SPORT NEWS: NBA Power Rankings: Lakers and Nuggets rise as Cavs challenge for top spot.giang

This NBA season isn’t even a month old, but we already have plenty of movement all over the league’s power rankings.

The Denver Nuggets are surging. The Cleveland Cavaliers are still undefeated. The Dallas Mavericks are sliding. And the New Orleans Pelicans are in a total tailspin.

This list is primed for a shakeup, and it’ll get one based on the same criteria we use every week: team and individual numbers, recent performance, championship chances and plenty of good, old-fashioned subjectivity.

Previous Rank: 29

Net Rating: -12.0

In their third and fourth games of this season, the Washington Wizards pulled off home-and-away wins over the Atlanta Hawks to move to 2-2 on the season.

For a brief moment, it was fair to wonder if they might be a little competitive this season. At least occasionally.

But they’ve rattled off six straight losses since then, and it’s becoming increasingly clear this season will be another one that’s all about lottery odds.

On the bright side, Jordan Poole may be playing well enough individually to conjure up some value on the trade market.

Through 10 games, he’s averaging 22.2 points (in just 30.6 minutes), while shooting 44.4 percent from deep.

Previous Rank: 30

Net Rating: -11.7

On Thursday, the Utah Jazz showed they may still have the plucky spirit that hurt their draft position in both 2023 and 2024, when they beat the Dallas Mavericks, 115-113.

All their best veterans (Lauri Markkanen, John Collins, Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson) played and scored in double figures. And in games when all four are available, they can at least compete with most teams.

That’s why it’s hard to imagine this roster staying intact throughout the season. In 2022-23, Utah unloaded Mike Conley at the deadline. The next year, it was Kelly Olynyk. This February, Collins and Sexton should be available. Even the soon-to-be-26-year-old Sexton could be too.

From then on, Utah can give a ton of developmental minutes to Keyonte George, Cody Williams, Isaiah Collier and Kyle Filipowski and watch the losses (and lottery odds) pile up.

Previous Rank: 27

Net Rating: -7.8

Last week’s blurb on the Toronto Raptors offered the glass-half-full analysis of this team at the outset of a rebuild.

Gradey Dick has shown some serious upside with high-usage teammates Immanuel Quickley and Scottie Barnes out. Those two should be back at some point, which will naturally make the team tougher. And RJ Barrett’s point forward ability has been a welcome surprise.

At a certain point, though, you have to acknowledge the losses. And Toronto just went 0-5 on a five-game road trip. And not long before that, it had another four-game losing streak.

If things keep going like this, the recovery timelines of Quickley, Barnes and Kelly Olynyk could get mighty conservative, with a handful of potential franchise-changers available in the 2025 draft.

Previous Rank: 26

Net Rating: -10.6

The wheels have completely fallen off for the New Orleans Pelicans.

On top of Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum, Dejounte Murray, Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones all missing multiple games, we learned this week that Zion’s absence is now being characterized as indefinite. And sparkplug guard Jose Alvarado is suddenly out too.

At this point, considering the depth of the Western Conference, it might be time for New Orleans to consider pulling the plug on this season and pushing for the highest pick possible in the 2025 draft.

Whether that means even more cautious return timelines for all of the above, trades (including one with Brandon Ingram) or some combination of both, the Pelicans should have everything on the table right now.

Previous Rank: 28

Net Rating: -7.5

The Portland Trail Blazers closed out their week with back-to-back wins over the identity-seeking Minnesota Timberwolves, and they suddenly have a record that would have them in the hunt for a play-in spot in the Eastern Conference.

It’s hard to imagine this keeping up for long, though. Portland is likely to remain in the lottery for the duration of the season, and it can improve that likelihood by moving some of its vets, including center Deandre Ayton.

In Wednesday’s win, rookie Donovan Clingan started and put up 17 points, 12 rebounds and eight blocks. He’s already proved worthy of more developmental minutes.

Previous Rank: 25

Net Rating: -4.8

Mediocrity has been the calling card of the Chicago Bulls for years. And barring some forward-looking moves to unload Zach LaVine and/or Nikola Vučević, it looks like they’re headed toward another uninspiring campaign that results in a mid-first-round pick.

Chicago has a bottom-10 net rating, but the weakness of the Eastern Conference has the Bulls above the play-in range of the standings right now.

If they stay there, they aren’t likely to find a potential franchise-changer in the 2025 draft. In fact, if their pick winds up outside the top 10, it goes to the San Antonio Spurs.

