NBA Power Rankings Update: The Los Angeles Clippers Are Proving Everyone Wrong
Teams Ranked 10th to 1st
The Charlotte Hornets and Indiana Pacers swap places, as do the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder.
| Ranking | Team | Record | nERD | Last Ranking | Plus/Minus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Charlotte Hornets | 18-25 | 53.9 | 9 | -1 |
| 9 | Indiana Pacers | 24-20 | 54.5 | 10 | +1 |
| 8 | Washington Wizards | 25-20 | 54.9 | 8 | Even |
| 7 | San Antonio Spurs | 30-16 | 58.8 | 6 | -1 |
| 6 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 25-20 | 59.5 | 7 | +1 |
| 5 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 29-17 | 62.6 | 5 | Even |
| 4 | Boston Celtics | 34-11 | 63.7 | 4 | Even |
| 3 | Houston Rockets | 30-12 | 67.4 | 3 | Even |
| 2 | Toronto Raptors | 30-13 | 70.1 | 2 | Even |
| 1 | Golden State Warriors | 37-9 | 76.6 | 1 | Even |
Risers
There wasn't a lot of movement in the top tier, but it's worth mentioning that the Indiana Pacers have won five of their last six contests and managed to hop over the statistically confusing Charlotte Hornets (more on that in a minute) for ninth place. They've also put the Washington Wizards (losers of four of their last six) on notice in both the standings (half a game behind) and our rankings (behind by only 0.5 nERD). The Pacers are for real.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are finally starting to look like the team we expected them to be when they added Paul George and Carmelo Anthony to the mix with reigning MVP, Russell Westbrook. Since December 18th, they've gone 11-5, while placing third in the league in net rating over that span at 7.2. They have the league's 12th-ranked offense in terms of efficiency and 3rd-ranked defense, making them the only team outside of the Golden State Warriors (1st and 5th), Toronto Raptors (3rd and 4th), and Washington Wizards (11th and 11th) to place in the top-12 in both.
Fallers
The Hornets currently rank 11th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 18-25 and have an average point differential of -0.09. They have the league's 20th-ranked offense, but their 9th-ranked defense continues to carry them in our rankings. They conceded a spot to the hot Indiana Pacers this week, but they still continue to defy their win-loss record and point differential by placing in the top-third of the league.
The fact that Kawhi Leonard -- one of the league's top players -- is shut down indefinitely with a quad injury after only playing nine games would normally be a big reason for a concern, but the Spurs are still chugging along at 30-16 and in the seventh spot in our rankings despite his absence. A re-energized LaMarcus Aldridge playing possibly the best ball of his career at age 32 has certainly helped that cause, but it seems like nothing can slow down the monolith that is this organization. They drop a spot in our rankings this week, but that has more to do with the Thunder playing hot than the Spurs playing cold.
