NBA Power Rankings for Week 19 of NBA basketball is done and every team is gearing up for positioning in the 2024 playoffs, which will begin over a month from now. It certainly looks like the top four teams in the Western Conference are already secured but the same can’t be said in the East.
Today, we will take a look at the ranking of all 30 NBA teams after week 20.
30. Washington Wizards (Last Week’s Rank: 29)
The Wizards have now lost 4 in a row and only went 2-8 in their last 10 games. The only good news for them is that Jordan Poole’s shots are finally falling as of late but it really doesn’t matter when you look at their record.
29. Detroit Pistons (Last Week’s Rank: 30)
After their legendary losing streak earlier this season, it does look like this team has a bright future after all. The Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey pairing works and Detroit should build on that.
28. San Antonio Spurs (Last Week’s Rank: 28)
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At this stage of the year, the Spurs just want to finish the season on a strong note. Their future is already secured with how Victor Wembanyama played this season. He’s a problem for the rest of the league.
27. Charlotte Hornets (Last Week’s Rank: 26)
The Hornets only went 2-8 in their last 10 games. Brandon Miller is on a slump and so are the rest of this team. This will be a long rebuild for the often cellar-dwelling franchise.
26. Portland Trail Blazers (Last Week’s Rank: 26)
I don’t know which direction the Blazers are currently going but this team is clearly on the wrong side of a rebuild. They should just sell high this offseason, especially on their veteran players.
25. Toronto Raptors (Last Week’s Rank: 24)
Losers of 7 straight games, their chances of grabbing a play-in spot this season are all but gone. They just want to finish this season on a high note and that’s about it. There’s hope for the future though.
24. Memphis Grizzlies (Last Week’s Rank: 25)
Of all the teams coming short in this year’s playoffs, the Grizzlies are still somewhat having fun on the court. Despite all the losses, they have found a player or two who will eventually become serious contributors next year.
23. Brooklyn Nets (Last Week’s Rank: 23)
The Nets still have a slim chance of making the play-in tournament this season but a lot has to happen in their favor. Losing to the Pistons this past week certainly didn’t help their case.
22. Utah Jazz (Last Week’s Rank: 21)
The Jazz went 3-7 in their last 10 games and it’s getting clearer with each passing week that they are not going to make the play-in tournament this season.
21. Atlanta Hawks (Last Week’s Rank: 20)
Before their big win against the Clippers, the Hawks inexplicably lost to the struggling Blazers this past week. They currently sit comfortably at the 10th spot in the East with the Nets trailing far behind.
20. Houston Rockets (Last Week’s Rank: 21)
The Rockets are suddenly hot and now have won five straight games. Even with Alperen Sengun out, their new starting five is thriving as of late. Can they still make a late push?
19. Chicago Bulls (Last Week’s Rank: 19)
Kudos to DeMar DeRozan for making the Bulls a must-watch on league pass. Nearly the end of his prime, the former all-star is still a bucket-getter and a clutch performer. And oh, the Bulls are winning too.
18. Los Angeles Lakers (Last Week’s Rank: 17)
After gaining ground in the Western Conference standings, the Lakers have lost a little bit of steam in week 20. With Anthony Davis going down with another injury, the hope for a top-six finish looks bleak at the moment.
17. Golden State Warriors (Last Week’s Rank: 18)
With Steph Curry back in the lineup, the Warriors are beginning to find their old form as a team. They still have a long way to go to secure a playoff spot in the West with just a month left in the regular season.
16. Philadelphia 76ers (Last Week’s Rank: 16)
Without Embiid, the Sixers are barely hanging on in the East. They now sit at the 8th spot and just went 4-6 in their last 10 games. Tyrese Maxey can’t do it all and he needs a lot of help.
15. Miami Heat (Last Week’s Rank: 16)
The Heat almost lost to an inferior Pistons squad but Bam Adebayo saved them from a collapse with a buzzer-beating three-pointer to win the game. But unlike last season, they still have the time to secure a top-six finish in the East this year.
14. Indiana Pacers (Last Week’s Rank: 15)
It seems like Haliburton’s game has lost a little bit of momentum as he’s not scoring as much as he did compared to his performance earlier this season. Nonetheless, the Pacers are trending in the right direction.
13. Sacramento Kings (Last Week’s Rank: 11)
The Kings only went 5-5 in their last 10 games and their position in the Western Conference standings is in jeopardy due to the fact that other teams are currently hitting their strides as of late.
12. Phoenix Suns (Last Week’s Rank: 10)
For a presumed contender like the Suns, it’s really hard to gauge their true ceiling as a team. They just went 5-5 in their last 10 games. Maybe they truly need a point guard to run the offense?
11. Dallas Mavericks (Last Week’s Rank: 12)
Kyrie Irving’s left-handed buzzer-beater floater against the Nuggets will undoubtedly go down as one of the craziest game-winning shots in recent history. The Mavs are thriving and are looking more like a legitimate dark horse team in the West.
10. Orlando Magic (Last Week’s Rank: 13)
At this point of the season, there’s no doubt that the Magic are going to secure a playoff spot in the East. They are inching in towards a top-four spot in their conference – an impressive feat due to the organization’s history of shortcomings.
9. New York Knicks (Last Week’s Rank: 8)
Winners of three straight, the Knicks are trying to hold off the Magic from overtaking them in the standings. Jalen Brunson has been phenomenal for them this season and has steered the team to some much-needed wins without Julius Randle in the lineup.
8. New Orleans Pelicans (Last Week’s Rank: 9)
Are the Pelicans for real? Yes, they are. The duo of Williamson and Ingram is a tough matchup to stop due to the fact that they have a contrasting style of play on the court.
7. Cleveland Cavaliers (Last Week’s Rank: 7)
The Cavs just went 4-6 in the last 10 games and are struggling quite a bit with their schedule. They might want to go back in the winning column as the the Knicks and the Magic are not too far behind in the standings.
6. Los Angeles Clippers (Last Week’s Rank: 6)
After staying hot for a couple of months, it definitely looks like the Clippers have hit a wall. They got blown badly by the Hawks to end week 20 despite having everybody healthy in the lineup.
5. Minnesota Timberwolves (Last Week’s Rank: 4)
After staying on top of the Western Conference for much of this season, the mighty Wolves are stumbling as of late. With Karl-Anthony Towns still out for weeks due to an MCL injury, they need a Herculean effort from Anthony Edwards to keep the boat from sinking.
4. Milwaukee Bucks (Last Week’s Rank: 5)
The Bucks are 7-3 in their last 10 games but it definitely feels that they are still a tier below the Celtics in the East. Giannis has stated that this is the most challenging season of his entire career and that’s usually not a good sign for a team with championship aspirations.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder (Last Week’s Rank: 3)
Who would have thought that this young Thunder team’s rise would happen so soon? Much of it is due to the brilliant play of superstar, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Are they contenders this season though? That’s the burning question everybody is asking today.
2. Denver Nuggets (Last Week’s Rank: 2)
From fourth to third and now second, everybody in the West will inevitably have to go through Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets in the upcoming playoffs. They are still the team to beat in the entire league, despite not having the overall best record in the NBA this season.
1. Boston Celtics (Last Week’s Rank: 1)
The Celtics are the first team to secure a playoff berth this season, despite there’s still over a month to play left. There are a lot of questions for this team due to their past playoff failures but Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are out to prove people wrong.
