NBA Power Rankings Update: The Cleveland Cavaliers Continue to Plummet
Teams Ranked 30th to 21st
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.
