NBA power rankings: Suns hold at No. 1, but Warriors, Bulls, Jazz, Grizzlies trade places
* Through games played 1/13
1. Phoenix Suns (31-9)
Last week: 1
Phoenix has taken some losses lately to the likes of the Warriors, Grizzlies, Celtics and Heat, but this is still the top team in the league. The Suns have won four of their last five, beating the Hornets, Pelicans, Clippers and Raptors. Devin Booker is averaging 23.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists while Chris Paul continues to perform his wizardry with averages of 14.0 points and 10.1 assists. The veteran point guard had 15 points, 12 assists and five steals in a 99-95 win over the Raptors on Tuesday.
2. Memphis Grizzlies (30-14)
Last week: 5
The Grizzlies vault three spots this week to overtake the Warriors at No. 2. Maybe this won’t last, but Memphis is the hottest team in the league right now after winning 11 in a row. Ja Morant’s hit list includes the Suns, Lakers, Nets, Cavaliers, Clippers, Lakers again, Warriors and Timberwolves. Memphis hasn’t lost a game since falling at Golden State back on Dec. 23. Big showdowns await with the Mavericks, Bulls, Bucks and Nuggets. The loss of Dillon Brooks, who is expected to be out three to five weeks with a sprained left ankle, may prove to be a big blow, but it didn’t stop the Grizzlies in wins over the Lakers, Warriors and Timberwolves.
3. Golden State Warriors (30-11)
Last week: 2
The Warriors have dropped four of five with losses to the Mavericks, Pelicans, Grizzlies and Bucks. Stephen Curry was held to 12 points in the loss to Milwaukee as his shooting struggles continued. Over his last eight games, Curry has made 54 of 204 (.265) from the field and 26 of 87 (.299) from 3-point range. Klay Thompson has appeared in three games since making his long-awaited return from ACL and Achilles injuries. He is shooting 38.7% from the field so far but has hit 38.5% from 3-point range.
4. Chicago Bulls (27-12)
Last week: 4
DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic helped the Bulls win nine in a row before taking a 113-99 loss to the Mavericks on Sunday. They bounced back by putting a 46-point beating on the Pistons, but the next night they suffered a 138-112 loss to the Nets. Chicago is really starting to miss Alex Caruso, who hasn’t played since Dec. 20 due to a foot injury and COVID-19 protocols.
5. Utah Jazz (28-14)
Last week: 3
Utah drops two spots this week after struggling with Rudy Gobert out due to NBA health and safety protocols. The Jazz has lost four in a row with losses to the Raptors, Pacers, Pistons and Cavaliers. Now Utah goes on the road to face the Nuggets and Lakers. Donovan Mitchell had 36 points against the Pacers and 31 against the Pistons, but the Jazz lost both games by double digits.
6. Miami Heat (26-15)
Last week: 7
Miami may never get healthy but the Heat keeps winning anyway. Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry, Tyler Herro, Max Strus and Omer Yurtseven have taken turns leading the Heat to victories in eight of their last 10 games. Herro had 33 points, Yurtseven had 16 rebounds and Lowry had 13 assists in a 123-100 win over the Suns on Saturday.
7. Brooklyn Nets (26-15)
Last week: 6
Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving all played in a 138-112 victory over the Bulls on Wednesday in Chicago, but Durant was held out for rest and Irving was ineligible to play in a 130-109 loss to the lowly Thunder on Thursday back in Brooklyn. The Nets have lost six of nine to fall to third in the Eastern Conference.
8. Philadelphia 76ers (23-17)
Last week: 8
Joel Embiid’s streak of eight consecutive 30-point games continued but Philadelphia’s seven-game winning streak finally ended with a 109-98 loss to the Hornets on Wednesday. Embiid has been on a rampage over the past 11 games, posting scoring totals of 32, 41, 23, 36, 36, 34, 31, 31, 31, 31 and 31.
9. Milwaukee Bucks (27-17)
Last week: 9
Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo posted a triple-double with 30 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists to lead the Bucks to a resounding 118-99 victory over the Warriors on Thursday. The Bucks needed that win after losing four of five. They are now fourth in the East, a half-game behind the Nets and Heat.
10. Dallas Mavericks (22-19)
Last week: 10
The Mavericks had won six in a row before suffering a 108-85 loss to the Knicks on the road Wednesday. Luka Doncic had 22 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists in an impressive 113-99 victory over the Bulls. He had 26 points, seven rebounds and eight assists in a win over the Warriors.
11. Cleveland Cavaliers (24-18)
Last week: 12
The Cavaliers have won four of six to show some resiliency after losing Ricky Rubio to a torn ACL. Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Kevin Love and Lamar Stevens led them to back-to-back road wins over the Kings and Jazz. They are currently sixth in the Eastern Conference, one game ahead of the Hornets.
12. Charlotte Hornets (23-19)
Last week: 13
The Hornets are hot. They beat the Pistons by 29, pulled out two close wins over the Bucks and then beat the 76ers 109-98 on Wednesday. Gordon Hayward poured in 31 points in the win over Philadelphia. Terry Rozier, Kelly Oubre Jr., LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges and P.J. Washington are all contributing.
