top of page
Staff Writer
Mar 13, 20185 min read

NBA: Monthly Power Rankings


1. Houston Rockets (52-14, +0): The Rockets are still the hottest team in the league despite their 16-game winning streak coming to a close against the Toronto Raptors. They show zero signs of letting up. It’s honestly not out of the realm of possibility that the Rockets may not lose another game for the rest of the regular season, they are playing that well. But they wouldn't have to, because Houston holds the season tiebreaker against Golden State two games to one, should the race for first place come down to the wire. Over the course of their win streak the Rockets won 11 games against teams over .500 and are ranked third in defense only behind Toronto and the Utah Jazz. James Harden is averaging 31.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 8.6 assists during their last 16 games and is on his way to securing his first MVP award. Only Russell Westbrook (10.5) and LeBron James (9.8) are averaging more assists and only Anthony Davis (33.1) is averaging more points over that span. Houston has shown that it's a diverse team that can get it done in a myriad of ways. Houston used to have one of the fastest paces in the league but are now currently ranked 29th in pace which may be directly correlated to their heavy isolation sets from Harden, Chris Paul and Eric Gordon.


2. Golden State Warriors (51-16, +0): The Warriors were 6-0 post All-Star break prior to a loss against the Portland Trail Blazers. They are beginning to look like a more all-around focused team than the one that has played majority of the season. Steve Kerr said his team was exhausted and were very much looking forward to the break and it shows. Since the break, the Warriors hold the best offensive rating of 117.2 per 100 possessions. JaVale McGee has replaced Zaza Pachulia in the lineup and his insertion has done wonders for the Warriors to keep up their intensity throughout the entire first quarter or whenever he logs minutes. Oddly enough, they have found themselves trailing often after the first quarter this season just to come back in the third to retake control in dramatic Warrior fashion. But not now, the Warriors are the league best first quarter team since the All-Star break which shows Golden State has a renewed focus. Their win on Tuesday night against the Nets 114-101 gives them their 50th win on the season and a fifth straight season with 50+ wins. The Warriors may end up as the two seed this season despite only trailing a half game behind Houston but the reigning champs shouldn't be too worried because they are the league's best road team at 25-7 away from Oracle Arena.


3. Toronto Raptors (49-17, +1): The Raptors continue to impress holding sole position in the Eastern Conference and the third best record in the league at 46-17 behind only Houston and Golden State. In terms of efficiency, the Raptors have the league’s best bench and only Golden State cracks the top five of teams with winning records. Toronto’s bench is so good that it has outscored its opponents by 24.2 points per 100 possessions. Not to mention, overall the Raptors rank fifth in offensive rating, second in defensive rating, third in net rating, and once again join the Warriors as the only teams to crack the top five in those categories. Their next three out of four games are against sub-.500 teams, but they are coming off of a victory over the Rockets, the best team in the league. Kyle Lowry was great, dropping 30 points on just 14 shots, and the Raptors won the rebounding matchup, 51-44, as Jonas Valanciunas grabbed 10 boards. DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points and had a team best +8 plus-minus. The Raptors not only ended Houston's lengthly winning streak, but they kept their own going, which is now up to eight games. Toronto's next game is against the lowly Brooklyn Nets and the winning streak should get another W added on.


4. Boston Celtics (46-21, -1): The Celtics have found a much-needed boost from their bench which has allowed Boston to hold the league's second best offense post break, scoring 117.0 points per 100 possessions. They have slipped defensively since then, just rounding out the top-10, but defense has never been the problem since they still hold The Association's best defense by only allowing 101.3 points per 100 possessions. Their loss to Houston last weekend is indicative as to how good they can be (and will need to be) on offense by getting high scoring outputs from Terry Rozier and Marcus Morris. Since the All-Star break, seven players have scored in double figures. Despite lacking firepower much throughout the season, Boston ranks fourth in point differential with a net rating of +4.1 and is five games behind Toronto for first place in the Eastern Conference at 46-21. There have been rumblings about Gordon Hayward coming back this season (which he most likely won’t), but the Celtics won't need him if they keep up their newfound scoring output combined with their already staunch defense. Boston is one of only three teams that have already clinched a playoff berth, with the Rockets and Raptors, and will take on the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.


5. Portland Trail Blazers (40-26, +7): The Trail Blazers are playing so well that Damian Lillard would be much higher in the MVP discussion had it not been for the bearded one in Houston. The Blazers are on fire having won 12 of their last 13 games including two impressive wins against Golden State. Portland has won nine in a row since coming back by getting it done on the defensive end and currently hold the league’s best defense during that span. Portland is smothering their opponents only allowing 95.5 per 100 possessions which is good for second behind Utah. The Blazers defense has been so good largely due to the presence of Jusuf Nurkic in the paint, who is one of the league’s best rim protectors. Since the break, the Blazers have upped their defensive rating from 11th and are now good for seventh overall. Lillard’s offense has been equally impressive. He has posted 31.6 points on 45.6 percent from the field post-break and continues to be one of the best fourth quarter scorers. The Blazers have battled their way up the Western Conference gauntlet which places them third among their peers at 40-26. But only four and half games separate them and the 10th seed, so if they want to remain in third place, they'll have to continue winning on the defensive end.


Rest of the League:

6. New Orleans Pelicans (38-28, +11)

7. Minnesota Timberwolves (39-28, -2)

8. Cleveland Cavaliers (38-28, +1)

9. Indiana Pacers (39-28, +2)

10. Utah Jazz (37-30, +9)

11. Philadelphia 76ers (36-29, +4)

12. Oklahoma City Thunder (39-29, -2)

13. San Antonio Spurs (37-29, -7)

14. Washington Wizards (38-29, -6)

15. Los Angeles Clippers (36-29, +3)

16. Denver Nuggets (37-30, -2)

17. Los Angeles Lakers (30-36, +3)

18. Miami Heat (36-31, -2)

19. Milwaukee Bucks (35-31, -12)

20. Charlotte Hornets (29-38, -1)

21. Detroit Pistons (30-36, -8)

22. Chicago Bulls (23-43, +1)

23. New York Knicks (24-43, -1)

24. Atlanta Hawks (20-47, +1)

25. Brooklyn Nets (21-46, -1)

26. Sacramento Kings (21-46, +1)

27. Dallas Mavericks (21-46, +2)

28. Orlando Magic (20-47, -2)

29. Memphis Grizzlies (18-48, -1)

30. Phoenix Suns (19-49, -1)


Photo Credit: CBS Sports.

Recent Posts
bottom of page