NBA power rankings: All-Star Weekend, playoff races and remaining strength of schedules
Greetings from Salt Lake City, where the NBA’s brightest stars and best young players are converging for All-Star Weekend.
We have Rising Stars and we have All-Stars. We have the aerial artistry of the Slam Dunk contest, a collection of sharpshooters in the 3-Point Contest and 24 of the top up-and-coming players from the G League.
The league will take a break from the increasing intensity of the Eastern and Western Conference playoff races to enjoy three days of All-Star festivities, but then it’s back to the grind. The last seven weeks of the regular season will be a sprint to the finish with teams jockeying for play-in spots, playoff positioning and homecourt advantage.
The Boston Celtics are still No. 1 in the East, but the Milwaukee Bucks are just a half-game back after winning 12 in a row. The Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks round out the top six, but the Miami Heat is just a half-game behind the Knicks, hoping to avoid the play-in.
The race out West promises to be a wild one. Two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets have opened up a five-game lead over the Memphis Grizzlies for the No. 1 seed. The Sacramento Kings, who have staged a remarkable turnaround under first-year coach Mike Brown, are third, three games behind the Grizzlies.
This is where the race gets really crazy. Only four games separate the third-seeded Kings from the 12th-place Portland Trail Blazers. The Los Angeles Lakers, who expect to climb back into contention after making a series of moves at the trade deadline, are 1 ½ games behind the Blazers.
The teams in the East with the toughest remaining schedules are the 76ers (.541), Atlanta Hawks (.522) and Toronto Raptors (.518). The teams in the West with the most difficult remaining schedules are the Los Angeles Clippers (.525), Kings (.521) and Phoenix Suns (.517).
The easiest remaining schedules belong to the Dallas Mavericks (.467), Detroit Pistons (.472), New Orleans Pelicans (.473) and Cavaliers (.480).
Here’s a look at our latest power rankings while we catch our breath before the stretch run begins.
* Through games played 2/16
1. Boston Celtics (42-17)
Last week: 1
2. Milwaukee Bucks (41-17)
Last week: 2
3. Denver Nuggets (41-18)
Last week: 3
4. Philadelphia 76ers (38-19)
Last week: 4
5. Cleveland Cavaliers (38-23)
Last week: 5
6. Memphis Grizzlies (35-22)
Last week: 6
7. Brooklyn Nets (34-24)
Last week: 7
8. Sacramento Kings (32-25)
Last week: 8
9. New York Knicks (33-27)
Last week: 12
10. Phoenix Suns (32-28)
Last week: 11
11. Miami Heat (32-27)
Last week: 9
12. Los Angeles Clippers (33-28)
Last week: 13
13. Dallas Mavericks (31-29)
Last week: 10
14. Minnesota Timberwolves (31-30)
Last week: 14
15. New Orleans Pelicans (30-29)
Last week: 16
16. Golden State Warriors (29-29)
Last week: 15
17. Oklahoma City Thunder (28-29)
Last week: 19
18. Atlanta Hawks (29-30)
Last week: 17
19. Utah Jazz (29-31)
Last week: 18
20. Portland Trail Blazers (28-30)
Last week: 20
21. Toronto Raptors (28-31)
Last week: 23
22. Washington Wizards (28-30)
Last week: 21
23. Los Angeles Lakers (27-32)
Last week: 24
24. Chicago Bulls (26-33)
Last week: 22
25. Indiana Pacers (26-34)
Last week: 25
26. Orlando Magic (24-35)
Last week: 26
27. Charlotte Hornets (17-43)
Last week: 28
28. Detroit Pistons (15-44)
Last week: 27
29. San Antonio Spurs (14-45)
Last week: 29
30. Houston Rockets (13-45)
Last week: 30
