MY NEW NBA POWER RANKINGS FOR WEEK 10

NUGGETS, CELTICS OVERCOMING INJURIES IN WEEK 10

In Week 10 of NBA Power Rankings for the 2018-19 campaign, the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets are overcoming injuries to rise to the top.

Just about 30 games into the 2018-19 campaign, the hierarchy of the league is starting to become more clear. In the East, there are 4-5 elite teams duking it out for positioning. In the West, pretty much everyone except the Phoenix Suns has a shot at securing a playoff spot.

As always, it’s our job to sift through the week-to-week chaos — with the larger picture still in view — in the latest batch of NBA Power Rankings.

In Week 10, the Denver Nuggets are the new No. 1 team in the Western Conference standings, despite injuries to Will Barton, Paul Millsap and Gary Harris. They also own the best point differential in the conference, and are tied with the Golden State Warriors for the best home record.

This shorthanded Nuggets squad isn’t ready to overtake a healthy Dubs team in the power rankings just yet, but they’re getting pretty damn close.

Shifting to the other conference, the Boston Celtics look like a completely different team since Marcus Smart and Marcus Morris were inserted into the starting lineup. Their injury woes have been nowhere near as severe, but with Al Horford banged up and Jaylen Brown‘s short-term absence paving the way for Morris to start, the Celtics are still on a roll against the odds.

The question is, with the top of the East so tough and the entire West being a bloodbath, where does everyone shake out in Week 10? Here are the latest NBA Power Rankings.

30: ATLANTA HAWKS

RECORD:  6-23

Last week: 0-3
Last rank: 27th

It’s not translating in the win-loss column, but the Atlanta Hawks have to be happy to have John Collins back and fully healthy after missing him for the first month of the season.

In six December games so far, Collins is averaging 23.3 points, 12.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 60 percent from the floor.

29: CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

RECORD: 7-23

Last week: 1-3
Last rank: 26th

Don’t expect the Cleveland Cavaliers to stop selling as the trade deadline approaches, even after the George Hill trade netted them a future first and second round pick. Next up? J.R. Smith.

In the meantime, the Cavs should be perfectly comfortable with shipping out Hill since Collin Sexton has flourished as a starter, averaging 17.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game on .457/.429/.829 shooting splits in his 20 starts.

28: CHICAGO BULLS

RECORD: 7-23

Last week: 1-2
Last rank: 29th

Off the court, the Chicago Bulls are the only franchise challenging the Suns for biggest chaotic dumpster fire, with the team on the verge of mutiny against new head coach Jim Boylen and — as expected — Jabari Parker no longer part of the rotation.

The good news is both Lauri Markkanen and Kris Dunn are back, and in just Dunn’s third game this season, the duo helped engineer a 21-point comeback to stun the Spurs and end the week with a much-needed morale boost following a 2-14 stretch.

27: PHOENIX SUNS

RECORD: 6-24

Last week: 2-2
Last rank: 30th

Pretty eventful week for the worst team in the association, both on and off the court. Off the court, the since-rescinded report about owner Robert Sarver threatening to move the franchise to Seattle or Las Vegas grabbed everyone’s attention, only to be replaced by the botched Brooks trade and then the actual trade that will ship out Trevor Ariza for Kelly Oubre Jr. and Austin Rivers.

The Suns still need an upgrade at point guard, but the good news is Melton seems capable as a starter, T.J. Warren is quietly having the career and Devin Booker is back, dropping a 28-7-7 line in his return. Even better (or worse, depending on how you look at it), Phoenix just won back-to-back games for the first time since … Dec. 26-29, 2017.

26: NEW YORK KNICKS

RECORD: 9-22

Last week: 1-2
Last rank: 28th

It’s been tough sledding for a New York Knicks team that’s lost six of its last seven contests, but there are still positives to be found.

For one, undrafted free agent Allonzo Trier earning a two-year deal is an uplifting story. For another, beating the Hornets in overtime behind Emmanuel Mudiay‘s career-high 34 points was enjoyable in its own right. Perhaps most importantly, big minutes for Kevin Knox and Noah Vonleh have been encouraging, even if Frank Ntilikina‘s playing time isn’t quite on that level yet.

25: ORLANDO MAGIC

RECORD: 14-15

Last week: 2-1
Last rank: 24th

The Orlando Magic continue to hover around .500, and the numbers indicate that averageness in every way. They’re 8-8 at home, 6-7 on the road; have a negative point differential and rank 13th in defensive rating. They’re right around league-average almost across the board.

Their 27th-ranked offense is much more of a problem, but so far in the East, being average or just slightly below-average looks like it might be good enough for a playoff spot.

