NBA Power Rankings Update: The Los Angeles Lakers Are Reeling
Teams Ranked 20th to 11th
The Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, and Sacramento Kings are all entrenched in a battle for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, while the Charlotte Hornets are losing their grip on a postseason berth in the East.
| Ranking | Team | Record | nERD | Last Ranking | Plus/Minus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Miami Heat | 26-30 | 47.9 | 19 | -1 |
| 19 | Los Angeles Lakers | 28-29 | 48.4 | 17 | -2 |
| 18 | Charlotte Hornets | 27-30 | 48.6 | 15 | -3 |
| 17 | Dallas Mavericks | 26-31 | 48.9 | 14 | -3 |
| 16 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 27-30 | 50.0 | 20 | 4 |
| 15 | Sacramento Kings | 30-27 | 50.6 | 18 | 3 |
| 14 | New Orleans Pelicans | 26-33 | 51.1 | 13 | -1 |
| 13 | Los Angeles Clippers | 32-27 | 51.3 | 16 | 3 |
| 12 | Houston Rockets | 33-24 | 53.6 | 12 | 0 |
| 11 | San Antonio Spurs | 33-26 | 53.8 | 11 | 0 |
Risers
The Kings have won five of their last seven and are making a legitimate push for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. At 30-27, they now only sit a game behind the eighth-place Los Angeles Clippers, and we give them a 31.5% chance of making it.
Speaking of the Clippers, everyone thought they were packing it in when they traded Tobias Harris at the deadline, but they're still chugging along. They've won four of their last seven and our algorithm still gives them a pretty commanding 73.1% chance of holding onto their playoff spot, despite some close competition from the Kings (one game back, 31.5% chance) and Lakers (three games back, 14.1% chance).
Fallers
The Lakers are reeling. They've lost four of their last five, including a 42-point shellacking at the hands of the Indiana Pacers. They're still technically in the playoff hunt with only three games separating them and the eighth-place Los Angeles Clippers, but our algorithm only gives them an 14.1% chance of making it at this point.
The Hornets have lost four of their last five and have had the league's fourth-worst net rating over that span at -10.7. They still lead the lackluster Southeast Division with a 27-30 record, and our algorithm gives them a fairly encouraging 63.5% chance of making the postseason, but they're only half a game up on ninth place in the Eastern Conference at this point, and the playoffs are far from a given with five teams in the mix for the final two spots.
