Official /r/nba Power Rankings #7 (1.29.2024)

[27/30 rankers reporting this week.](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17bF–yJIj8G5O32Ii3aQ5QYAsUf45P6q46mKE4JZbKg/edit?usp=sharing) /R/NBA’s Power Rankings are published every two weeks which is a bit different from most rankings. Other than that we rank the teams the same way as our competition. If write ups are left blank the team rep decided not to submit. We encourage any user to fill in the blanks in the comment section.

\# | Team | Δ | Record | Comment |
–: | :– | :– | :-: | :– |
1 | [](/BOS) Celtics | — | 35-11 | What a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde two weeks for the Celtics. You beat the Raptors, Spurs, and Rockets, lose to the Nuggets by 2 for the first home-loss of the season, beat the Mavericks, absolutely blow the ever loving fuck out of the Heat in what fans feared would be a Scary Terry revenge game, and then get blown out by the Clippers at home for another home loss. Luckily the schedule somewhat lightens up over the next 2 weeks with 6 straight home games with matchups against the Pelicans, Pacers, Lakers, Grizzlies, Hawks, and Wizards, before they go on the road back to Miami. The Celtics are 3 games up on the Bucks for 1st in the East with one of the easiest (on-paper) schedules remaining, still needing to play the Pistons, Hornets, Blazers, and Nets each twice, as well as the Wizards 3 more times. They also will play the Bucks twice more, where an April 9th visit to Milwaukee for one of the last games of the season could potentially be the deciding factor on playoff seeding. |
2 | [](/LAC) Clippers | +4 | 30-14 | The Clippers are hooping their ass off right now. They finish the last leg of January 5-0, with the 5th best defensive rating and number 1 on offense during said stretch. Despite the loss of Ivica Zubac for what looks to be months (get well soon big fella), the Clips haven’t lost any of the momentum they picked up in December, and now we find ourselves in the hunt for 1st seed in the conference. Highlights during this period include Paul George’s absolute takeover against the Thunder, as well as a steady beating on the #1 record Celtics at TD Garden. My biggest fear for this team during this stretch was how we played against top-ranked competition this year, and the Clippers just shut me up real good. We now look to be the “best team in the league (if healthy)” for like the 3rd time in the Kawhi/PG era, every win fills me with more hope, but dear God just please keep this team healthy. |
3 | [](/OKC) Thunder | -1 | 32-14 | How the hell did we lose to the Pistons lol. |
4 | [](/MIL) Bucks | +1 | 32-14 | It was a massive two week stretch for the Bucks after coach Griffin was let go and replaced with Doc Rivers. In three games under interim-coach-Prunty the team had their best 3-game-defensive-stretch of the season — an encouraging sign for things to come. Doc will make his debut tonight in Denver, kicking off a difficult road trip. |
5 | [](/DEN) Nuggets | -1 | 32-15 | The Nuggets managed to finish above .500 on their last East Coast road trip of the year, winning 3 of 5 games and becoming the first team to beat the Celtics in Boston this year. Jokic has taken his usual efficient play to a whole new level this month, averaging 27/11/8 per game on 70/55/81 splits in January, while the rest of the starting 5 continues to run on all cylinders. The bench play has continued to be a sore spot for this team, as both the young guys (Braun, Watson) and the vets (Reggie, DAJ) have been unable to string together good performances and become a reliable unit. The rotation will tighten for the playoffs, but the bench needs to step up over this second half of the season so that the starters can get some load management prior to the playoffs. |
6 | [](/MIN) TWolves | -3 | 32-14 | Poor play, collapsing 4th quarter, and turnovers have plagued the Wolves. As their strength of schedule lightened up so did their intensity, focus, and decision making. They still find themselves at the top of the West but teeter on falling off if they don’t turn their recent play around. |
7 | [](/NYK) Knicks | +2 | 29-17 | We may never lose again |
8 | [](/PHI) 76ers | -1 | 29-15 | The question of “who the Sixers should target at the deadline” is becoming more important. As of right now, it seems like the plan of surrounding Embiid with a bunch of solid role players (along with an ascending Maxey) has been working out just fine, but are they good enough yet? When Embiid plays, the Sixers are winning games at an incredible level, which is all that should matter in the playoffs. But can you depend on players like Oubre, Batum, and even Tobias (who has had many questionable performances) to help carry you in those playoff minutes? These next couple of weeks are crucial for the Sixers and their title hopes. |
9 | [](/CLE) Cavaliers | +1 | 27-16 | Winners of 9 of the last 10 games, the Cavs are red hot with the imminent return of Evan Mobley and Darius Garland looming. The 4-man group of Garland/Mitchell/Mobley/Allen were a net +8.9 per 100 possessions last year in almost 900 total minutes, and that group has shared the court for only 156 minutes this year due to injuries. With Mitchell having shown that he’s a very capable PG when Garland is off the court, expect the Cavs to continue using their deep bench of 2-4’s, allowing 48 minutes @ PG between Garland/Mitchell, and 48 minutes @ C between Allen/Mobley. LeVert, Strus, Okoro, Niang, Merrill and Wade have all shown that they need to be seeing time on the court, and a deep bench can allow us to pick the one to three players joining our stars on the court on a matchup by matchup basis. |
