As of now, there are officially 61 days until the end of the season on May 16, and as teams either prep for making their rosters stronger for the postseason or set a foundation for the draft or free agency, the opportunity exists this week with the Trade Deadline officially commencing on Thursday, March 25, 2021.

Slipping teams that desperately need a lineup adjustment like the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, and New Orleans Pelicans are said to be aggressive before Thursday’s transaction period, and several names like Lonzo Ball, Victor Oladipo, and John Collins are just some of the names that scratch the surface of the Deadline picture. It’s going to get hectic, like every season’s deadline, so be sure to check out our Trade Deadline preview that’ll be updated by the minute on Thursday.

The Brooklyn Nets saw Blake Griffin set foot on the floor of the Barclays Center in a win over Washington, and for the first time since 2019, he rose up and finished at the rim. Brooklyn looks to overtake the No.1 spot atop the rankings in the East as Kyrie Irving and James Harden continue to dominate and grow their indomitable chemistry.

But for the rest of the league, injuries have reared their homely head, as the injury bug has claimed yet two more victims: Rookie of the Year lock LaMelo Ball, (fractured wrist) and MVP candidate LeBron James (high ankle sprain).

Ball will miss the rest of the season, making what’s been so sweet of a season for the Charlotte Hornets has quickly turned sour. The injury to Ball, who had been averaging 15.9 points a game and had helped to make the Hornets one of the most exciting teams to watch this season, is the type of injury that can kill any momentum of a playoff push before the season ends. The same, in a way, could be said for the Lakers, who will have neither LeBron James nor Anthony Davis for an undisclosed amount of time. Davis, who is recovering from Achilles soreness, won’t be back for a Lakers team that looks out of sorts when their two best players aren’t on the court.

Throw in the wrinkle of the Utah Jazz stumbling out of the blocks following the All-Star break, and now the race for the top seed in the West is more open than you could imagine.

There’s a lot of madness going on as we enter the final week of March, so let’s go into detail where each team ranks heading into the 13th week of play.

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1. Philadelphia 76ers (30-13, Last Week’s Ranking: 4)

Just like last week, the Philadelphia 76ers hang tough for another week without Joel Embiid engineering the offense, going 3-1 in the extended week and 8-2 in their last 10 games. Their only loss came by way of an overtime loss to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks as the reigning MVP scored in every which way in the extra time period, which only happened due to some last-second heroics from Furkan Korkmaz who drilled a game-tying three with just seconds on the clock. They’ve looked like they haven’t missed a beat offensively, still posting an “okay” 105.6 offensive rating in their last four games but have absolutely hampered down defensively, posting a 99.7 defensive rating. They’ll head west this weekend, dueling with the Warriors, Lakers, and Clippers, and by this time next week, they could be adding a specific piece to their guard department ahead of the deadline.

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2. Brooklyn Nets (29-14, Last Week’s Ranking: 2)

Blake Griffin’s debut for the Brooklyn Nets wasn’t quite the most groundbreaking reveal – credit Griffin with only two points off two shot attempts and a couple of rebounds to supply on the stat line – but it’s going to be quintessential that the Nets factor the 6’8 Forward into primary and secondary lineups, especially during the anticipation of Kevin Durant’s return. With only a 1.5-game gap between them and the injury-plagued Philadelphia 76ers at the moment, the NBA’s top-ranked offense must gain a sense of knowledge of where Griffin is in his game. If he can resemble his former self, that’s a huge X factor for Brooklyn’s bench.

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3. Utah Jazz (31-11, Last Week’s Ranking: 1)

The Jazz have gone 6-6 since their 24-5 start and are ranked 21st in defensive efficiency during that period (113.9 points allowed per 100 possessions). They’re skidding, regardless of their win over Chicago on Monday night. And with the West tightening up, the margin for error for the team with the league’s best record is slim. After a defeat to the Wizards on Thursday, Rudy Gobert said, “We need to realize that we haven’t achieved s—-. We get upset when people laugh at us on TV and disrespect us. It’s on us to respect ourselves. We’re not the champions. We’re not a team that can just cruise and turn it on come playoff time. We have to stay hungry.”

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4. Phoenix Suns (28-13, Last Week’s Ranking: 3)

Suns point guard Chris Paul became a member of an exclusive club during Sunday’s game against the Lakers. Paul joined John Stockton (15,806), Jason Kidd (12,091), Steve Nash (10,335), Mark Jackson (10,334), and Magic Johnson as the sixth player in NBA history to hit 10,000 career assists (10,141). Paul will overtake Johnson later this season based on his current average. As it stands in the West, the Suns are the likeliest to claim the second seed in the confererence, considering the Lakers’ injury woes.

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5. Los Angeles Clippers (28-16, Last Week’s Ranking: 7)

In an attempt to get the Clippers to play more regularly, head coach Ty Lue put Marcus Morris Sr. into the starting lineup, with Nicolas Batum coming off the bench, and prior to Monday’s 21-point comeback victory over the Atlanta Hawks, they’ve limited their three opponents to an average of 100.6 points in their last three games. With Patrick Beverley (knee) out, the Clippers could use some point guard support, so it’ll be interesting to see what they can do at the deadline with their limited trade chips.

