The NBA continues to roll with its 2025-26 regular season. As the new year is almost a month old, we’re reaching a good enough sample size to properly react to how teams and players look.

In case you doubted, the Oklahoma City Thunder look like the team to beat. They picked up right where they left off with their historic season last year. Blowing out teams left and right. Expect a trilogy of MVP races headlined by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic.

Elsewhere, we finally saw some firings that everybody expected. The Dallas Mavericks fired GM Nico Harrison and the New Orleans Pelicans fired head coach Willie Green. The timing might’ve been weird, but both were inevitable departures for their own reasons.

Every week, Thunder Wire will release updated 2025-26 NBA Power Rankings. Here is the Nov. 10-16 edition:

Previous Rankings: 30

The Wizards have lost 11 in a row. They’re back to the bottom of the standings. But that’s all planned with one of the youngest rosters. At least Alex Sarr has taken a major leap. A pedestrian rookie year had folks concerned he might not be worthy of the 2024 No. 2 pick. But he dropped 25 points and 11 rebounds in a loss to the Rockets. That’s been a common occurrence this season.

Previous Rankings: 28

The Pacers have lost seven in a row. In case there was any confusion, it’s pretty obvious where this season is going. It’ll be a lost year as injuries pile up in Indiana. You gotta feel for Pascal Siakam, who’s trying his best to avoid that. But the rest of their healthy roster is filled with fake NBA talent. Maybe they can add a high lottery pick. That’d be a decent prize to get after such an awful year.

Previous Rankings: 29

The Nets are at the bottom of the barrel again. It’s an incredibly young roster. Their loaded rookie class hasn’t shown much yet. One veteran is Michael Porter Jr. As expected, he’s taken advantage of being the top scoring option. He’s averaging over 20 points. It’ll be interesting to see if he has any trade value. He’s one of the best outside shooters in the league who can be a flamethrower scorer.

27. New Orleans Pelicans (2-11)

Previous Rankings: 25

After a disastrous start, the Pelicans have finally pulled the plug. They fired head coach Willie Green. It felt like everybody knew they were heading this way. Let’s not confuse the inevitable with blame, though. New Orleans’ problems start at the top. There’s no real direction with the franchise. While they needed a change of head coach, that’s just one small problem in a larger picture of dysfunction.

26. Dallas Mavericks (3-10)

Previous Rankings: 27

Speaking of long-awaited firings, the Mavericks finally did it. They fired GM Nico Harrison. The timing is a little odd, but the move felt inevitable. Especially with home games being taken over with ‘Fire Nico!’ chants. To the point that Dallas players preferred playing on the road. Just nine months after the historic Luka Doncic trade, they can finally move on. Now, they can shift their attention to Cooper Flagg and build around him.

Previous Rankings: 23

The Kings have lost six in a row. Things aren’t looking great there, either. I guess one silver lining has been Russell Westbrook. He looked like he was on the verge of being out of the NBA for good. But a one-year deal has proven to be a great bargain contract. He recorded another triple-double in a loss to the Timberwolves. He became the second player in NBA history with 25K points and 10K assists. The other is LeBron James.

Previous Rankings: 24

Injuries have already derailed the Hornets’ season. But it’s a lost year, where if you look underneath the hood, they’ve taken positive steps. Case in point, Kon Knueppel. He popped off for an efficient 32 points in an overtime loss to the Bucks. You saw his scoring potential there. He was the 2025 No. 4 pick. He’s had an awesome start to his rookie season and has provided Charlotte hope.

23. Utah Jazz (5-8)

Previous Rankings: 26

They’re not at the bottom of the standings yet, but the Jazz have plenty of time to catch up. More importantly, though, Lauri Markkanen looks like he’s returned to his All-Star form. He dropped 47 points in an overtime win over the Bulls. That’s vital for Utah. If they can trade him at the peak of his value, they should get some decent draft picks. He’s been in trade talks before, but has cooled down in the last year. That could change soon.

22. Memphis Grizzlies (4-10)

Previous Rankings: 18

Things aren’t looking great for the Grizzlies. They’ve lost eight of their last nine games. Not trying to be an armchair body language expert, but man, it definitely looks like Ja Morant has quietly quit on Memphis. His usage rate is low. The drives to the basket no longer exist. And to add insult to injury, he sustained calf soreness. Availability has always been his biggest plague. That has continued this season.

