The San Antonio Spurs and Brooklyn Nets tumble into the bottom tier, while the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat try to sneak out of it.
| Ranking | Team | Record | nERD | Last Ranking | Plus/Minus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Phoenix Suns | 4-21 | 14.4 | 30 | 0 |
| 29 | Atlanta Hawks | 5-20 | 18.0 | 29 | 0 |
| 28 | Chicago Bulls | 5-20 | 21.3 | 28 | 0 |
| 27 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 5-19 | 25.0 | 27 | 0 |
| 26 | New York Knicks | 8-18 | 30.2 | 26 | 0 |
| 25 | San Antonio Spurs | 11-14 | 39.7 | 18 | -7 |
| 24 | Washington Wizards | 11-14 | 41.9 | 24 | 0 |
| 23 | Brooklyn Nets | 8-18 | 42.2 | 20 | -3 |
| 22 | Orlando Magic | 12-13 | 42.4 | 25 | 3 |
| 21 | Miami Heat | 9-14 | 43.6 | 22 | 1 |
Risers
After stumbling a bit last week, the Orlando Magic are back on track, winning two of their last three. They now sit in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, and it might be time to start taking them seriously as playoff contenders. We currently give them a 37.8% chance of making it and thus ending their six-year playoff drought. They play 8 of their next 10 contests at home, so they have a good opportunity to solidify their spot in the postseason picture over the next couple of weeks.
The Miami Heat had a 2-1 week with solid wins over the New Orleans Pelicans and Utah Jazz. Those were some much needed victories coming off a 2-8 stretch, but things are about to get a lot tougher for them as they embark on a six-game west coast road trip.
Fallers
The last time the San Antonio Spurs missed the playoffs, Bill Clinton was president of the United States of America and "MMMbop" was a thing. After 21 consecutive seasons of making the postseason -- including five championships -- the Spurs are in real danger of missing out this year. They currently sit in 14th in the Western Conference with a record of 11-14, and we only give them a 26.5% chance of making it at this point.
The Brooklyn Nets had a somewhat promising 8-10 start to the season, but they've now dropped eight in a row, and have come tumbling back down into the bottom tier. Their 23rd-ranked average point differential of -2.42 suggests that they absolutely belong here as well.