NBA Power Rankings Update: The Boston Celtics Are Finally Putting It All Together
Teams Ranked 20th to 11th
The Minnesota Timberwolves and New Orleans Pelicans are both on an upswing, while the Dallas Mavericks and Charlotte Hornets sputter a little.
| Ranking | Team | Record | nERD | Last Ranking | Plus/Minus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Sacramento Kings | 21-21 | 49.9 | 21 | 1 |
| 19 | Dallas Mavericks | 19-22 | 50.2 | 15 | -4 |
| 18 | Portland Trail Blazers | 25-17 | 50.6 | 20 | 2 |
| 17 | Charlotte Hornets | 19-21 | 51.4 | 12 | -5 |
| 16 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 20-21 | 52.1 | 19 | 3 |
| 15 | Miami Heat | 20-20 | 52.6 | 14 | -1 |
| 14 | Los Angeles Clippers | 24-17 | 52.8 | 16 | 2 |
| 13 | Houston Rockets | 23-17 | 53.0 | 13 | 0 |
| 12 | Los Angeles Lakers | 23-19 | 54.8 | 10 | -2 |
| 11 | New Orleans Pelicans | 20-22 | 55.0 | 17 | 6 |
Risers
The Minnesota Timberwolves are pushing their way back towards .500 and a potential playoff berth after a first half of the season that was littered with headlines (mostly negative). Now that the dust has settled on the Jimmy Butler trade and the Tom Thibodeau firing, we get to see who this team really is. They now sit at 20-21 after winning six of their last nine (including three in a row), and we still give them a 25.0% chance of making the postseason despite a tumultuous start to the year, so things are looking up.
The New Orleans Pelicans have won five of their last seven and now sit three games out of eighth place in the Western Conference at 20-22. Anthony Davis is having a monster season and the Pels are finally healthy around him, but that might not be enough to get them into the postseason this year. As of now, we only give them a 25.3% chance of making it.
Fallers
The Dallas Mavericks got off to an impressive 15-11 start to the season, but they've cratered since then, going 4-11 over their last 15. The margin for error in the Western Conference is razor thin this year, with teams 1 through 14 being separated by a mere 9.5 games in the standings, so the Mavs likely can't afford this kind of slump if they hope to make the playoffs. As of now, we only give them a mere 10.4% chance of pulling that off.
The Charlotte Hornets have been hovering around .500 all season, but they're slipping a little bit, having gone 3-6 over their last nine. They still have a positive average point differential (0.80) on the season, however, which suggests they might ultimately be better than their 19-21 record suggests. Their Pythagorean win-loss record (expected record based on points scored and allowed) of 21-19 says as much.
