We start this week’s power rankings on a rather somber note, as the collective NBA family mourns the sudden and shocking loss of the legendary Kobe Bryant. A league impacted by his legacy, life and motivations will continue to move on in spite of the tragedy that has befallen its players and fans. Across the league on Sunday afternoon upon hearing of the former Laker great’s passing, voluminous 24-second shot clock violations, and 8-second inbound violations, kicked off every single game played yesterday afternoon, as a tribute to the 5-time champ and 18-time All-Star that graced the floor with both numbers 24 and 8.
We here at SneakerReporter are with the Bryant family, as the Black Mamba will never be forgotten.
Let’s just get into this week’s power rankings.
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1. Milwaukee Bucks (40-6, Last Week’s Ranking: 1)
One of Kobe’s most respected protege’s and confidants, Giannis Antetokounmpo took to the challenge that a certain Kobe Bryant gave to him back in the summer of 2017, summarized in three simple but larger than life letters in one tweet – win the MVP. It’s been pretty evident that Antetokounmpo took Bryant’s call to action to heart. As the league’s reigning Most Valuable Player, he has been the spark of hope for Bucks fans all season to get back into the NBA Finals picture for the first time since 1974. They have the best chance to do so, still with the league’s best record and having suffered only one loss since December 14th. And yes, they still lead the NBA in team average scoring margin and defensive rating.
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2. Los Angeles Clippers (33-14, Last Week’s Ranking: 3)
The Clippers bump up a spot in this week’s updated rankings, thanks to a really convincing week (or month, for that matter) that saw the Clips win nine of their last 11 games. It’s been a controversial, headline filling kind of year for the Clippers, awash with speculation over who is resting during their strategized load management plans in preparation for the playoffs come April. Their goal of getting to the conference finals is an arduous path, but this is why this roster is built the way it is, for those kind of series down the road.
It was a tough day for Doc Rivers and his Clippers team, evident in his inability to hold back the tears in his pre-game presser before facing off against the Magic. Rivers, a former 2-time NBA Finals opponent of the legendary former guard when he was the head coach of the Boston Celtics, had his words conveyed in such a relatable manner by his All-Star forward Leonard in a post-game interview.
“Knowing (Kobe) personally, I know he’d want me to come out here & ball & still just be great… Everybody’s sad. No words can explain the impact he had on the sport…It’s just sad.”
The tandem of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard haven’t played a lot of games together but though that has been the case all year, the Clippers still rank No. 6 in the whole league in defensive rating.
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3. Los Angeles Lakers (36-10, Last Week’s Ranking: 2)
Well, this section of the weekly rankings isn’t going to be easy to write. After the team plane landed back in Los Angeles, the news resounded through team infrastructure that their mentor and regular visitor to the team facility had passed. As it went for basketball specifically, the Lakers had a surprisingly average week, going 2-2 on the road as they suffered a 32-point shellacking by the Boston Celtics and a 17-point beatdown handed to them by Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers.
So, as recent events suggest, it’ll be really difficult for the Lakers to muster up the confidence amidst their grief going into their 3rd duel against the Clippers this week, as it is easily going to be the most emotional game of the season. It’ll be the first time the Lakers return to the court since the end of their road trip and the Blazers, Kings, and Spurs appear next up on this tough stretch of games for the Lakers.
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4. Utah Jazz (32-13, Last Week’s Ranking: 4)
The Jazz are streaking and are trending up in this week’s rankings, winning 19 of their past 21 games while Donovan Mitchell averaged 24.3 ppg. through his last three contests. While Mitchell’s numbers increased, Mike Conley’s health continues to get better and Quin Snyder is becoming a lot more comfortable weaving Conley back into his regular shift of minutes, averaging 7.8 points on 46.7% shooting in 17.8 minutes in the four games since he has returned.
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5. Toronto Raptors (32-14, Last Week’s Ranking: 8)
That’s now seven straight for the 100 percent healthy Toronto Raptors squad, but the more startling surprise has been the outstanding defense Pascal Siakam and his Raptors have played over the past two weeks, now second in the NBA in team defensive rating with only 104.5 points allowed per 100 possessions. Combining the wins earlier in the season prior to his injury and the wins after his return, the Raps are 26-9 and together have a win rate that’s only lower than the Lakers and Bucks for the best in the league.
