20. Toronto Raptors (32-48, Last Week: 23): The Raps have won three games in a row after beating Chicago twice and Brooklyn. once. They’re also 5-1 over their last six games.
19. Philadelphia 76ers (33-47, Last Week: 19): The Sixers have won two games in a row, although the wins came against the lowly Wizards and Cavaliers.
18. Dallas Mavericks (40-40, Last Week: 18): The Mavs have won two games in a row, including an overtime victory over the Denver Nuggets on Friday.
Playoff Contenders
17. Milwaukee Bucks (37-43, Last Week: 16): Despite clinching a playoff berth, the Bucks have faltered lately; losing all four games of their recent road trip.
16. Chicago Bulls (43-37, Last Week: 13): The Bulls have lost four of their last five and it appears as though Derrick Rose may not come back this season.
15. Boston Celtics (41-39, Last Week: 14): The Celtics went 1-2 last week.
14. Utah Jazz (42-38, Last Week: 12): The Jazz drop here only because they are in danger of missing the playoffs should they lose one of their last two games or the Lakers win their last game. Otherwise, they have played well lately.
13. Los Angeles Lakers (44-37, Last Week: 17): The Lakers lose Kobe Bryant for the and move up in the rankings? What? Yes, they do. While Kobe helped the Lakers win three out of their four games during their current four-game winning streak, the Lakers managed to defeat the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday evening. Should the two meet in the playoffs, I actually like the Lakers’ chances against the Spurs simply because of matchups. At the very least, even without the Black Mamba, the Lakers are in good position to make the playoffs and could still make some noise once there.
12. Atlanta Hawks (44-36, Last Week: 15): The Hawks won both of their games last week after going 1-3 the previous week.
11. Golden State Warriors (45-35, Last Week: 10): The Warriors have lost two games in a row to the Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers, respectively.
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