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6. Milwaukee Bucks (28-14, Last Week’s Ranking: 6)

The Bucks have won six straight games and 11 of their last 12 as they attempt to reclaim first place in the Eastern Conference following Saturday’s victory over San Antonio. The question now is whether this team’s recent success will carry over to the playoffs, but reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is content with that for the time being. On Monday, it seemed so, as the Bucks dismantled the Indiana Pacers vis a 140-113 score as they are now 2.5 games out of claiming 1st in the East. However, they’ll be in negotiations over keeping or giving away Jrue Holiday as the new acquisition picked up this past offseason has had his name float in between trade talks.

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7. Denver Nuggets (25-17, Last Week’s Ranking: 11)

With Joel Embiid and LeBron James sidelined due to injury, Nikola Jokic’s MVP campaign appears to be gaining steam. Despite another triple-double from Jokic, the Nuggets lost to the Pelicans. Michael Malone’s offense averaged 127 points during the run before the Pelicans limited them to 108 points. Also, as the team’s third-most reliable scorer, Michael Porter Jr. has shot 50% or better in 12 of his last 14 games, continuing his hot streak. Denver, on the other hand, will play three games in a row on the road this week, and the bench will be able to use the formerly injured Monte Morris in his return back to the rotation.

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8. Los Angeles Lakers (28-15, Last Week’s Ranking: 5)

On Sunday against the Suns, the defending champions started Markieff Morris, Wesley Matthews, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, and Dennis Schroder, and lost back-to-back games. With LeBron James out indefinitely with a high ankle sprain, Marc Gasol getting his wind back after returning from Health and Safety protocols, and Anthony Davis (calf strain and tendinosis) out for at least another week, the Lakers are in a pickle, to put it lightly. “These challenges strengthen you throughout the course of a season…and will benefit you come playoff time,” head coach Frank Vogel said.

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9. Portland Trail Blazers (25-17, Last Week’s Ranking: 9)

Since CJ McCollum’s return last week, the Blazers are on the verge of reuniting. However, with reduced minutes and return-to-play management, having him all the way back would be an operation. With 32 points against the Mavs on Friday, he gave the Blazers all the signals they needed. To this point, Damian Lillard has taken on so much of the load that late-season fatigue is a concern. Still, With McCollum, and possibly some of the more developed role players returning soon after recovering from their individual injuries, those burdens of having an incomplete lineup will likely be eased in a few weeks.

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10. Dallas Mavericks (22-19, Last Week’s Ranking: 8)

Luka Doncic has 117 points in three games, shooting 59.5 percent from the field and 54.5 percent from deep. It’s the franchise’s second-highest-scoring three-game streak, behind only Doncic’s 118-point run last month. “When you feel like this, everything’s great,” Doncic said after scoring 37 points over three quarters (and hitting his first eight 3-point attempts) during Sunday’s rout in Portland. They’ll have the Minnesota Timberwolves, Indiana Pacers, and New Orleans Pelicans this week, and Doncic will look to improve those marks and further climb up the MVP rankings going into the last week of March.

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11. Miami Heat (22-21, Last Week’s Ranking: 10)

After winning 11 of 12, Miami cooled off to enter this week, dropping three straight last week. And more surprisingly, the re-energized team lost back-to-back games at home against the Pacers, a team they swept out of the bubble playoffs last season. Tyler Herro, who has gone 16-for-55 (29 percent) from the field in his last four games, needs to get back on track for Miami or he’ll likely have his name go around in trade talks as the team looks to bolster their unit of guards prior to Thursday’s Trade Deadline.

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12. San Antonio Spurs (22-18, Last Week’s Ranking: 16)

Keldon Johnson of San Antonio put on a display against the Cavaliers last Thursday night. The Spurs won with Johnson scoring 23 points and grabbing 21 rebounds, including 11 offensive rebounds as  Johnson became the first Spur to have a 20-point, 20-rebound game since Tim Duncan in 2013. Additionally, the Kentucky product became the first player listed at 6-foot-5 or shorter to have 11 offensive rebounds in a game since Adrian Dantley did it for the Jazz on April 6, 1985. The Spurs could not keep up their momentum to open the week, as they lost to a Hornets team that wouldn’t have Rookie of the Year favorite LaMelo Ball on the floor.

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13. Atlanta Hawks (22-21, Last Week’s Ranking: 17)

Atlanta’s winning streak began under interim coach Nate McMillan on Saturday, when the Hawks defeated the Lakers for the eighth time in a row. McMillan’s eight victories are the most by an interim coach since Lawrence Frank led the New Jersey Nets to a 13-0 start in 2003-04. The Hawks are doing it in a number of ways as well, including bolstering their defense. Since McMillan took over the starting job on March 2, the Hawks have the league’s second-best defensive rating at 105.2. However, they experienced their first loss of the McMillan era as they fumbled a 21-point lead in a road loss to the Clippers.

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14. Golden State Warriors (22-21, Last Week’s Ranking: 13)

Given the Warriors’ injuries and COVID-19 problems, a 2-2 week isn’t too shabby. A bruised tailbone forced Stephen Curry to sit out two games. Health and safety protocols prevented James Wiseman, Eric Paschall, and Kevon Looney from playing. The good news is that second-year guard Jordan Poole is continuing to impress and is gaining more playing time almost every time he steps on the court. Since returning from the G League bubble on March 1, Poole is averaging 20.9 points a game.

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15. Boston Celtics (21-22, Last Week’s Ranking: 12)

Following disappointing defeats to Cleveland and Sacramento, Boston rebounded to defeat Orlando on Sunday. But as the story of this season goes on, Boston’s rollercoaster year saw another dip with an overtime loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on the road with Jayson Tatum not playing, or suiting up, due to an undisclosed illness. With the NBA trade deadline approaching and everyone in Boston waiting to see if Danny Ainge can use the $28 million trade exception to strengthen the roster, the Celtics continue to embark on this current four-game road trip that includes a pair of prime-time showdowns in Milwaukee on Wednesday and Friday.

