Still a rough week for the association, more cancelled games and more positive tests. Some teams are still a shock, others are out playing their early season outlook. The western conference is coming for blood though, 10 out of the 16 teams in these rankings are from the West. The ranks are based off of who the teams have played and how they have fared.

#16 Miami Heat (4-7)

Remember when this almost exact same Heat team took the Lakers to 6 games in the NBA Finals? That seems like a long time ago, the Heat have had some players on the covid list though. The biggest problem is turnovers, they lead the league with 18.3 a game. It’s been a rough start for them but look for the Heat to upgrade before the trade deadline.

#15 Memphis Grizzlies (6-6)

We have a new team in the top 16 this week. The Grizzlies ride their 4 game win streak and Ja Morant’s return into these power rankings. During that 4 game win streak they beat the Nets and 76ers. With Morant back they have a shot to keep playing well and sneak into the playoffs.

#14 Denver Nuggets (6-7)

What the hell is going on with the Denver Nuggets. They are top ten in field goal percentage, assists and points scored. Why don’t they have a better record? They can’t win close games. Five of their seven losses are games with a 3 point differential with three minutes less. Last year they won those games. In the incredibly tough western division if they don’t start winning these close games they won’t even make the playoffs.

#13 Golden State Warriors (6-6)

After an up and down start for the Warriors things have started to even out. They only played two games this week due to covid, but they dropped both of those contests. As I said on the pod, Steph Curry is an all time talent, but even he can’t lead a team with Draymond Green and Kelly Oubre Jr has your other two best players. Sorry Warriors fans, this might be it.

#12 San Antonio Spurs (8-6)

The Spurs are another team I didn’t have in my top 16 last week and maybe they deserved to be. They sure as hell do this week. They have seven players averaging double digit points. One of the biggest strengths of this team is they don’t turn the ball over, just 10.3 a game, the best in the league. Watch out Greg Popovitch’s Spurs are back in business.

#11 Portland Trailblazers (8-6)

The Portland Trailblazers went 3-1 this week, and that pushes them up to number 11 in the rankings, they could have cracked the top 10 but they are dealing with some injuries. They lost Jusuf Nurkic for a few weeks due to a wrist fracture and CJ McCollum left their latest game with a sprained foot. This has always been the problem for the Blazers and them taking the next step, the injuries. Hopefully Dame can carry the load for a while until they can get healthy.

#10 Dallas Mavericks (6-6)

Okay the Mavericks go up one spot in the rankings mostly because they got Kristaps Porzingis back from injury. They were playing well, a 4 game win streak as they entered this week. They lost to the Bucks and then a bad loss to the Bulls. Give the Mavs some time to get the unicorn back into playing shape and then watch out.

#9 Phoenix Suns (7-4)

Well here comes the fall that we were talking about, they did only get to play one game this week because of Covid protocols. But that one game was a blowout loss to the Wizards. They seem to lose to bad teams and beat good teams. They need to start playing better against bad teams.

#8 Utah Jazz (9-4)

Somehow Utah went down in the rankings this week ever after going 3-0. Big wins over the Cavs and Hawks. By big I mean by a lot of points, 54 between the two games, followed by a tough win over the Nuggets. Spida-Mitchell had found his stroke and the Jazz are on a 5 game win streak.

#7 Indiana Pacers (8-5)

It was a big week for the Pacers, they traded away Victor Oladipo and got back Caris Lavert, who will be out indefinitely after a mass on his kidney was found during his physical. They went 2-2 this week and are still quietly one of best teams in the East.

#6 Philadelphia 76ers (9-5)

Wow the 76ers had a weird week too, they were almost the “winners” of the James Harden sweepstakes. Instead he went to another east team. Joel Embiid is still the face of the franchise but now that Ben Simmons isn’t leaving he needs to step up. The sixers can be the defensive juggernaut of the east, but this is the last chance.

#5 Los Angeles Clippers (10-4)

I am probably one of the only people that has the Clippers this low. They are supposed to have two of the best wing defenders in the league, well their defense has been bleh to start the season. For all the heat PG13 got for his bubble play, he is leading the Clippers in scoring. They are still a terrible rebounding team and keep losing leads. This won’t hold up in the playoffs.

#4 Brooklyn Nets (8-6)

Well it finally happened, James Harden is a Net. They sacrificed a lot to get him, mostly they sacrificed defense. Kyrie is still not playing but looks like could be back this week. I am slightly worried about the 3 extreme ball handlers and that is a lot of ego on that team. They did win all three games this week, Kyrie needs to come back so they can start building that chemistry.

#3 Boston Celtics (8-4)

Well they had 2 games postponed this week due to covid, but finally were able to suit up enough players to play a couple of games this week. Good news, Kemba Walker returned this week, bad news he left with an injury in a huge loss to the Knicks. Jaylen Brown returned to play and has been a rock for this team, and he will have to continue with Walker and Jayson Tatum out.

#2 Milwaukee Bucks (9-4)

Here the Bucks come, they are firing on all 8 of their cylinders on offense. Giannis, Middleton, and Holliday are finally figuring it out. The supporting cast is playing well also, they do have an issue though. Giannis is shooting poorly from the charity stripe and it could lead to a hack-a-Shaq situation. Big week up coming for the Bucks as they have matchups with the Lakers and the Nets.

#1 Los Angeles Lakers (11-3)

Uh oh, if you’ve been reading the last couple of these posts the Lakers were coasting in the first couple of weeks. Well they’ve started out slow but it’s on now and have won 8 out of their last 9. They have the best point differential, defensive rating, and net rating. The big worry last year was the 3 point shooting, Well The Goat Alex Caruso is shooting over 58%, KCP around 53%, and the often overlooked Kyle Kuzma 40%. Big test upcoming with a seven game road trip with stops in Milwaukee, Boston, and Philadelphia.

NBA Power Rankings: Week 5