Well here we are, another week down in the NBA. All stars have been announced, even though we all agree it is stupid to have this game. Surprise teams are no longer a surprise and teams we thought would we better are starting to fade. Same thing as before, who did you beat and who did you lose too?

#16 Charlotte Hornets

It is tough to rank the Hornets after only playing one game this week due to the Rona. Not much to say except their best players are playing well, and they are a fun team to watch. Has MJ finally figured out this ownership thing?

#15 New York Knicks

Julius Randle is an all-star for the first time, and as a guy who loved him as a Laker, I am really pumped for him. He and 2nd year guard RJ Barrett are leading this team to a possible playoff berth. They don’t move up in the rankings after a loss to the Magic.

#14 Golden State Warriors

Okay, it is time that I say sorry to Kelly Oubre Jr. He had an awful start to the season and I ragged on him pretty hard. Well he has turned his season around, he is the second leading scorer on the Warriors after Western Conference all star starter Steph Curry. Just like the Knicks they lost to the Magic, so no gain in the rankings this week.

#13 Boston Celtics

Ugh, it is officially time to worry in Bean Town. Another disappointing week including blowing a 24 point lead to the Pelicans. Granted they have been ravaged by injuries and covid issues. But honestly they need Kemba Walker to start playing better, Tatum and Brown can’t do it all themselves.

#12 Indiana Pacers

Sabonis is snubbed from the Eastern all stars. Like other teams they had games postponed this week, going only 1-1 this week. Jeremy Lamb has been a highlight for the second unit averaging 15 points over these last two games. Hopefully the upcoming all star break will help the Pacers reset.

#11 Toronto Raptors

Shocker, we haven’t seen the Raptors in the standings for a long time. But when you beat the Bucks twice and the 76ers in a week you get a huge boost in the standings. The Raptors have started to play smaller and it has worked. Now they need Kyle Lowry back from injury and to finally get this season rolling.

#10 Denver Nuggets

Denver what the actual fuck is going on? You really can’t get it going can you? Losses to the Celtics, Wizards, and Hawks have the Nuggets going 1-3 this week. They have slipped in the standings as well, you really want to avoid being the 7-10 seed this year. On the bright side Jamal Murray has finally started playing at his elite level.

#9 Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks are not the same team as they have been in the past couple of years. The problem is depth. Jrue Holiday is still out and Khris Middleton has been inconsistent of late. Milwaukee needs their second star to score and be a playmaker or it will be another disappointing year in the Cheese State.

#8 Portland Trailblazers

Wait, hold the phone, Dame Lillard is really good at basketball. The Blazers are on a 6 game win streak and are now in the 5th spot in the West. I brought up that Dame could be the most clutch player in the NBA a couple of weeks ago on the pod, and Dame is shooting almost 67% from the field in the last three minutes on close games. Guess who is out on this lineup: CJ, Zach Collins, and Nurkic. Dame for MVP?

#7 San Antonio Spurs

Well the only thing that could stop the red hot Spurs is the thing that stopped the world, the Rona. They are 16-11 on the season and surprising everyone with their depth scoring. DeMar Derozan is another snub from the all star team. We will see how the team continues to develop, but this is a fun year for Spurs fans.

#6 Philadelphia 76ers

Somehow the 76ers keep losing games and losing spots in these rankings. They lost 3 games in a row after falling to the Jazz. Embiid and Simmons can’t seem to get on the floor at the same time. Their offense went dark during a loss to the Raptors to finish out the week and that is why they drop in these rankings.

#5 Los Angeles Lakers

As a huge Lakers fan I am starting to worry. AD is out for at least 4 weeks and lets be real, the Lakers haven’t been playing the best basketball lately. Lebron isn’t getting any younger but he might still be the MVP of the league. Just wait for AD to get healthy, because the depth is going to be tested, but James has shown the seeding doesn’t matter to make a deep playoff run.

#4 Los Angeles Clippers

As the Lakers stars are breaking down, the Clippers are getting their stars back. PG13 had been out for 7 games and Kawhi missed some games as well. They beat Miami without their two stars, but lost to the Jazz. With the stars back in the fold they followed up by beating the Jazz and ending Utah’s win streak. Their loss to the Nets might have been the game of the season, possible finals matchup?

#3 Phoenix Suns

Remember when we were down on the Suns about 2 weeks ago,well they’ve won 11 of 13. If we want to take the Suns as a real contender they can’t give up second half leads to good teams that don’t have 2 out of the 3 of their stars. Devin Booker is an all star deservedly so, and former first overall pick Deandre Ayton has started to mesh with their two stars. I am officially in on the Suns.

#2 Utah Jazz

Okay, the Jazz are a title contender. I didn’t think it was possible but here we are. They keep winning, and their only loss was to the Clippers, giving them the best record in the NBA. . One thing to keep track of is the three point shooting, they were shooting the lights out but it has gone slightly cold. Utah is still a real threat for a deep run in the playoffs.

#1 Brooklyn Nets

A six game win streak through the pacific division has the Nets at the top spot this week. Listen to the teams they beat, Lakers, Clippers, Suns, Warriors, and Kings. This was without KD and Kyrie for some of the games. They are the best offensive team in the league right now, if they can play even minimal defense they are the front runners for the title.

NBA Power Rankings: Week 10