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6. Denver Nuggets (32-14, Last Week’s Ranking: 5)
Denver has quietly strung together one of the most impressive stretches of the season, going three for four on the week with signature wins coming against the Pelicans and Rockets, who didn’t have James Harden Sunday afternoon. Nikola Jokic has been up to his usual 19.7 points per game but it’s really been the play of Michael Porter Jr. that is quickly gaining traction with head coach Mike Malone as he cycles pieces in lieu of the upcoming playoffs just three months from now. They have Memphis, Utah, Milwaukee, and Detroit up next, so the young rookie will have more chances to impress.
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7. Miami Heat (31-14, Last Week’s Ranking: 6)
The Heat got a jolt of energy shot into their arm in a resurgent return to the hardwood by Dion Waiters during Miami’s second home loss of the season against the Clippers, and though it has been a weird season for Waiters, whose been subjected to team suspensions, medical incidents, and other issues, he is still a talented player who can help a good team become even better, now at the third seed in the Eastern standings.
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8. Boston Celtics (30-15, Last Week’s Ranking: 9)
The Celtics ended their week on a sour note, officially being the first mantle on the wall of Zion Williamson’s career-wide hunting list in the Pelicans’ snapping of their losing streak. It was still a really successful week overall, highlighted by their best game of the season, a 32-point smackdown on the visiting Lakers. Additionally, they outscored all of their opponents (Lakers, Grizzlies, Magic) by a combined 67 points.
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9. Philadelphia 76ers (30-17, Last Week’s Ranking: 11)
Philly pops back up into this week’s top 10, thanks to a revealing win over the Lakers in the Wells Fargo Center. It is shown that Philly knows how to turn the switch on against the league’s top teams, and especially at home now that they possess the league’s 2nd best home record behind the Miami Heat, but what’s to be understood about those wins is that the Sixers didn’t just skate by in those wins; they won by a combined 29 points.
In their win over the Lakers, Ben Simmons was literally all over the court in what looked like an All-NBA performance on both ends of the court, while rookie Matisse Thybulle continues to earn more minutes, as his mere presence allows the sixers to possess an averaged 95.7 defensive rating when he’s on the floor. Also, keep in mind their most recent home victory against the Lakers this past Saturday night was accomplished without Joel Embiid.
Maybe last Saturday night was the spark this Philly team needs to become that team that many predicted to take over the East once they are solidified in the playoff picture.
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10. Indiana Pacers (30-17, Last Week’s Ranking: 12)
Don’t look now, but this Pacers team is quietly racking up wins behind the play of T.J. Warren and went 3-2 on their Western voyage, while also getting healthy in time to go on an even bigger return when Victor Oladipo comes back on Wednesday. They’ll have a relatively easy stretch of games to do so, with the Knicks and Bulls being the only teams on the weekly schedule.
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11. Houston Rockets (28-17, Last Week’s Ranking: 7)
James Harden was unable to perform in Sunday’s win over the Nuggets and prior to that game, Harden was in the worst slump of his career, still shooting an average of 22 percent from deep in the past eight games. Moreover, his overall field goal percentage was at 34.8 percent over that same stretch, and now fans understand how hard it was for Wilt Chamberlain to average 40 points in a season, now that Harden’s season average of 38.5 points has dipped to a 36.1 average since the Rockets blowout loss handed to them by the Oklahoma City Thunder on Jan. 9.
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12. Dallas Mavericks (28-17, Last Week’s Ranking: 10)
It feels like just moments ago Luka Doncic stood on the corner of the Staples Center court, just to hear some “fan” deliver some international trash talk in Doncic’s native Slovenian tongue. Well, that fan just so happened to be Kobe Bryant. The exchanged laughs between the Lakers legend and the future Mavericks legend who looks to follow in Bryant’s footsteps, now charioting the league’s most efficient offense. The Mavericks have the Thunder, Suns, Rockets and Hawks in an extended week, and look to stay into the Western top-5 picture, though banged up at the Center spot with the looming absence of Dwight Powell, who is to miss the rest of the season with a ruptured Achilles.
