22/30 rankers reporting this week. /R/NBA's Power Rankings are published every two weeks which is a bit different from most rankings. Other than that we rank the teams the same way as our competition. If write ups are left blank the team rep decided not to submit. We encourage any user to fill in the blanks in the comment section.

# Team Δ Record Comment
1 Thunder — 59-12 The Thunder have locked up the #1 seed in the West and hold a 2 game lead over Cleveland for the best record in the NBA. At this point, it's all about resting and being in good health going into the playoffs.
2 Celtics +1 52-19 The Celtics went 6-1 since the last ranking, with their only loss coming to the Thunder. The team has looked completely different with the return of Porzingis, and it seems as though the entire team is hitting their stride just in time for the playoffs. With 11 games remaining and the 2 seed all but locked in, health and rest will become the name of the game. Luckily, the Celtics got luck on their side and the stretch to end the season has them matching up against a few teams that'll be purposely tanking. Between now and the next ranking the Celtics will face off against the Kings, Suns, Spurs, Grizzlies, Heat, Suns again, and the Wizards. Then to end the regular season, they'll face off against the Knicks, Magic, and Hornets twice in a row. It's been a season of ups and downs, and constant rest and coasting for the Celtics at times. Just stay healthy these next couple weeks.
3 Cavaliers -1 57-14 The Cavs went 3-4 since the last power rankings, but you know it’s a great season when you have fans worried about the fact that we’ve lost so many in a row that we’re now only 57-14 with a 5 game lead for the #1 seed. We’re seem to be somewhat in coasting mode with guys constantly getting nights off for rest, but that’s not why we’re losing. We can’t shoot right now, we’re barely holding on to the #1 3p% for a team on the season despite having the league worst 3p% in the month of March.. Hopefully this west coast road trip can be left in the past and this team can ramp back up heading into the playoffs, as it’s been a season of long highs and brief lows. If the next high can begin around April 19th, that would be ideal.
4 Rockets +6 46-26
5 Nuggets — 45-27
6 Warriors +2 41-30 Curry has a pelvic contusion with no structural damage but did not travel with the team or play against the Hawks. With 5 more games on this 6 game road trip remaining and the Wolves and Clippers not losing much the Warriors hope to avoid the play in is dwindling if Curry remains out. Luckily the upcoming schedule doesn't get REALLY juicy until Memphis on 4/1 with MIA, NOP, and SAS coming up before that game.
7 Lakers -3 43-27
8 Knicks -2 44-26 The Knicks fanbase is starting to seriously grumble about Thibs as coach. In the past it was solely the more negative echo chambers on reddit and twitter, but I've started hearing it brought up in conversations around the city. I'm not really sure if there's a deeper level to it all, or if it really makes a difference as far as decision-making, but it's happening. Seems like there's a hard cap on what this team can do right now.
9 Pacers +4 41-29 You will be forgiven if you need to catch your breath- the Pacers haven't played a normal game in what seems like ages. Late-game theatrics have taken over Indiana, but, unlike in last year's playoffs, they seem to have risen up to the moment. Whether it's executing a 4-verts-style play to hit a game-winning 4-point play, or forcing multiple turnovers in a span of seconds to get to overtime, the Pacers have managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat more times over the last two weeks than some teams do in an entire season.
11 Clippers +3 40-31 Both Harden and Kawhi seemed to have turned the gears back on, however the Clippers cannot seem to make any movement in the traffic jam that is the Western Conference playoff picture. Since the start of March, both Harden and Kawhi have averaged around 25 PPG on field goal percentages that look more like the old them. Ivica Zubac has genuinely been one of the, if not the most consistent center in the league this season, he isn't the prettiest candidate for Most Improved but goddamn does he deserve a look. The additions of Bogdan and Ben Simmons to the offense has helped take the load off of the old guard a ton, and now Norman is starting to find his place again after being out. We have been fully healthy for a stretch of games for the first time in a while, and all this to remain in 7th in the West. My ass hurts, my eyes are getting tired, I just want out of this jam as soon as possible.
11 Grizzlies -4 43-28 Things have gone from bad to worse. Ja is out now with a hamstring injury. Brandon Clarke done for the season for the second straight year. Rookies are hitting a wall, and we can't beat any good teams. Taylor Jenkins' seat should be on fire at this point, with the only thing saving him from unemployement would be a second round playoff appearance. Tough conversations are going to have to be had about the future of this team, specifically with its star in Ja Morant playing in only 62% available games in his career at this point. Now, it's not the time to panic. The team has shown an offensive gear in this season that is the best in the league. They have a DPOY candidate leading their defense. The team must start ramping up to playoff intensity, and if they don't this team will look very different next year.
