The Sacramento Kings are suddenly a thing, the Los Angeles Clippers look better than expected, the Minnesota Timberwolves start to get messy, and the Los Angeles Lakers aren't quite there yet.
| Ranking | Team | Record | nERD | Last Ranking | Plus/Minus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Memphis Grizzlies | 4-2 | 42.7 | 23 | 3 |
| 19 | Sacramento Kings | 6-3 | 43.9 | 28 | 9 |
| 18 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 4-4 | 45.0 | 13 | -5 |
| 17 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 3-4 | 45.1 | 18 | 1 |
| 16 | Detroit Pistons | 4-3 | 47.8 | 17 | 1 |
| 15 | Miami Heat | 3-4 | 48.1 | 19 | 4 |
| 14 | Los Angeles Lakers | 3-5 | 52.9 | 11 | -3 |
| 13 | San Antonio Spurs | 5-2 | 54.9 | 9 | -4 |
| 12 | Los Angeles Clippers | 4-4 | 55.8 | 20 | 8 |
| 11 | Philadelphia 76ers | 5-4 | 56.8 | 8 | -3 |
Risers
Who saw this coming from the Sacramento Kings? They have been the butt of countless jokes over the last several years, but suddenly their smorgasbord of young guys is taking a collective step forward, and they are winning games as a result. They currently sit fifth in the competitive Western Conference, with a record of 6-3, and have the league's 12th-best point differential at 3.22. They've admittedly had a fairly reasonable schedule, but notable wins against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Memphis Grizzlies, Washington Wizards, and Miami Heat anchor their record. Be warned, however, that our algorithm still only gives them a 0.2% chance of making the playoffs. There's still a lot of basketball left to be played, so temper your expectations accordingly.
The Los Angeles Clippers only went 2-2 this week, but they are a strong .500 team. They're 11th in the league in point differential, at 3.5, giving them a Pythagorean record (expected wins and losses based on points scored and allowed) of 5-3. Their former big three of Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, and DeAndre Jordan might be long gone, but their roster is littered with solid NBA players, and they can hang with a lot of the better teams in this league.
Fallers
The Minnesota Timberwolves had a respectable 2-1 week, but that one loss being a 30-pointer to the Milwaukee Bucks knocked their point differential down to a 20th-ranked -2.5. They have the league's 27th-ranked defensive rating (116.0) and the Jimmy Butler saga isn't getting any easier to deal with. There has to be a move coming at some point, and with the way the Timberwolves are plummeting down the rankings, it had better come sooner than later.
The LeBron James era with the Los Angeles Lakers is off too a bit of a shaky start, as the Lakers sit at 3-5 with the league's 16th-ranked point differential at -0.13. No need to put a fork in them yet, however, as we still give them a strong 74.2% chance of making the playoffs and 3.1% odds of winning it all at this point. It'll come together, as it always does for the King.