Week 3 of NBA basketball is done and it’s quite an understatement to say that the games were exciting as a few teams finally found their groove and managed to climb up in the standings.
The Houston Rockets and the Minnesota Timberwolves went undefeated this past week while some contenders barely made it out alive in the third week of NBA basketball.
Today, we will take a look at the ranking of all 30 NBA teams after week 3. This will be an exciting one so let’s get into it.
30. Washington Wizards (Last Week’s Rank: 29)
The losses kept on piling for the Wizards this past week. Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma are still shooting like there’s no tomorrow but most of their shots haven’t resulted in made baskets. Their bench is also performing badly so far this year.
29. Detroit Pistons (Last Week’s Rank: 27)
Head coach Monty Williams’ reluctance to play several promising young players is slowly degrading the confidence of his team. Rather than bench his young guys, he needs to play them to develop their games. Jaden Ivey and James Wiseman have garnered several DNPs this season and their confidence is at an all-time low.
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28. Memphis Grizzlies (Last Week’s Rank: 28)
After being stuck at the bottom of the rankings for the first two weeks of the season, the Grizzlies are finally making some progress albeit on a small scale. Winning against the Clippers was a huge boost to their morale. Ja Morant is still out but there’s hope that they could still turn around their sinking ship once he returns.
27. Utah Jazz (Last Week’s Rank: 28)
The Jazz has continued to struggle but one of the good news to come up this past week was the return of Clarkson and Markkanen’s shooting touch. They still need a legitimate point guard to run their offense to make things work in Utah.
26. Charlotte Hornets (Last Week’s Rank: 21)
Even though LaMelo Ball’s jump shots are falling, the Hornets are still struggling as a team. They are competitive but have largely failed to close out games lately. Rozier’s offense is basically non-existent at this point.
25. Chicago Bulls (Last Week’s Rank: 26)
Chicago finally showed some fight but not as much as we’d hoped for. Multiple personnel from other teams are flocking their games as trade rumors are in full swing right now around the league and the Bulls are unfortunately at the center of it.
24. San Antonio Spurs (Last Week’s Rank: 14)
After their surprise run in week 2, Wembanyama and the Spurs had their premature success halted by a string of losses this past week. This may not be their season but there’s a lot to like about this bunch.
23. Los Angeles Clippers (Last Week’s Rank: 9)
The Clippers are now 0-4 since acquiring James Harden from the Sixers. Tyronne Lue must do something to get some wins or this slide will continue. There are rumblings that Harden should relive his OKC days and come off the bench.
22. Portland Trail Blazers (Last Week’s Rank: 15)
Scoot Henderson is now out for a couple of weeks due to injury. Ayton has not yet capitalized on his chance to be the star in a Blazers uniform. Things could quickly get ugly for Portland.
21. Phoenix Suns (Last Week’s Rank: 22)
As much as we’d like to see Durant score like it’s 2014, the Suns need Devin Booker’s presence on the floor. He’s been largely out due to injuries and without him, Phoenix is now in limbo.
20. Toronto Raptors (Last Week’s Rank: 24)
The Raptors are slowly showing life this past week. OG Anunoby and Scottie Barnes led the charge for them on most nights as Pascal Siakam is still struggling with his shot since the start of the season.
19. Los Angeles Lakers (Last Week’s Rank: 16)
With Cam Reddish now inserted in the starting lineup, things have looked better for the Lakers. Austin Reaves is embracing his Manu Ginobili-like role on the bench and is thriving at the same time.
18. New Orleans Pelicans (Last Week’s Rank: 8)
Aside from the losses, the Pelicans also lost CJ McCollum due to a collapsed lung. With Jose Alvarado still yet to play this season, their point guard rotation is paper thin.
17. Brooklyn Nets (Last Week’s Rank: 12)
Brooklyn’s recent slide is mainly due to their inability to close out games this past week. To make things worse, Cam Thomas is out for a couple of weeks due to an injury. Simmons is also dealing with his own problems right now.