12 TWolves -1 41-31 What a difference a couple of games mean. Entering last week wolves were riding a nice win streak and optimism was in the air. Then they drop a couple of games to the Pacers and Pels and vibes were dead. Cut to friday night against NOLA, Wolves start Joe Ingles to honor his autistic son who was in attendance and blow the doors of the opponent. Vibes are high and there is optimism the Wolves can still squeak out of the play in and secure the 6th seed.
13 Bucks -4 40-30 The Bucks have had the 2nd best defense in the league since the All-Star Break (behind only Golden State), but the offense has been struggling — ranking 18th since the break. Both of those rankings can largely be attributed to the addition of Kyle Kuzma, who's been a terrific defender, but is very inefficient on offense. Can Doc Rivers figure out how to improve the offense before the playoffs? Probably not. But perhaps someone may at least convince him to start running sets that make sense in the 4th quarter.
14 Pistons -2 40-32 I think we'll ultimately pull out the 6 seed in the East, but you are going to likely see our 4.5 win lead over the Hawks evaporate really quickly over the next week and change. Losses to teams like the injured Mavs and the Wizards shouldn't happen when you are making a playoff push. Losing THJ to an ankle injury vs Dallas is going to hurt more than people expect. Hopefully he's back soon. A couple more wins triples our win total from last year.
15 Hawks +1 35-36 Dread it, run from it, 0.500 arrives all the same. The Hawks are a game away from their ancestral 0.500 record after going 5-2 since the last ranking. The schedule was very soft over this stretch (PHI x2, CHA x2) and the Brooklyn loss is rather infuriating in hindsight, but 5-2 is still a good stretch. Trae's been playing efficiently, Dyson's continuing to steal every Hawks fan's heart, Zach is out here making a late push for ROTY, and Onyeka has shaken up the conversation regarding the long term option at the 5 due to his continued good play. The return of Caris LeVert from injury has helped with adding creation to bench units and alongside Trae, and Georges Niang can't miss recently. The Hawks have the 6th easiest schedule remaining, with only 3 games against teams above 0.500. The 6 seed is likely out of reach with Detroit 5.5 games ahead (although they do have the 2nd hardest remaining SOS), so the Hawks are probably going to be in the play-in for the 4th straight season. The race for the 7th seed will likely come down to the last week, with the Hawks and Magic playing two games that week.
16 Kings -1 35-35
17 Suns — 34-37 The Suns are actually… fun to watch? This looks like an actual team, not a collection of cosplayers. It’s all come from one simple change: playing the young, athletic, and tenacious players instead of all “glass cannons”. The starting lineup that has put us on this winning streak includes two rookies and a two-way player. Yet, it looks better than anything we’ve seen in the past two years. Dunn and Oso are shining in their major minutes and Collin Gillespie is playing like he’s been on the team for years. Even Cody Martin has been a surprising contributor as a defensive wing. Most importantly, their energy has rubbed off on the entire team, showing life we’ve not seen in years. That it took Bud this long to even attempt this change is damning, but let’s B+. Perhaps this new form may be enough to at least carry us into the playoffs, making this season only mostly an embarrassment instead of a complete one. And regardless of what happens this offseason, there is the start of a new, youthful foundation. Something to add onto instead of replacing. BREAK OUT THE HOPIUM!
18 Magic — 33-38 With the 6th seed probably too far away now, it's looking like a fight against the Hawks for home court in a play-in matchup and eventually a spanking against the Cavs or Celtics for the Magic. Paolo and Franz are too competitve to allow this team to end up in the lottery and March has surprisingly seen much better shooting out of the rest of the roster. Cory Joseph being inserted into the lineup due to a toe injury to Cole Anthony has done wonders for offensive flow, hopefully Mosley and Weltman understand the assignment this summer.
19 Bulls +2 31-40
20 Trail Blazers — 32-40
21 Spurs +2 31-39 Stephon Castle for ROTY, Sandro Mamukelashvili for MVP of the last quarter of the season, and the Spurs might be making a push for the play-in?? The boys in Silver and Black sit 2.5 games back of the Suns and Mavs (technically just the Suns right now) for the last spot in the play-in coming into the last weeks of the season. They're doing it on the back of the league's best offense over the last several weeks, but counteract that with having the league's worst defense over that same stretch (at least until they held the tanking Raptors to 89 points last night)–somewhere, George Gervin's 70s Spurs and David Thompson's 70s Nuggets are smiling. The team's got a murder's row of a schedule coming up, but you can't deny that the Spurs are fun to watch. The boys have @DET, @CLE, BOS, GSW, ORL, @DEN, CLE and @POR over the next two weeks.
