Power Rankings, Week 13: Cavs enter Top 5 as season reaches midpoint
The Cavs have been hot on offense lately, punctuated by Donovan Mitchell’s incredible 71-point game.
The 2022-23 NBA season is just about halfway done.
The official midpoint of the season will be Tuesday, when five of the night’s seven games are complete, giving us 615 of 1,230 in the books. Of course, not every team is at the same point. Through Sunday, three teams – Detroit (43), Utah (43) and the Clippers (42) – have already surpassed the midway point of the season, while seven others have played exactly 41 of their 82 games.
Strength of schedule hasn’t been even, either. As we enter Week 13, the Toronto Raptors have played 24 games against the 13 teams that currently have winning records, while the Miami Heat (one of those 13 teams) have only played 12 games against that group. The New Orleans Pelicans have played 22 of their 40 games at home, while the Portland Trail Blazers have played 24 of their 39 on the road.
So here’s a quick look at the schedules, played vs. unplayed, for the Eastern Conference …
Eastern Conference schedules, played vs. unplayed
| Played | Unplayed | Diff. | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | H | R | B2B | OppPCT | Rank | H | R | B2B | OppPCT | Rank | OppPCT | Rank |
| Atlanta | 19 | 21 | 5 | 0.487 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 8 | 0.510 | 5 | 0.022 | 6 |
| Boston | 20 | 20 | 6 | 0.489 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 7 | 0.492 | 10 | 0.003 | 9 |
| Brooklyn | 18 | 22 | 7 | 0.494 | 16 | 23 | 19 | 7 | 0.498 | 8 | 0.004 | 8 |
| Charlotte | 19 | 22 | 6 | 0.527 | 2 | 22 | 19 | 6 | 0.490 | 11 | -0.037 | 12 |
| Chicago | 20 | 20 | 8 | 0.525 | 5 | 21 | 20 | 7 | 0.485 | 13 | -0.040 | 13 |
| Cleveland | 22 | 19 | 6 | 0.498 | 14 | 19 | 22 | 6 | 0.488 | 12 | -0.010 | 10 |
| Detroit | 19 | 24 | 9 | 0.527 | 3 | 21 | 17 | 4 | 0.495 | 9 | -0.032 | 11 |
| Indiana | 22 | 19 | 7 | 0.498 | 13 | 19 | 22 | 7 | 0.502 | 7 | 0.004 | 7 |
| Miami | 20 | 20 | 7 | 0.485 | 24 | 21 | 20 | 7 | 0.516 | 3 | 0.031 | 3 |
| Milwaukee | 21 | 18 | 4 | 0.483 | 27 | 20 | 23 | 9 | 0.508 | 6 | 0.024 | 4 |
| New York | 20 | 20 | 6 | 0.485 | 25 | 21 | 21 | 6 | 0.518 | 2 | 0.033 | 2 |
| Orlando | 22 | 18 | 7 | 0.491 | 19 | 19 | 23 | 6 | 0.515 | 4 | 0.024 | 5 |
| Philadelphia | 22 | 17 | 6 | 0.475 | 29 | 19 | 24 | 7 | 0.523 | 1 | 0.049 | 1 |
| Toronto | 22 | 18 | 6 | 0.530 | 1 | 19 | 23 | 6 | 0.483 | 15 | -0.047 | 15 |
| Washington | 17 | 23 | 8 | 0.526 | 4 | 24 | 18 | 6 | 0.485 | 14 | -0.041 | 14 |
H | R = Home and road
B2B = Back-to-backs
OppPCT = Cumulative opponent winning percentage (based on records through Jan. 8)
Rank: 1 = toughest, 15 = easiest
And for the West …
Western Conference schedules, played vs. unplayed
| Played | Unplayed | Diff. | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | H | R | B2B | OppPCT | Rank | H | R | B2B | OppPCT | Rank | OppPCT | Rank |
| Dallas | 22 | 19 | 8 | 0.501 | 11 | 19 | 22 | 5 | 0.491 | 13 | -0.009 | 13 |
| Denver | 19 | 20 | 5 | 0.482 | 28 | 22 | 21 | 7 | 0.498 | 10 | 0.016 | 5 |
| Golden State | 21 | 19 | 8 | 0.486 | 23 | 20 | 22 | 7 | 0.510 | 3 | 0.024 | 2 |
| Houston | 20 | 20 | 6 | 0.516 | 7 | 21 | 21 | 7 | 0.507 | 5 | -0.009 | 12 |
| L.A. Clippers | 20 | 22 | 9 | 0.470 | 30 | 21 | 19 | 6 | 0.523 | 1 | 0.053 | 1 |
| L.A. Lakers | 18 | 22 | 6 | 0.491 | 18 | 23 | 19 | 6 | 0.511 | 2 | 0.020 | 3 |
| Memphis | 19 | 20 | 5 | 0.484 | 26 | 22 | 21 | 7 | 0.493 | 11 | 0.009 | 8 |
| Minnesota | 21 | 20 | 6 | 0.489 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 8 | 0.506 | 6 | 0.018 | 4 |
| New Orleans | 22 | 18 | 6 | 0.496 | 15 | 19 | 23 | 6 | 0.492 | 12 | -0.003 | 10 |
| Oklahoma City | 22 | 18 | 5 | 0.517 | 6 | 19 | 23 | 8 | 0.488 | 14 | -0.030 | 15 |
| Phoenix | 21 | 20 | 5 | 0.500 | 12 | 20 | 21 | 7 | 0.510 | 4 | 0.010 | 7 |