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16. Charlotte Hornets (21-21, Last Week’s Ranking: 14)

The Hornets are dealing with the kind of injury that can derail a team’s season, with LaMelo Ball expected to miss the remainder of the season due to a broken right wrist that  Ball recently had a procedure o Thursday morning. Ball was not only a front-runner for Rookie of the Year, but his success sparked national interest in the Hornets for the first time in years. Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward will have to take up even more offensive slack now that Ball is out.

The Hornets’ problem, as it has been all season, is their porous defense. They surrendered at least 116 points in four straight games entering Monday’s game against the Spurs but broke that streak when they only allowed the Spurs to score 97 points.

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17. New York Knicks (21-22, Last Week’s Ranking: 15)

The Knicks came within five points of winning all four games this week, including a one-point victory over Orlando on Friday and a one-point loss to Philadelphia on Sunday. With a tough second-half schedule, any chance at a win is crucial, which makes the two games against Washington this week crucial as New York attempts to avoid the play-in games in a tight Eastern Conference playoff race. They’re still a top-5 team in terms of defensive rating (ranked 4th, 108.3 DRtg), so all is not lost as of yet for the Knicks as they try to make it to the playoffs for the first time since 2013.

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18. Indiana Pacers (19-23, Last Week’s Ranking: 18)

The Pacers drop two spots in these rankings this week and have lost six of their last 10. Indiana has lost five of its previous six games and nine of its previous eleven as they continue to look for answers, despite the addition of Caris LeVert. Indiana is now ranked ninth in the Eastern Conference and while they are ranked 13th in team defensive rating, they aren’t as productive on the other end of the floor, ranking at 16th in total offensive rating. It is now being reported that they are throwing the likes of Malcolm Brogdon, TJ Warren, and possibly Domantas Sabonis in trade talks to either bolster the talent level of the roster for now or the future or motivate their most integral pieces to play better.

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19. Memphis Grizzlies (20-20, Last Week’s Ranking: 19)

The Grizzlies stay put in this week’s rankings and stay as an even. 500-record team following a win over the Boston Celtics on Monday night, clutching a tough win over the Celtics in overtime. Despite the win, the jump shot of Ja Morant, Memphis’ point guard and biggest rising star, is the most conspicuous shortcoming for the second-year guard out of Murray State. This season, he’s shooting 22.9 percent on 3-pointers, the lowest rate of the 182 players who have attempted at least 100. When Morant runs the pick-and-roll, this causes defenders to repeatedly go under screens, forcing him to aim and negating his unusual explosiveness.

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20. Chicago Bulls (19-23, Last Week’s Ranking: 21)

With 19 30-point games this season, All-Star guard Zach LaVine is tied for third in the NBA with Bradley Beal and Damian Lillard. The Bulls, on the other hand, are continuing to experiment with their lineup and rotations in the hopes of finding long-term success, such as starting Tomas Satoransky and Thaddeus Young instead of Coby White and Wendell Carter Jr. Speaking of Coby White, his name could be included in a deal that sends him to New Orleans, as it’s been rumored that the Bulls are actively intent on trading for Pelicans starting guard Lonzo Ball to provide ball movement and defensive stability for the 17th-ranked defense in the NBA.

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21. New Orleans Pelicans (18-24, Last Week’s Ranking: 20)

For the Pelicans, it was another up-and-down week. The Pelicans surrendered a 17-point lead to the Trail Blazers in the final six minutes of Tuesday’s game, then lost an eight-point game to Portland two days later. They bounced back with a 113-108 win in Denver on Sunday, despite the absence of starting point guard Lonzo Ball (right hip flexor strain). Against the Nuggets, the Pels then bounced back and saw both Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram score with ease, as they both went for 30 points each, making that the third time they accomplished such a feat this season.

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22. Oklahoma City Thunder (19-24, Last Week’s Ranking: 23)

The game against the Rockets on Sunday had an irresistible force against an immovable object feel, but it wasn’t in a positive way. Thanks to Luguentz Dort’s lockdown defense, the Rockets lost their 19th-straight game. The Thunder started with the second-youngest starting lineup in NBA history, with four starters sitting. Houston was already a 4.5-point favorite at the start of the game, but if we’ve learned anything from Oklahoma City this season, it’s that Sam Presti is willing to play anyone.

Sunday, it was Lu Dort scoring 23 and coming up with a game-winning block. There’s something about the Thunder’s ability to play within a system and maximize their roster, which is somewhat reminiscent of the prime San Antonio Spurs days with Gregg Popovich maximizing the individual talents on non-household names.

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23. Sacramento Kings (18-25, Last Week’s Ranking: 24)

The Kings raise a spot in this week’s rankings, which was supplanted by a breakout, career-best performance by Tyrese Haliburton as the rookie scored a game-high 28 points with 2 assists and a rebound on his stat-line during Sac-Town’s 119-105 win over Cleveland on Monday night.

Prior to Monday’s win, Haliburton said that Sacramento is still looking for itself more than halfway through the season. “I don’t think we’ve found our identity yet,” Haliburton said after their loss to Philadelphia. “I don’t know that we’ve found exactly what makes us play our best basketball.” The quote was applicable for the week the Kings had: going 2-2 amid their six-game road trip and finding out that Marvin Bagley III will not require surgery on his fractured left hand but will still be out another month.