Previous Rankings: 21

Some have made fun of the Clippers’ downfall. Too easy to predict that relying on an ancient roster isn’t the smartest plan. Bradley Beal is out for the rest of the season with a hip fracture. But most folks are worried about the repercussions of LA being bad. Of course, the Thunder own their 2026 first-round swap rights. It’s not unrealistic to see them gift OKC another high lottery pick. The Clippers must be close to hitting the panic button. Most of their roster looks like they’re on their way out of the league soon.

20. Portland Trail Blazers (6-7)

Previous Rankings: 15

There’s been a little bit of a championship hangover since the Trail Blazers upset the Thunder. They’ve lost four of five since that monumental moment. A blowout loss to the Rockets is probably the lowest they’ve been this season. A veteran group like Portland can rally behind it, though. Deni Avdija has blossomed into being a possible first-time All-Star. You have to be happy with that development. The Trail Blazers look good for the first time in years.

Previous Rankings: 20

Winning fixes everything. The Magic can attest to that adage. After it looked like Jamahl Mosley’s seat was warming up, they collected a string of wins. Much better flow as Franz Wagner has carried the short-handed squad. There was a lot of offseason hype about what this team could do this season. While they likely won’t rattle off 50-plus wins, it’s still too early to write any obituaries.

Previous Rankings: 10

Well, it was bound to happen. The Bulls were a cool story for the first week of the season. They surprised everybody with their fast start. But a five-game losing streak has pulled them back to reality. Maybe Coby White can be the shot of adrenaline Chicago needs to get back into a groove. He made his season debut in a loss to the Jazz. He dealt with a calf strain. He could be another scoring option for the Bulls.

17. Miami Heat (7-6)

Previous Rankings: 11

While the Heat have been one of the more fun stories this season, two straight losses to the Cavaliers and Knicks show that they’re still behind the East’s best teams. Miami has been a team where the whole has been better than the sum of the parts. Norman Powell has averaged 26 points so far. He’s shown to be one of the better offseason additions that went under the radar. Miami continues to get the best out of role players in its environment.

16. Boston Celtics (7-7)

Previous Rankings: 22

A positive point differential shows that the Celtics have played better than their record has shown. Everybody knows about the headliners, but Neemias Queta has played an underrated role in Boston’s surprising start. He’s stepped up as a starter by being a near double-double machine. He rarely misses a shot. When you look at the Celtics’ roster, the NBA talent falls apart quickly. But he’s been a great story so far that has helped them hover around mediocrity.

15. Milwaukee Bucks (8-6)

Previous Rankings: 9

Well, if you were to guess how this Bucks season would play out, you’d probably be right. It’s been a mediocre season. Some nights, Milwaukee looks like it could be a sneaky contender. Other nights, you see why most expect this current era to end soon. Giannis Antetokounmpo has played his way into another MVP race. He remains one of the NBA’s best players. An efficient 33 points and 11 rebounds is what you usually get from him. At this point in his career, though, he’d prefer to be on a real contender.

14. Golden State Warriors (9-6)

Previous Rankings: 14

There were some good and bad things to take away from this past week. On one hand, Stephen Curry dropped 46 and 49 points in back-to-back wins. Even though he’s no longer the face of the NBA, he can still go off on any night and is one of the best players. On the other hand, a blowout loss to the Thunder showed that they’re levels to this whole contention thing. Golden State is far behind OKC. Goes to show that Father Time comes for us all.

13. Philadelphia 76ers (7-5)

Previous Rankings: 8

The Sixers could soon get some much-needed reinforcements. Joel Embiid and Paul George both participated in practice. Embiid has missed time with a knee sprain. George has missed the entire season with knee surgery. At one point, Philadelphia hoped both could lead its squad to a championship. Now, they’re being asked to be complementary players to Tyrese Maxey’s ascension.

Previous Rankings: 13

The Timberwolves had a four-game win streak snapped by the Nuggets. Anthony Edwards has averaged 27-plus points this season. He continues to be one of the NBA’s best players. Minnesota has had constant roster changes through the years, but he’s been a constant. So far, they’ve looked like a team that could be a top-four seed.

Previous Rankings: 19

The Suns have won five of their last six games. They’ve been one of the surprise teams to start the season. You have to give them credit. Many thought they’d be bottom of the barrel when they traded Kevin Durant this past offseason. But a new group has played high-energy basketball. A new face that deserves credit is Dillon Brooks. For as annoying as he can be to other fanbases, he’s somebody you fall in love with if he’s on your team. He’s been an awesome addition for Phoenix.

