NBA Power Rankings – 12/2

By far the most difficult week of the season to handicap, there was a tremendous amount of movement in the Basketball Insiders Weekly NBA Power Rankings. The Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs and Cleveland Cavaliers all lost on the same night, with both the Clippers and Cavaliers losing multiple games this week.

Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors engaged in an epic battle on Thursday, while some of the Association’s lower echelon teams scored wins against respectable competition.

Some of the questions we have include: How is Tom Thibodeau not getting more out of the Minnesota Timberwolves? How is Luke Walton getting so much out of the Los Angeles Lakers? How will the Detroit Pistons look once Reggie Jackson returns? What will become of the Memphis Grizzlies without Mike Conley?

Obviously, there are more questions, but the answers will only be revealed by continuing to watch.

30. Dallas Mavericks (Overall: 3-15 Last Week: 30)

By the looks of things, the Mavs should get comfy in the last spot. One of the bright spots? The play of Seth Curry. Over his last five games, he’s averaging 13.4 points per game. Maybe he’s more than just the “other” Curry?

29. Philadelphia 76ers (Overall: 4-14, Last Week: 25)

Trust the process! Joel Embiid earned the East’s Rookie of the Month honor for November. His minute limit has been increased from 24 minutes to 28 minutes, so hopefully, that’ll translate into a few more wins for Philly.

28. Minnesota Timberwolves (Overall: 5-13, Last Week: 27)

In Wednesday’s home loss to the Knicks, Karl-Anthony Towns became the youngest player in NBA history to record at least 47 points and 18 rebounds in the team’s 106-104 loss. The T-Wolves are obviously trying to figure some things out, but where there’s a KAT, there’s a way.

27. Phoenix Suns (Overall: 6-13, Last Week: 24)

If you’re looking for a saving grace for the young Suns, maybe it’s the fact that they have played 11 of their first 19 games on the road. Even worse? Three of the next four will be played away from the desert, as well. All things considered, Wednesday’s 109-107 victory over the struggling Hawks was a feel-good win they’ll happily pocket.

26. Brooklyn Nets (Overall: 5-13, Last Week: 26)

The Nets snapped their seven-game losing streak in dramatic fashion, getting 38 points and 14 rebounds from Sean Kilpatrick en route to erasing a double-digit deficit versus the Clippers on Tuesday night. The 127-122 overtime win was impressive, but unfortunately, still only counts once.

25. Washington Wizards (Overall: 6-11, Last Week: 28)

The Wiz bested the Kings, but got dropped by the Thunder. We can’t help but to wonder when the trade winds will begin swirling around John Wall. By far their most valuable player, DeMarcus Cousins suggested that the two have spoken about teaming up in the NBA after playing together in college. Let’s keep an eye on that.

24. New Orleans Pelicans (Overall: 7-12, Last Week: 22)

Jrue Holiday might “only” be giving the Pels 17.1 points and 6.3 assists per game, but Anthony Davis and his team are 5-2 since the return of Holiday to the lineup. They’ll see the Clippers twice, the Thunder, Grizzlies and Warriors over their next seven, so we’ll be watching closely.

23. Miami HEAT (Overall: 7-12, Last Week: 29)

The HEAT scored an improbable upset on Thursday night, outlasting the Jazz in Salt Lake City 111-110. Even more impressive? James Johnson’s 24 points off the bench. The win gave the club back-to-back wins to end five-games-in-seven-nights stretch. That’s impressive.

22. Sacramento Kings (Overall: 7-11, Last Week: 21)

Currently 1-1 on their five-game road trip, DeMarcus Cousins and his 36-point, 20-rebound effort couldn’t get the job done against the Wizards in Monday’s 101-95 overtime loss. With stops remaining in Boston, New York and Dallas, we think these guys would be fortunate to nab two out of the next three.

