10. Golden State Warriors (26-17, Last Week: 11): The Warriors are fortunate enough to move up, here. Despite losing two games on the road to Chicago and Milwaukee (the road being an area in which the Warriors once were exceptional), the Warriors previously defeated the then two best teams in the league–the Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
9. Brooklyn Nets (26-18, Last Week: 5): The Nets defeated New York and Minnesota, before losing to Memphis and Houston; losing the momentum they created in our previous rankings.
8. Chicago Bulls (26-17, Last Week: 9): The Bulls went 3-1 last week, but lost to the Wizards in Washington on Saturday; Joakim Noah has been a beast on the boards, averaging 16.0 rebounds during the stretch.
7. Denver Nuggets (27-18, Last Week: 10): Denver continues to play well, having won three games in a row and possessing a 17-3 record at home.
6. Memphis Grizzlies (28-15, Last Week: 7): The Grizzlies went 2-2 last week, including victories over the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets.
5. New York Knicks (27-15, Last Week: 6): The Knicks went 2-2, with their most notable loss coming against the Brooklyn Nets; over those four games, Amar’e Stoudemire has become more comfortable and is averaging 17.0 points and 6.8 rebounds.
4. Miami Heat (28-15, Last Week: 4): Despite a loss to Boston on Sunday, the Heat had won four in a row prior to that.
3. Los Angeles Clippers (33-13, Last Week: 1): The Clips had lost four games in a row before finally winning one on Sunday evening. The losses can all be attributed to Chris Paul being sidelined, however.
2. Oklahoma City Thunder (34-11, Last Week: 2): The Thunder have went 3-3 on their recent Western Conference road trip, but will finally get some rest at home as their next game isn’t until Thursday against the Memphis Grizzlies.
1. San Antonio Spurs (36-11, Last Week: 3): The Spurs have won eight in a row, and once again take the top spot in our rankings as they did early on in the season. The Spurs have a host of talent, a revived Tim Duncan, an ever-elite point guard in Tony Parker, and the best coach in the NBA.
