NBA Power Rankings Update: The Portland Trail Blazers Are Worthy of Your Attention
Teams Ranked 30th to 21st
The Washington Wizards and Houston Rockets remain in the basement, and are joined by the reeling Minnesota Timberwolves.
| Ranking | Team | Record | nERD | Last Ranking | Plus/Minus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Phoenix Suns | 2-9 | 8.4 | 30 | 0 |
| 29 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 1-10 | 18.3 | 29 | 0 |
| 28 | Atlanta Hawks | 3-8 | 24.8 | 26 | -2 |
| 27 | Orlando Magic | 4-7 | 25.9 | 28 | 1 |
| 26 | Washington Wizards | 2-8 | 29.7 | 22 | -4 |
| 25 | Dallas Mavericks | 3-8 | 30.2 | 24 | -1 |
| 24 | Chicago Bulls | 3-9 | 31.4 | 26 | 2 |
| 23 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 4-8 | 34.2 | 18 | -5 |
| 22 | New York Knicks | 4-8 | 35.2 | 25 | 3 |
| 21 | Houston Rockets | 4-6 | 37.2 | 21 | 0 |
Risers
The Orlando Magic had a 2-2 week, including an impressive win over the San Antonio Spurs. There hasn't been much to suggest that the Magic will be climbing out of the bottom tier of our rankings anytime soon, but it should be noted that they've had the fourth-hardest schedule in the Association so far, according to basketball-reference.com's strength of schedule.
The New York Knicks also went 2-2 this week, but both of their wins came against other bottom-feeders in this tier (the Dallas Mavericks and Atlanta Hawks). They're currently last in a very competitive Atlantic Division, where they might be destined to spend the rest of the season. They're knocking on the door of the next tier, but we're not expecting a graduation anytime soon.
Fallers
The Washington Wizards really need to start stringing some wins together, but it didn't happen this week, as they went 1-2 with losses to the Oklahoma City Thunder and Mavericks. They've had the second-hardest schedule in the league so far, according to basketball-reference.com's strength of schedule, but that's really no excuse for having the league's 22nd-ranked offense (106.2 offensive rating), 28th-ranked defense (116.1 defensive rating), and 28th-ranked point differential (-10.30).
The Minnesota Timberwolves tumble into our bottom tier after a dreadful 0-4 week. All those losses might be somewhat excusable, considering each one came on the road to decent Western Conference opponents (the Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Clippers, and Los Angeles Lakers), but their 29th-ranked defense (116.7 defensive rating) might be a real concern, and the Jimmy Butler saga still remains unresolved.
