There are some slight changes in the top tier this week, with the most notable shift being the Indiana Pacers moving on up into the top five.
| Ranking | Team | Record | nERD | Last Ranking | Plus/Minus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | San Antonio Spurs | 19-16 | 57.4 | 10 | 0 |
| 9 | Los Angeles Lakers | 20-15 | 57.8 | 9 | 0 |
| 8 | Philadelphia 76ers | 23-13 | 60.3 | 8 | 0 |
| 7 | Golden State Warriors | 23-13 | 60.8 | 6 | -1 |
| 6 | Denver Nuggets | 21-11 | 62.2 | 5 | -1 |
| 5 | Indiana Pacers | 23-12 | 64.4 | 7 | 2 |
| 4 | Boston Celtics | 20-14 | 67.5 | 4 | 0 |
| 3 | Toronto Raptors | 26-10 | 67.6 | 2 | -1 |
| 2 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 21-12 | 68.2 | 3 | 1 |
| 1 | Milwaukee Bucks | 24-10 | 71.3 | 1 | 0 |
Risers
The Indiana Pacers have quietly been one of the best teams in the entire NBA this season. At 23-12, they have the third-best record in both the Eastern Conference and the Association at large. Their 20th-ranked offensive rating (109.1) leaves a little to be desired, but they can hang their hats on their second-ranked defensive rating (103.5) and fifth-ranked average margin of victory (5.54). It is worth noting that they have had the easiest schedule in the league to date, according to Basketball-Reference.com's strength of schedule (-1.32), but that doesn't change the fact that they've been steamrolling lately, winning 10 of their last 12. That includes signature victories against a couple Eastern Conference powers in the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers.
At 21-12, the Oklahoma City Thunder sit third in the Western Conference, and they're a mere half game behind the first-place Denver Nuggets. Much like the Pacers, the Thunder don't really get things done on the offensive end (109.3 offensive rating, 19th in the NBA), but they lock it down on defense (103.3 defensive rating, first in the NBA), and they have the Association's third-ranked average margin of victory (6.09) to show for it.
Fallers
The Golden State Warriors are at pretty close to full strength (minus DeMarcus Cousins, who has played exactly zero minutes for the team coming off Achilles surgery), but they're still managing to lose a bunch of basketball games. They are 4-4 over their last eight, looking more mortal than perhaps they ever have over their five-year reign of dominance. They still have our top-ranked championship odds at 15.7%, but the Toronto Raptors (14.6%), Milwaukee Bucks (14.4%), Oklahoma City Thunder (11.1%), and Boston Celtics (10.0%) are all knocking at the door. Will any of this matter come June, or are the Warriors just finally at the point where they can coast through the regular season without any actual consequence? Probably the latter.
The Denver Nuggets maintain their tenuous hold on the Western Conference's top spot, despite numerous injuries to their core players. They went 0-2 this week, and drop a spot to make room for the red-hot Indiana Pacers, but they are also on the verge of getting Paul Millsap (toe), Gary Harris (hip), and Will Barton (hip) all back from injury. Even brighter times are likely ahead for the Nuggets once they finally get healthy.