The Brooklyn Nets jump up into the middle tier, while the New Orleans Pelicans and Utah Jazz fall into it.
| Ranking | Team | Record | nERD | Last Ranking | Plus/Minus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Brooklyn Nets | 5-6 | 43.3 | 23 | 3 |
| 19 | Detroit Pistons | 5-5 | 44.2 | 16 | -3 |
| 18 | Miami Heat | 5-5 | 48.4 | 15 | -3 |
| 17 | Los Angeles Lakers | 5-6 | 49.5 | 14 | -3 |
| 16 | Memphis Grizzlies | 6-4 | 49.7 | 20 | 4 |
| 15 | Sacramento Kings | 6-5 | 51.6 | 19 | 4 |
| 14 | New Orleans Pelicans | 5-6 | 53.2 | 6 | -8 |
| 13 | Philadelphia 76ers | 7-5 | 54.1 | 11 | -2 |
| 12 | Utah Jazz | 5-6 | 54.9 | 9 | -3 |
| 11 | San Antonio Spurs | 6-4 | 55.6 | 13 | 2 |
Risers
The Brooklyn Nets had a 2-1 week with blowout wins against the Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns. They now sit only one game under .500, while boasting the league's 11th-ranked offense (111.0 offensive rating) and 15th-ranked margin of victory (0.73). Caris LeVert has been a revelation for the team this season, while plenty of other young guys have stepped up and played their part as well. The Nets play in an extra tough Atlantic Division alongside the Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, and 76ers, but maybe they're ready to finally climb out of the league's cellar for a while.
Last week's darlings, the Sacramento Kings, continue to rise despite an 0-2 week. That might have to do with the teams around them falling more than anything else, but they also get a bit of a pass considering their losses came at the hands of our second- (Milwaukee Bucks) and third-ranked (Raptors) teams. Our algorithm still only gives the Kings a 1.4% chance of making the postseason, so it'll be interesting to see just how long they can keep this Cinderella story going.
Fallers
The Pelicans were one of the hottest teams in the Association to start the year, but they've gone 1-6 since their impressive 4-0 start. This week, they suffered losses to the Spurs and Thunder to drop their record under .500. They've had an admittedly tough schedule so far, and they're a solid 5-3 when Anthony Davis is in the lineup, so they might ultimately be better than their record suggests.
The Jazz were pegged to be one of the top teams in the Western Conference this season after a scorching-hot second half last year, but they've come back down to earth a bit with a 5-6 start. A 1-3 week with losses to the Memphis Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets, and Raptors knocked them out of the top tier of our rankings, and their schedule doesn't get any easier with 10 of their next 13 contests coming on the road. Maybe they're destined to be a team that starts slow and revs up later in the season yet again.