21. Orlando Magic (Overall: 7-12, Last Week: 23)

With reports coming out of Orlando that suggest heads may roll if things don’t improve, the Magic went down to San Antonio and broke a four-game losing streak by shocking Kawhi Leonard’s team. The win was their first at the Spurs since 2009 and just the fourth in their last 28 games in the house that Tim Duncan built. After that, we don’t even care about Thursday’s loss at the Grizzlies.

20. Denver Nuggets (Overall: 7-11, Last Week: 18)

With the emergence of Jusuf Nurkic and Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets clearly have a few too many forwards and not enough minutes to go around, especially with Wilson Chandler leading the club with 18.2 points per game. Quick shout to Jamal Murray, who was named the West’s Rookie of the Month for November.

19. Indiana Pacers (Overall: 9-10, Last Week: 17)

One of the most disappointing teams so far this season, the Pacers began their five-game trip with a 131-109 loss at the Blazers. They’re giving up the 25th most points per game in the league and rank 15th in defensive efficiency. Not exactly a recipe for success.

18. Portland Trail Blazers (Overall: 10-10, Last Week: 16)

Quietly, the Blazers haven’t won back-to-back games since they beat the Nuggets back on Nov. 13. The team has a $120 million payroll and is struggling to remain atop the division. Them’s the breaks when you’re allowing 113.5 points per game (29th in the league) and are dead last in defensive efficiency (they give up 113.4 per 100 possessions). They still seem fairly mediocre.

17. Boston Celtics (Overall: 10-8, Last Week: 12)

Let’s hope Al Horford’s season ends much better than it has begun. There are a ton of numbers we can point out as it relates to the Celtics, but for now, we’ll focus on two: eight and 44. That’s the total number of games Horford has played and the percentage of Celtics games he’s played in. Not good.

16. Milwaukee Bucks (Overall: 9-8, Last Week: 19)

With the 111-93 win at the Nets on Thursday night, Jason Kidd improved to 4-1 coaching against his former team at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. In terms on what happened on the court, Giannis Antenokounmpo is the truth! He had 23 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, four steals and zero turnovers.

15. Detroit Pistons (Overall: 10-10, Last Week: 20)

Stan Van Gundy’s team has won four of their last five and are expecting Reggie Jackson back soon. The young guard participated in a full practice on Monday and his return seems imminent. In the interim, Ish Smith has given the Pistons good minutes, averaging 13.6 points, 4.6 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game over his last five.

14. New York Knicks (Overall: 9-9, Last Week: 14)

Don’t look now, but the Knicks are 6-3 in their last nine and just outlasted the T-Wolves and a 47-point, 18-rebound effort from Karl-Anthony Towns. Kristaps Porzingis had 29 points, eight boards and four assists, but the most welcomed sight for Knicks fans? Carmelo Anthony hitting game-winning shots in two recent games, against the Wolves and the Hornets last Friday.

13. Chicago Bulls (Overall: 10-7, Last Week: 13)

Impressively enough, the Bulls went 4-2 on their six-game road trip and have quietly played 11 of their 17 games on the road. Call it crazy, but even though these guys haven’t won consecutive games in over two weeks, they seem to be in pretty good shape.

12. Los Angeles Lakers (Overall: 10-10, Last Week: 10)

In Wednesday night’s 96-90 win at the Bulls, the starters for the Lakers were outscored by the bench, 56-40. Sitting pretty at .500, even without D’Angelo Russell, these guys are finding ways to win games. If you don’t truly believe that Luke Walton is changing the culture for these Lakers, you might be a hater.

11. Atlanta Hawks (Overall: 10-9, Last Week: 6)

Losers of seven of their last eight, the Hawks have sputtered. More concerning than the losses, though, are Paul Millsap’s concerns over his left hip. Millsap missed Wednesday’s 109-107 loss at the Suns and the club wasn’t able to pull out a win, even after getting 31 points from Dennis Schroder. Let’s hope he’s back soon.

