NBA Power Rankings: Gaps Tightening At The Top Of Both Conferences

The Nets had another solid week of basketball, relatively speaking. Brooklyn lost their first two games on the road against the Hawks and Mavericks. To their credit, they lost both games by single digits, continuing their improved play since the return of Jeremy Lin. They then went back to Brooklyn and beat their division rival New York Knicks, before losing to Russell Westbrook and the Thunder. Next week, they have a rematch with the Knicks at the Garden, before hosting the Celtics, Pistons, and Suns.. (12-54). Previous: 30th. Brooklyn Nets. 30. team. 147

team. 20. The Lakers continued to struggle, going 1-2 this week. They beat the Suns to start the week, before falling to the banged up Sixers, and the up and coming Nuggets. The Lakers have kept their four game cushion from falling out of the top three in the lottery. Rookie Brandon Ingram has been producing with his heavy minutes load, scoring in double digits in all of his past five games.. (20-47). Previous: 29th. Los Angeles Lakers. 29

team. 66. The Suns went 1-2 this week, after losing to the Lakers at home, they went on the road to beat the Mavericks, and returned home to fall to the Trail Blazers. Phoenix’s young star, Devin Booker, had a great week, averaging 29 points per game. Next week starts with two home games against the Kings and Magic, before leaving Phoenix to play in Detroit and Miami.. (22-45). Previous: 28th. Phoenix Suns. 28

(24-44). Previous: 25th. Orlando Magic. 27. team. 38. Orlando continued their rough season, going 1-3. The week started well, beating the Bulls behind an Elfrid Payton triple double. The rest of the week was awful, losing to the Hornets by 40, the Cavaliers by 12, and the Kings by five. The Magic are trying to figure out if their core can co-exist under first year coach Frank Vogel, but a 40-point loss has to hurt morale. Next week they travel to Golden State and Phoenix, before hosting the Sixers.

Previous: 27th. Philadelphia 76ers. 26. team. 93. Philadelphia also lost three out of four games this week. For a team playing without their top two prospects, the Sixers are still playing pretty good ball. On their west coast road trip, the Sixers lost to Portland in overtime, then fell to the Clippers by 12, lost a double digit lead to the Warriors, and beat the Lakers in a tight one possession game. Dario Saric has been the best player on the team since Joel Embiid tore his meniscus. Over the next seven days, the Sixers head home to host the Mavericks and Boston. And end their week traveling to Orlando.. (24-43)