from a perspective of playoff positioning. Though it must be noted that many teams are thoroughly out of the playoff picture, at least two-thirds of the league remains within striking distance of a playoff spot, and as the schedule winds down, every win or loss counts in a big way.

That is the backdrop of this week’s NBA power rankings and you just might find a new “contender” emerging in the Eastern Conference. Let’s roll.

1. team. 41. After the embarrassment of a blowout loss to the Lakers last Sunday, all is right with the world again for the Warriors. Golden State reeled off four straight wins this week to establish normalcy, and even with the Spurs nipping at their heels, it would be tough to find someone who would pick San Antonio right now.. (59-6). Previous: . Golden State Warriors

San Antonio Spurs. 2. team. 29. We spoke extensively about San Antonio as the “other” dominant team in the NBA a week ago and, on cue, the Spurs lost their first game this week. Since then, though, the Spurs have won three straight and they are probably in a tier by themselves considering the greatness ahead of them and the muddled group behind them.. (56-10). Previous:

(44-20). Previous: . Toronto Raptors. 3. team. 81. This will be a controversial ranking in the eyes of some, but the Raptors just keep winning. Toronto held serve with three straight home wins this week, and that was no small feat considering the Hawks and Heat were on the agenda. Playoff success has eluded this club in recent years, but they are playing exceptionally well in 2016.

(47-18). Previous: . Cleveland Cavaliers. 4. team. 156. I was all set to send the Cavs on a plunge after they lost at home to the highly depleted Grizzlies on Monday. All Cleveland did after that, though, was win three straight games on the road, including a Sunday afternoon bludgeoning of the Clippers. Cleveland isn’t as good as they should be, but they are still playing quite well when you remove the expectations.

(42-23). Previous: . Los Angeles Clippers. 5. team. 77. Sunday’s blowout loss to Cleveland wasn’t pretty but there is no shame in dropping games to the Cavs and Thunder (on the road) during the course of a week. There is a lot of doubt about what the Clips will look like when Blake Griffin returns (or if he will return), but Los Angeles has stayed afloat beautifully without their star power forward in the lineup.

(37-28). Previous: . Charlotte Hornets. 6. team. 170. The Hornets are the hottest team in the NBA, and that statement does not exclude the Warriors and Spurs. Charlotte has won seven straight to catapult within spitting distance of the third seed in the East, and during that stretch, Steve Clifford’s team has the league’s best net rating at +16.5 points per 100 possessions. Many are still skeptical of the Hornets given their lack of star power, but this is a well-coached team that made shrewd upgrades at the deadline and Charlotte is a scary opponent for anyone in the East when the playoffs arrive.

(44-22). Previous: . Oklahoma City Thunder. 7. team. 149. Okay, it’s probably fair to criticize me for this ranking. I would pick the Thunder in a series against the Hornets right now (even with their red-hot play), but at the same time, Oklahoma City is really scuffling. Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and company are just 4-6 in their last 10 games, and one of those losses came at the hands of the lowly T-Wolves (at home!) this week. Their recently play has to be “punished” in some way.

8. team. 125. The Hawks have been incredibly impressive on the defensive end and their offense appears to be coming around at an opportune time. Atlanta now ranks 7th in the NBA in net rating (+4.1 points per 100), and that is spearheaded by the second-best defense in the NBA. Don’t look now, but the Hawks might be recapturing their form from 2014-2015.. (38-29). Previous: . Atlanta Hawks

Previous: . Boston Celtics. 9. team. 18. It was a light week for Boston, and I won’t penalize the Celtics for dropping a close-fought decision to the Rockets. The Celtics will have skeptics around the league come playoff time, but their record and productivity indicate that Boston is dangerous and should be treated as such.. (39-27)

Indiana was unceremoniously blasted on the second night of a back-to-back against Atlanta, but that qualifies as a schedule loss and the Pacers did good work before that. The Pacers toppled the Spurs and Mavs in succession, and Frank Vogel continues to produce better results than the talent would indicate.. (35-31). Previous: . Indiana Pacers. 10. team. 100

Previous: . Miami Heat. 11. team. 110. The Heat encountered a bit of a road block after a meteoric rise last week, dropping games to the Bucks and Raptors. Still, both losses came on the road in competitive games, and Miami looms as a super dangerous team if they can get Chris Bosh back in time for the playoffs.. (38-28)

team. 64. Stan Van Gundy has this team looking more and more like a playoff-bound unit. Detroit’s lone loss this week came on the road against the scorching hot Hornets, and the Pistons are now entrenched as the eighth seed in the East. Look out, Cavs!. (34-32). Previous: . Detroit Pistons. 12

34. Everybody loses against the Warriors on the road, and outside of that, it was a good week for Damian Lillard’s team. Portland is still discussed at a higher level than their actual play should represent, but the Blazers are well-coached and dangerous on a nightly basis.. (35-32). Previous: . Portland Trail Blazers. 13. team