24: WASHINGTON WIZARDS 

RECORD: 12-18

Last week: 1-3
Last rank: 21st

The Washington Wizards mixed it up with not one, but two trades this week to try and get their organization back on track. Surprisingly, neither John Wall, Bradley Beal nor Otto Porter Jr. was involved. Instead, they added Sam Dekker in the three-team George Hill deal and made a move for Trevor Ariza, shipping out Kelly Oubre Jr. and Austin Rivers in the process.

It’s understandable why they’d want Ariza; he’s still a quality two-way wing who’s comfortable in Washington and someone Wall trusts. It’s just unfortunate they had to give up Oubre for a 33-year-old Ariza (without getting any draft compensation) just to put a Band-Aid on what appears to be an inevitable amputation. Then again, if Wall plays like he did Sunday, when he dropped a 40-14-6-3-2 line before Ariza even played a game yet ….

23: MIAMI HEAT

RECORD: 13-16

Last week: 2-2
Last rank: 23rd

The Miami Heat went 2-2 this week, Derrick Jones Jr. is supplying actual wing depth and solid two-way play outside of the nightly dunk highlights, and despite the team’s record, there’s no indication Pat Riley‘s squad will be tanking anytime soon.

The highlight of the week, however, was the final meeting between Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. As this farewell tour continues for Flash, being guarded by the King in the final seconds of a close game and their laughing embrace afterward has to make the final highlight reel.

22: BROOKLYN NETS

RECORD: 13-18

Last week: 3-0
Last rank: 25th

Spencer Dinwiddie certainly enjoyed his week, dropping a career-high 39 points in a win over the Sixers before earning a three-year contract extension with the Brooklyn Nets.

The Nets, meanwhile, have won five straight contests to improve to 7-11 since Caris LeVert went down. The question is, with LeVert sidelined, Dinwiddie extended and D’Angelo Russell playing pretty solid basketball of late, what’s going to give first when it comes to all that cap space the Nets have this summer?

21: MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES

RECORD: 13-16

Last week: 0-3
Last rank: 17th

The honeymoon phase following Jimmy Butler‘s departure (divorce phase?) is over. After four straight losses, the Minnesota Timberwolves have dropped to 9-7 without Butler, capping off the week with an incredibly depressing road loss to the Suns.

Then again, perhaps it’s not altogether surprising; Tom Thibodeau doesn’t put his team in position to succeed with his rotations, and the Wolves are 0-11 on the road against Western Conference teams this season.

20: CHARLOTTE HORNETS

RECORD: 14-15

Last week: 1-2
Last rank: 19th

Lost in the Kemba Walker craze has been how important Jeremy Lamb has been for the Charlotte Hornets this year, but his game-winner over the Pistons gave him some much-needed love on that front.

Though he’s nothing flashy, he joins Kemba and Malik Monk as the only players on the roster averaging double-digit scoring, with the seventh-year wing putting up a career-high 15.0 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.

19: UTAH JAZZ 

RECORD: 14-16

Last week: 1-2
Last rank: 18th

At what point should we start panicking over the Utah Jazz? Because Mitchell is back and fully healthy now, but this team is still losing, dropping five of its last nine contests.

The Western Conference is as brutal as ever, but this team was supposed to be one of the biggest challengers to Golden State’s reign. Playing 19 of their first 30 games on the road is a tough obstacle that shouldn’t go overlooked, but Utah’s 5-6 home record and 23rd-ranked offense is underwhelming no matter where the games are coming.

18: SAN ANTONIO SPURS 

RECORD: 15-15

Last week: 2-1
Last rank: 22nd

This is a testament to the San Antonio Spurs’ greatness and how long they’ve been great, but it’s almost comical how it feels like the sky is falling despite the fact that they’re still a .500 ball club.

That’s not to say the Spurs are necessarily a playoff team though. Even with the four-game win streak capped off by a 38-point trouncing of the Clippers, San Antonio then went and coughed up a 21-point second half lead in a stunning loss to the Bulls to close out the week.

17: DETROIT PISTONS

RECORD: 14-13

Last week: 1-2
Last rank: 15th

Not many could’ve predicted a Detroit Pistons victory as they rode a six-game losing streak into a matchup with a Celtics team that had won eight straight, but it was a welcome reprieve for a Motor City squad that’s teetered between “Eastern dark horse” and “exceptionally average” all season.

Seriously, is there a streakier team than the Pistons this year? They started 4-0, lost five straight, went on a 9-2 burst and then lost six straight. Hopefully this win over Boston pinballs them back into winning territory, especially since they’re expected to be buyers at the trade deadline to the point they may even kick the tires on Markelle Fultz.