22 Mavericks — 34-37 The last three games against Philly, Indiana, and Detroit have been a competitive few games, and it is no coincidence that those are the first three games that PJ Washington played since a two week absence. Things are still bleak in Dallas, but the play-in hopes continue to exist for an injury-plagued Mavs team.
23 Heat -4 30-41 The Heat have finally broken their 10 game losing streak however this season is looking cooked. There were some close losses in that losing streak but it's been awhile since we've had a losing streak this bad. Kel'el Ware is looking good and he's receiving quality minutes ever since Jovic was lost for possibly the season to injury. Now we're getting ready for Jimmy Butler to come back to Miami with the Warriors and all the fun that it brings along as well. Maybe we'll get lucky and Maple Jordan will give us some more of those big performances that saw us kill the losing streak.
24 Raptors — 24-47 This season keeps rolling forward. Nothing new to note, Ja'Kobe looks good, Shead looks athletic, and the team for the most part has played opponenents tough. Excluding the blowout vs San Antonio. Second to last write up, and by the end we'll hopefully have scored some good lottery odds.
25 Nets +1 23-48 Choo choo. The tank train chugs along. The Nets are a weird team in that they have a terrible roster but a coach who wants to win with it. But no matter how hard he tries, the team simply can't hang in crunch time when other teams lock in. At this point, a top 5 pick is what we're looking for but hopefully an ethical tank will get the basketball gods to bounce the lottery balls our way.
26 76ers -1 23-48 Grimes is good! If there's anything positive to be pulled from this season (and believe me, it's difficult), it's been positive to see just how much some of these young players have grown. Grimes and Edwards especially with their increased playing/starting time, and McCain showed a lot of promise in his limited time with the team as well. While the team may not be able to move off of the PG contract so easily this offseason (if that's the direction they choose), it should be nice to take some solace in the fact that there are a few young players on the team who look ready to take the next step. With a (hopefully) young stud draft pick to add to the team, the Sixers might finally look to actually be younger in the 25-26 season. For now… we wait.
27 Pelicans — 19-53 Trey Murphy is now out for the season. Believe it or not, Zion Williamson is the Pelicans survivor for the war of attrition. DPOY candidate Dyson Daniels was right. The arena is built on cursed ground.
28 Hornets — 18-53
29 Wizards +1 15-55 Despite providing the playbook on how to beat the Denver Nuggets, the Wizards have finally reached the point in the season where we get 1-2 quarters to determine if it is going to be a competitive game before shutting things down. It is a blessing in one way as it allows for much tighter windows for the young players to shine. It is a curse because you slowly begin to tell yourself, "Colby Jones is the future of the franchise, oh my god he is so good" when he might be a name forgotten after the summer. The rest of the season is set to be a slog, filled with blowout nights, Chris Miller talking about how many kids he has on the broadcast and maybe the occassional upset victory. Maybe if Alex Sarr was in a better narrative position to realistically compete for the Rookie of the Year award — which he should be, things would feel a little bit different. Instead, all of the attention is fully onto draft night. You really can't go wrong with whoever you want to put at 30 when it comes to the NBA right now — with Utah, Charlotte and Washington all having legitimate claims of being the team that sucks the most ass in the NBA.
30 Jazz -1 16-56 As Bob Green, former Montana Tech University football coach, once said: "It's kind of like watching your Mother-in-Law go off a cliff in a Cadillac, you've got mixed feelings". That's been the story of Jazz-fans this season. For the first time in our franchise history, we have embraced the tank. It has turned lifelong fans into fair-weather fans. It's odd rooting for your favorite team to lose games. Something I've never experienced in my 27 years of rooting for the Jazz. However, the last 10 games of the seaon is where the money is made. The Jazz face just 1 other tanking team, Charlotte, whereas Washington faces 4 other tanking teams for a total of 6 games of their remaining 12 in the season. Utah has never had the best odds at drafting #1, and has never drafted #1. I think that this is the year that changes. In other news, rook Isaiah Collier has continued a strong playmaking. In fact, Collier is 19 assists away from breaking the Utah Jazz record for most assists in a season by a rookie, surpassing the great John Stockton. We must continue to root for losses for just a little while longer, Jazz fans!