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13. Oklahoma City Thunder (28-19, Last Week’s Ranking: 14)
So, let’s start out with some confirmations: this Thunder team is a well-put together basketball team that can win a good amount of games, and it’s looking like they’re going to end up in the playoffs after all. So much for a tanking season. The Thunder are 22-8 over the course of the past 30 games, and they’re getting the job done on the road too with their nine wins out of 10 games away from Chesapeake Energy Arena. Also, the need to ship Chris Paul or any of their pieces won’t do any justice for a team that’s guard trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Dennis Schroder and CP3 has a net rating of plus-29.3 in 311 minutes.
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14. Memphis Grizzlies (22-24, Last Week’s Ranking: 13)
The Mamba Mentality is that old adage that’ll stick in the minds of players throughout the league, and throughout the minds of inquisitive young minds like that of Ja Morant’s who is upholding his legacy with some “coming through in the clutch” numbers that equal the likes of Kobe’s clutch gene. Out of nowhere, Morant has compiled 7.9 points per fourth quarter, only falling behind James Harden, Trae Young and Giannis Antetokounmpo this year. He has scored in the double digits late in the fourth quarter for a total of 13 times, supplanting his already favored chances of winning the Rookie of the Year Award.
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15. San Antonio Spurs (20-25, Last Week’s Ranking: 16)
San Antonio got off to a hot start last week but finished on a rather mediocre note, losing their last two games and overall winning three of their last five games. Derrick White has been a cause of success for a team that’s only five games out of a .500 record, for he has averaged 15 points and 5.6 assists off the Spurs’ bench in the span of five straight games. In what was arguably his best game of the season, White scored 25 points off the bench in a win over the Phoenix Suns.
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16. Orlando Magic (21-26, Last Week’s Ranking: 15)
The Magic are quite literally maintaining a respectable 21-26 record, only being just a couple of games away from having an above .500 record, but their problem of not being able to beat good teams with .500 and above records is alarming, and quite possibly the reason they’re where they are right now. And this week, they have Miami back to back but the Heat have been one of the five good teams that this Magic squad has beaten so far.
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17. Brooklyn Nets (19-26, Last Week’s Ranking: 18)
Brooklyn is only four games ahead of ninth place Chicago in the Eastern standings, but will enter a rather easy week with dates with the Pistons, Bulls and Wizards. The challenge will be to just get some wins after going 3-13 since Dec. 26 and though this is a soft spot on the schedule, Brooklyn needs some momentum if they don’t want the Bulls on their back heading into the All-Star break.
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18. Phoenix Suns (19-27, Last Week’s Ranking: 17)
Devin Booker has been the source of offense for a team that’s fading fast, and it’s more of a reason that he’s earned a spot on this year’s Western All Star roster. His 31.6 points, 6.2 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 9.0 made free throws per game in January have been inspirational for a team that’s losing its grip on postseason aspirations made back in November.
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19. Portland Trail Blazers (20-27, Last Week’s Ranking: 20)
Damian Lillard does not want this season to end at all and is surely playing like it, literally putting up Kobe-like numbers in the past week with his 61 points against the Warriors, and then followed that up with a 47-point outing and a 50 piece just nights later. Dame’s motor always finds a way to ramp up at this point of the year, especially now that the Blazers are practically within arms reach of grabbing the eighth seed in the playoffs. Getting CJ McCollum back in time from his ankle sprain for this early playoff push is gonna help as well.
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20. New Orleans Pelicans (18-29, Last Week’s Ranking: 19)
Are the Pelicans 1-2 since the debut of Zion Williamson? Sure. Are the Pelicans playoff-ready? No. But what is known is that Zion is already living up to his sky-high expectations in his first three games while shooting 66.7 percent from the field. Guys are literally bouncing off of him when he goes up for a rebound, slashes in the paint or finishing those crazy lobs inside the restricted zone, and he’s put the ball in the rim 18 of 23 times with four dunks in the past three games.