16: NEW ORLEANS PELICANS

RECORD: 15-16

Last week: 1-2
Last rank: 13th

It’s too bad the New Orleans Pelicans couldn’t get in on the Trevor Ariza action, because he would’ve been perfect for a team that needs wing depth and defense as the NBA’s 23rd-ranked defense.

The Pelicans are expected to be buyers approaching the trade deadline, but they need help for Anthony Davis — and soon. The problem isn’t offense, as Jrue Holiday, Julius Randle and Nikola Mirotic can attest. It’s finding someone willing to help get AD’s MVP and DPOY cases back on track on the other end of the floor.

15: MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES

RECORD: 16-13

Last week: 1-3
Last rank: 7th

The Memphis Grizzlies are still comfortably situated in the thick of the playoff picture, but it hasn’t been a pretty couple of weeks.

The Grizzlies’ have now lost eight of their last 12 games, including a confounding loss to the struggling Heat. Before judging them too harshly, however, keep in mind that outside of the Miami game, their last five losses have come against the Rockets, Nuggets, Lakers, Sixers and Raptors — all expected playoff teams.

14: PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS

RECORD: 16-13

Last week: 1-2
Last rank: 14th

It’s pretty simple: When the Portland Trail Blazers’ bench comes to play; Rip City is an upper-tier team in the West. When CJ McCollum is scoring 40 of the team’s season-low 83 points against Memphis, however, that makes it kind of hard to win. That lack of bench support helps explain the team’s 6-10 record since its 10-3 start.

In victories this season, the Blazers’ bench averages 40.9 points per game, shooting 47.5 percent from the field, 38.7 percent from 3 and compiling a +3.9 point differential. In losses, the second unit has averaged just 26.8 points per game, with 40.2 percent shooting from the floor, 29.3 percent shooting from 3 and a plus/minus of -7.8.

13: HOUSTON ROCKETS

RECORD: 14-14

Last week: 3-0
Last rank: 20th

Big week for the Houston Rockets, who had dropped seven of their prior nine contests before this 3-0 spurt. While the contributions of Danuel House Jr. shouldn’t be overlooked, the truth is James Harden‘s ignition made all the difference.

After putting up 29 in the win over Portland, the Beard had his finest game of the season with a 50-point triple-double to lead the Rockets past the Lakers. This gave him four 50-point triple-doubles in his career, with their only being 13 such games in NBA history. Then he followed that up with another triple-double to carry Houston past Memphis. Not bad, Beard. Not bad.

12: LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS

RECORD: 17-12

Last week: 1-3
Last rank: 11th

The Los Angeles Clippers were bound to experience regression at some point, and even if they fell all the way to eighth in the West by the end of the season, just making the playoffs at all in this crowded conference would be one hell of an accomplishment.

However, even with Tobias Harris‘ 33 points leading the charge in that overtime win in Phoenix to move the Clips to a perfect 4-0 in OT games, that was their only victory of the week and their only win in their last six contests. After getting routed by 24 and 38 points in two of the last three games, exactly how much regression is coming?

11: SACRAMENTO KINGS

RECORD: 16-13

Last week: 3-1
Last rank: 16th

Sleep on the Sacramento Kings at your own peril. They may only be three games over .500, but they’ve won six of their last eight contests, De’Aaron Fox is a legitimate star in the making and Bogdan Bogdanovic is back and fully healthy.

So if you’re head coach Dave Joerger, maybe don’t say shortsighted and stupid stuff like this that can divide a locker room and fracture trust with the prized rookie who has the backing of the organization?

10: DALLAS MAVERICKS

RECORD: 15-13

Last week: 2-2
Last rank: 10th

The Pacific Division was not kind to the Dallas Mavericks this week, with both the Kings and the lowly Suns (without Devin Booker) handing them an L.

Even so, the Mavs have to feel good about the progress they’ve seen from rookie Jalen Brunson, their 8-4 record over the last 12 games, and yes, the long-awaited return of Dirk Nowitzki as the first player in NBA history to play 21 seasons with the same team. He’s only played 14 minutes over two games thus far, but every vintage Dirk moment he provides is a gift at this point.

9: LOS ANGELES LAKERS

RECORD: 18-12

Last week: 2-2
Last rank: 6th

Even with a 2-2 week, the Los Angeles Lakers have still won seven of their last 10 contests, most of which have come without Brandon Ingram. That’s impressive, especially with the way Kyle Kuzma and Lonzo Ball have been able to step up in his absence.

LeBron James is still the main story here, but the way he and Ball were able to combine for triple-doubles in a rout over Charlotte — becoming the first teammates to record triple-doubles in the same game since Jason Kidd and Vince Carter in 2007 — was remarkable, and more importantly, as fun as this team has been in years.

