NBA power rankings: New No. 1; LeBron’s injury; Kings strengthen playoff position out West

With less than six weeks remaining in the NBA’s regular season, there is a new No. 1 in the Eastern Conference and a wild playoff race in the West.

The Milwaukee Bucks have won 16 in a row to overtake the Boston Celtics for the top spot in The Sacramento Bee’s latest power rankings. The Bucks lead the Celtics by a half-game in the East with 20 games remaining.

The Denver Nuggets have opened up a five-game lead over the Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference. The Sacramento Kings, led by NBA Coach of the Year candidate Mike Brown, are beginning to look like a playoff lock after moving 11 games over .500 going into Friday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Kings have won four in a row and seven of their last 10 to strengthen their hold on the No. 3 seed in the West — three games ahead of the fourth-place Phoenix Suns — but the rest of the race remains tightly bunched.

Only 4 ½ games separate the Suns and the 12^th-place Portland Trail Blazers. The Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz, New Orleans Pelicans, Los Angeles Lakers and Blazers, all vying for four play-in spots, are separated by only 2 ½ games.

The Lakers are only one game out of the play-in with 19 games to go, but they will have to gain ground without the services of LeBron James. The team released a medical update Thursday’s regarding the NBA’s new all-time scoring leader.

“LeBron James has been evaluated by Lakers team physicians and medical staff, and it has been determined that he has sustained a right foot tendon injury,” the team said. “James will be reevaluated in approximately three weeks.”

Based on that timeline, James will likely miss games at least 10 more games against the Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors, Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors, New York Knicks, Pelicans, Houston Rockets, Mavericks, Orlando Magic and Suns. Where will the Lakers be if and when James is ready to return?

Time will tell. In the meantime, here’s a look at our latest power rankings.

* Through games played 3/1

1. Milwaukee Bucks (45-17)

Last week: 2

2. Boston Celtics (45-18)

Last week: 1

3. Denver Nuggets (44-19)

Last week: 3

4. Philadelphia 76ers (40-21)

Last week: 4

5. Memphis Grizzlies (38-23)

Last week: 6

6. Cleveland Cavaliers (39-26)

Last week: 5

7. Sacramento Kings (36-25)

Last week: 8

8. New York Knicks (37-27)

Last week: 9

9. Phoenix Suns (34-29)

Last week: 10

10. Brooklyn Nets (34-28)

Last week: 7

11. Miami Heat (33-30)

Last week: 11

12. Golden State Warriors (32-30)

Last week: 16

13. Los Angeles Clippers (33-31)

Last week: 12

14. Dallas Mavericks (32-31)

Last week: 13

15. Minnesota Timberwolves (32-32)

Last week: 14

16. Atlanta Hawks (31-31)

Last week: 18

17. Toronto Raptors (31-32)

Last week: 21

18. New Orleans Pelicans (31-32)

Last week: 15

19. Utah Jazz (31-32)

Last week: 19

20. Los Angeles Lakers (30-33)

Last week: 23

21. Washington Wizards (29-32)

Last week: 22

22. Portland Trail Blazers (29-33)

Last week: 20

23. Chicago Bulls (29-34)

Last week: 24

24. Oklahoma City Thunder (28-34)

Last week: 17

25. Indiana Pacers (28-35)

Last week: 25

26. Orlando Magic (26-37)

Last week: 26

27. Charlotte Hornets (20-44)

Last week: 27

28. San Antonio Spurs (15-47)

Last week: 29

29. Detroit Pistons (15-48)

Last week: 28

30. Houston Rockets (13-49)

Last week: 30

Jason Anderson

The Sacramento Bee

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Jason Anderson has been the Sacramento Kings beat writer for The Sacramento Bee since 2018. He is a Sacramento native who is proud to provide coverage that is as passionate and dedicated as the loyal Kings fan base.