I can’t quit the Jazz. I buried Utah after a bad previous week, but the Jazz looked good in downing Washington and Sacramento, and their two defeats over the past seven days came to the Hawks and Warriors. Their record hasn’t caught up yet, but this is a treacherous opponent for anyone.. (31-35). Previous: . Utah Jazz. 14. team. 118

Previous: . Houston Rockets. 15. team. 169. You could talk me into Houston over Utah, but Rockets fans should be pleased with the team’s improved play. It was never a question of talent or potential with this group, and they appear to be increasingly invested in being a respectable defensive basketball team. Progress.. (33-33)

(39-27). Previous: . Memphis Grizzlies. 16. team. 211. I’ll be candid in saying that I have no idea what to do with the Grizzlies. This is a team with an incredibly ridiculous injury problem right now, but in the same breath, Memphis managed to beat Cleveland (on the road!) and New Orleans this week with their depleted roster. Dave Joerger might be a magician.

17. team. 73. The Warriors have won four games in a row. The Nuggets have won four games in a row. It seems wildly unlikely that Golden State and Denver would share the title of the team with the longest active winning streak in the West, but here we are. There is a bit of smoke and mirrors with Denver right now, but the improvement is encouraging to see for an organization that has struggled recently.. (28-38). Previous: . Denver Nuggets

Giannis Antetokounmpo is officially breaking out. In 7 games during March, the 21-year-old forward is averaging 22.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 8.4 assists per game and, non-coincidentally, the Bucks are excelling as their budding star enjoys this success. It is probably too little, too late for this particular season, but the future is bright.. (29-38). Previous: . Milwaukee Bucks. 18. team. 89

(32-32). Previous: . Chicago Bulls. 19. team. 24. Jimmy Butler can’t get back soon enough. Without him, there really isn’t a lot to get excited about in Chicago, as this has quickly become a lost year for Fred Hoiberg.

(30-35). Previous: . Washington Wizards. 20. team. 142. The Wizards have dropped five in a row at the worst possible time, but the losses are explainable. Four of the defeats came on the road (Cavs, Blazers, Jazz, Nuggets) and the lone home defeat came against the feisty Pacers. At some point, Washington is going to have to win some of these games, but they aren’t playing as poorly as the recent record suggests.

79. Like Washington before them, the Mavs are in the midst of a five-game losing streak. However, the dip from Dallas is less understandable, with four home losses during that stretch. Rick Carlisle is undoubtedly an elite coach, but the magic might be wearing off for this year.. (33-33). Previous: . Dallas Mavericks. 21. team

22. team. 27. The Kurt Rambis era might be getting longer if you listen to Phil Jackson, and that isn’t a good thing for the organization. Still, the Knicks are suddenly playing respectable (-ish) basketball again. It’s the little things.. (28-40). Previous: . New York Knicks

Previous: . Minnesota Timberwolves. 23. team. 86. Karl-Anthony Towns is scary good. His silky fadeaway jumper against the Thunder to help steal the game was a thing of beauty, and that win allows Minnesota to jump up a few spots this week. Oh, and props to Ricky Rubio for the game-winner.. (21-45)

69. It feels odd to lift New Orleans in the rankings during a stretch when the team has lost 7 of 8 games, but their on-court play has been (at least marginally) better than that. I’m sorry, Anthony Davis.. (24-41). Previous: . New Orleans Pelicans. 24. team

Previous: . Orlando Magic. 25. team. 38. At this point, the Magic shouldn’t be losing to the Lakers and Suns and they certainly shouldn’t be getting blown out by 30 in Portland. Orlando is probably better than this ranking suggests, but it would be nice to see them play like it.. (28-37)

26. team. 84. Four more losses and another trip to the lottery. That is the reality in Sacramento, and with the DeMarcus Cousins saga hanging over everything, it is pretty ugly for the Kings.. (25-40). Previous: . Sacramento Kings

27. team. 147. In the last two weeks, the Nets have lost to the Lakers, Wolves and Sixers and much of the goodwill established by “overachieving” has faded away. Brooklyn really just needs to get to the off-season and begin figuring out how to legitimately rebuild without draft picks.. (18-48). Previous: . Brooklyn Nets

Los Angeles Lakers. 28. team. 20. At times in the recent past, the Lakers have put together a quality offensive product. That is the nicest thing I can say about a team that is this bad defensively and, well, coached by Byron Scott.. (14-53). Previous:

66. Phoenix won back-to-back games to close last week, and there were whispers of momentum. On cue, the Suns lost all three games this week and Earl Watson’s tutelage hasn’t exactly clicked with this roster since he took over for Jeff Hornacek.. (17-49). Previous: . Phoenix Suns. 29. team

93. The Sixers picked up a home win over Brooklyn this week, but that was bookended by lopsided losses to the Rockets and Pistons in Philadelphia. In short, Philadelphia still holds the basement with conviction, and the absence of Jahlil Okafor for what appears to be the rest of the season likely won’t help this squad escape.. (9-57). Previous: . Philadelphia 76ers. 30. team

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