8: BOSTON CELTICS

REOCRD: 18-11

Last week: 3-1
Last rank: 8th

The win streak had to come to an end at some point, but ever since Brad Stevens moved Marcus Smart and Marcus Morris into the starting lineup, the Boston Celtics are 8-1. This change of pace couldn’t have come at a better point in time after starting the year with a disappointing 10-10 record.

Kyrie Irving is playing his best basketball of the season, Marcus Morris is playing the best basketball of his career and Gordon Hayward and Jaylen Brown have the potential to be killers off the bench. Now we wait to see if it’s sustainable and what this team’s ceiling is with a healthy Al Horford.

7: INDIANA PACERS

RECORD: 20-10

Last week: 4-0
Last rank: 9th

Not only should the Indiana Pacers — currently on a seven-game win streak — be commended for their 7-4 record without Victor Oladipo, but they should be taken seriously as a real threat to crash the Raptors-Celtics-Bucks-76ers party on the perceived pecking order of the top four teams out East.

Myles Turner has been one of the biggest keys during this recent stretch, as the big man is starting to look more and more like the franchise center Indiana envisioned. Over the last 10 games, he’s averaging 15.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game while shooting 50.4 percent from the floor and 12-for-23 from 3-point range.

6: PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

RECORD: 20-11

Last week: 2-2
Last rank: 5th

This week provided another good example of how different a team the Philadelphia 76ers are when they have Jimmy Butler compared to when they don’t. In the two games he sat, Philly lost. In the two he played, they won quite handily, moving to 11-3 in the 14 games he’s suited up for the Sixers.

With that being said, let’s not overlook what Joel Embiid (40 points and 21 rebounds against Indiana) and Ben Simmons (22-14-11 triple-double against Cleveland to become the youngest player in NBA history with a zero-triple-double performance) are still capable of.

5: TORONTO RAPTORS

RECORD: 23-9

Last week: 2-2
Last rank: 3rd

The nagging injuries are starting to pile up for the Toronto Raptors, not including planned rest for Kawhi Leonard. Kyle Lowry is dealing with a thigh injury, both Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet missed the team’s last game with back problems and Jonas Valanciunas will be sidelined for four weeks with a dislocated thumb.

That makes it easier to explain the Raptors’ recent 3-5 skid, but even with the injuries and down stretch, they still own the best record in the NBA, as well as a top-seven offense and a top-seven defense. It’s far too early to be concerned just yet, especially when they just beat the mighty Warriors shorthanded.

4: OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

RECORD: 18-10

Last week: 2-2
Last rank: 4th

There’s isn’t a bigger indictment of Carmelo Anthony than what the Oklahoma City Thunder are doing without him. They lost two of their four games this week, but it’s hard to ignore OKC’s 18-6 record since that rocky 0-4 start.

The Thunder’s home record and defense are both elite, Paul George and Russell Westbrook are trading off nights posting gaudy stat lines and Dennis Schroder looks comfortable in his sixth man role. With five of their last eight games of 2018 coming on the road, we’ll see how the Thunder look heading into the new year.

3: MILWAUKEE BUCKS

RECORD: 19-9

Last week: 2-1
Last rank: 2nd

The Milwaukee Bucks are about to find out if their new trade acquisition, George Hill, is washed up or simply didn’t care as much playing for the Kings and Cavaliers over the last few seasons.

Even if Hill is washed, however, they freed up ample cap space by jettisoning Matthew Dellavedova and John Henson in the exchange. On the nights when Giannis Antetokounmpo is dropping 44 points, 14 rebounds and eight dimes, it probably won’t matter much anyway.

2: DENVER NUGGETS

RECORD: 20-9

Last week: 3-0
Last rank: 12th

The Denver Nuggets were expected to take a major step back with both Gary Harris and Paul Millsap joining Will Barton on the injured reserve, but instead, they’ve won three straight — including an impressive victory over Toronto — and 10 of their last 12 to claim pole position in the West.

Having all that depth is coming in handy, but Nikola Jokic is leading the charge for this shorthanded group, averaging 21.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, 8.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game for the month of December.

1: GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

RECORD: 20-10

Last week: 2-1
Last rank: 1st

Aside from a surprising 20-point loss to the shorthanded Raptors, the Golden State Warriors look like they’ve gotten their season back on track. They’ve won five of their last six games, Stephen Curry is back to looking like a top MVP candidate and Draymond Green is healthy again.

With DeMarcus Cousins on track for a February return and the Dubs already enjoying games where Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson are combining for 95 points, the rest of the league should still be very worried.