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24. Toronto Raptors (17-26, Last Week’s Ranking: 22)

As if things couldn’t get any worse during the eight-game losing streak the Raps had been experiencing, Toronto became the first team in nearly a month to lose to the Houston Rockets, ending Houston’s franchise-worst 20-game losing streak on Monday night. After the 117-99 loss to the Rockets, in which they allowed all five of the Rockets starters to score in the double digits as well as allow the quartet of John Wall, Sterling Brown, Jae’Sean Tate, and Christian Wood to score 19+ points, there was some friction between Pascal Siakam and Nick Nurse as the tandem that won a title together shared some choice words amongst each other after Toronto’s ninth-straight loss.

After falling to 11th in the East, it’s undetermined if Kyle Lowry or Norman Powell ever suit up in Toronto Raptor Red and black ever again as the Trade Deadline nears.

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25. Washington Wizards (15-26, Last Week’s Ranking: 25)

Since appearing to turn their season around, the Wizards are going in the wrong direction. Washington has lost eight of its last ten games after winning seven of its first eight in February. It’s not going to get any easier: The Wizards’ loss to the Nets in Brooklyn on Sunday kicked off a 14-game road trip. They’ll be without sharpshooter Davis Bertans and are five games out of eighth place. Their season isn’t quite in jeopardy just yet, but the Wizards are running out of time if they want to at least make the play-in tournament this year.

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26. Cleveland Cavaliers (16-27, Last Week’s Ranking: 26)

Collin Sexton (36 points, 4 assists, 2 steals) and Darius Garland (15 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds) stuffed the box score in the Cavs’ victory over the Raptors on Sunday. What wasn’t admired about Cleveland’s young backcourt? Despite Cleveland’s hot shooting from deep, the pair accounted for 12 of the Cavs’ 26 turnovers, a remarkable number that held the Raptors in the game (even though they went 17-33 for 51.5 percent shooting from the field).

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27. Orlando Magic (14-28, Last Week’s Ranking: 27)

Aaron Gordon scored 38 points in 36 minutes to lead the Magic to a surprise victory over the Nets on Friday, snapping a nine-game losing streak. Conversely, the Magic have fallen to 14-28 in the Eastern Conference and have lost nine of their last 10, now trailing only the Pistons. The most important question for this team this season might be what the front office does before the trade deadline on Thursday.

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28. Detroit Pistons (12-30, Last Week’s Ranking: 29)

The Pistons’ highlight of the week was handing the Rockets their franchise-worst 19th consecutive loss on Friday night. The Pistons must celebrate all of their successes and use them as tools for development as a rebuilding team that won’t come by many wins on occasion. Last  Wednesday, Detroit defeated Toronto, thanks to Saddiq Bey’s 28 points and 12 rebounds, but it’s becoming increasingly likely that Bey becomes a name for negotiation in the wake of the Trade Deadline on Thursday.

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29. Houston Rockets (12-30, Last Week’s Ranking: 28)

The Rockets had an unfortunate NBA record, according to the Elias Sports Bureau – the longest losing streak by a team that started the streak above.500. Since starting 11-10, Houston lost 20 straight games but finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel with a home win over Toronto. Victor Oladipo has been the center of attention leading up to Thursday’s trade deadline, with his post-All-Star break output (25.0 points and 5.6 assists per game, 46.4 percent from the field) potentially rising his value.

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30. Minnesota Timberwolves (10-33, Last Week’s Ranking: 30)

Prior to the draft, there was a widespread belief that there was no real No. 1 overall prospect and that the lottery was bad in general. Anthony Edwards, on the other hand, is looking like a first-round selection. “Ant-Man” is scoring 26.1 points per game in March, setting and resetting career highs almost every night. As this season winds down and we enter the final full month of the year, the likelihood of the Wolves landing the top prospects of either Cade Cunningham or Evan Mobley is increasing by the minute.

Photo cred: Fox Sports 1430 

So….we are 10 days from the Trade Deadline, and officially two months and some change away from the NBA Playoffs. This season is passing by expeditiously, and for the half of the heap, seasonal aspirations of making the playoffs are as “mad” in vision as expecting a winless College Basketball team to win an entire Division I tournament.

If there isn’t a clear diffidence that’s drawn between the contenders and pretenders, then people aren’t watching.

As we turn the bend to finish March and head into the last full month of the regular season, it’s time for the big moves to be made to either bolster championship rosters a little further, improve the probability of fringe postseason qualifiers to get into the playoffs or supply trade assets and draft capital for organizations that know their seasons are over. For some, big splashes have been made, such as Brooklyn’s signing of five-time All-Star Blake Griffin. For others, headline-stamping names will be moved in bunches in the next week or so in one of the more chaotic times of the NBA calendar year.

And to the current field of the Conference standings for the East and West. While Philadelphia clings on to their division and conference lead by a literal thumbnail, they are experiencing a downturn in health, as leading MVP candidate Joel Embiid suffered a bone bruise in his knee during a road win against the Washington Wizards, and will be out for the NBA’s 14th-ranked offense. Brooklyn, on the other hand, has won 12 of their last 13, largely without the assistance of Kevin Durant, as Kyrie Irving and James Harden have taken turns flexing on opposing defenses and finishing games in the clutch, while the Phoenix Suns out West are taking advantage of both LA teams slumping in the final weeks of March.

With another week approaching, let’s get into another Power Rankings.