10. New York Knicks (8-4)

Previous Rankings: 12

Injuries have halted any momentum the Knicks had. First, Jalen Brunson suffered an ankle sprain. He’ll be day-to-day. Not a consequential amount of lost time. But New York needs its 28-point scorer back as soon as possible, to put it lightly. Then they lost OG Anunoby for at least two weeks with a hamstring strain. Bummer. He’s had a career season so far. New York will need to navigate the daunting challenge of being without two of its three best players for the short-term future.

9. Cleveland Cavaliers (9-5)

Previous Rankings: 5

Well, it looks like the Cavaliers won’t repeat last year’s success of a 60-plus win regular season. They’re off to a lethargic start. Injuries might be the reason for it, but they haven’t looked like the win machine that they were last season. Donovan Mitchell has played like an MVP candidate with a 30-plus point average. But the problem is that Cleveland relies too much on him to squeeze out close wins. Still too early to forecast anything, but this year’s squad likely won’t match last year’s regular-season domination.

8. Toronto Raptors (8-5)

Previous Rankings: 16

Looking at their roster on paper, the Raptors don’t stand out. It’s a bunch of middling players without a true All-Star in that group. But that’s why the games are played out. And so far, they’ve been a surprise team. Toronto has won seven of its last eight games. It’s been a group effort where anybody can go off. All five of their starters average double-digit points. Brandon Ingram is at the top with a mere 20 points. Let’s see if they can keep it up, but they’ve been hot.

7. Atlanta Hawks (9-5)

Previous Rankings: 17

Speaking of, you can say the same about the Hawks. Since Trae Young went down, the Hawks have transformed themselves into a team where anybody can go off. They’ve won five in a row. They’re one of the hottest teams. The vacuum of possessions left by their multi-time All-Star has been taken up by Jalen Johnson. He went off for a 31-point triple-double in a win over the Jazz. He’s been an advanced analytics darling for a while now. The results are finally starting to pay off. He could knock on the door as a first-time All-Star.

6. San Antonio Spurs (9-4)

Previous Rankings: 3

Two straight losses to the Warriors showed that the Spurs need some growing pains. The experience levels of both teams are on opposite sides. San Antonio has been a popular team to watch, but it could need to go through some learning lessons before it enters true contender status. They bounced back with a win over the Grizzlies. De’Aaron Fox scored 28 points. He was their big veteran acquisition who should make life easier for the rest of the roster.

5. Los Angeles Lakers (10-4)

Previous Rankings: 6

Like the Warriors, the Lakers learned how painfully far away they are from the Thunder. They were humiliated with an awful blowout loss. They might be a top-five team, but the gap between them and OKC is sea-sized wide. The slap back to reality shows that perhaps Los Angeles needs LeBron James. He’s closer to a return as he scrimmaged with the G League squad. He might not make up the difference with the reigning NBA champions, but he could at least make it more competitive.

Previous Rankings: 7

The Rockets remain the NBA’s best offense. Kevin Durant has been a walking 25-point machine. Even at 37 years old, he’s been their best player. Another player who’s been awesome for them is Tari Eason. He’s been one of their best bench players. It looked like he was on his way to a massive payday. But an oblique strain will knock him out for at least a month. A bummer as he’s helped Houston be a scoring machine with his hot outside shooting.

Previous Rankings: 4

We’ve entered a new era in the NBA. Once a laughingstock, the Pistons are now the real deal. They’ve won nine in a row and sit atop the East standings. Dealing with injuries, Cade Cunningham had a real Herculean effort in an overtime win over the Wizards. He scored 46 points on 14-of-45 shooting. Yep, you read that right. Just a gaudy shot volume by him. He’s averaged 27 points and 10 assists on the season. Everything suggests he’s leaped an NBA superstar.

Previous Rankings: 2

Speaking of win streaks and unreal stat lines, the Nuggets are in the same boat. They’ve won seven in a row. That streak includes Nikola Jokic going off for a jaw-dropping 55 points in a win over the Clippers. The three-time MVP winner is in talks to win his fourth prestigious award. He continues to put up unreal box score numbers. Pair that with Denver constantly winning, and you could pencil them in as OKC’s biggest threat to repeating.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder (13-1)

Previous Rankings: 1

Speaking of the Thunder, they remain at the top. They own the NBA’s best record and point differential. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has constantly scored 30 points in three quarters before he sat out early amid a blowout win. Stop if you’ve heard that before. The reigning NBA champions are the team to beat. And despite juggling injuries, they’ve blown teams out left and right. Two blowout wins over the Warriors and Lakers this past week sent a message that they’re levels to this stuff.