Lots of shuffling going on in the top tier this week, most notably the continued slide of the Golden State Warriors.
| Ranking | Team | Record | nERD | Last Ranking | Plus/Minus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Boston Celtics | 9-9 | 58.6 | 10 | 0 |
| 9 | Los Angeles Clippers | 11-6 | 60.7 | 8 | -1 |
| 8 | Charlotte Hornets | 9-8 | 61.3 | 6 | -2 |
| 7 | Indiana Pacers | 11-7 | 62.1 | 9 | 2 |
| 6 | Portland Trail Blazers | 12-6 | 62.2 | 4 | -2 |
| 5 | Denver Nuggets | 11-7 | 64.0 | 7 | 2 |
| 4 | Golden State Warriors | 12-7 | 66.9 | 2 | -2 |
| 3 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 11-6 | 67.4 | 5 | 2 |
| 2 | Toronto Raptors | 15-4 | 72.0 | 3 | 1 |
| 1 | Milwaukee Bucks | 13-4 | 78.9 | 1 | 0 |
Risers
Lots of talk about the top teams in the Eastern Conference is centered around the Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, and Milwaukee Bucks, but don't sleep on just how well the Indiana Pacers are playing. They have the league's fifth-ranked defense (105.3 defensive rating) and ninth-ranked margin of victory (3.50), and very much belong up here in the top tier. They've won four of their last six as well, slotting them in fourth in what has become a very competitive conference.
Oklahoma City has had a thunderous rise (see what I did there?) from the bottom to the top this season. After starting the year 0-4, they've gone 11-2 over their last 13. They've admittedly beat up on some pretty weak competition, but those wins count all the same, and their top-ranked defense (103.8 defensive rating) and third-ranked margin of victory (6.18) are nothing to sneeze at.
Fallers
The Portland Trail Blazers had a pretty uninspiring week going 2-2, but they've still exceeded most preseason expectations by rattling off the Western Conference's second-best record to date at 12-6. They look like they are very much here to stay in our top-10, despite losing a bit of ground this week.
The Golden State Warriors have lost four straight games (the most of the Steve Kerr era), and are 2-6 over their last eight. Stephen Curry's lingering groin injury is a factor, and the Kevin Durant vs. Draymond Green drama isn't helping either, but there's probably no need to hit the panic button just yet. While it's nice to have a brief moment where it seems like this year's NBA championship is a bit more wide open than it's been in recent seasons, we still give the Dubs a commanding 27.4% chance of winning the title, a full 14.0% higher than the next closest competitor (the Toronto Raptors at 13.4%).