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1. Utah Jazz (26-13, Last Week’s Ranking: 1)

While the Utah Jazz aren’t off to the fiery start after the All-Star break you’d expect from the team that’s got the best record in the league, the reasoning for panic wouldn’t necessarily be an amicable perspective to embrace for both fans and supporters alike, but in thought, it’s certainly in play.

Utah is 5-5 in their last 10 contests, and have lost a tad bit momentum leaving the midway point of the season. What was a 22-2 run from January and February has turned into a mortal four losses in six games, and what’s more telling of the sudden fall-off: they’ve slipped to being the third-most defensively efficient team in the NBA while allowing 115.9 points per game during this six-game slump.

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2. Brooklyn Nets (26-13, Last Week’s Ranking: 3)

If it wasn’t for the Joel Embiid-less Sixers stifling the visiting San Antonio Spurs at home and maintaining both their Atlantic and Eastern lead, the Brooklyn Nets would be your No. 1 seed in the East right now. While Kevin Durant has been nursing a hamstring injury (he hasn’t played since Feb. 13, has missed 12 games, will be receiving a third scan this week and will likely be out another 1-2 weeks) and with Steve Nash and crew still planning a way to factor Blake Griffin into the minutes distribution, the Brooklyn Nets are still the league’s most dangerous offensive team, both in the eye test department with two MVP-caliber talents leading the charge, but in the statistics category too.

And for some credibility to that sentiment: they have the best offensive rating in basketball, leading the NBA in total points per game (120.6), field goal percentage (49.9 percent), true shooting percentage (11.9) and are third in the NBA in total clutch rating (119.8) behind only Portland and Charlotte. Their main issue now is simply being on the floor enough to establish and sustain a sense of chemistry.

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3. Phoenix Suns (25-12, Last Week’s Ranking: 5)

In last week’s Power Rankings, we asked the simple question of if the Suns can co-habitate with a glaring national spotlight as the season nears its final two months. And if the past week is any indication of them being able to handle the pressure, it seems they’re not as affected as some would predicate.

This is a team that isn’t just able to defend home court, now with a total 12-7 record inside Talking Stick Resort Arena while scoring around 115 points at home, but have a 13-5 record on the road while scoring above 112 points. They’re tied with th defending champion Lakers from a winning percentage standpoint (.722) and following the All Star break, went 2-1 on the week, picking up wins against arduous opponents like the Warriors and Trail Blazers. In their win over Portland, they survived a 30-point explosion from Damian Lillard and were led by a fresh and rested Devin Booker’s 35 points, as the All-Star wasn’t able to go in last Sunday’s game due to a knee injury.

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4. Philadelphia 76ers (27-12, Last Week’s Ranking: 3)

“At least it was just a bone bruise, and nothing more severe” – said literally every Sixers fan in existence this past week. As Joel Embiid came down from contesting a layup during Friday’s win over the Wizards, his knee bent the opposite direction and from that camera angle, it looked as if his season would conclude prematurely. And it seemed at that point like Philadelphia’s season was dead in it’s tracks right then and there. Until they announced that Embiid would be out only 2-3 weeks with a bone bruise. A collective sigh of relief was let out, but for the time being, they would have to answer the hard question, “who leads us in scoring now?”

Ben Simmons, that’s who.

In their first game without Embiid during the post All-Star stretch, the Sixers embarrassed the visiting Spurs in a 40-point home blowout. They’ll have the Knicks, Bucks and Kings up next on the schedule and will be challenged by how they can manage to score without Embiid on the floor, considering they still are the 14th-ranked team in terms of offense.

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5. Los Angeles Lakers (25-13, Last Week’s Ranking: 4)

Besides their 12-point comeback against the tenth-seeded Pacers in the East, L.A.’s looked a little underwhelming to start the second half of the year. They’ve only accumulated four wins in 10 games, and are still without Anthony Davis, who continues to rest and recover from his Achilles Tendinosis.

Even worse, the Lakers are, for the first time this season, going through their own bout with COVID-19, as starting big man in AD’s absence Marc Gasol will be out for an undisclosed time due to Health and Safety protocols. Their schedule doesn’t get easier, with games against the Warriors, Timberwolves, red-hot Hornets, Hawks and 2nd-seeded Suns in this extended week.

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6. Milwaukee Bucks (24-14, Last Week’s Ranking: 7)

The Bucks saw some progress and a return to dominant normalcy this past week, as Giannis Antetokounmpo looked like his MVP self (and All-Star MVP self, since he won the honor last Sunday) by dropping consecutive triple-doubles against the Knicks on Thursday and Wizards on Saturday.

And as he dropped 33 points and snagged 11 rebounds, he became the first player in Bucks history to have two-straight Trip-Dubs in a game since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1973. Statistical accolades aside, the Bucks are rolling and are certainly in play to challenge both the likes of Brooklyn and Philadelphia as a top-3 seed in the East as they’ve proceeded to win eight of their last 10.

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7. Los Angeles Clippers (25-15, Last Week’s Ranking: 6)

One win against the slipping Warriors wasn’t enough of a salient reminder that the Clippers had absolved their consistency-insufficient woes stemming from a lack of chemistry on the floor, as they suffered one of their more forgettable beatdowns at the hands of hosting New Orleans on Sunday night.

With guys constantly injured and the depth of this Clippers team playing under expectations, they’ve dropped five of seven and might look at the deadline to start making moves. And entering a week that might be one of their more toughest stretches, Luka Doncic’s Mavs, who have won seven out of their last 10 games, and the Charlotte Hornets, winners of six of their last 10, are on the calendar for the next three games.

