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NBA Power Rankings: Week 2

 

  1. Golden State Warriors 9-1 SAME

Golden State finished the week 3-0 with blowout wins over Chicago and Minnesota while beating New Orleans by 10. The Warriors are firing on all cylinders already and nobody looks even close to their level. The team has been passing like crazy this season, especially with plays like this. The Warriors play Memphis, Milwaukee and Brooklyn this week.

  1. Toronto Raptors 9-1 SAME

Toronto lost to Milwaukee to start the week but Kawhi Leonard didn’t play in the game. The Raptors followed that up with wins over the 76ers and Suns in which Leonard led the team in scoring with 31 and 19 points respectively. Leonard looks rejuvenated in a Toronto uniform. The Raptors play Utah, Sacramento and New York this week.

  1. Milwaukee Bucks 8-1 UP 2

Milwaukee beat Toronto without Giannis Antetokounmpo on Monday with Kawhi Leonard also not playing for the Raptors for their eight straight win to start the season. The Bucks would lose to Boston in a thriller on Thursday for their first loss of the season. Coach Budenholzer seems to have made this team a contender in the East this season. Milwaukee plays the Trail Blazers, Warriors, Clippers and Nuggets this week.

  1. Boston Celtics 6-3 DOWN 1

Kyrie Irving got a haircut and returned to the Kyrie we have all been used to. Irving led the team to wins over the Pistons and Bucks this week before Victor Oladipo hit a three-pointer for the Pacers to beat the Celtics in the final seconds on Saturday. The Celtics face a tough four-game road trip against Denver, Phoenix, Utah, and Portland this week.

  1. Denver Nuggets 8-1 DOWN 1

Denver followed up their loss to the Lakers with four straight wins over the Pelicans, Bulls, Cavs, and Jazz. The team is red-hot and currently has the second-best record in the league. Nikola Jokic has been amazing for the team thus far this season, posting stats of 18 points, 10 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game. Denver will play Boston, Memphis, Brooklyn and Milwaukee this week.

  1. Portland Trail Blazers 7-3 UP 4

Portland had solid wins over Indiana, Houston, and New Orleans this week before losing to the Lakers Saturday. Damian Lillard is putting up just over 29 points per game for the Blazers this season with CJ McCollum at just over 19 points per game for the team. The Blazers have a strong test Tuesday with the Bucks and Sunday with the Celtics this week.

  1. Indiana Pacers 7-3 UP 4

Indiana started this week with a loss to Portland Monday then rattled off three straight wins against the Knicks, Bulls and Celtics thanks to a buzzer-beater from Victor Oladipo. Indiana currently ranks fourth in three-point percentage this season and will need to keep it up this week with two games Houston and games against Philadelphia and Miami as well.

  1. San Antonio Spurs 6-3 UP 5

DeMar DeRozan has been superb for San Antonio this season posting 27 points, seven assists and five rebounds per game. He has led the team in scoring in eight of their nine games this season. San Antonio is coming off a week with wins over Dallas, Phoenix and New Orleans while losing to Orlando Sunday. They play Miami on the road and Houston at home this week.

  1. Philadelphia 76ers 6-5 SAME

Joel Embiid had a strong week for the 76ers with two 30-point games and one 40-point game before just a 15-point effort in a 25-point loss to Brooklyn. The team finished 2-2 this week. Philadelphia is struggling to find shooting outside of JJ Reddick and Robert Covington, the only two players on the team with over two three-point makes per game. The 76ers play Indiana, Charlotte and Memphis this week.

  1. Utah Jazz 4-5 DOWN 3

Utah had a rough week, losing all three games against Minnesota, Memphis and Denver. The Jazz had a scare against the Nuggets with Donovan Mitchell being carried off the floor with an apparent leg injury but he would return to the game healthy. Utah has a three-game homestand against Toronto, Dallas and Boston this week and is one of two teams in the league, with Houston, yet to win a home game.

  1. New Orleans Pelicans 4-5 DOWN 4

After starting the season 4-0, New Orleans has lost five straight games. Anthony Davis has only played in two of those games but posted just 17 points in each of them. The Pelicans need to figure out how to get wins when Davis isn’t playing a perfect game. New Orleans has Oklahoma City, Chicago and Phoenix on the schedule this week.

  1. Houston Rockets 3-5 DOWN 4

Houston had a terrible start to the season before winning two in a row to end the week. Carmelo Anthony helped the Rockets a ton when James Harden and Chris Paul went out. Clint Capela is playing extremely well with 15 points and 11 rebound per game averages thus far. Houston plays Indiana twice and Oklahoma City and San Antonio once this week.

  1. Detroit Pistons 4-4 UP 2

Detroit has lost four straight games with all but one coming in close games. Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond are doing all the work for this team, and they need to find other scoring to break out of their slump. Detroit plays Miami, Orlando, Atlanta and Charlotte this week.

  1. Memphis Grizzlies 5-3 UP 3

Memphis beat Washington and a Mitchell-less Utah team before losing to the Suns this week. The team has the fourth highest defensive rating in the league behind stellar efforts from Marc Gasol and Mike Conley. The Grizzlies have tough tests this week against Golden State, Denver and Philadelphia.

  1. Oklahoma City Thunder 4-4 DOWN 1

The Thunder have gotten back to their winning ways, rattling off three wins this week over the Clippers, Hornets and Wizards. Russell Westbrook and Paul George have led the team in scoring in every game this season and Nerlens Noel seems to be a hidden gem off the bench. Oklahoma City plays New Orleans, Cleveland, Houston and Dallas this week.

