It was a light week around the NBA as it enjoyed its 2024 All-Star break. The weekend extravaganza marked the unofficial halfway point of the 2023-24 regular season.
Returning to its original format, the East defeated the West, 211-186. Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard was named the All-Star MVP.
The top of the West remains the same four teams in the Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, LA Clippers and Denver Nuggets. Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics remain a dominant force and are the only team to reach 40-plus wins.
Let’s look at this week’s edition of Thunder Wire’s NBA power rankings for the week of Feb. 12-19:
30
Washington Wizards (9-45)
Previous ranking: 30
An eight-game losing streak has catapulted the Wizards to being just a game back from the league’s worst record. Washington has been one of the league’s worst teams all season and continues to keep pace with the Pistons. At least Deni Avdija went off for 43 points this past week.
29
Detroit Pistons (8-46)
Previous ranking: 29
After collecting more wins frequently, the Pistons are back to their losing ways with a three-game skid. Detroit continues to own the worst record in the league. Isaiah Stewart also made headlines when he punched Suns’ center Drew Eubanks.
28
San Antonio Spurs (11-44)
Previous ranking: 28
The Spurs have lost eight of their last 10 contests, but Victor Wembanyama represented San Antonio during the All-Star break. He was part of the Rookie Challenge and suffered an upset loss to the G League squad. Nonetheless, Wembanyama has been dominant as he recently collected a triple-double with 10 blocks.
27
Portland Trail Blazers (15-39)
Previous ranking: 25
It’s only appropriate the Trail Blazers went into the All-Star break off of a 37-point loss. Portland has been one of the worst teams in the league this season and is on a six-game losing streak. Scoot Henderson represented the Trail Blazers in the Rising Stars challenge.
26
Toronto Raptors (19-36)
Previous ranking: 24
The Raptors welcomed back Pascal Siakam after he was dealt to the Pacers earlier this season. The former All-Star left Toronto with a win as the Raptors has lost three in a row
25
Charlotte Hornets (13-41)
Previous ranking: 27
The addition of Tre Mann has rejuvenated the Hornets. He’s been awesome for them since leaving the Thunder. Charlotte has won three in a row and Brandon Miller continues to be stellar.
24
Brooklyn Nets (21-33)
Previous ranking: 23
The Nets continue to be one of the worst teams over the last couple of months. Brooklyn went into the All-Star break with an eye-popping 50-point loss to the Celtics. Their decision to mostly stand pat at the deadline continues to be puzzling.
23
Memphis Grizzlies (20-36)
Previous ranking: 26
Even though it’s a lost season, the Grizzlies have made the best of a bad situation by playing their younger players with heavy minutes. Rookie GG Jackson scored 27 points in an upset win over the Bucks before going on their All-Star breaks.
22
Atlanta Hawks (24-31)
Previous ranking: 21
It’s been a disappointing season for the Hawks, who might make some major decisions in the offseason. There’s been some recent buzz about the Hawks possibly starting over and trading away Trae Young, who was named an All-Star. If that happens, Atlanta will start from the ground up.
21
Houston Rockets (24-30)
Previous ranking: 22
The Rockets are in serious danger of missing the playoff entirely. Houston has lost five of its last six games, including an upset loss to the Grizzlies. The Rockets are 3.5 games back from the 10th seed, so they’ll need to come out hot in the second half.
20
Utah Jazz (26-30)
Previous ranking: 19
The Jazz enter the All-Star break losing four in a row, with three of them being by double-digit points. Utah will need to snap out of its skid if it wants to keep its playoff aspirations. The bright side is Lauri Markkanen has been fantastic again this season.
19
Chicago Bulls (26-29)
Previous ranking: 20
The Bulls continue to tread on mediocrity. They’ve gone 3-2 in their last five outings. Coby White has gained some buzz for Most Improved Player as he enjoys a career season. He’s averaged 19.6 points and 5.3 seasons for Chicago.
18
Golden State Warriors (27-26)
Previous ranking: 16
The Warriors have caught fire, winning six of their last seven games. Klay Thompson was moved to the bench after struggling this season. Stephen Curry was part of another All-Star weekend as he outdueled Sabrina Ionescu in a 3-point shooting contest.
17
Philadelphia 76ers (32-22)
Previous ranking: 15
The Sixers have not done a good job of surviving without Joel Embiid. Philly has lost seven of its last 10 games. If the Sixers don’t turn it around soon, it could be a disaster for them as Embiid will likely miss several months.