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8. Dallas Mavericks (20-17, Last Week’s Ranking: 11)

A 1-1 week puts the Mavericks back into the top-10 in the Power Rankings this week, making the Mavs winners of seven of their last 10 and 11 of the last 14. Though they have an offense that’s just outside of the Top-10 in terms of overall team rating, their chances of getting into the Top-10 could improve, for they’ll be playing the Clippers in a two-game series against a team they squashed back in December by 51 points.

And while there’s been talk of Kristaps Porzingis’ struggles as the statistical worst defender in the league, he’s posted a 103.1 defensive rating in the last four game. So, it’s a diminuitive sample size, but a start nonetheless.

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9. Portland Trail Blazers (22-16, Last Week’s Ranking: 8)

Though it’s been a difficult task to stay afloat in a ravenous West, the Blazers would be a team to qualify for the play-in tournament for a second year as the current sixth seed. Defensively, it’s been an uphill battle without the likes of Jusuf Nurkic and other bench pieces like Zach Collins, but Carmelo Anthony has been a welcome presence and spacing help for Damian Lillard when the two share the floor. Anthony has looked like his former Denver and New York self at times, and in the month of March, he is averaging 20.3 points off 50 percent shooting.

Factor in around 3.3 assists and 3.0 rebounds, and in an average of 28 minutes, he’s producing a full stat sheet on a nightly basis. Still, it is the defensive side of the ball that haunts him, as he’s posted an abysmal defensive rating of 116.1 when he’s on the floor. The Blazers are still 29th in total defensive rating, and are nine points per 100 possessions worse when he’s on the floor.

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10. Miami Heat (21-18, Last Week’s Ranking: 13)

Should Jimmy Butler be considered an MVP candidate? It’s not a question out of the realm of reality. Miami’s won 10 of their last 11, 14 of their last 18, they’re winners of six straight games away from American Airlines Arena, four straight without Bam Adebayo, and have won nine-straight games since Jimmy Butler’s return. They’re 15-6 with Butler on the court this season, and his numbers are other-worldly at the moment: how’s 28 points, 9.3 assists, and 4.7 rebounds in the month of March sound?

The Heat have overtaken Boston in the Eastern standings and if the season were to end today, they’d likely have one of the more favorable paths back to the Eastern Conference Semifinals and Eastern Finals as a clash with the Hornets would be first up. This second-half start for them is a strong one, and teams had better circle Miami on their schedules if this is the team they’ll be facing come gametime.

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11. Denver Nuggets (22-16, Last Week’s Ranking: 9)

Back during last week’s midseason Power Rankings, we asked the question of whether or not a third scorer would come in and compliment Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, and well…it seems that the need for one hasn’t been more accentuated than now. Jamal Murray is really going through a rough patch in the scoring department, only averaging a total of 12 points, 4.7 assists and 2.3 rebounds off 31 percent shooting from the field and 20 percent from downtown.

So as Jokic has carried the load offensively, averaging 26.5 points in his last 10 games off 55.7 percent shooting, they’ve needed someone else to space the floor with a consistent jumper and willingness to put the ball on the floor and make driving lanes. Michael Porter Jr. answered the call that we insisted he make as the team’s third go-to guy, averaging a little over 22 points and nine rebounds per game in his last three outings.

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12. Boston Celtics (19-16, Last Week’s Ranking: 12)

A three-quarter quarrell resulted in a blowout loss against the overwhelming Brooklyn Nets, who limited the Celtics to only 23 points in the fourth quarter as opposed to their 33 points and 63 points overall in the second half. But, it wasn’t all that bad, considering that Marcus Smart returned from that ruptured calf he injured in a home loss to the Lakers. There was a different energy amongst the Celtics in that game, regardless of the outcome, that they surely brought into the Toyota Center to play the Houston Rockets, who before Sunday’s contest were in the middle of a 15-game losing streak.

The Celtics built on the momentum acquired from getting their core pieces back, and went on to brutalize the lowly Rockets by 27 behind a combined 57 points from their two All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Leading up to the Trade Deadline where Boston’s name will fly around like celebrity gossip, the Celtics will likely deal some players to strengthen their bench as well as be suitors for some trade pieces.

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13. Golden State Warriors (20-19, Last Week’s Ranking: 14)

It’s mind-blowing to consider that these Warriors, who are on the outside looking in with a three-game advantage over a .500 record, would be a playoff team if they were in the Eastern Conference. But instead, as a 20-19 team entering the second week of March, while on a four-game losing streak, they won arguably their biggest game of the season during a showdown with the No. 1 team in the NBA, the Utah Jazz. And on Stephen Curry’s 33rd birthday, too. The Birthday boy finished with a game-high 32 points and shot 6-9 from downtown while the rookie, James Wiseman, put up 16 points and grabbed four rebounds in 23 minutes.

It was a nice answer to the adversity he faced following his mop-up duty he had to face as a result of missing last Thursday’s contest from missing a COVID test. With the young big man staying on the court and getting into a consistent rhythm with guys like Jordan Poole (who replaced Brad Wanamaker on the floor against the Jazz and scored 18 points) and Nico Mannion, the Warriors bench could vastly improve from what it’s been in the last two years.

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14. Charlotte Hornets (19-18, Last Week’s Ranking: 16)

Winners of three straight, the Hornets are quickly becoming one of the most enjoyable teams to watch in all of basketball right now, and with a game against the Kings coming up next, they’ll have a clear-cut opportunity to improve those marks. LaMelo Ball is running alone atop the rest of the heap for the Rookie of the Year award, and has looked like a future All-Star throughout his rookie season.