13. Denver Nuggets (21-19)
Last week: 14
The Nuggets have won three of their last four, including a 140-108 victory over the Blazers on Thursday. Nikola Jokic had 33 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in a win over the Kings. Barton scored 21 points before going down with a neck strain in the win over Portland.
14. New York Knicks (21-21)
Last week: 15
The Knicks went four games under .500 shortly before Christmas, but they have responded well, winning four of their last five and seven of 10 dating back to their Christmas Day victory over the Hawks. RJ Barrett had 31 points in a win over the Spurs on Monday and 32 in a win over the Mavericks on Wednesday.
15. Los Angeles Lakers (21-21)
Last week: 11
LeBron James is trying to play Superman every night, but the Lakers are not performing at a high enough level without Anthony Davis. James has led the team in scoring for the past 12 games, posting point totals of 31, 34, 36, 39, 32, 38, 43, 26, 31, 32, 35 and 34. The Lakers have gone 5-7 in those games, falling to seventh in the Western Conference
16. Toronto Raptors (20-18)
Last week: 17
The Raptors won six in a row with victories over the Clippers, Knicks, Spurs, Bucks, Jazz and Pelicans before their streak ended with a hard-fought 99-95 loss to the Suns on Tuesday. Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby have helped Toronto move up to eight in the East.
17. Los Angeles Clippers (21-22)
Last week: 16
The Clippers showed a lot of fight in a dramatic victory over the Nuggets, but they followed that up with a 24-point loss to the Pelicans on Thursday. They’ve lost four of six and nine of 15. Without Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, they simply don’t have enough.
18. Washington Wizards (22-20)
Last week: 18
The Wizards are riding a three-game winning streak despite the absence of Bradley Beal, who has reentered the league’s protocol system. Kyle Kuzma had 27 points in a win over the Magic, 29 points in a victory over the Thunder and then nearly posted a triple-double in a rematch with the Magic, finishing with 19 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.
19. Boston Celtics (21-21)
Last week: 20
The Celtics struggled for a bit after Jayson Tatum went into health and safety protocols in late December, but Tatum has returned to help Jaylen Brown get Boston back on track. The Celtics have won three in a row. In Wednesday’s victory over the Pacers, Brown scored 34 points and Tatum had 33.
20. Minnesota Timberwolves (20-22)
Last week: 21
The Timberwolves have come on strong in recent weeks. They just suffered a couple of close losses to the Pelicans and Grizzlies, but they had won nine of 14 to get back to .500. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards have led the way for the Wolves, who have moved up to ninth in the Western Conference.
21. Atlanta Hawks (17-23)
Last week: 19
The Hawks have lost three in a row and seven of nine, falling to 12th in the Eastern Conference after going to the conference finals last season. Trading Cam Reddish to the Knicks for Kevin Knox II and a 2025 second-round pick won’t fix anything.
22. Portland Trail Blazers (16-25)
Last week: 25
It’s a struggle, but Anfernee Simons, Ben McLemore and Jusuf Nurkic are doing everything they can to help the Blazers remain competitive without Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. They scratched out a win over the Hawks, embarrassed the Kings and somehow knocked off the Nets before getting blown out by the Nuggets on Thursday.
23. Sacramento Kings (17-27)
Last week: 23
The Kings snapped a five-game losing streak with a win over the Lakers on Wednesday. De’Aaron Fox led the way with 29 points. He had 28 points or more in eight of his last 16 games, including five 30-point games. Tyrese Haliburton is taking a step forward, too, but this team desperately needs to make a move before the trade deadline.
24. Indiana Pacers (15-27)
Last week: 24
Indiana is in desperate need of a shakeup with trade winds swirling around Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner and Caris LeVert. The Pacers are last in the league in attendance and they’ve lost eight of their last nine games.
25. San Antonio Spurs (15-26)
Last week: 22
The Spurs won four of five with victories over the Jazz, Clippers and Lakers in late December, but they’ve lost eight of nine since then, including a 128-124 loss to the Rockets on Wednesday despite 32 points from Dejounte Murray.
26. New Orleans Pelicans (15-26)
Last week: 26
Zion Williamson’s recovery from foot surgery continues to drag out, but New Orleans still has Brandon Ingram, who scored a total of 65 points in wins over the Warriors and Timberwolves over the past week.
27. Oklahoma City Thunder (14-27)
Last week: 27
Oklahoma City had lost five in a row and seven of eight, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put an end to that. The 23-year-old point guard put up 33 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists to lead the Thunder to a stunning 130-109 victory over the Nets on Thursday.
28. Detroit Pistons (9-31)
Last week: 29
Saddiq Bey scored 29 points to help the Pistons pull off a surprising upset against Utah on Monday. Detroit has won four of seven with wins over the Spurs, Bucks, Magic and Jazz.
29. Houston Rockets (12-31)
Last week: 28
Eric Gordon scored 31 points in a rare win over the Spurs on Wednesday, but the Rockets had lost three in a row and 11 of 12. Promising rookie Alperen Sengun has missed the past seven games with a sprained ankle.
30. Orlando Magic (7-35)
Last week: 30
Franz Wagner continues to look like a leading Rookie of the Year candidate and Jalen Suggs could soon return from a thumb injury, but the Magic is still a mess after losing 10 in a row and 17 of 19.
This story was originally published January 14, 2022 at 4:00 AM.