10 | [](/SAC) Kings | +3 | 26-18 | No team is more confusing to watch this year than the Sacramento Kings.. Going from a 4 game losing streak to a 3 game winning streak and beating the Mavericks in their house. Harrison Barnes spectacular play has been something Kings fans have been desiring for quite some time. Most are probably hoping this resurgence will increase his trade value.. Can the Kings keep up this play or will they continue the roller coaster we shall see. |
11 | [](/IND) Pacers | — | 27-20 | Allow me to take off my ranker helmet for the first time in 10 years and replace it with my fandom one. This is the first time I can remember the Indiana front office recognizing the current roster situation, and trading for an established All-NBA talent to supplement what they have. Trading for Pascal Siakam shows the Pacers are ready to blast open the competitive window and give Tyrese Haliburton whatever support he wants. Even though we’ve only seen the proposed starting lineup together for 19 total minutes, it’s apparent that Siakam is going to not only add a scoring boost inside, but also help tremendously on the defensive end with Myles Turner. This is, without question, the most optimistic I’ve felt since the Paul George breakout year. Indy has a LOT to look forward to. |
12 | [](/PHX) Suns | +3 | 26-20 | The Suns looked fantastic on a 7-0 win streak that began on January 11th against the Lakers, and fans started to get a taste of what this team is capable of when fully healthy. Unfortunately, both Beal and Nurkic suffered injuries in a physical game against the Pacers on Friday, and Phoenix has now lost two straight. They are 3 games into a seven-game road trip, and in those first three games Devin Booker is averaging 50.7ppg on 79 |
13 | [](/NOP) Pelicans | -5 | 26-20 | The Pelicans have had their top three games by three pointers made all-time in the last six weeks. They also set a franchise record with 153 points on Tuesday. They bucked their usual trend by starting January strong, but have trailed off the last two weeks going 2-4 and looking like their usual New Years selves. Jordan Hawkins is cementing himself as the future behind the three point line as Trey Murphy struggles to return to form post-injury. But what remains the story line of the season is the ascension of Herbert Keyshawn Jones. He’s shooting 51% from three in January and .491/.387/.856 on the season while playing at an All-Defensive level. Zion missed just his 9th game of the season with a bruised knee, but is on pace to play more games than he ever has. Lineups are improving, but the team needs to be more consistent with their effort and execution. |
14 | [](/UTA) Jazz | +2 | 24-23 | The 2nd most proficient offence in the NBA in the last 5 weeks (behind the Clippers) is Will Hardy’s Utah Jazz. Capping off the week with a franchise record 47 first quarter points and a franchise record 82 first half points was the perfect way to showcase the trending direction of the Jazz’s offence. It’s not hard to see why the team has been producing the numbers when you take a look at the play of their two best players. Over 14 games in the entire month of January, Markkanen (25ppg in 32mpg on 52/46/89 splits) and Sexton (22ppg in 26mpg on 52/45/89 splits) put up hyper efficient scoring stats. Spacing provided by John Collins has been key to this all with the off season addition also adding 23/11 per 36 on 60% shooting. These are just a few cool stats of the trending Jazz players but if you enjoy an offensive showcase be sure to catch a Jazz game. |
15 | [](/DAL) Mavericks | -1 | 25-21 | Dallas continues to miss Kyrie Irving this season, but the headline around the team is about Luka Doncic’s historic 73 point point game. The Mavs desperately need a trade for big man depth, along with improved defense. Hopefully by the next rankings this will have been addressed, and Luka is better set up for the playoffs run with an improved roster. |
16 | [](/LAL) Lakers | +3 | 24-23 | |
17 | [](/ORL) Magic | — | 24-22 | Not a great stretch but the team is finally healthy again. Wins against Suns and Knicks show we can hang with some top teams but then we go ahead and drop a game to the Grizzlies, although they were on a bit of a roll. Paolo has come alive and is in prime position to be announced as an All-Star Reserve, averaging 25/7/5 over the month of January. Still hanging on to a playoff spot, thanks in part to some teams up above not stretching their lead over us, the Magic have the easiest remaining strength of schedule and can make some noise after the All-Star Break. |
18 | [](/MIA) Heat | -6 | 24-22 | The Heat are on a nasty losing streak and haven’t won since January 15th. They traded Lowry and a pick for Rozier and the main pieces are there, but they’re not doing well and losing big. 5 of the games have losses by more than 10 points and nothing has changed with the structure of the team. |