Just last night in Charlotte’s win over Toronto, Ball scored 23 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, dished 6 assists and splashed six three-pointers, making it the third time that he’s posted a 20/5/5/5+ 3PM stat line this year. Only Stephen Curry has more of those lines in a rookie season in NBA history.

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15. New York Knicks (20-19, Last Week’s Ranking: 15)

The Knicks didn’t move a muscle in this week’s Power Rankings, for the simple reason of them treading water as the seventh-seeded team in the East with a record that’s a game above .500. They have a big week coming up, for they’ll do battle with the rival Brooklyn Nets in a battle of the boroughs on Monday night. They’ll then have the Philadelphia 76ers for a two-game series, and have their only soft part of the schedule against the Magic this week. The Knicks have one of the harder schedules in basketball, and only have a 2.5-game margin of error to work with while ahead by a hair of the 11th-seeded Raptors.

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16. San Antonio Spurs (19-16, Last Week’s Ranking: 10)

After the LaMarcus Aldridge trade, the Spurs went on a little bit of a rollercoaster ride. The week started out with a down-the-stretch loss to Luka Doncic’s Dallas Mavericks, then quickly rose back up with a come-from-behind win over the slumping Orlando Magic. Soon after that, they traveled to Philadelphia and were, promptly, and proverbially, smacked in the mouth by the Philadelphia 76ers by 35 points on Sunday.

There are now recent reports that have came out that suggest the Spurs could be DeMar DeRozan sellers if both sides don’t come to an agreement to a new extension of his three-year deal. Despite all of that, the Spurs are still a playoff team as the West’s seventh seed.

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17. Atlanta Hawks (19-20, Last Week’s Ranking: 23)

So it seems that the Nate McMillan era in Atlanta is going pretty well. Since letting Lloyd Pierce walk, the Hawks are on a three-game winning streak with former Pacers Coach McMillan. And for another crazy stat: Per ESPN, McMillan is the first coach to win his first five games as an interim coach since Mike Woodson did it with the Jeremy Lin-Carmelo Anthony-led Knicks in 2011-12. What was more startling in Atlanta’s win over Cleveland on Sunday was that Trae Young only scored 14 points off 44 percent shooting, meaning he only attempted 9 shots the entire game, against the NBA’s 23rd-ranked defense.

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18. Indiana Pacers (17-20, Last Week’s Ranking: 20)

In one of the more heartwarming moments in recent NBA memory, Caris LeVert debuted as a Pacer in wake of not just the first time since his trade from Brooklyn as a part of the massive three-team trade that sent Victor Oladipo and Rodions Kurucs to Houston and Caris and crew to teams like Indiana and Cleveland, but the first time since Caris LeVert overcame Kidney Cancer, and in his first game back, scored 13 points off 5/13 shooting in a home win over the Suns.

Prior to that game, Indy had lost six of their last seven, and while the moment was one to be cherished, it’s back to business for the East’s 10th-ranked team as the the Nuggets, Nets and Heat are next up.

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19. Memphis Grizzlies (17-18, Last Week’s Ranking: 18)

For the first time this season, Ja Morant’s Grizzlies fell under .500 for the first time this season with their loss on Sunday to the Thunder, and they allowed Aleksei Pokusevski to score a career-high of 23 points with five threes while OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Morant went at it for four quarters. While it was one of the games that they didn’t want to have slip away as it was one of the easier games on the week, they’d wish they could have that one back. It will get a little more difficult for them, as they have to go and play eight opponents next with winning records. And three of those games are against the Utah Jazz.

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20. New Orleans Pelicans (17-22, Last Week’s Ranking: 21)

The Pelicans have a weird, unexplainable dilemma: consistency losing against teams they should beat, and consistency beating teams they should be losing to. Sunday’s 20-point win over the Clippers was another game they added to the top shelf of high-tier wins against the game’s best, as they join the ranks of the Bucks, Celtics, and Utah Jazz as teams that the Pelicans have found ways to beat this year.

And just like a lot of the league, they’ve had a rollercoaster of a two-week period that’s featured an ugly 30-point loss to the Timberwolves and five-point loss to the Bulls. One silver lining: Zion Williamson is really good at this basketball thing. Sunday’s win over the Clippers marked the 20th time he’s scored 20+ points in the paint this season.

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21. Chicago Bulls (17-20, Last Week’s Ranking: 19)

The Bulls returned from the All-Star break with consecutive losses to the 76ers and Heat, though that’s more of a matter of difficult scheduling than it is a drop off in productivity. There’s not quite of a need to panic for the Bulls, since they’re still in good position to at least challenge for the play-in tournament, now only 2.5 games out of the eighth seed, and that’s more truth than fallacy if Sunday’s 23-point win over the Raptors told fans anything.

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22. Toronto Raptors (17-22, Last Week’s Ranking: 17)

Five losses in a row for the Raptors drops them five spots in this week’s Power Rankings, and they haven’t had nearly 3/4 of their roster due to Health and Safety protocols, made notable during their loss to the Chicago Bulls this past Sunday. While they are getting Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby back at some point this week, they’re sitting out of even the play-in tournament after a rough two weeks that have been out of their control for the most part.

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23. Oklahoma City Thunder (17-22, Last Week’s Ranking: 24)

As a reminder: this season is primed to be one of development and confidence building. That was the case last year in the first season without Russell Westbrook, and well, that resulted in a spot in the playoffs and a near upset of the Rockets in the Orlando bubble.