10. Utah Jazz (Overall: 11-9, Last Week: 15)

Gordon Hayward didn’t get enough help on Thursday night, as the Jazz dropped a 111-110 home loss to the HEAT. The loss snapped the club’s four-game win streak. Rudy Gobert only registered six points, ending a double-double streak for him that was also at four games. Coincidence? Probably not.

9. Memphis Grizzlies (Overall: 12-8, Last Week: 7)

All eyes are on (and all prayers are with) Mike Conley, one of the league’s warmest and most personable players. Conley suffered a vertebral fracture in the team’s 104-85 home loss to the Hornets on Monday. Andrew Harrison may be starting for the foreseeable future, and his 16-point, six-assist averages through two may be a tiny saving grace.

8. Charlotte Hornets (Overall: 11-8, Last Week: 9)

Team Kemba has responded to their four-game losing streak by winning three straight. Their latest victims were the Mavs on Thursday night, 97-87. You’d think a 3-4 stretch isn’t that great, but the skid of the Hawks has the Hornets somewhat improbably leading the Southeast.

7. Oklahoma City Thunder (Overall: 12-8, Last Week: 11)

With nine triple-doubles in his team’s first 20 games, Russell Westbrook has everyone talking. Even more impressive than his averaging a triple-double, though, is the fact that over his past five games, he’s averaging 13.4 rebounds and 13.2 assists. Best of all? After winning four straight, the Thunder are atop the Northwest Division.

6. Houston Rockets (Overall: 12-7, Last Week: 8)

James Harden’s 29 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists on Thursday night gave him his fourth triple-double of the season and helped the Rockets end the 12-game win streak of the mighty Warriors. The Rockets shot 14-for-44 from distance and have hit at least 10 three-pointers in 18 games this season. That’s an NBA record.

5. Cleveland Cavaliers (Overall: 13-4, Last Week: 4)

It was all good just a week ago… the Cavs suffered a 17-point loss to the Bucks on Tuesday and followed it up with a 113-94 home loss to the Clippers on Thursday. They’ve quietly played just six road games thus far and we fear they may get bored with their superiority out East. No panic, but we’ve gotta point out that the sense of urgency has been missing lately.

4. Toronto Raptors (Overall: 12-6, Last Week: 5)

The Raptors have won four in a row and lead the Celtics and Knicks by two and three games in the division, respectfully. One issue is that they rank just 25th in defensive efficiency, a far cry from last season’s rank of 11th. Quietly, our biggest concern for the Raps is their relatively weak strength of schedule, though they did best the Rockets recently.

3. Los Angeles Clippers (Overall: 15-5, Last Week: 1)

Thursday’s pummeling of the Cavs was a feel-good win for the Clips that reminded everyone how good they are, but that in and of itself could not excuse last week’s three consecutive losses to the Pistons, Pacers and Nets. They’ll live to fight for numero uno another day, but for now, the reign at the top stops at three weeks.

2. San Antonio Spurs (Overall: 15-4, Last Week: 3)

Somehow, the Spurs have managed to win their first 11 road games while somehow going just 4-4 at home in San Antonio. The loss to the Magic on Tuesday leaves a bad taste in our mouths, but the Spurs have won 10 of their last 11 and quietly clock in with the second-best record in the league. Our only concern? They’re just 13th in the league in defensive efficiency.

1. Golden State Warriors (Overall: 16-3, Last Week: 2)

Even with the 12-game win streak coming to an end at the hands of the Rockets on Thursday night, the Dubs are the beneficiary of futility at the top. Thanks to three losses by the Clips, two by the Cavs and the Spurs’ home loss to the Magic, the owners of the best record in the league backed in to number one. Food for thought: In the loss to the Rockets, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson shot 13-for-42 from the field, and GS still probably should have won the game. They’re THAT good.

With the Warriors backing into the top spot, the Thunder storming and the Hawks descending, there was a fair amount of movement with regards to league’s Top 10 teams. The latter third featured much of the same, so check back next week to see whose stock rises and falls.