16. Sacramento Kings (Last Week’s Rank: 13)
The Kings are slowly finding ways to grind out some wins without De’Aaron Fox. But things will undoubtedly get harder for them to win more games without their star point guard as the season progresses.
15. New York Knicks (Last Week’s Rank: 25)
One of the huge jumpers in this week’s rankings, the Knicks are finally hitting their shots and winning games in the process. Julius Randle is beginning to wake up from his slump.
14. Miami Heat (Last Week’s Rank: 23)
Since starting the season 1-4, the Heat are now on a five-game winning streak. Bam Adebayo is playing at an all-star level and Duncan Robinson’s improved game has been significant in Miami’s recent success.
13. Cleveland Cavaliers (Last Week’s Rank: 18)
The Cavs are finally healthy and looking scary at the moment. They dismantled the Warriors twice in the past week before losing to the up-and-coming OKC Thunder. There’s nowhere else to go but up.
12. Oklahoma City Thunder (Last Week’s Rank: 19)
The only problem for OKC is their relatively inconsistent bench but their starting five is one of the best young squads in the league this season.
11. Houston Rockets (Last Week’s Rank: 20)
After starting the season 0-3, the Rockets are now 6-0 and undefeated in the month of November. VanVleet’s leadership is contagious and Alperen Sengun’s game closely resembles a young Nikola Jokic.
10. Milwaukee Bucks (Last Week’s Rank: 10)
The Bucks went 2-2 this past week and the pairing of Giannis and Dame has yet to work wonders for them. But it’s hard to root against them as it’s expected that things will click within the team sooner rather than later.
9. Atlanta Hawks (Last Week’s Rank: 7)
The Hawks had an up-and-down week but the good news is that Trae Young is finally on a roll right now. If Dejounte Murray can also get in the act, this team can make some noise in the East.
8. Indiana Pacers (Last Week’s Rank: 17)
The Pacers are one of the hottest teams in the league right now. They play fast and organized basketball. Tyrese Haliburton is a star and one of the best young point guards in the league today.
7. Orlando Magic (Last Week’s Rank: 6)
Without Markelle Fultz, the Magic struggled this past week but their fall won’t be as dramatic as other teams in this list. When healthy, this team will continue to rise up in the East this season.
6. Golden State Warriors (Last Week’s Rank: 3)
The Warriors only went 1-4 this past week despite sporting a healthy lineup. Their overreliance on 35-year-old Steph Curry has been troublesome as he needs more teammates to step up on the plate.
5. Minnesota Timberwolves (Last Week’s Rank: 11)
The Wolves’ recent success is definitely looking like a legitimate one. Anthony Edwards is their true star but Gobert and Towns have been great for them too. In all honesty, this team can compete with anybody from the league.
4. Dallas Mavericks (Last Week’s Ranking: 5)
The duo of Luka and Kyrie is one of the best in the league this season. Doncic is currently putting up MVP numbers and Irving has been scoring a lot for the team this past week. Plus, Doncic trashing the Clippers a few days ago was fun to watch.
3. Boston Celtics (Last Week’s Rank: 1)
Boston uncharacteristically lost two games this past week but quickly bounced back by destroying the Nets and the Raptors. They won’t win every game this season but they are basically a lock to finish in the top-2 in the East when the regular season is over.
2. Philadelphia 76ers (Last Week’s Ranking: 4)
Tyrese Maxey is a legitimate star. He just dropped a career-high 50 points against the Indiana Pacers to end the week. They also came out on top against the Celtics with Embiid dominating on both ends of the floor. They haven’t lost one game since the James Harden trade.
1. Denver Nuggets (Last Week’s Rank: 2)
Even though the Nuggets closed out the week with a loss to the surging Rockets, they are the number-one team in the league in week 3. Jamal Murray is currently out due to an injury, but Nikola Jokic continues to perform at an insanely high level of basketball that no one has ever seen.
