Power Rankings, Week 20: Grizzlies enter Top 5 as season nears 4th quarter
Jae Crowder faced off against his former team on Sunday as the Bucks won their 14th straight game.
We’re just four days past the All-Star break, but also just two days from the 3/4 mark of the season, which will come Tuesday night.
Urgency is high across the league, especially in the Western Conference, where there are still just three games in the loss column separating the fourth-place Phoenix Suns (33-29) from the 13th-place Oklahoma City Thunder (28-32). Kawhi Leonard is finally playing heavy minutes, LeBron James is trying to fight through injury, and Kevin Durant is expected to make his Suns debut this week.
The Eastern Conference remains the stronger conference, with its power concentrated up top. But seeds are still very much up for grabs up and down the standings, and the streaking New York Knicks suddenly have a chance at home-court advantage in the first round.
On the first run-through, there were several candidates (Boston, Miami, New York, Minnesota and more) for this week’s “Team to Watch,” so it’s a big week across the league, one that could go a long way in determining where teams ultimately land in the standings.
Plus-Minus Players of the Week
- Right Way: DeMar DeRozan (CHI) was a plus-64 in two games last week.
- Wrong Way: Devonte’ Graham (SAS) was a minus-51 in two games last week.
Teams of the Week
- Make It Last Forever: Atlanta (2-0) — The new coach goes 2-0 (with both wins coming against teams ahead of his in the standings) and they immediately replace him!
- Something Just Ain’t Right: Miami (0-2) — The Heat didn’t get the memo about this being the most efficient offensive season in NBA history.
East vs. West
- The East is 188-167 (.530) against the West in interconference games after going 5-1 in Week 19.
Schedule strength through Week 19
- Toughest: 1. Detroit, 2. Charlotte, 3. Houston
- Easiest: 1. Sacramento, 2. Philadelphia, 3. Minnesota
- Schedule strength is based on cumulative opponent record, and adjusted for home vs. away and days of rest before a game.
Movement in the Rankings
- High jumps of the week: Atlanta (+5), L.A. Lakers (+4), Utah (+3)
- Free falls of the week: Washington (-4), LA Clippers (-3), Oklahoma City (-3)
Week 20 Team to Watch
- Golden State — The Warriors have been without three starters, and it’s unclear if they’ll have Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins or Draymond Green at all this week. But no matter who they have, they’ve got to survive what may be the most critical stretch of their season. Their five-game homestand concludes with games against the 11th-place Blazers (who they lead by just a game and a half) on Tuesday, the Clippers on Thursday and the 10th-place Pelicans on Friday. Then they begin a three-game trip with a visit to the 12th-place Lakers on Sunday afternoon.
Previous Power Rankings
- Last week: Streaking Bucks rise to No. 1 after All-Star break
- Schedule breakdown: Clippers, Sixers face toughest roads over final 6 weeks
- This time last year: Heat face critical week while West chase tightens — The James Harden era in Philly was off to a great start, but the Blazers had shut down Jusuf Nurkic and lost their first two post-break games by a total of 69 points. Jalen Suggs tossed the ball off the glass to himself and Ja Morant’s 46 points in Chicago included a 360 layup. DeMar DeRozan hit a game-winner against the Hawks, Jayson Tatum dunked all over the Nets, and Kelly Olynyk beat the Hornets at the buzzer.
- The archive: NBA.com Power Rankings
OffRtg: Points scored per 100 possessions (League Rank)
DefRtg: Points allowed per 100 possessions (League Rank)
NetRtg: Point differential per 100 possessions (League Rank)
Pace: Possessions per 48 minutes (League Rank)
The league has averaged 113.7 points scored per 100 possessions and 99.8 possessions (per team) per 48 minutes this season.
NBA.com’s Power Rankings, released every Monday during the season, are just one man’s opinion. If you have an issue with the rankings, or have a question or comment for John Schuhmann, send him an e-mail or contact him via Twitter.
