The 2023-24 NBA regular season continues to play through the dog days of the calendar. January has been a jam-packed month for several teams as the All-Star weekend approaches.
Before then, the Feb. 8 trade deadline nears. The first major domino fell when Pascal Siakam was dealt to the Indiana Pacers. Expect more moves to trickle in.
The Boston Celtics continue to be the best team in the league despite a close loss to the Denver Nuggets this week. Meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Thunder handed the Minnesota Timberwolves their second home loss of the season.
Let’s look at this week’s edition of Thunder Wire’s NBA power rankings for the week of Jan. 15-21:
30
Detroit Pistons (4-38)
Previous ranking: 30
The Pistons continue to be the worst team in the league. Although they’ve made some baby steps this week. Detroit picked up its fourth win of the season over the Wizards and lost by single digits to both the Timberwolves and Bucks.
29
Washington Wizards (7-35)
Previous ranking: 29
Playing for lottery odds, the Wizards have kept pace with the Pistons and are within striking distance for the worst record in the league. Washington has lost four in a row. Expect the Wizards to be active sellers at the trade deadline as they roster several intriguing players.
28
Charlotte Hornets (9-31)
Previous ranking: 28
Even with LaMelo Ball’s return, the Hornets continue to plummet down the standings. Charlotte has lost seven of its last eight games with its sole win being against the Spurs. Expect Terry Rozier to have a strong trade market, as he continues to be the Hornets’ leading scorer.
27
San Antonio Spurs (8-34)
Previous ranking: 27
It’s been better recently, but the Spurs continue to sit with the rest of the basement of the league. San Antonio snapped a four-game losing streak with a win over the Wizards. Victor Wembanyama continues to make a strong case for Rookie of the Year, averaging nearly 20 points and 10 rebounds as a rookie.
26
Portland Trail Blazers (12-30)
Previous ranking: 26
A historic 62-point loss might’ve been a wake-up call for the Trail Blazers. The Trail Blazers have looked much more respectable recently, going 2-2 in their last four outings. Portland had an impressive win over the Pacers thanks to a 37-point performance by Jerami Grant.
25
Toronto Raptors (16-27)
Previous ranking: 23
It appears the Raptors have waved the white flag on their season after meddling around .500 for the most part. Toronto headlined a blockbuster deal that shipped off Siakam to the Pacers to signal it’s open for business for other trades ahead of the deadline. It’s a bittersweet move that makes sense for both parties.
24
Memphis Grizzlies (15-27)
Previous ranking: 25
The Grizzlies continue to navigate through a lost season where they’ve lost Ja Morant for the season. The lengthy absences of Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart just add salt to the wound. Memphis will likely be a seller this trade deadline as it looks to recharge for next season.
23
Brooklyn Nets (17-25)
Previous ranking: 22
The Nets continue to lose grip of their season, racking up a ton of losses in a short time. Outside of the trade deadline, the biggest storyline centering Brooklyn is the impending return of Ben Simmons from back rehab, who’s a step closer as he begins to travel with the team. He’s played in six games this season.
22
Atlanta Hawks (18-24)
Previous ranking: 24
It continues to be a nightmare season for the Hawks, who are on the verge of pulling the plug on this core. Atlanta continues to gain interest for Dejounte Murray and there’s a serious possibility he’ll be dealt by the trade deadline. A concussion has knocked Trae Young out for an unknown amount of time, which will cause the Hawks to continue to lose.
21
Golden State Warriors (18-22)
Previous ranking: 21
The Warriors only played in one game this week — a Monday loss to the Grizzlies. Golden State’s other two scheduled contests were postponed following the death of assistant coach Dejan Milojevic. It’s an awful tragedy that has stunned the basketball world.
20
Houston Rockets (20-22)
Previous ranking: 18
The Rockets have lost four of their last five games, It’s been a rough stretch for Houston in an otherwise successful season considering recent years. Alperen Sengun scored a career-high 37 points in their OT win over the Jazz.
19
Chicago Bulls (21-23)
Previous ranking: 19
As soon as the Bulls found a groove, the injury bug struck again. Zach LaVine is expected to miss time with an ankle sprain. Chicago will look to get back to .500 this week without its best player. The Bulls have won two in a row.
18
Los Angeles Lakers (22-22)
Previous ranking: 20
It’s been an inconsistent season for the Lakers despite healthy campaigns by both LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Impressive wins over the Thunder and Mavericks mixed with an ugly loss to the Nets are the latest examples of frustration for Los Angeles.