16
Los Angeles Lakers (30-26)
Previous ranking: 18
The Lakers have won six of their last seven contests. Los Angeles is on a three-game winning streak, all by double-digit points. LeBron James made history during All-Star weekend when he played his 20th career All-Star game — the most in league history. Anthony Davis also participated in the event.
15
Orlando Magic (30-25)
Previous ranking: 13
The Magic’s jersey retirement ceremony for Shaquille O’Neal was spoiled when they suffered a loss to the Thunder. Outside of that though, Orlando has won three of his last four contests. Paolo Banchero is accredited for that as he’s been one of the best young players in the league.
14
Miami Heat (30-25)
Previous ranking: 17
The Heat picked up a pair of impressive wins over the Bucks and Sixers entering the All-Star weekend. Bam Adebayo replaced Joel Embiid among the All-Star starters. Miami also added Delon Wright, who was waived by the Wizards.
13
Indiana Pacers (31-25)
Previous ranking: 12
The Pacers were the center of the NBA over the weekend and Indianapolis hosted All-Star weekend. Tyrese Haliburton was an All-Star starter as he’s blossomed into one of the best playmakers in the league.
12
Sacramento Kings (31-23)
Previous ranking: 14
The Kings snapped a two-game losing streak by mounting a 16-point comeback over the Nuggets before heading into the All-Star break. Sacramento didn’t have a representative to send to the event as neither Domantas Sabonis nor De’Aaron Fox were named All-Stars.
11
New Orleans Pelicans (33-22)
Previous ranking: 11
The Pelicans have won three in a row, including limiting two of their opponents to less than 90 points. New Orleans has been one of the best defensive teams in the league, ranking seventh in defensive rating. In their most recent win, Zion Williamson went off for 36 points against the Wizards.
10
Milwaukee Bucks (35-21)
Previous ranking: 8
It’s been an adjustment period for the Bucks since hiring Doc Rivers. The Bucks are 3-7 since they made their head coaching change. This includes the current two-game losing streak, which features a blowout by the Heat and a stinker against the Grizzlies.
9
New York Knicks (33-22)
Previous ranking: 7
After being the hottest team in the league, the Knicks have hit a cold streak with four consecutive losses. Injuries continue to hurt New York as it’s currently without Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson and Bojan Bogdanovic.
8
Phoenix Suns (33-22)
Previous ranking: 10
The Suns have won five of six contests thanks to the play of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. Both players were selected for the All-Star contest as Phoenix has looked better recently due to better luck with health.
7
Dallas Mavericks (32-23)
Previous ranking: 9
The Mavericks are tied for the longest active winning streak in the league with six in a row. Dallas has been rejuvenated with its new additions of P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford. It also probably helps that Luka Doncic has played like an MVP candidate.
6
Denver Nuggets (36-19)
Previous ranking: 4
The Nuggets have hit a bit of a road bump, losing three consecutive contests. Nonetheless, the reigning NBA champions will likely enter the playoffs with homecourt and Nikola Jokic could win his third MVP with Embiid disqualified.
5
Oklahoma City Thunder (37-17)
Previous ranking: 5
The Thunder enter the All-Star break with a two-game winning streak. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander enjoyed his first career All-Star starting nod over the weekend. He’s established himself as one of the best players in the league and can make a serious run for MVP.
4
LA Clippers (36-17)
Previous ranking: 6
Considering how hot they’ve been over the last couple of months, it’s surprising to see the Clippers have split their last four games. LA has seldom lost since acquiring James Harden. It got blown out by the Timberwolves in a matchup of heavyweights.
3
Minnesota Timberwolves (39-16)
Previous ranking: 6
Four straight wins have helped the Timberwolves enter the All-Star break on a strong note. After being in first place for most of the season, Minnesota entered the unofficial halfway mark with a 1.5-game lead. Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns participated in the weekend festivities.
2
Cleveland Cavaliers (36-17)
Previous ranking: 2
The Cavaliers have been arguably the best team in the league for nearly two months, winning 10 of their last 11 contests. What makes this run even more impressive is it’s mostly happened without Evan Mobley and Darius Garland, who suffered injuries but have now returned. Donovan Mitchell has played like an MVP candidate.
1
Boston Celtics (43-12)
Previous ranking: 1
The Celtics remain the best team in the league this season with a league-best six-game winning streak. Entering the All-Star break, Boston is the only team in the league with wins in the 40s. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown represented the Celtics during the weekend festivities.