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21. Chicago Bulls (18-30, Last Week’s Ranking: 21)
Zach LaVine has been on a pretty strong run, adding some final touches on the resume to secure his spot on the Eastern Conference All Star roster, averaging an out-of-this-world 30 points a game in the month of January while putting up (and knocking down) 3.1 three-pointers per game. His week was capped off by an epic 44-point performance against the Cavaliers, and that was the third time he scored 40 + points in a game this month.
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22. Detroit Pistons (17-30, Last Week’s Ranking: 22)
The Pistons have lost five of the past eight games and with an abysmal win percentage, Center Andre Drummond is salvaging whatever is left of this season, and quite possibly what is left in his final months as a Piston, by setting some historic marks on the glass, now grabbing more career rebounds at the age of 26 than the great Wilt Chamberlain with his 8,104th board. A major accomplishment like that cannot go unnoticed.
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23. Sacramento Kings (16-29, Last Week’s Ranking: 24)
After Buddy Hield was inexplicably benched in Luke Walton’s favor of having Bogdan Bogdanovic start over him, Hield would go on to drop 21 points and five threes off the bench in a losing streak-ending win over the Chicago Bulls this past Friday. In his replacement, Bogdanovic scored 12 points in 26 minutes.
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24. Washington Wizards (15-30, Last Week’s Ranking: 26)
In an emotional tribute to his mentor and friend Kobe, Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks just stomped all over the Wizards in a 152-133 road loss as Trae Young ended up dropping 45 points on the worst defensive team in the NBA. To this day, the Wizards have held only three opponents to under 100 points in a game this year and with two high-scoring teams in the Bucks and Nets popping up on the schedule, those numbers are probably going to get even worse.
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25. Charlotte Hornets (15-31, Last Week’s Ranking: 25)
The Hornets stand still on this weekly list, and for good reason. That’s eight straight losses for the Hornets, signified by a loss in Paris to the Milwaukee Bucks. On the plus side, Malik Monk led the team in scoring with 31 points against a superb defensive team, while also drawing enough fouls to go 8-of-9 from the free throw line.
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26. Minnesota Timberwolves (15-31, Last Week’s Ranking: 23)
Speaking of losing skids, that’s now nine-straight losses for the bad luck Timberwolves who can’t seem to get out of their way. You’d think that a dually-gifted All-NBA center like Karl Anthony Towns would be able to complete the effort on both sides of the floor, but the main cause for the T’Wolves’ collapse has been their defense, and Towns is the most to blame. Since Dec. 1, the Wolves have an atrocious defensive rating of 123.4 points allowed per 100 possessions (top-3 worst ratings in the league) with Towns on the floor, but that improves to 104.5 when he rests.
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27. New York Knicks (13-34, Last Week’s Ranking: 29)
So the Knicks pulled off a big feat this past week: they won two games in one week. They went 2-2 on the week, winning against the Cavaliers earlier, losing against the visiting Lakers and Raptors, and beating the Nets on Sunday. And in beating Brooklyn on Sunday, the two teams finish the year tied in wins as their seasonal series concluded.
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28. Cleveland Cavaliers (12-34, Last Week’s Ranking: 27)
The Cavaliers have now lost seven straight games, and that’s just the fourth time marking the fourth they have lost five or more games in a row. It’s expected with such a young roster that’s using this season to develop their talent, but their defense has been atrocious and is largely to blame for the skid. Their 114.1 defensive rating is the second-worst rating in the league, only in front of the Wizards.
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29. Golden State Warriors (10-37, Last Week’s Ranking: 28)
The Warriors were dealt a serious blow to their frontcourt in losing Willie Cauley-Stein to a trade with the Mavericks and in his place, Steve Kerr will start Marquese Chriss, who is now the new starter after recently being released to make cap room to sign Damion Lee off of a two-way contract. Chriss has averaged 7.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game for the Warriors this year.
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30. Atlanta Hawks (12-35, Last Week’s Ranking: 30)
Trae Young is the Hawks’ first Eastern Conference All-Star selection since Paul Millsap and Kyle Korver in 2015, and the first starter since center Dikembe Mutombo in 1998. Young’s been a fan favorite in his short time as an NBA starter, as he led all East guards (and really, almost everyone in the fan voting aspect) with over 2.8 million fan votes.
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