17
Orlando Magic (23-20)
Previous ranking: 17
It’s been rough sledding for the Magic in recent weeks. It looks like Orlando has hit a bit of a slump, losing five of seven games. With that said, the Magic capped off their week with an impressive win over division rival Heat.
16
Sacramento Kings (23-18)
Previous ranking: 12
It’s been a rough week for the Kings, who’ve lost four in a row. Sacramento has a similar record at this point that it had last season, but rising expectations have caused a bit of panic among the fanbase. The Kings will quickly need to snap this streak and return to their winning ways.
15
Utah Jazz (22-22)
Previous ranking: 15
Entering the season as strong contenders to be sellers, the Jazz have been one of the best teams in the league for nearly two months. This will likely cause Utah to pivot and stay pat with its core to see what it does in the playoff race. Lauri Markannen continues to make a strong case for a second All-Star bid.
14
Indiana Pacers (24-19)
Previous ranking: 10
The Pacers have lost four of their last five games, but the addition of Siakam has added a buzz surrounding Indiana. It’ll need to quickly rack up wins though as they continue to figure out how to survive Tyrese Haliburton’s absence.
13
Phoenix Suns (24-18)
Previous ranking: 16
The Suns have gotten hot, riding a five-game winning streak. The trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal have put up monster scoring numbers as they’ve had time to finally gel. Everything is starting to turn right for Phoenix.
12
Miami Heat (24-19)
Previous ranking: 11
It seems like the injuries are taking a toll on the Heat, who’ve lost three in a row. The good news is they recently returned Jimmy Butler from a lengthy absence. They also retired Udonis Haslem’s jersey this past week.
11
Dallas Mavericks (24-18)
Previous ranking: 14
The Mavericks continue to stay in the thick of the playoff race. The duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving has been a regular-season success. The duo’s true test will come in the playoffs when they debut together.
10
New Orleans Pelicans (25-18)
Previous ranking: 8
The Pelicans continue to be one of the better teams in the league, although they licked their wounds this week. New Orleans suffered a blowout loss by the Suns as Devin Booker went off for 52 points.
9
New York Knicks (26-17)
Previous ranking: 13
It was an emotional week for the Knicks as they welcomed back RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley back to MSG for the first time since being dealt to the Raptors. New York came out with the win and has won three in a row.
8
Cleveland Cavaliers (25-15)
Previous ranking: 9
The Cavaliers continue to be one of the hottest teams in the league. Cleveland is currently on a seven-game winning streak. The Cavaliers might’ve had their win of the season with a 40-point blowout over the Bucks.
7
LA Clippers (27-14)
Previous ranking: 6
Any doubts about James Harden’s fit with the Clippers have been loudly silenced. Since acquiring him, LA has been one of the best teams in the league. The Clippers picked up another impressive win over the Thunder this past week. The playoffs will be the ultimate test for this experienced core.
6
Denver Nuggets (30-14)
Previous ranking: 5
The reigning NBA champions continue to chug along in the regular season. Battling at Boston, the Nuggets picked up their best win of the season with a two-point victory. At this point, the regular season doesn’t matter a whole ton to the battle-tested Nuggets. They can sleepwalk their way to a top-four seed.
5
Philadelphia 76ers (28-13)
Previous ranking: 7
The Sixers are back to their winning ways with Joel Embiid playing like an MVP candidate. This included a win over the Nuggets this past week. It’ll be a tight race for Embiid to make the 65-game minimum to qualify for the award, but if he does, he should be the favorite to win the award for a second consecutive year.
4
Milwaukee Bucks (29-13)
Previous ranking: 4
After a blowout loss to the Cavaliers, the Bucks needed to sweat out a close win over the lowly Pistons. It’s been a rough week for Milwaukee, but the duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard continues to be one of the best in the league.
3
Minnesota Timberwolves (30-12)
Previous ranking: 2
The Timberwolves’ four-game winning streak was snapped by the Thunder, who handed Minnesota its second home loss of the season. The trio of Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert continue to thrive together.
2
Oklahoma City Thunder (29-13)
Previous ranking: 3
After losing a close contest to the Clippers, the Thunder bounced back with a pair of nice wins over the Jazz and Timberwolves. OKC continues to be one of the best teams in the league. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has played like a legitimate MVP candidate.
1
Boston Celtics (33-10)
Previous ranking: 1
The Celtics continue to be the best team in the league. Boston has won four of its last five games with its only loss being a two-point defeat against the Nuggets. The Celtics look like the title favorites so far this season.