  1. Los Angeles Lakers 4-6 DOWN 4

The Lakers can’t seem to find their identity. LeBron James has led the team in scoring in all but two games, but Los Angeles can’t seem to find any other consistent scorers. Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma need to start being more consistent for this team to win more games. The Lakers play Minnesota, Sacramento and Atlanta this week.

  1. Los Angeles Clippers 5-4 UP 1

The Clippers lost to Oklahoma City and Philadelphia before beating Orlando convincingly this week. Tobias Harris has stepped into the role of a go-to scorer for the team and has been performing well so far. The Clippers Boban Marjanovic showed off his height before the team played Oklahoma City Monday in hilarious fashion. Los Angeles plays Minnesota, Portland and Milwaukee this week.

  1. Charlotte Hornets 5-5 UP 4

Kemba Walker cooled off a little bit after such a hot start to the season putting up 19, 21 and 18 points in the Hornets three games last week. Charlotte needs a second scoring weapon for when Walker isn’t playing well especially because second-year guard Malik Monk is still inconsistent. Charlotte plays Atlanta, Philadelphia and Detroit this week.

  1. Miami Heat 3-5 DOWN 3

Miami lost three straight games this week against Sacramento, Charlotte and Atlanta, all likely non-playoff teams. The Heat have put Josh Richardson in the role of go-to scorer, but he doesn’t seem to have the talent to be that as of right now. The Heat should look into Jimmy Butler again. Miami plays Detroit, San Antonio, Indiana and Washington this week.

  1. Minnesota Timberwolves 4-6 DOWN 1

Derrick Rose had a crazy throwback game in which he scored a career-high 50 points in a three-point win over Utah on Wednesday. The Wolves finished the week with close wins over the Lakers and Jazz before losing a lead in the final eight-minutes against the Warriors and getting blown out by Portland. Minnesota plays the Clippers, Lakers and Kings to end their five game West-Coast road trip this week.

  1. Sacramento Kings 6-4 UP 5

Sacramento had won five in a row before losing by 35 to the Bucks on Sunday. The Kings are third in points per game at 119.8 but also allow 116.6. De’Aaron Fox became the only player in NBA history other than LeBron James to have a 30/10/10 game with 31 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds against the Hawks Thursday. The Kings play Toronto, Minnesota and the Los Angeles Lakers this week.

  1. Brooklyn Nets 4-6 UP 1

Brooklyn beat two good teams in the Pistons and 76ers this week while also losing to New York and Houston. The Nets seem to have given Caris LeVert the offense as he leads the team in scoring with 20 points per game. Brooklyn starts a West road trip this week against Phoenix, Denver and Golden State.

  1. Dallas Mavericks 2-7 DOWN 2

Dallas has lost six straight games after starting the season 2-1. The good news for the Mavs is that Luka Doncic is leading the team in scoring and playing very well, and DeAndre Jordan somehow learned to shoot free-throws over the summer and is shooting 82 percent now. Dallas plays Washington, Utah and Oklahoma City this week.

  1. Atlanta Hawks 3-6 UP 1

Trae Young had many questions about scoring coming into the season and has proved to everyone that he can be counted on. Young is averaging over 19 points and almost eight assists per game so far this season. Young put up 24 points and 15 assists to lead the Hawks to a win over Miami this week after the team had suffered four straight losses. Atlanta play Charlotte, New York, Detroit and the Los Angeles Lakers this week.

  1. New York Knicks 3-7 UP 5

New York continues to play close games until the final six minutes of the fourth quarter, then proceed to win by a bunch or lose by a bunch. The Knicks lost to the Pacers and Wizards this week while beating the Nets and Mavs. Tim Hardaway Jr. has become the go-to scorer for the team but is still too inconsistent to make the team much better. The Knicks play Chicago, Atlanta, Toronto and Orlando this week.

  1. Orlando Magic 3-6 DOWN 2

Orlando followed its four-game losing streak with a win in San Antonio on Sunday thanks to 26 points from Aaron Gordon. The Magic don’t have any consistent scorers even though Gordon was paid last offseason to do just that. Orlando plays Cleveland, Detroit, Washington and New York this week.

  1. Washington Wizards 2-7 DOWN 7

The Wizards beat New York Sunday to snap their five-game losing streak. Washington’s two wins have come in a one-point overtime victory over the Blazers and this win against the lowly Knicks. Washington needs to figure out what they are doing soon if they want to keep their playoff streak alive. The Wizards go on a three-game road trip to Dallas, Orlando and Miami this week.

  1. Chicago Bulls 2-8 DOWN 1

Chicago lost four games this week, two of them by a total of three points. Zach Lavine has led the team in scoring in eight of their ten games. The Bulls all-offense no-defense strategy has not paid off as they are 24th in scoring and 21st in points allowed. Chicago will play New York and New Orleans on the road before playing Cleveland at home this week.

  1. Phoenix Suns 2-7 DOWN 1

Devin Booker’s game-winning jumper against the Grizzlies snapped a seven-game losing streak for Phoenix. Booker and DeAndre Ayton have look great for the Suns this season, but the team doesn’t have much outside of those two. Phoenix plays Brooklyn, Boston and New Orleans this week.

  1. Cleveland Cavaliers 1-8 DOWN 1

Cleveland finally got a win this week against the Hawks in which Rodney Hood scored 26 points. The Cavaliers are atrocious and interim-coach Larry Drew can’t even decide whether he wants to be the coach of the team or not. Cleveland plays Orlando, Oklahoma City and Chicago this week.

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