Following the first week of January, the NBA creeps closer to the Feb. 8 trade deadline. Look for several contenders to make calls as they try to make last-minute additions to their roster for aspirational playoff runs.
In the meantime though, the top of the league continues to shuffle after another jam-packed week of games. One constant remains though and that’s the Boston Celtics separating themselves from the rest of the league.
In the West, it continues to be a bloodbath at the top. It looks like the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets have found their form while the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder have hit a road bump.
Let’s look at this week’s edition of Thunder Wire’s NBA power rankings, capping the week of Jan. 1 to Jan. 7:
30
Detroit Pistons (3-33)
Previous ranking: 30
After snapping a historic 28-game losing streak, the Pistons are back to their losing ways. Detroit has lost four in a row but the defeats have been more encouraging as two were within single-digit margins. Baby steps for the worst team in the league.
29
San Antonio Spurs (5-30)
Previous ranking: 29
The Spurs continue to rack up losses as they only trail the Pistons by two games in the reverse standings. A thriller between them and the Bucks highlighted their loss. Victor Wembanyama continues to live up to the hype of a generational prospect as he’ll battle it out for Rookie of the Year with Chet Holmgren.
28
Washington Wizards (6-29)
Previous ranking: 27
The Wizards woes continue as they’ve lost four consecutive games. The bright side is Washington should have a top pick in 2024. The trade deadline should ensure that as they have several players who could help contenders. Kyle Kuzma is likely their biggest trade chip.
27
Charlotte Hornets (8-25)
Previous ranking: 28
Outside of a nice win over the Kings, the Hornets have lost all hope for their season, going 1-9 in their last 10 contests. In LaMelo Ball’s absence, Terry Rozier has stepped up and carried the scoring load. The veteran guard scored 34 points and 42 points in two of his last three contests.
26
Portland Trail Blazers (10-25)
Previous ranking: 26
The Trail Blazers have played well recently, going 4-6 in their last 10 outings. But Portland’s win-loss record won’t determine how successful its season is, it’ll be the development of Scoot Henderson. The No. 3 picked rookie has played well recently, totaling three double-doubles since Christmas.
25
Atlanta Hawks (14-21)
Previous ranking: 22
Beginning here is a nice batch of below-average teams who are within striking distance of getting to .500. The lowest of the group is the Hawks, who could potentially have a firesale come the trade deadline. Trae Young is having an awesome season, but it’s clear Atlanta needs to retool its roster.
24
Brooklyn Nets (16-21)
Previous ranking: 23
The Nets continue to fall in the standings as they’ve gone 3-7 in their last 10 games. Brooklyn’s win over the Thunder on Friday looks like an anomaly as they proceeded to lose their next contest to the tanking Trail Blazers. It’s a nice bunch, but they clearly don’t have a true franchise player on their roster.
23
Chicago Bulls (16-21)
Previous ranking: 21
After missing him for an extended period, the Bulls welcomed back Zach LaVine from a foot injury as they eased their franchise player into his usual role. Chicago survived LaVine’s absence, but it continues to tread in mediocrity with an aging roster.
22
Memphis Grizzlies (13-23)
Previous ranking: 24
Considering his 25-game suspension, it’s not surprising to see the Grizzlies adjust to Ja Morant’s absence fairly easily in their win over the Suns on Sunday. Morant’s shoulder soreness will be something to monitor shortly. Memphis has close to zero room for error in the standings if it wants to salvage this season.
21
Toronto Raptors (15-21)
Previous ranking: 25
Even though they’ve been meh for the whole season, the Raptors have rattled off three wins in their last four contests. RJ Barrett scored a season-high 37 points in Toronto’s win over the Warriors. Pascal Siakam has had an awesome season and could be the grand prize of this year’s trade deadline.
20
Golden State Warriors (17-19)
Previous ranking: 19
It appears the Warriors are in disarray. The entire Jonathan Kuminga debacle highlighted all of the problems Golden State has had this season. Players like Aaron Wiggins and Klay Thompson have lost a step and the Warriors’ depth got even thinner with the loss of Chris Paul to a broken hand. At least the imminent return of Draymond Green should provide some help.
19
Los Angeles Lakers (18-19)
Previous ranking: 17
It’s been a rough few weeks for the Lakers, who’ve lost four of their last five games. Los Angeles salvaged its week with a win over the Clippers on Sunday. LeBron James and Anthony Davis have played excellently, but the rest of the cast might need some reshuffling to avoid wasting a precious year of James’ prime.
18
Utah Jazz (17-20)
Previous ranking: 20
Labeled as a likely tank candidate, it looks like the Jazz will beat national pundits’ preseason expectations for them. Utah has gone 7-3 in its last 10 games and Lauri Markkanen continues to play like an All-Star. He scored 33 points in its impressive win over the Sixers on Saturday.