Now…there’s no need to get too excited or long jump to conclusions that this Thunder team can do what Chris Paul’s Thunder did last year, but a 3-1 record in their last four games can indicate that this team is only a few skill position pieces away from becoming a playoff contender again. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to impress and show that he was an All-Star snub, averaging 23.7 points per game as a 50/40/80-esque scorer. But from the outlook of the bigger picture, Mike Muscala and Kenrich’s on/off effect on this team has played the most significant part this season for the Thunder; OKC is +8 per 100 possessions when the two wings share the same frontcourt.

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24. Sacramento Kings (15-23, Last Week’s Ranking: 25)

There has been much positive talk surrounding Tyrese Haliburton’s impact on both ends of the floor, but every now and then, a rookie is going to have his signature “hey rook, welcome to the league moment”. That happened, as euphemistically put as possible, Saturday afternoon against the Atlanta Hawks.

Trae Young humbled the Iowa State rookie with 28 points with nine assists off 9-for-17 shooting in 32 minutes as opposed to Haliburton’s eight points on 3-10 shooting. The kid has a ways to go, but from what Kings fans have seen from one of the more impressive rookies in the league this year, they’ll enjoy watching him grow with Buddy Hield and De’Aaron Fox as mentors and compliments to his game.

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25. Washington Wizards (14-23, Last Week’s Ranking: 22)

The momentum had to reach it’s equal and opposite force at some point. Defensively, the Wizards couldn’t stave off their urges of underwhelming, as they’ve now slipped to 27th in total defensive efficiency. They opened their All-Star break with three straight losses, letting opponents score 126.3 points per 100 possessions in losses to Memphis, Philadelphia and Milwaukee. While Russell Westbrook is regaining form – he’s averaged 29 points, 10 assists and 6.7 rebounds in three games – they’ve had to play without Bradley Beal and Davis Bertans.

And with the schedule picking up as a result of the makeup games from the COVID-19 postponements, the sight of the play-in tournament is starting to fade, as the Wizards are losers of six of their last seven. Bradley Beal, however, is scheduled to return in their game against the Bucks on Monday night.

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26. Cleveland Cavaliers (14-24, Last Week’s Ranking: 26)

Though Kevin Love has returned from a strained calf that’s kept him out of competition for 10 weeks, he has yet to play a full game and wasn’t able to in Cleveland’s first game out of the All Star break against the Pelicans. He only scored four points and earned more fouls than rebounds in his first game back, and had to leave two minutes in during their game against the Hawks on Sunday. It’s unclear what the plan is for Love, but it’s not looking promising, to say the least.

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27. Orlando Magic (13-26, Last Week’s Ranking: 27)

General Manager John Hammond keeping all of his players seems more harmful than helpful, and he’s better suited fielding offers for his players rather than keeping them on one of the worst teams in the East, and entire NBA. That’s now eight in a row for the Magic in the ‘L’ column, and the biggest question is when, not if, head coach Steve Clifford pulls the plug on this season and allows his front office to trade guys like Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic prior to the March 25 Trade Deadline.

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 28. Houston Rockets (11-26, Last Week’s Ranking: 28)

The losing streak is at 16 games now, and it’s definitely time to tank away the rest of this season in the hopes that the Rockets can land a top-3 pick. While they’re the 13th-ranked defensive team in basketball right now, it’s practically meaningless considering that they lack a true No. 1 scorer, now peaking as the 27th ranked team in the league when it comes to putting the ball in the bucket.

It must be cathartic, however, seeing younger players like Kevin Porter Jr., Mason Jones and Jae’Sean Tate mesh with Sterling Brown and (when he comes back) Christian Wood, and with the cavalry returning – John Wall, Wood and Danuel House Jr. all come back this week from injury and Health and Safety protocol – there is hope yet for perhaps one final push to challenge for a play-in tournament berth. If not, the Rockets are in a good position to get some good return on sales when/if they send Victor Oladipo and John Wall to fringe contenders.

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29. Detroit Pistons (10-28, Last Week’s Ranking: 29)

Detroit returned from the All-Star break with consecutive losses to the Nets and Hornets, but looks competitive in each game, fighting until the final possessions to try and claw out some wins to put on the resume for Dwayne Casey. They recently sold Blake Griffin on a buyout, and he signed with Brooklyn, and also sent away Svitoslav Mykhailiuk and a 2027 second-rounder to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for former Slam Dunk Contest winner Hamidou Diallo. Troy Weaver is building an identity for this team, and Pistons fans will come to appreciate it if their gloomy present turns into a positive future.

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30. Minnesota Timberwolves (9-30, Last Week’s Ranking: 30)

This is a roster in development, so T’Wolves fans should take this season with a pinch of salt and accept the wins that come and go, for they knew they were going to be scarce. Chris Finch earned his first win as a head coach, and Anthony Edwards started to come out of his shell a little more entering the second half of the season in his past four games, where he’s averaged 25.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists off 43.7 shooting and 33.3 percent scoring from three-land.

On the season, he’s averaged 23.8 points per game and put up his career-high at this point in the season against the Trail Blazers, where the 19-year-old scored 34 points and knocked down 6 threes while hitting some defender-separating stepback jumpers with footwork that resembled his draft comparison, James Harden. He has what it takes to be an All-Star, perhaps an All-NBA talent. It is now up to the front office to build around him, and that process will likely start before March 25th’s Trade Deadline.

Photo Cred: Fox Sports 1430