Week 13 of NBA basketball is done and things are shaping up in the Eastern and Western Conference. The middle-of-the-pack teams are also making their strides in the standings.
The Clippers and the young OKC Thunder squad are slowly chipping away Minnesota’s lead in the West standings while the Bucks are trending in the right direction despite letting go of their first-year head coach Adrian Griffin in what would be a surprising move coming from one of the league’s contenders.
Today, we will take a look at the ranking of all 30 NBA teams after week 14. Let’s quickly get into it.
30. Detroit Pistons (Last Week’s Rank: 30)
The Pistons were fairly impressive this past week, going 2-2 with wins against the Hornets and the young OKC squad. Still, they do remain at the bottom of the East and are definitely headed towards the lottery.
29. Washington Wizards (Last Week’s Rank: 29)
The Wizards continued their abysmal play in week 14 but managed to get a win against their fellow cellar-dwellers, the Detroit Pistons. Kyle Kuzma is the lone bright spot in this team.
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28. Charlotte Hornets (Last Week’s Rank: 28)
The Hornets started the week with a bang with a surprise win against the Timberwolves. However, they reverted back to their old ways, resulting in another stretch of losing games.
27. San Antonio Spurs (Last Week’s Rank: 27)
The Spurs are on a two-game winning streak right now, which is very impressive given how they played this season. Victor Wembanyama is the future of this league and he’s showing everybody that he’s the real deal.
26. Portland Trail Blazers (Last Week’s Rank: 26)
It seems that the Trail Blazers can’t catch a break as of late. They just went 1-4 this past week and went only 3-7 in their last 10 games. They are rumored to be sellers around the trade deadline and that might be a good thing for them.
25. Toronto Raptors (Last Week’s Rank: 24)
The Raptors are now entering a full rebuild after the Pascal Siakam trade a few weeks ago. They remain competitive but the edge isn’t there yet. The future looks bright for them though.
24. Memphis Grizzlies (Last Week’s Rank: 25)
Even with a decimated lineup due to the absences of Morant, Bane and Adams, The Grizzlies continues to be competitive. They went 3-1 this past week.
23. Brooklyn Nets (Last Week’s Rank: 23)
The Nets only went 1-3 in week 14 and they are slowly sliding further in the standings. After a stellar star, Mikal Bridges is currently having a hard time carrying this team on his shoulders.
22. Golden State Warriors (Last Week’s Rank: 21)
The Warriors’ chances of securing a .500 record before the all-star break are slim. They went 1-2 this past week. They only lost a combined two points against the Kings and the Lakers. Ouch.
21. Atlanta Hawks (Last Week’s Rank: 22)
The Hawks had a lackluster week, going 1-3 against middle-of-the-pack teams. To add insult to injury, Mavs star Luka Doncic dropped 73 points in Atlanta’s home arena. That Luka-Trae trade in 2018 was as lopsided as it gets.
20. Houston Rockets (Last Week’s Rank: 20)
The Rockets are neither good nor bad. They are just mid. They continue to be patient with Jalen Green’s development but rumor has it that his teammates aren’t too happy about his inefficient scoring habits.
19. Chicago Bulls (Last Week’s Rank: 18)
Chicago just went 1-2 this past week with the lone win against the struggling Blazers. Zach LaVine is still out with an injury and it seems like the team’s asking price for him remains high. Several teams are now backing out on a potential deal to acquire the often-injured star.
18. Orlando Magic (Last Week’s Rank: 17)
Orlando’s slide has continued in week 14. They went just 3-7 in their last 10 games and 2-2 this past week. Even with Markelle Fultz back in the lineup, it seems like the team has lost all their momentum after a terrific start this season.
17. Los Angeles Lakers (Last Week’s Rank: 19)
The Lakers went 3-1 in week 14 and LeBron is undeniably carrying the bulk of the load for this team since the start of January. At this rate, LBJ could potentially play until his mid-40s and continue to be productive.
