nERD welcomes a couple of formerly-uber-efficient teams to the middle of the pack, those being Charlotte and Portland.
| Ranking | Team | Record | nERD | Last Ranking | Plus/Minus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Los Angeles Lakers | 10-15 | 41.5 | 21 | +1 |
| 19 | Denver Nuggets | 14-12 | 47.3 | 17 | -3 |
| 18 | New York Knicks | 13-13 | 47.4 | 18 | Even |
| 17 | New Orleans Pelicans | 14-13 | 48.8 | 19 | +2 |
| 16 | Philadelphia 76ers | 13-13 | 48.9 | 12 | -4 |
| 15 | Detroit Pistons | 14-12 | 49.9 | 13 | -2 |
| 14 | Charlotte Hornets | 9-16 | 50.6 | T-9 | -5 |
| 13 | Portland Trail Blazers | 13-12 | 51.2 | 8 | -5 |
| 12 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 16-11 | 52.1 | 12 | Even |
| 11 | Milwaukee Bucks | 15-10 | 52.2 | 16 | +5 |
The Expected
Four is the magic number for the Philadelphia 76ers, who have dropped both four in a row and four spots in nERD-land. nERD was especially annoyed with their loss to Phoenix, an outing that was, frankly, beneath their dignity. The fact that they've allowed an average of 114.5 points a night over this streak is equally undignified. They've fallen behind the Knicks in the Eastern Conference standings, yet another reason to justify this.
On the other end of the win-loss spectrum, the Milwaukee Bucks are on a roll, having taken six of seven. After a brief bumpy patch, Giannis Antetokounmpo is back to doing cool Giannis Antetokounmpo-y things, averaging 32.4 points and 11.4 boards over his last five. (Seriously, who does that?) With Eric Bledsoe balling out, the Buck-os now sit ninth in offensive rating. We'll see if Pinocchio is a real boy on Saturday, when they have to deal with the scary Rockets.
The Unexpected
The Hornets have spent the majority of the season in the top-third of nERD rankings, but with eight losses in their last nine games, it appears they won't be seeing that rarified air for a good long while. Similarly, the Trail Blazers, losers of four in a row, have also slid out of the top-third. Their respective falls from grace were sudden and disconcerting, especially the Bugs', whose once lofty point differential has fallen to -2.2.
Coming into the season, Denver was one of the sexier bandwagons on which to jump, but after losing three of five -- including, yes, an L to the Mavs -- some are jumping off. They're a reasonable fifth-seed in the West, but with Nikola Jokic still nursing a sore ankle, some of that sexiness has faded.