Here are our weekly power rankings at Lakers Nation. Our rankings are broken down into categories, as we feel that this is the best way to evaluate where each team stands this season.
The Contenders
1. Indiana Pacers (29-7) – The Pacers have won eight of their last ten games and continue to play at a very high level due to the emergence of Paul George and Lance Stephenson.
2. San Antonio Spurs (29-8) – This franchise is the model of consistency in the NBA. They are well-coached and execute at a high level, which keeps them as one of the three best teams in basketball.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder (28-9) – The Thunder have quietly remained one of the top-tier teams in the NBA as a result how great Kevin Durant has been. Even without Westbrook, they hold one of the four best records in basketball.
4. Miami Heat (27-10) – The defending champs continue to hover around the best record in the league. Despite resting multiple guys, they are going to continue to be one of those teams that can rely on their experience to win ball games.
Prove You’re Worthy Of Being Mentioned With The Elite
5. Golden State Warriors (25-14) – The Warriors are the hottest team in basketball, winning 10 of their last 11 games. They are slowly but surely inching their way into that elite category.
6. Portland Trail Blazers (28-9) – The Blazers are a half-game out from the No.1 overall seed out West. They’re a young team playing some inspired basketball and will continue to get better.
7. Houston Rockets (24-14) – Houston has been one of the more consistent basketball teams out West and are gelling well on the offensive end.
8. Los Angeles Clippers (26-13) – The Clippers capped their week off with a blowout over the Lakers. It seems as if they’ll be able to hold down the fort without Chris Paul.
Middle Of The Pack
9. Phoenix Suns (21-15) – Many thought that this team would be at the center of the tank sweepstakes, but new head coach Jeff Hornacek has this young team playing excellent basketball.
10. Atlanta Hawks (20-18) – The Hawks have quietly put together a solid season thus far. The Milsap-Horford connection has been very effective and they’re winning more ball games than many expected.
11. Denver Nuggets (19-17) – This team is finally starting to play some very good basketball. They’ve won five games in a row now, and have found out how to thrive in Brian Shaw’s system.
12. Dallas Mavericks (22-16) – After a pretty good start, the Mavericks have regressed to the mean. The Monta Ellis signing has helped this team so much as Dirk is not relied upon to be the primary scorer every night out.
13. Toronto Raptors (18-17) – Ever since the Rudy Gay trade, the Raptors have been playing some excellent basketball. They have won seven of 10 and are looking like a playoff team out East.
14. Minnesota Timberwolves (18-19) – The Timberwolves have been a very disappointing ball club due to their inability to win close ball games. As a result, they see themselves under the .500 mark.
15. Chicago Bulls (17-18) – This team is starting to get themselves back into playoff form. They’ve won five games in a row and look like they might be a playoff team despite the loss of Loul Deng.
16. New Orleans Pelicans (15-21) – The young Pelicans have had some unfortunate injuries throughout this season. Anthony Davis has been in and out of the lineup and they recently lost Ryan Anderson and Jrue Holiday. Despite that, a 15-21 record is nothing to be ashamed at for this team.
17. Memphis Grizzlies (17-19) – No team has taken a bigger hit out West than Memphis. After being considered a legitimate threat coming into this season, the Marc Gasol injury has set them back. However, they received some good new when it was announced that Gasol could be practicing again as early as this week.
18. Washington Wizards (16-19) – John Wall has elevated his game to another level this season. As a result, the Wizards are currently a playoff team despite being under .500.
Pretty Bad
19. Charlotte Bobcats (15-23) – The Bobcats could very well sneak into the playoffs with the way the Eastern Conference is panning out. Nonetheless, they are still the Bobcats.
20. Detroit Pistons (16-22) – After signing Brandon Jennings along with Josh Smith, many felt this Pistons team could be a playoff team. However, a lack of continuity on the offensive end has really hurt this team, and they are underperforming.
21. Brooklyn (15-22) – The Nets have finally turned the corner after winning four of their first five games in 2014. They gotten themselves back into the Eastern Conference playoff picture, and are playing well under Jason Kidd.
22. New York Knicks (14-22) – The Knicks have won four in a row and are starting to resemble the playoff team that they were expected to be. Things could be on the upswing for the New York franchise.
Tank Tank Tank Tank Tank Tank
23. Los Angeles Lakers (14-23) – The Lakers have had another injury-plagued season and it’s been unfortunate for the fans. They have lost 10 of their last 11 games and have placed themselves in the bottom pack of teams in the league.
24. Boston Celtics (13-25) – This Celtics team has played better than many have expected, but they still have been a bottom of the pack team in the league, as they’ve lost a league high of eight games in a row.
25. Philadelphia 76ers (12-25) – The 76ers are clearly one of the many teams that are trying to “tank” for the sake of securing a top pick in this upcoming draft. At 12-25 , they’re well on their way.
26. Cleveland Cavaliers (13-24) – The Cavaliers have acquired Loul Deng, and are looking to become a playoff team out East now. We’ll see if this trade turns around their season.
27. Utah Jazz (12-26) – Utah has quietly been playing .500 basketball over their last 10 games. However, they find themselves in the “tank” discussion because there is nothing better for this franchise to do.
28. Sacramento Kings (13-22) – Sacramento has won their last three games and look to be finding some chemistry after trading for Rudy Gay. Perhaps they can go on a run and get themselves into the playoff mix by the all-star break.
29. Orlando Magic (10-27) – The Magic certainly have a lot of young talent. As expected, this team isn’t close to being a ball club that wins consistently due to their youth. They’ve lost seven games in a row, and have hit a rough point in their season.
30. Milwaukee Bucks (7-29) –No one tanks harder than the Bucks. Period.