NBA

NBA Week 4 Power Rankings: Utah Jazz Enter Top 3 As The Best Team In The West

Elijah Hughes

It’s an off day for all 30 NBA teams today and the entire league played last night. The Milwaukee Bucks lost their first game of the season and the Cleveland Cavaliers seven game win streak came to and end with a loss to the Clippers. 

The Utah Jazz are 9-3 and have the best record in the Western Conference right now. They’ve won five of their last six games and NBA betting sites have the Jazz at (+8000) to win the Finals.

Other teams like the Atlanta Hawks have snuck their way into the top 10. The Hawks have played tough all season and have lost some close games. They’ve won five of their last seven games and are first place in the Southeast Division.

NBA Power Rankings: Week 4

1. Milwaukee Bucks (9-1) 

The Milwaukee Bucks lost their first game of the season last night to the Atlanta Hawks. Regardless, the Bucks are still number one in our power rankings. Milwaukee is lead by Giannis Antetokounmpo, who’s the favorite as of now to win league MVP. The Bucks only have one back-to-back between now and January, so the team will be able to get rest they need on the days they don’t play. Khris Middleton still has to make his return for the Bucks.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers (8-2) 

Cleveland has looked like a serious contender in the East through roughly the first four weeks. Donovan Mitchell carried the team while they waited for Darius Garland to return. Michell leads the team in scoring with (31.2) points and Garland leads the team in assists (8.5) per game for the Cavs. They lost just their second game of the season last night to the LA Clippers.

3. Utah Jazz (9-3) 

The Utah Jazz have the best record in the Western Conference right now and have been on fire lately. Utah has won five of their last six games and are first place in the Northwest Division. The Jazz have not played a team from the East yet, but will have their first chance on Wednesday at 7:30pm when they take on the Hawks. Their team has multiple scoring options with six players averaging double-digit assists.

4. Phoenix Suns (7-3) 

Phoenix Suns SF Cam Johnson had surgery to repair a torn meniscus and is expected to miss about one to two months. The team had a rough game last night in a loss to the 76ers, 100-88. Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and Mikal Bridges have started all 10 games for the Suns so far this season. Booker leads the team in scoring with (27.1) points per game.

5. Boston Celtics (7-3)

The Boston Celtics won a tough game vs the Grizzlies on the road last night to improve to 7-3. It came down to some clutch free throws from Jayson Tatum to take the 109-106 victory. Boston has won four of their last five games and look to keep the momentum going. Reigning DPOY Marcus Smart leads the Celtics is assists (6.5) per game this season and is proving to be a valuable two-way player for Boston this season. He plays the third most minutes per game of all Celtics players.

6. Portland Trail Blazers (7-3)

Portland started the season 4-0 and have since gone .500 to have a 7-3 record. Two of their wins this season came against a strong contender in the West, the Phoenix Suns. They first beat them by one point in OT in October and recently beat them last Friday, 108-106. Anfernee Simons and Jerami Grant have played valuable minutes for the Blazers while they wait for Damian Lillards return.

7. Denver Nuggets (7-3) 

Denver has won five of their last six games and will play their first Eastern Conference opponent in their next game vs Indiana. Nikola Jokic still leads the team in points (20.9), rebounds (10.5), and assists (9.3) per game, but has not had to shoulder as much of the scoring duties this season. The Nuggets have seven different players who average double-digit points for the team this season. Having depth at all positions is key in the NBA.

8. Memphis Grizzlies (7-4)

The Memphis Grizzlies are .500 in their last six games after a 4-1 start. Yesterday’s 109-106 loss to the Celtics was the Grizzlies first loss in November this season. Ja Morant and Desmond Bane have been the one-two punch for Memphis on offense this season. Both of them are the only players on the team to play at least 30 minutes per game. Morant leads the team with (28.0) points per game.

9. Dallas Mavericks (6-3)

Dallas has won five of their last six games and have been lead by MVP candidate, Luka Doncic. He had his ninth straight game yesterday with 30 plus points to begin the season. Doncic leads the league in scoring with (36.0) points per game. He also leads the Mavericks in rebounds, assists, and steals per game. The Mavs next game is against a 2-9 Orlando Magic squad.

10. Atlanta Hawks (7-3)

The Atlanta Hawks have won five of their last seven games and handed the Milwaukee Bucks their first loss of the season last night. Atlanta was without Trae Young for the game and Dejounte Murray stepped up huge for the team. The Hawks are first place in the Southeast Division and will play their next game against the best team in the West; the 9-3 Utah Jazz.

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Zach Wolpin
Sports Editor

Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.

All posts by Zach Wolpin
Author photo
Zach Wolpin Sports Editor

Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.

All posts by Zach Wolpin