NBA Power Rankings Update: Are the Utah Jazz a Western Conference Contender?
Teams Ranked 20th to 11th
The Brooklyn Nets and Miami Heat are both hitting their stride at the right time, a year of chaos is catching up with the New Orleans Pelicans, and the Minnesota Timberwolves look ready to call it a season.
| Ranking | Team | Record | nERD | Last Ranking | Plus/Minus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Charlotte Hornets | 30-37 | 46.8 | 19 | -1 |
| 19 | Orlando Magic | 32-38 | 47.6 | 22 | 3 |
| 18 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 32-37 | 48.4 | 16 | -2 |
| 17 | New Orleans Pelicans | 30-40 | 48.8 | 14 | -3 |
| 16 | Brooklyn Nets | 36-34 | 49.8 | 18 | 2 |
| 15 | Sacramento Kings | 33-34 | 50.3 | 15 | 0 |
| 14 | Miami Heat | 32-35 | 50.5 | 17 | 3 |
| 13 | Los Angeles Clippers | 39-30 | 52.2 | 13 | 0 |
| 12 | San Antonio Spurs | 39-29 | 54.5 | 12 | 0 |
| 11 | Houston Rockets | 42-26 | 54.9 | 11 | 0 |
Risers
The Nets have been slumping since the start of February, but they've started to turn things around, winning four of their last five. They've still got a pretty good grip on a playoff spot despite their recent struggles -- we give them a pretty commanding 93.3% chance of making it -- but that will be tested on their current seven-game road trip.
The Heat have had the third-best record in the Association since February 27, going 6-2 with a net rating of 7.3 over that span. They picked just the right time to start hitting their stride, too, considering that they've recently managed to climb back into eighth place in the Eastern Conference after a brief stint outside the playoff picture. They now have a game and a half separating them from the ninth-place Orlando Magic, and we give them a 53.8% chance of making the postseason.
Fallers
It's been a pretty tumultuous season for the Pelicans, full of all the drama surrounding Anthony Davis' trade request, but things look like they're hitting rock bottom right now. They've now lost four in a row by an average of 15.5 points per contest, and that's caused them to slide down our rankings after improbably sticking around in the top-15 long after their playoff odds had dried up.
The Timberwolves have lost five of their last eight and are completely losing their grip on a potential playoff berth. They now sit a whopping seven games back with only 15 left to play, so it would take an absolute miracle to turn things around at this point. We give them a negligible 0.4% chance of making it, and that might even be generous.