| Portland | 15 | 24 | 6 | 0.494 | 17 | 26 | 17 | 8 | 0.506 | 7 | 0.012 | 6 |
| Sacramento | 20 | 18 | 6 | 0.504 | 9 | 21 | 23 | 9 | 0.485 | 15 | -0.019 | 14 |
| San Antonio | 21 | 18 | 8 | 0.508 | 8 | 19 | 23 | 6 | 0.504 | 8 | -0.004 | 11 |
| Utah | 19 | 24 | 11 | 0.502 | 10 | 22 | 17 | 4 | 0.502 | 9 | 0.000 | 9 |
H | R = Home and road
B2B = Back-to-backs
OppPCT = Cumulative opponent winning percentage (based on records through Jan. 8)
Rank: 1 = toughest, 15 = easiest
The Philadelphia 76ers have been playing well and should be considered a contender in the East. But they’ve got the league’s toughest schedule going forward, with 23 of their 43 remaining games against the other 12 teams that currently have winning records. Of course, none of those games is this week, good news for a team dealing with an injury to its MVP candidate.
Speaking of which, the biggest news for Week 13 may be the results of the MRI on Kevin Durant’s right knee. The Brooklyn Nets continue to win and remain at No. 3 in this week’s Power Rankings, but obviously need their star to keep it going in the right direction.
Plus-Minus Players of the Week
- Right Way: Kyle Anderson (MIN) was a plus-54 in four games last week.
- Wrong Way: Kevin Porter Jr. (HOU) was a minus-64 in four games last week.
Teams of the Week
- Make It Last Forever: Minnesota (4-0) — The Wolves’ win over Denver on Monday was schedule-aided, but they followed it up with wins over the Blazers, Clippers and Rockets.
- Something Just Ain’t Right: LA Clippers (0-4) — Only 40 games left for the Clippers to start putting it all together.
East vs. West
- The East is 121-116 (.511) against the West in interconference games after going 19-11 in Week 12.
Schedule strength through Week 12
- Toughest: 1. Washington, 2. Detroit, 3. Chicago
- Easiest: 1. Philadelphia, 2. Milwaukee, 3. LA Clippers
- 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: L.A. Lakers (+8), Chicago (+6), New York (+5)
- Free falls of the week: Phoenix (-8), LA Clippers (-7), Portland (-7)
Week 13 Team to Watch
- LA Clippers — Only four teams received votes to win the 2022-23 title in this year’s GM Survey: the Bucks (43%), the Warriors (25%), the Clippers (21%) and the Celtics (11%). The two Eastern Conference teams have been good, but the two in the West both sit at .500 with the season about halfway done. The Warriors will certainly have the spotlight back on them when Stephen Curry returns, but the Clippers (with Paul George dealing with a hamstring issue) are looking shakier. They’ve lost six straight games and got absolutely thumped by the Nuggets with George and Kawhi Leonard in the lineup four days ago. The Clips have two more big games within the West this week, hosting the Mavs on Tuesday (10:30 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass) and those same Nuggets on Friday (10 p.m. ET, ESPN). They’ll then get a visit from the last-place Rockets on Sunday afternoon.
Previous Power Rankings
- Last week: Nuggets climb to No. 1 to begin new year
- Thursday’s notebook: Historic pace for 40-point games
- This time last year: Grizzlies take flight as Warriors stay at No. 1 — The Grizzlies were nine games into an 11-game winning streak and Ja Morant had the most ridiculous block in recent memory. Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson each made their season debuts, and the Cavs became the first team to match its win total from the previous season. Lance Stephenson scored 20 points in the first quarter against Brooklyn, Cam Thomas hit a game-winner against the Spurs, and RJ Barrett beat the buzzer to beat the Celtics, who were then 18-21.
- 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 112.9 points scored per 100 possessions and 100.0 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.
