NBA Power Rankings Based on Championship Odds (Don't Overreact to Potential Contenders Starting Slow)

It's been a wild first two weeks in the NBA and we've already seen a coach get fired. The Brooklyn Nets parted ways with Steve Nash on Tuesday.

That opens the door for Brooklyn to explore some intriguing coaching options, if anyone is willing to put up with the constant issue that is Kyrie Irving.

The Nets are clearly a contender that is looking to do anything to turn this team around, but there are other teams, the Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks to name a few, that have gotten out to slow starts in the 2022-23 campaign as well.

While it may feel like some of these teams aren't as good as we thought, I'm imploring you not to overreact. We have a long season in front of us, and injuries, rust and other factors can lead to these slow starts.

If anything, there could value on one of these teams if their odds drop. With that in mind, let's dive into our Power Rankings following Week 2 of the NBA season:

1. Milwaukee Bucks (+600) Last Week: No. 1

The Bucks have dominated the rest of the league to get out to a 6-0 start even with Khris Middleton injured.

2. Boston Celtics (+600) LW: No. 3

The Celtics sit at 4-2 on the season and still are tied for the best odds to win it all.

3. Phoenix Suns (+900) LW: No. 7

Phoenix has started fast once again, going 5-1 and winning four straight to close out Week 2.

4. Cleveland Cavaliers (+2500) LW: No. 6

Donovan Mitchell is showing the Cavs why they were smart to trade for him, leading them to a 5-1 start even with Darius Garland out.

5. Golden State Warriors (+600) LW: No. 2

The Warriors are off to a slow start, but there's no reason to panic with all the championship experience on this team.

6. Portland Trail Blazers (+8000) LW: No. 18

No Damian Lillard because of a calf injury, but the Blazers are 5-1 early in the 2022-23 season.

7. Memphis Grizzlies (+2000) LW: No. 5

Memphis drops a couple spots this week after struggling against the Jazz over the weekend.

8. New Orleans Pelicans (+2800) LW: No. 11

The Pelicans have continued to win games even without Brandon Ingram (concussion) in the lineup.

9. Denver Nuggets (+1800) LW: No. 9

Jamal Murray is still working his way back into form for this Nuggets team, but they've still been solid overall in the 2022-23 season.

10. Toronto Raptors (+4000) LW: No. 14

The Raptors moved to 4-3 on the season with a blowout win over Atlanta on Monday night...

11. Atlanta Hawks (+5000) LW: No. 12

Trae Young and Dejounte Murray have looked good so far for Atlanta, but the East is a war zone at the moment.

12. Dallas Mavericks (+2500) LW: No. 10

Dallas blew a game against OKC but rebounded with a win over the Magic. The team needs more consistent scoring behind Luka Doncic and Christian Wood to really contend for a title.

13. Philadelphia 76ers (+1400) LW: No 15

The Sixers have rebounded from a slow start, although the bench is still highly questionable this early in the season.

14. Minnesota Timberwolves (+3300) LW: No. 13

Minnesota is seventh in defense this season but still is working things out on offense, ranking 23rd in the NBA.

15. Utah Jazz (+25000) LW: No. 21

The Jazz are... good? Utah took back-to-back games from Memphis to move to 6-2 on the season.

16. Los Angeles Clippers (+650) LW: No. 4

Kawhi Leonard has missed a lot of time with injury management, making any Clippers future a risky move.

17. New York Knicks (+10000) LW: No. 17

The Knicks are 3-0 at home and 0-3 on the road this season. A brutal stretch of games against playoff teams could knock them off this spot.

18. Miami Heat (+2500) LW: No. 16

Miami needs more scoring if it's not going to have a top-10 defense. The Heat are just 2-5 with some bad losses to open this season.

19. Washington Wizards (+20000) LW: No. 20

The Wizards started 3-1 but have dropped three straight games to fall below .500.

20. San Antonio Spurs (+100000) LW: No. 23

How about the Spurs? Gregg Popovich's team is playing some inspired ball starting the season 5-2. Keldon Johnson is a rising star in this league.

21. Chicago Bulls (+7500) LW: No. 19

Chicago should push for a playoff spot, but the team is under .500 in the first two weeks of action.

22. Charlotte Hornets (+25000) LW: No. 22

The absence of LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier has killed the Hornets' chances at a fast start this season.

23. Brooklyn Nets (+1300) LW: No. 18

The Nets fired Steve Nash and appear to be hiring Ime Udoka to replace him. Not sure that saves their season, but Udoka did take Boston to the NBA Finals last season.

24. Oklahoma City Thunder (+100000) LW: No. 29

OKC is showing some life with a 5-1 starts against the spread behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaging 31.0 points per game.

25. Indiana Pacers (+100000) LW: No. 26

Tyrese Haliburton is a rising star for Indiana, along with rookie Bennedict Mathurin. I still don't see Indiana as a playoff team.

26. Sacramento Kings (+50000) LW: No. 27

The Kings have won back-to-back games after an 0-4 start and Keegan Murray has looked solid in his first few outings.

27. Los Angeles Lakers (+5000) LW: No. 25

The Lakers finally got a win after moving Russell Westbrook to the bench, but this team isn't contending for a title.

28. Detroit Pistons (+50000) LW: No. 24

The Pistons have a been a major disappointment to start this season, ranking 28th in the league in defensive rating.

29. Orlando Magic (+100000) LW: No. 30

Injuries at guard have contributed to Orlando's slow start, but rookie Paolo Banchero looks like a star in the making.

30. Houston Rockets (+100000) LW: No. 28

The Rockets are just 1-7 to start the season and have struggled defensively once again with this young team.

Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.