We’re entering the final months of the 2025-26 NBA season, and action is heating up.
For one, players have started to chirp and fire back at one another as rivalries and stakes intensify. That has led to a tightening in the battle for seeding and positioning in both the Eastern and Western Conferences.
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But that hasn’t stopped teams at the bottom of the standings to seemingly sabotage the remainder of their seasons in an attempt to preserve their draft positioning. That apparent tanking, against the backdrop of a loaded NBA draft class, has led to a fairly wide discrepancy between teams at the top and those at the bottom.
Here are USA TODAY Sports’ NBA power rankings after Week 17 of the 2025-26 regular season:
1 / 8
Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponents
Oct. 26: The Dallas Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg dunks the ball past the Toronto Raptors’ Sandro Mamukelashvili at the American Airlines Center.
1 / 8
Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponents
Oct. 26: The Dallas Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg dunks the ball past the Toronto Raptors’ Sandro Mamukelashvili at the American Airlines Center.
2 / 8
Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponents
Oct. 26: The Washington Wizards’ Cam Whitmore dunks the ball against the Charlotte Hornets at Capital One Arena.
3 / 8
Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponents
Oct. 26: The Brooklyn Nets’ Michael Porter Jr. dunks in front of the San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama at Frost Bank Center.
4 / 8
Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponents
Oct. 25: The Denver Nuggets’ Christian Braun dunks the ball against the Phoenix Suns’ Grayson Allen at Ball Arena.
5 / 8
Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponents
Oct. 24: The Memphis Grizzlies’ Jaren Jackson Jr. dunks against the Miami Heat at FedExForum.
6 / 8
Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponents
Oct. 24: The Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo dunks over the Memphis Grizzlies’ Jaren Jackson Jr. at FedExForum.
7 / 8
Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponents
Oct. 22: The New York Knicks’ OG Anunoby goes up for a reverse dunk against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden.
8 / 8
Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponents
Oct. 22: The Utah Jazz’s Lauri Markkanen dunks against the Los Angeles Clippers at Delta Center.
USA TODAY Sports NBA power rankings
Note: Records and stats through Feb. 8. Parentheses show movement from last week’s rankings.
NBA Week 18 power rankings: Top 10
1. Detroit Pistons, 45-14 (—)
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2. Oklahoma City Thunder, 47-15 (—)
3. San Antonio Spurs, 43-17 (—)
4. Boston Celtics, 40-20 (—)
5. New York Knicks, 39-22 (—)
6. Minnesota Timberwolves, 38-23 (+4)
7. Cleveland Cavaliers, 38-24 (-1 )
8. Houston Rockets, 37-22 (-1)
9. Denver Nuggets, 37-24 (-1)
10. Los Angeles Lakers, 36-24 (-1)
It is clear who are the top three teams in the NBA. For weeks now, a combination of the Pistons, Thunder and Spurs have all alternated positioning atop this list. But the most compelling narrative is between the Pistons and Thunder, who are still not quite fully healthy, but got a massive boost with the return of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Oklahoma City, though, will be waiting for Jalen Williams (hamstring) to fully heal.
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The Timberwolves secured a massive, nine-point victory Sunday, March 1 over the Nuggets to move into fourth place in the West and are the big movers in this week’s power rankings. Anthony Edwards is finding ways to lead his team; the Nuggets forced the ball out of his hands with double teams, so he made the right plays. But in the previous four games, he averaged 33.3 points per contest.
And over the last week, each of the Cavaliers, Rockets, Nuggets and Lakers have suffered questionable losses to dip them further.
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) dunks the ball during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, on Feb. 26, 2026.
NBA Week 18 power rankings: Nos. 11-20
11. Toronto Raptors, 35-25 (—)
12. Phoenix Suns, 34-26 (—)
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13. Philadelphia 76ers, 33-27 (—)
14. Orlando Magic, 31-28 (+2)
15. Miami Heat, 32-29 (-1)
16. Atlanta Hawks, 31-31 (+4)
17. Charlotte Hornets, 30-31 (+1)
18. Golden State Warriors, 31-29 (-2)
19. Los Angeles Clippers, 28-31 (-2)
20. Portland Trail Blazers, 29-33 (-1)
Toronto’s most recent four losses have come against the Spurs, Thunder, Pistons and Timberwolves — all elite teams. For the Raptors to crack the Top 10, they’ll need to take some of those games. The resurgence of the Charlotte Hornets continues, as no team has posted a higher net rating — a massive figure of 16.7 — over the last five games.
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And the Hawks appear to be big winners, at least initially, from the trading deadline. Acquiring Jonathan Kuminga on a low-cost flier could be a move that gives them a big bump headed into the push for the playoffs. Atlanta has won four consecutive and Kuminga has averaged 21.3 points per game on a wildly efficient 67.7% shooting rate since joining the team.
NBA Week 18 power rankings: Nos. 21-30
21. Milwaukee Bucks, 26-33 (—)
22. Memphis Grizzlies, 23-36 (—)
23. Chicago Bulls, 25-36 (—)
24. Dallas Mavericks, 21-39 (—)
25. New Orleans Pelicans, 19-43 (+1)
26. Utah Jazz, 18-42 (-1)
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27. Washington Wizards, 16-43 (—)
28. Indiana Pacers, 15-45 (+1)
29. Brooklyn Nets, 15-46 (-1)
30. Sacramento Kings, 14-48 (—)
Can Milwaukee make a push into the play-in picture? Giannis Antetokounmpo is set to return Monday, March 2, and his rapport with recent buyout acquisition Cam Thomas will be crucial for the Bucks.
After that, this bottom third is a bunch of teams who are far more interested in their draft position than they are in winning. The Jazz are shutting everyone down with injuries, the Nets have lost eight consecutive and the Kings can’t seem to find any traction whatsoever.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA power rankings have Pistons, Thunder battle as Timberwolves rise