NBA Power Rankings Update: The Utah Jazz Keep Humming Along
Teams Ranked 20th to 11th
The Detroit Pistons and Utah Jazz soar up the rankings in their respective playoff pushes, while the New Orleans Pelicans take a step back, and the Cleveland Cavaliers continue their descent to the bottom.
| Ranking | Team | Record | nERD | Last Ranking | Plus/Minus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Miami Heat | 29-26 | 44.4 | 20 | Even |
| 19 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 31-22 | 45.2 | 17 | -2 |
| 18 | Denver Nuggets | 29-25 | 49.2 | 16 | -2 |
| 17 | Portland Trail Blazers | 29-25 | 49.2 | 15 | -2 |
| 16 | New Orleans Pelicans | 28-25 | 50.2 | 13 | -3 |
| 15 | Detroit Pistons | 27-26 | 50.6 | 18 | +3 |
| 14 | Utah Jazz | 26-28 | 50.8 | 19 | +5 |
| 13 | Los Angeles Clippers | 27-25 | 52.5 | 14 | +1 |
| 12 | Philadelphia 76ers | 26-25 | 52.9 | 11 | -1 |
| 11 | Milwaukee Bucks | 30-23 | 53.4 | 12 | +1 |
Risers
The Detroit Pistons are on a five-game winning streak, including four in a row since the acquisition of Blake Griffin. They still sit a game behind the eighth-place Philadelphia 76ers in the loss column for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, but it looks like their blockbuster trade managed to stop the bleeding of the eight-game losing streak that immediately preceded the deal. They're now back in contention to make the postseason for just the second time in nine years and we give them a 55.9% chance of pulling it off at this point.
The Jazz have won a league-best seven in a row and nine of their last 11. Since January 17th, they have the league's fourth-best offensive rating (112.5), fifth-best defensive rating (101.7), and second-best net rating (10.8), trailing only the red-hot Houston Rockets (10.9). They currently sit 2.5 games behind the New Orleans Pelicans for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference and we currently give them a 33.2% chance of making it, which is more than double the 16.2% our algorithm had them at last week.
Fallers
We managed to go a week without discussing the demise of the Cavaliers, but here we are again. Despite an epic win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night, the Cavs still had an awful week. They've dropped two of their three contests since our last instalment in embarrassing fashion, including a 32-point blowout loss at home to the Houston Rockets and an 18-point loss against the Orlando Magic in a game in which they blew a 21-point lead.
Their 31-22 record continues to be deceiving, as their 45.2 nERD is pretty darn close to the 22-31 Los Angeles Lakers' mark of 43.4. They're getting dangerously close to the bottom tier of our rankings and are down to a 0.9% chance of winning the title, according to our algorithm. That places them 12th in the entire Association, behind the likes of the Washington Wizards (2.6%), Milwaukee Bucks (1.8%), 76ers (1.2%), and Indiana Pacers (1.0%) in addition to the usual suspects, and just ahead of the Detroit Pistons (0.7%). Yuck.
The New Orleans Pelicans have dropped four of their last five, including a 24-point loss to the Jazz, a team that's nipping at their heels for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. That five-game span coincides directly with the loss of All-Star DeMarcus Cousins, who will miss the remainder of the season with a full rupture of his left Achilles tendon. They've gotten a bit of help by trading for Nikola Mirotic, but they've gone and dropped both games since he joined the lineup. They've still got Anthony Davis playing at an MVP level, but their lead on the ninth-place Los Angeles Clippers is down to a tenuous half-game and their 64.0% chance of making the postseason is dwindling.
