NBA Power Rankings – Week 22
Milwaukee keeps the top spot this week behind wins over the Lakers and Heat and a lone loss to Cleveland while Golden State went 2-2 with a blowout loss to the Mavericks. The Bucks look really good lately, all while having Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic out with injuries. The Lakers got eliminated from the playoffs this week by Brooklyn, so D’Angelo Russell gets his revenge and we don’t get to see LeBron James in the playoffs for the first time since his sophomore season.
The week’s biggest movers were Washington (down four) and Boston (down five). Washington stunk with losses to Utah, Chicago, Denver and Miami and is just terrible at this point. Boston lost to Denver, Philadelphia, Charlotte and San Antonio. Kyrie Irving seemingly called out the Celtics coach, Brad Stevens, after the loss to Charlotte by saying they should be trapping Kemba Walker like every other NBA team. Is Irving gone after the season? (Please send him to the Knicks, PLEASE)
Trae Young has been heating up at the end of the season. He led the Hawks to wins over Utah and Philadelphia last week, hitting a game-winner over Jimmy Butler with 0.1 seconds left against the 76ers. Young now has 15 games of 20 points and 10 assists on the season, which is third all-time for rookies behind Damon Stoudamire with 24 and Oscar Robertson with 33. Luka Doncic is the only other rookie with a 20-10 game this season and he has seven of them. Doncic seemed to have the Rookie of the Year award all but wrapped up, but with Young’s stellar play, it doesn’t look like it anymore. Either one could get the award at this point and I don’t think most people would bat an eye. That’s what you call a win-win trade.
Speaking of rookies, Collin Sexton has seemed to figure it out in the last month. Sexton had scored 20+ points in eight straight games this month before only dropping 18 against the Bucks Sunday. He’s now scored over 20 points 22 times on the season, third most for rookies. Young (32) and Doncic (40) are the only rookies with more. Sexton is also shooting 42 percent from 3-point range on the season, a big reason why his scoring is coming up.
Another big rookie stat this week is under-the-radar big-man Mitchell Robinson from the Knicks blocked shots streak. Robinson has blocked two or more shots in 21-straight games, tied for fourth all-time for a rookie behind Shaquille O’Neal (23), David Robinson (25) and Manute Bol (45). Bol is also tied for fourth with a 21-game streak as a rookie to go along with his record 45-game streak. Mitchell Robinson could realistically beat David Robinson’s number to have the second-longest 2+ blocks streak for rookies in NBA history by next week.
Last week’s best watches were by far the Toronto-Oklahoma City games. The teams split with each other in a home-and-home last week with both games being close and one going to overtime. Toronto beat Oklahoma City on the road 123-114 in overtime behind 33 points, 13 rebounds and six assists from Pascal Siakam while Russell Westbrook couldn’t win it for the Thunder with his 42 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Oklahoma City got revenge just two days later by beating the Raptors 116-109 on the road behind 28 points from Paul George and a triple-double from Westbrook. Kawhi Leonard had 37 points for the Raptors in the game.
This week’s best watches are Houston at Milwaukee (TNT) Tuesday, Indiana at Oklahoma City (ESPN) Wednesday, Indiana at Boston (NBATV) and Denver at Oklahoma City Friday and Boston at Brooklyn Saturday.
Power Rankings
- Milwaukee Bucks 55-19
- Golden State Warriors 50-23
- Houston Rockets 47-17
- Denver Nuggets 49-23
- Philadelphia 76ers 47-26
- Toronto Raptors 51-23
- Utah Jazz 43-30
- Oklahoma City Thunder 43-30
- Portland Trail Blazers 45-27
- San Antonio Spurs 43-31
- Indiana Pacers 45-29
- Los Angeles Clippers 44-30
- Boston Celtics 43-31
- Brooklyn Nets 38-36
- Miami Heat 36-37
- Orlando Magic 35-38
- Charlotte Hornets 34-39
- Sacramento Kings 36-37
- Minnesota Timberwolves 33-40
- Detroit Pistons 37-36
- New Orleans Pelicans 31-44
- Los Angeles Lakers 32-41
- Memphis Grizzlies 29-44
- Atlanta Hawks 26-48
- Dallas Mavericks 29-44
- Washington Wizards 30-44
- Cleveland Cavaliers 19-55
- Chicago Bulls 21-53
- Phoenix Suns 17-57
- New York Knicks 14-60