The Charlotte Hornets keep on breaking analytics, the Minnesota Timberwolves continue their ascent to join the league's elite, and the Toronto Raptors are your new number two.
| Ranking | Team | Record | nERD | Last Ranking | Plus/Minus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Indiana Pacers | 21-20 | 52.1 | 9 | -1 |
| 9 | Charlotte Hornets | 15-24 | 52.6 | 12 | +3 |
| 8 | Washington Wizards | 23-18 | 56.9 | 7 | -1 |
| 7 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 22-20 | 57.9 | 8 | +1 |
| 6 | San Antonio Spurs | 28-14 | 58.3 | 5 | -1 |
| 5 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 27-16 | 61.9 | 10 | +5 |
| 4 | Boston Celtics | 33-10 | 64.2 | 4 | Even |
| 3 | Houston Rockets | 29-11 | 68.1 | 2 | -1 |
| 2 | Toronto Raptors | 28-11 | 70.3 | 3 | +1 |
| 1 | Golden State Warriors | 33-9 | 76.0 | 1 | Even |
Risers
The Charlotte Hornets are a mere 5-4 since our last instalment, yet jumped up three spots to land in the top-10 of our power rankings at ninth. Their lackluster record of 15-24 places them 11th in the Eastern Conference by win-loss percentage, and our algorithm only gives them a 22.5% chance of making the postseason, yet they place higher than 21 other teams in the NBA in these rankings and all but three -- the Raptors, Celtics, and Washington Wizards -- in their conference. That's right, they're outperforming the three-time reigning Eastern Conference champions, the Cavaliers. Why? Their 12th-ranked defensive efficiency helps (Cleveland sits at 28th), but otherwise, it's a little hard to say why nERD has such a crush on them.
The Minnesota Timberwolves now lead the Northwest Division with a record of 27-16, having won 10 of their last 13 contests. They snuck their way into the top-10 last time around, and now skyrocket up to fifth in the entire Association and third in the Western Conference. Our algorithm gives them a 99.7% chance of making the postseason this year, likely breaking an NBA-leading 13-year postseason drought.
The Toronto Raptors continue to be one of the best teams in the Association that no one's talking about. They are now our second-ranked team behind the mighty Golden State Warriors (surpassing the Houston Rockets), thanks to their fourth-ranked offensive efficiency, third-ranked defense, and third-ranked margin of victory. Their recent playoff history will keep people from taking them seriously as a true championship contender, but our unbiased metrics have them with the league's second-best title odds at 15.7%, trailing only Golden State's 36.4%.
Fallers
The Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards, San Antonio Spurs, and Houston Rockets all dropped one spot this week, but that was more about other teams surging than those teams faltering.