There isn't much movement in the top tier this week, but the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors swap spots.
| Ranking | Team | Record | nERD | Last Ranking | Plus/Minus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Portland Trail Blazers | 39-26 | 56.3 | 10 | 0 |
| 9 | Utah Jazz | 37-27 | 60.1 | 9 | 0 |
| 8 | Philadelphia 76ers | 41-24 | 60.6 | 8 | 0 |
| 7 | Denver Nuggets | 43-21 | 61.5 | 7 | 0 |
| 6 | Indiana Pacers | 42-24 | 62.4 | 6 | 0 |
| 5 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 40-25 | 63.4 | 5 | 0 |
| 4 | Toronto Raptors | 46-19 | 64.0 | 3 | -1 |
| 3 | Boston Celtics | 40-26 | 65.4 | 4 | 1 |
| 2 | Golden State Warriors | 44-20 | 67.0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1 | Milwaukee Bucks | 49-16 | 74.2 | 1 | 0 |
Risers
One of the top stories in the NBA right now is the implosion of the Boston Celtics -- they've lost five of their last eight and no one on the team seems all that happy -- but our algorithms still think they're doing fine. They are our third-ranked team with a nERD of 65.4 and are trending upward after a 3-1 week that included a victory over the mighty Golden State Warriors. Maybe things aren't so bad in Boston; the numbers certainly don't see much of an issue.
Fallers
The Toronto Raptors have the second-best record in the entire NBA at 46-19, but losing three of their last five has caused them to slip ever so slightly in our rankings. They still have our third-best title odds at 12.7%, so there's no real need to panic over a small cold stretch, especially considering the fact that they have the easiest remaining schedule in the Association.