NBA Power Rankings Week 16: Spurs, Heat Continue To Dominate

30. Orlando Magic (15-26): The Magic may not have the worst record in the league, but prior to defeating the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, Orlando had lost 12 games in a row.

29. Charlotte Bobcats (11-39): The Bobcats have the worst record in the league and have lost seven games in a row.

28. Minnesota Timberwolves (18-39): The T-Wolves have lost ten of their last 11 games, and are currently in the midst of a four game losing streak.

27. Phoenix Suns (17-35): The Suns have lost three in a row, and five of their last six.

26. Sacramento Kings (19-33): The Kings won back-to-back games on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, but are 3-8 over their last eleven games.

25. New Orleans Hornets (17-34): The Hornets are 3-7 over their last ten games. Grievis Vasquez had a triple-double in the Hornets’ victory over the Atlanta Hawks, before New Orleans fell to Toronto on Sunday.

24. Toronto Raptors (19-32): The Raps are 3-2 since acquiring Rudy Gay. Gay appears to be getting along just fine in Toronto though, as he’s averaging 23.4 points with his new team.

23. Detroit Pistons (20-32): The Pistons have a .500 record at home (15-15), but are just 6-18 on the road.

22. Cleveland Cavaliers (16-35): The Cavs may have one of the worst records in the league, but they’ve won three of their last four games, including a victory over Oklahoma City. Kyrie Irving has continued his exceptional level of play throughout the season as well.

21. Washington Wizards (14-35): The Wizards have won three games in a row, but most impressively, those wins came against the Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets.

Next Page: Middle Of The Pack

20. Dallas Mavericks (22-28): The Mavs are 5-5 over their last ten games.

19. Philadelphia 76ers (22-27): The Sixers have won four of their last five games, while Jrue Holiday continues his solid level of play. Andrew Bynum believes he’ll be able to finally play towards the end of this month.

18. Milwaukee Bucks (25-24): Milwaukee has lost three games in a row. Samuel Dalembert has emerged over the last few games, however, including a 35 point, 12 rebound performance on Tuesday.

17. Portland Trail Blazers (25-26): The Blazers have also lost three games in a row, and are 1-3 so far on their six-game road trip.

16. Utah Jazz (28-24): The Jazz have an outstanding record at home 19-6, but just 9-18 on the road.

15. Houston Rockets (28-25): The Rockets give up the most points in the league (103.2), but also average 106.1 points themselves.

14. Los Angeles Lakers (24-28): The Lakers still haven’t quite figured it out, and Pau Gasol likely being out for six to eight weeks with a foot injury is definitely bad news for the Lakers. However, the Lakers have managed to win seven of their last ten games since Kobe Bryant has stepped into the role of facilitator, for the most part.

13. Golden State Warriors (30-21): Having lost four games in a row–all on the road–the Warriors have lost some steam. They once had an excellent road record at the beginning of the season, but are just 14-15 now.

12. Atlanta Hawks (27-22): The Hawks are 5-5 over their last ten games.

11. Brooklyn Nets (29-22): The Nets’ up-and-down season has continued, as has Deron Williams’ inconsistency.

Next Page: Spurs, Heat Continue To Dominate

10. Boston Celtics (27-23): The Celtics have rallied in the wake of Rajon Rondo’s season-ending injury, having won seven games in a row, including victories over the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, and Los Angeles Clippers.

9. Chicago Bulls (30-20): The Bulls have performed well in Derrick Rose’s absence, but are eagerly anticipating his return.

8. Indiana Pacers (31-20): The Pacers have won five of their last six games, but the Pacers too are anticipating the return of their best player–Danny Granger–who is expected to return on Wednesday.

7. Memphis Grizzlies (32-18): Memphis is 3-2 since the Rudy Gay trade, but his departure is largely viewed as a move in the opposite direction for a Grizzlies team that had appeared poised to make some noise in the playoffs.

6. New York Knicks (32-17): The Knicks have won six of eight games recently, riding the scoring of Carmelo Anthony and the rebounding of Tyson Chandler.

5. Denver Nuggets (33-19): The Nuggets had won nine games in a row before falling to the Boston Celtics in overtime on Sunday.

4. Los Angeles Clippers (36-17): The Clippers appeared lost at times without Chris Paul, but Paul returned to the lineup on Friday. The Clippers lost that game to the Miami Heat in a blowout, but responded with a big victory over the Knicks in New York. The Clippers have just one more game on the road before their eight-game “Grammy Trip” comes to an end.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder (39-12): The Thunder have won four games in a row led by none other than Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

2. Miami Heat (34-14): The Heat have won five games in a row, including victories over the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, and Los Angeles Lakers. The Heat look poised to reach the NBA Finals once again, and have been winning marquee matchups all season.

1. San Antonio Spurs (40-12): The Spurs have played extremely well all season, have depth and are witnessing one of Tony Parker’s best, if not his best, seasons in the league. Having won 12 of their last 13 games, the Spurs are somehow still flying under the radar, and many still doubt the Spurs’ ability to go far in the playoffs. However, the Spurs appear to be the “real deal” this season and have an excellent chance at getting to the NBA Finals.

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