NBA Power Rankings: Week 13
Week 13 of the NBA Power Rankings, we are into the halfway point of the NBA season. Teams are playing well, teams are getting games cancelled for Fire and Snow. And this isn’t even a Game of Thrones book. Watch out for our Tier list in the next two episodes of the Pod.
1 - Cleveland Cavaliers
In the first battle of the top seeds, Cleveland came out on top over the Thunder. They are 33-5 and have moved 5.5 games over the Celtics. Can the Cavs get to the 70 win mark?
2 - Oklahoma City Thunder
Well if you lose to the number one team in the ranking you are still really good. The Thunder are 32-6 and are 6 games up on the Rockets. They had one of their worst defensive performances against the Cavs, they have a chance for revenge later this week.
3 - Boston Celtics
Honestly Boston does not feel like they are a top 3 team right now. They are sorta just standing pat but keep winning games. The Celtics are a team that lives and dies by the three point shot. Recently they have been shooting under 30% from beyond the arc.
4 - Houston Rockets
Houston is playing so well, they have won 4 in a row and two of those are wins over Memphis. The defense is still incredible, and the last week or so they have had the best offensive set of their season. One reason for success is that they dominate the battle of possession.
5 - Memphis Grizzlies
Ja Morant is back after a 5 game absence and they can win some big games, even though they lost to the Rockets twice. A little bit of a worry for the Grizzlies, they are awful in the clutch moments of games. If they want to succeed in the playoffs that will need to change.
6 - New York Knicks
The Knicks slipped just a bit of late and getting destroyed by the Thunder and losing to the Pistons is not the best look. Every team is going to go through a slight struggle, but the Knicks have just been so inconsistent this year. I am interested to see where the boys place them in my tier list.
7 - Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets are winners in seven of their last nine. Jokic is about to win his 4th MVP, and the Nuggets just never go away. I know they are 7th in my ranking and 4th in the West, but they are probably the 2nd best team in the West.
8 - Indiana Pacers
The Pacers are loving 2025, they haven’t lost since the calendar flipped to the new year. With the six game win streak, the Pacers have climbed to the 5th spot in the East. With Orlando, Milwaukee and others not playing consistently, I can see the Pacers hosting a first round playoff series.
9 - Minnesota Timberwolves
Now we get to a run of 4 Western Conference teams that can’t seem to find a good run. Minnesota is loaded with talent, but barely playing above .500 record. Anthony Edwards is a star, but the Timberwolves need to find a better offensive approach.
10 - Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers have lost four out of five after finally getting Kawhi back. Well then they lost him as he stepped away from the team due to the wildfires in Los Angeles. They had a game postponed, but they play six of their next seven at home.
11- Dallas Mavericks
Dallas got two wins without Luka and Kyrie (Lakers and Trailblazers), but gave up two double digit leads to the Nuggets. Klay Thompson hasn’t really worked out for the Mavericks, he is shooting well from three, but awful from anywhere else on the floor. They need Luka back.
12 - Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers are struggling, there is no other way to put it. They had two games postponed to the fires, their head coach lost him home in that fire. Not beating Dallas when they didn’t have Luka or Kyrie is embarrassing. The Lakers need to figure out what direction they want to go with the trade deadline looming.
13 - Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee is a top 6 team in the East, but man they really just don’t feel that way. They are streaky at best, and only an idiot would have three of them on their fantasy team. The Bucks are 0-8 against the Knicks, Celtics and Cavaliers. Hunting season is open in the first round unless they change something.
14 - Orlando Magic
Good news Paolo Banchero is back and scored 34 points in his return. But, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs are still out. Paolo will need to figure out how to be more efficient on the offensive end, but the Magic are getting healthier.
15 - Sacramento Kings
Mike Brown who? The Kings have won 7 in a row and are back in the playoff picture. They sit just a game and half back on the 6th seed. The Kings have finally started to play some defense and their overall play has evened out, buyers not sellers at the deadline is my prediction.
P.S. I am only doing the top 15 teams, if you want me to talk about you; be better, it’s that simple.