The New York Knicks fall into the bottom tier, the Los Angeles Lakers leapfrog the Memphis Grizzlies, and everyone else maintains the status quo.
| Ranking | Team | Record | nERD | Last Ranking | Plus/Minus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Sacramento Kings | 14-33 | 21.1 | 30 | Even |
| 29 | Phoenix Suns | 17-31 | 29.2 | 29 | Even |
| 28 | Chicago Bulls | 18-30 | 32.9 | 28 | Even |
| 27 | Orlando Magic | 14-33 | 34.8 | 27 | Even |
| 26 | Atlanta Hawks | 14-33 | 35.5 | 26 | Even |
| 25 | Brooklyn Nets | 18-30 | 38.0 | 25 | Even |
| 24 | Memphis Grizzlies | 17-30 | 40.7 | 23 | -1 |
| 23 | Los Angeles Lakers | 18-29 | 42.8 | 24 | +1 |
| 22 | Dallas Mavericks | 16-32 | 43.2 | 22 | Even |
| 21 | New York Knicks | 21-27 | 43.7 | 19 | -2 |
Risers
The Los Angeles Lakers have won seven of their last nine contests, including three impressive wins over teams in the top-third of our rankings in the San Antonio Spurs (7th), Indiana Pacers (8th), and Boston Celtics (4th). They have had the league's fourth-best net rating over that span (5.9), trailing only the Houston Rockets (7.8), Philadelphia 76ers (7.4), and Golden State Warriors (6.9). It's not like the Lakers really have a shot at the playoffs this year (we have them at 1.7%), but they don't own their first-round draft pick either, so why not win a few games and give their young core some worthwhile reps?
Fallers
The New York Knicks enter the league's bottom-third this week. They had a fairly promising start to the season, hitting a record of 17-14 with a win over the Boston Celtics on December 21st, but they've gone 4-13 since then, including six losses in their last eight games. They now sit four games back of a playoff spot and we only give them an 12.4% chance of their first playoff berth in five seasons at this point. Believing they had turned their fortunes around in the post-Carmelo Anthony era was fun there for a bit.