19 | [](/CHI) Bulls | +1 | 22-25 | We have been slowly creeping back towards a .500 record, even with around 60 million of our cap not playing. Lavine is expected to be traded at the deadline, and with the Bull’s front office refusing to blow it up, its likely that he will be the only big name player we trade. We have been around average lately, so hopefully the return from a Lavine trade is enough to keep us competitive with higher level teams. |
20 | [](/HOU) Rockets | -2 | 21-24 | The days of being “playoff locks” seem like a distant memory. While the team seems to find its fire later on in games, they can’t be turning up to them like they just got out of bed. While the team could use some size to backup Sengun, it’ll be Stone’s call if he really wants to go for the playoffs this year or this will just be another rebuild year. |
21 | [](/GSW) Warriors | — | 19-24 | RIP Dejan Milojević. He coached along side the Warriors as a big man specialist and was with the team during their 2022 championship but had several other basketball accomplishments in his life. He’s a 3x Adriatic league MVP and played for Serbia and Montenegro national team. He coached Jokic to an Adriatic league championship in 15-16 and coached the Serbian national team. He had a great basketball clear but clearly died too young. |
22 | [](/ATL) Hawks | +2 | 19-27 | #Feb8 |
23 | [](/BKN) Nets | -1 | 18-27 | |
24 | [](/MEM) Grizzlies | +1 | 18-28 | Despite having a season from absolute hell the Grizz have found diamonds in the rough in GG Jackson and Vince Williams, who have been complete dawgs on defense and are blossoming on offense. Jaren Jackson Jr is getting valuable minutes as the #1 option for 30 minutes a game, which will help as his career progresses. Unfortunately there isn’t much to look forward to this year as Bane and Smart are still a month away; the season is likely a wash unless an incredibly unlikely winning streak can continue. |
25 | [](/TOR) Raptors | -2 | 16-30 | The recent skid is awful. The future? Not so awful. RJ’s hot shooting may cool down but for now it is very welcome for a “throw in salary filler”. The Raptor’s are in developmental mode and it will be exciting to see the pieces of the future play. |
26 | [](/POR) Trail Blazers | — | 13-33 | Wild swings in performance, from losing by over 60 to winning a couple games in a row. Some of that is to be expected from a young team, but injuries have also hampered this Blazers team considerably. There are some positive signs, though. Ayton has been playing extremely well, and is finally producing like Portland expected when they traded for him in the summer. |
27 | [](/SAS) Spurs | — | 10-36 | I could wax poetic about Victor Wembanyama for days. So, I will. In the month of January, Vic has averaged 24.4/9.7/3.3 and 3.2 BLK on .512/.339/.812 shooting (.612 TS%). Per-36, that line is boosted to an insane 33.7/13.4/4.6 with 4.4 BLK. If you stretch it back to December 8th, when Wembanyama was moved to starting C (his last 21 games), he’s been averaging 22.3/10.5/3.6 and 3.6 BLK (29.3/14.0/4.8 and 4.8 BLK per-36) on .494/.343/.788 (.590 TS%). If advanced metrics are more your flavor, as of Jan 29, Wembanyama leads all rookies for the entire season in EPM [at 3.9](https://dunksandthrees.com/epm), DARKO-DPM [at 4.7](https://apanalytics.shinyapps.io/DARKO/), and Player Impact Estimate (PIE) [at 15.2](https://www.nba.com/stats/players/advanced?CF=MIN*GE*15&PlayerExperience=Rookie&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&dir=-1&sort=PIE). Ever since Wembanyama said “Every game from now on is a statement,” following the Spurs’ narrow loss to the Bucks, the team has really started to find its groove with Tre Jones starting. Wembanyama has been posting the above gaudy numbers, and Jeremy Sochan (who many of y’all owe an apology to) has looked far more comfortable as a natural PF, while also showing improved decision-making from his stint at PG (which Pop always said was the goal with the “experiment” from the start). The Spurs finish their long homestand with WAS, ORL, NOP, CLE, MIA before kicking off their annual Rodeo Road Trip with @ORL and @BKN over the next two weeks. |
28 | [](/CHA) Hornets | +1 | 10-34 | LaMelo is back or else I would’ve been fully out on watching this team. The team is awful throwing out rotations that would literally lose in the G league. I’m so tired of everyone, and Terry is actually balling too. Please make a trade and blow it up for the future. |
29 | [](/WAS) Wizards | -1 | 8-37 | On December 238, Kyle Kuzma sent out his infamous “At this point, its like “don’t be that team”” tweet. On January 15, the first time the Wizards would face the Detroit Pistons since said tweet, Kyle Kuzma would go 7 for 21 from the field and proceed to get himself ejected as he struggled to play the five due to Daniel Gafford’s injury. He then proceeded to ghost Twitter. Mysteriously, on January 27th, after a 13 for 17 (3 3 for 13 from deep) and a 0 temper tantrum performance in a win against the Pistons, he tweeted out about Marvin Bagley. Somehow, this man is going to pull if not one but two first round picks. I don’t understand this, I’m just enjoying this future reality. |
30 | [](/DET) Pistons | — | 6-40 | I can’t be bothered to write about a hopeless team right now. After that Lions loss I can’t feel feelings anymore. |

by powerrankingsnba