6 comments

  1. BIAS RANKINGS

    Team | Rank | Ranks Above Avg | Lover | Ranks Below Avg | Hater |
    :– | :-: | :-: | :– | :-: | :– |
    [](/ATL) Hawks | 15 | 0 | 11 Tied | -2 | 2 Tied |
    [](/BOS) Celtics | 2 | 0 | 12 Tied | -2 | [](/TOR) /u/Jaseen |
    [](/BKN) Nets | 25 | 2 | 3 Tied | -3 | [](/BOS) /u/walterdog12 |
    [](/CHA) Hornets | 28 | 6 | 2 Tied | -2 | [](/ATL) /u/not-a-potato-head |
    [](/CHI) Bulls | 19 | 3 | [](/GSW) /u/swollencornholio | -4 | [](/MIL) /u/Short_Bus_ |
    [](/CLE) Cavaliers | 3 | 2 | [](/MIL) /u/Short_Bus_ | -1 | 2 Tied |
    [](/DAL) Mavericks | 22 | 4 | 2 Tied | -3 | 3 Tied |
    [](/DEN) Nuggets | 5 | 1 | 6 Tied | -6 | [](/ATL) /u/not-a-potato-head |
    [](/DET) Pistons | 14 | 6 | 2 Tied | 0 | 10 Tied |
    [](/GSW) Warriors | 6 | 3 | [](/TOR) /u/Jaseen | -6 | [](/ATL) /u/not-a-potato-head |
    [](/HOU) Rockets | 4 | 1 | 2 Tied | -8 | 2 Tied |
    [](/IND) Pacers | 9 | 2 | 4 Tied | -4 | [](/BKN) /u/BasedGodProdigy |
    [](/LAC) Clippers | 11 | 5 | 4 Tied | -3 | 3 Tied |
    [](/LAL) Lakers | 7 | 3 | [](/WAS) /u/TopOfTheKey | -7 | 2 Tied |
    [](/MEM) Grizzlies | 11 | 6 | [](/DAL) /u/rps215 | -3 | [](/CLE) /u/PootieTooGood |
    [](/MIA) Heat | 23 | 4 | [](/MIL) /u/Short_Bus_ | -2 | 2 Tied |
    [](/MIL) Bucks | 13 | 5 | [](/MIL) /u/Short_Bus_ | -1 | 3 Tied |
    [](/MIN) TWolves | 12 | 8 | 3 Tied | -3 | [](/WAS) /u/TopOfTheKey |
    [](/NOP) Pelicans | 27 | 3 | 2 Tied | -3 | 2 Tied |
    [](/NYK) Knicks | 8 | 4 | [](/DAL) /u/rps215 | -3 | 3 Tied |
    [](/OKC) Thunder | 1 | 0 | 21 Tied | -1 | [](/MIL) /u/Short_Bus_ |
    [](/ORL) Magic | 18 | 2 | [](/NYK) /u/Bird_and_Dog | -4 | [](/BOS) /u/walterdog12 |
    [](/PHI) 76ers | 26 | 3 | [](/TOR) /u/Jaseen | -3 | 2 Tied |
    [](/PHX) Suns | 17 | 2 | 5 Tied | -2 | 2 Tied |
    [](/POR) Trail Blazers | 20 | 3 | 2 Tied | -3 | [](/PHI) /u/JerKroSRL |
    [](/SAC) Kings | 16 | 2 | [](/WAS) /u/TopOfTheKey | -3 | 2 Tied |
    [](/SAS) Spurs | 21 | 3 | 3 Tied | -6 | 2 Tied |
    [](/TOR) Raptors | 24 | 4 | [](/MEM) /u/Projinator | -3 | [](/TOR) /u/Jaseen |
    [](/UTA) Jazz | 30 | 3 | [](/IND) /u/imkunu | 0 | 14 Tied |
    [](/WAS) Wizards | 29 | 1 | 6 Tied | -1 | 5 Tied |

    * Boring ranker of the week is [](/SAS) /u/Uncle_Freddy with a 1.1 standard deviation
    * Crazy ranker of the week is [](/NYK) /u/Bird_and_Dog with a 3.21 standard deviation

  3. My play sold out four straight shows.

    I audition for Jeopardy tomorrow.

    Pacers are on a roll.

    Ask away, bitches

  4. I know I’m biased but I’m really impressed with my team. We have a good record and we’ve been pretty injured this season which I think has gone pretty under discussed. Our starters have only played 20 games together this season. And we have this record after playing 0.500 basketball for a month and a half

  5. Love the comment for Suns. Sums up the team recently perfectly. Why the hell our young guys haven’t been playing all year, I’ll never know

  6. We are entering the stratosphere of the playoffs for the first time in 5 years. With a chance to secure homecourt after finishing 11th seed last year with a .500 record. These young bloods are exceeding expectations at every turn. Amen Thompson (unofficial DPOY, sorry I don’t make the rules) is a scary scary man. Can we take care of the 2nd seed? Time will tell.

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