16. Miami Heat (Last Week’s Rank: 14)
Miami is on a season-high six-game losing streak right now. Even with a full lineup and the addition of Terry Rozier, the wins have become elusive. They are desperate to be on the winning track again.
15. Utah Jazz (Last Week’s Rank: 16)
Utah now sits at the top 10 in the Western Conference standings – a far cry from their disastrous start this season. Nobody will bat an eye if they continue to climb in the standings before the all-star break.
14. Dallas Mavericks (Last Week’s Rank: 11)
The only highlight for Dallas this week was Luka’s 73-point night and a win against the Hawks. Other than that, this was an unforgettable week 14 for the Mavs. Injuries to key players continue to hamper their roster this season.
13. Indiana Pacers (Last Week’s Rank: 13)
After a brief adjustment period with their new star Pascal Siakam, the Pacers are on a roll right now, winning three straight games. What’s impressive is that they are doing this with Haliburton out due to an injury.
12. Phoenix Suns (Last Week’s Rank: 15)
Winners of 7 out of 10, the Suns are peaking at just the right time this season. Devin Booker is playing nuts right now, scoring at will against unsuspecting defenders. They are slowly becoming legitimate contenders this season.
11. New Orleans Pelicans (Last Week’s Rank: 10)
After a hot start this month, the Pelicans are in a bit of a slump recently. They only went 5-5 in their last 10 games and that’s quite a disappointment for a team looking to make some serious noise in the playoffs.
10. Sacramento Kings (Last Week’s Rank: 12)
Sacramento is finding its groove again. Winners of three straight games, it seems like they are on the right path after going sideways for a couple of weeks earlier this month.
9. Cleveland Cavaliers (Last Week’s Rank: 8)
The Cavs went 9-1 in their last 10 games and 2-1 this past week. The slight dip in their rankings is due to the fact that another team in the East has recently surged and overtaken their spot in the standings.
8. New York Knicks (Last Week’s Rank: 9)
The Knicks have gone 8-2 in their last 10 games and are now on a six-game winning streak. Jalen Brunson should be voted as an all-star reserve in February’s mid-season showcase.
7. Philadelphia 76ers (Last Week’s Rank: 6)
Embiid dropped 70 points against the Spurs early this week but proceeded to miss some games after his historic performance. If he misses an additional six games throughout the entire season, he won’t be eligible to win another MVP award.
6. Los Angeles Clippers (Last Week’s Rank: 7)
The Clippers now have won five straight games and remain one of the hottest teams in the league since mid-December. They are contenders, no doubt and nobody would want to face them in the playoffs this year.
5. Minnesota Timberwolves (Last Week’s Rank: 3)
With a relatively easy schedule this past week, the Wolves fumbled a bit and went just 2-2. They lost to the Hornets even though KAT scored 62 points and also failed to execute down the stretch against the lowly Spurs.
4. Oklahoma City Thunder (Last Week’s Rank: 4)
OKC finally caught up with the Wolves in the West standings with both teams sharing the top spot for now. However, an impressive team like them should have no business losing to a bad team like the Pistons, which happened at the end of week 14.
3. Milwaukee Bucks (Last Week’s Rank: 5)
The Bucks surprisingly fired head coach Adrian Griffin despite having one of the best records in the league. They now have found Griffin’s replacement, hiring decorated former Sixers coach Doc Rivers. Was this the right move for the franchise? They don’t want Giannis to develop doubts that’s why they are making this move now.
2. Denver Nuggets (Last Week’s Rank: 2)
The Nuggets may sit just at the fourth spot in the West but every basketball junkie knows that they are still the kings of their conference. With almost a similar record as OKC, Minnesota and the Clippers, they could easily grab the top spot if they can go on a good streak before February’s all-star break.
1. Boston Celtics (Last Week’s Rank: 1)
Boston remains at the top spot in this week’s rankings as they still have the best record in the entire league despite the recent surge of fellow contenders in the East and West standings. They could potentially have three or more all-stars in the upcoming mid-season showcase if they get extremely lucky.