17
Houston Rockets (18-16)
Previous ranking: 18
The Rockets added another impressive win to their resume with a victory over the Bucks on Saturday. Barring something unexpected, Alperen Sengun should make his first career All-Star appearance this season as he headlines their competitive squad.
16
Phoenix Suns (19-17)
Previous ranking: 15
The Suns have their trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal finally playing together, but it’s evident they’ll need some time to gel together. It was a rocky week as Phoenix went 2-2 with losses to the Clippers and Grizzlies.
15
Miami Heat (20-15)
Previous ranking: 8
This begins a bunch of teams that are clunked together with similar records. First up are the Heat, who’ve struggled recently with three of four losses. Miami’s done an admirable job overcoming several injuries, but it’s definitely feeling Jimmy Butler’s absence recently.
14
Indiana Pacers (20-15)
Previous ranking: 14
After suffering an in-season tournament hangover, the Pacers are right back to their winning ways, winning seven of their last 10 games. Indiana hopes to have their franchise star Tyrese Haliburton be named as an All-Star starter this season when it hosts the weekend extravaganza.
13
Orlando Magic (21-15)
Previous ranking: 12
The Magic snapped a three-game losing streak with a great road win over the Nuggets on Friday. Paolo Banchero collected his first career triple-double in the two-point win over Denver. He’ll need to continue to play at an elite level if Orlando wants to be viewed as a playoff threat this season.
12
New York Knicks (21-15)
Previous ranking: 16
The Knicks have won four in a row as they recently welcomed OG Anunoby. Jalen Brunson continues to have a successful campaign for New York as he’s averaged 26 points and 6.4 assists this season. Julius Randle is also averaging 24.3 points and 9.3 rebounds.
11
Cleveland Cavaliers (21-15)
Previous ranking: 13
Like a playoff contender is supposed to, the Cavaliers have rattled off three wins in a row over subpar teams in the Wizards twice and the Spurs. Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen continue to keep Cleveland afloat amid injuries.
10
Sacramento Kings (21-14)
Previous ranking: 9
After barely squeezing by the Magic and Raptors, the Kings were handed a convincing loss by the Pelicans on Sunday in a game that saw them trail by as many as 50 points. Despite having one of the best records in the league, a negative-point differential shows Sacramento might not belong in the top tier of teams.
9
Dallas Mavericks (22-15)
Previous ranking: 11
After a one-game absence, Luka Doncic returned to aid Kyrie Irving in the Mavericks’ resume-building win over the Timberwolves. The All-Star duo each scored 30-plus points apiece. Dallas has won three consecutive games.
8
New Orleans Pelicans (22-15)
Previous ranking: 10
The Pelicans have won five of their last six games, including a route against the Kings. Both teams are on similar levels to each other. New Orleans also collected a statement road win over the Timberwolves. Everything is going great right now for the Pelicans.
7
Philadelphia 76ers (23-12)
Previous ranking: 5
The season is filled with ebbs and flows and the Sixers are currently going through a valley. They’ve lost three of four including a pair of blowout losses. Joel Embiid continues to rehab a swelled knee as Philadelphia hopes to welcome him back soon.
6
LA Clippers (22-13)
Previous ranking: 7
The Clippers continue to be one of the best teams in the league this season. Kawhi Leonard has stayed relatively healthy and James Harden has gelled well with this new squad. LA’s five-game winning streak was snapped by the Lakers on Sunday.
5
Oklahoma City Thunder (23-11)
Previous ranking: 2
After picking up a massive win over the Celtics, the Thunder have lost two in a row to lesser teams. OKC’s cemented itself as a contender, it’s now about trying to survive a brutal stretch of games this month. It’s off to a bad start with losses to the Hawks and Nets.
4
Milwaukee Bucks (25-11)
Previous ranking: 4
Like the Timberwolves, the Bucks have hit a low recently, losing three of four games. The difference is Milwaukee’s shown over the last several years it belongs in the upper echelon of contenders. Giannis Antetokounmpo has had back-to-back 40-plus point outings nonetheless.
3
Minnesota Timberwolves (25-10)
Previous ranking: 3
Being one of the best teams in the league for the first one-third of the season, the Timberwolves have hit. rough patch recently. Minnesota’s gone 5-5 in its last 10 games with three of four losses recently. Time will tell if this is just a small skid or could reveal a larger issue.
2
Denver Nuggets (26-12)
Previous ranking: 6
It took a minute, but the Nuggets are back where they belong record-wise as they sit just half a game back from the first seed in the Western Conference standings. Denver’s gone 8-2 in its last 10 games and Nikola Jokic continues to build up an MVP case with a game-winner against the Warriors earlier this week. The reigning champions are having another dominant season.
1
Boston Celtics (28-7)
Previous ranking: 1
It took until January, but the Celtics finally picked up their seventh loss of the season as OKC collected a home win. Alas, it was only a blemish as Boston’s won two in a row since then and continues to be a winning machine. The Celtics own the best record and best point differential by a wide margin and will continue to be the No. 1 team.