So, it behooves the Bulls to abandon chasing the middle of the pack now.

Previous Rank: 23

Net Rating: -4.9

Based on nothing more than their win-loss record, the Charlotte Hornets haven’t been good.

However, under new coach Charles Lee, they’re getting up tons of threes (their 44.9 attempts per game trail only Lee’s former team, the Celtics) and really letting LaMelo Ball loose as a high-volume scorer.

On Tuesday’s blowout loss to the Orlando Magic, Ball had 35 of Charlotte’s 89 points. And he’s now averaging 29.9 points, 6.3 assists and 4.9 threes.

If Brandon Miller can start scoring more consistently (he’s currently shooting 32.3 percent from deep), and Miles Bridges can get and stay healthy, there’s time for the Hornets to start converting some of this fun into wins.

Previous Rank: 24

Net Rating: -2.0

They ended the week with an overtime loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, but the Detroit Pistons beat the Miami Heat in extra time the night before.

And notching their fifth win on November 12 means they got to that point about two-and-a-half months faster than they did in 2023-24 (when they moved to 5-39 on January 24).

The addition of some competent veterans this offseason obviously has a lot to do with the improvement, but Cade Cunningham deserves credit too.

After going for 35 points and 11 assists on Wednesday, he’s averaging 23.8 points, 8.5 assists and 7.2 rebounds.

Previous Rank: 19

Net Rating: -7.6

Joel Embiid finally made his season debut this week. But outside his ability to manufacture trips to the free-throw line, he looked pretty rusty.

He had 13 points and 2-of-11 shooting and was minus-seven in a double-digit loss to the New York Knicks.

Then, Embiid and Paul George both sat out the team’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers the next night.

The Eastern Conference has generally been atrocious this season, so a start this slow may not doom the Sixers. But if they keep alternating absences and ho-hum performances from the stars (George is averaging 17.2 points and shooting 42.5 percent from the field), they’re in moderate danger of missing the playoffs.

Previous Rank: 22

Net Rating: -2.6

Much of the early portion of this Brooklyn Nets season has felt like an extended audition for some of their veteran contributors.

Eventually, in an effort to add some more losses ahead of a 2025 draft class that includes Cooper Flagg and Ace Bailey, trades of Dennis Schröder, Cameron Johnson and maybe even Cam Thomas feel inevitable.

So, it’s a good thing all have shown reasons for other teams to be interested.

Schröder is averaging 19.3 points and 5.9 assists, while being able to consistently get to the paint against most defenses. Johnson is averaging 2.9 threes per game and shooting 37.6 percent from deep. And Thomas’ heat-check scoring is producing 23.8 points per game and some potential to flip him for real assets.

Previous Rank: 21

Net Rating: -5.4

It’s been tough to get a handle on the Atlanta Hawks this season. They’re below .500 and have lost to the Washington Wizards twice. But they also have a quality win over the New York Knicks.

And on Tuesday, with Trae Young out, they got a star performance from Dyson Daniels and pulled off one of the biggest upsets of all time.

Daniels had 28 points, seven assists and six steals in a one-point win over the reigning champion Boston Celtics (in Boston). He’s now averaging an eye-popping 3.6 steals per game

There have been plenty sources of disappointment for Atlanta early this season, but the upside and versatility—particularly on defense—of a trio with Daniels, Jalen Johnson and Zaccharie Risacher is through the roof.

Previous Rank: 18

Net Rating: -1.5

At the risk of oversimplifying things, the Miami Heat have felt just sort of “bleh” all season, particularly on the offensive end.

And the angst that can naturally follow “bleh” boiled over on Tuesday, when legendary coach Erik Spoelstra called a rage timeout when his team didn’t have one left.

Even worse, the gaffe happened with just over a second left in overtime. It wiped out a 40-point, 10-three night from Tyler Herro. And the Detroit Pistons’ resulting technical free throw sealed the Miami loss.

The gift of playing in the East means Miami is still within a game of a top-four seed, but it’s fair to be concerned when comparing this squad’s often uninspiring attack to that of the team that felt like a perennial title threat.

Previous Rank: 20

Net Rating: 0.0

After a slow start to the campaign (at least relative to the way he closed 2023-24), Victor Wembanyama has caught fire of late. And that includes his performance on both ends of the floor.

Wednesday, he erupted for 50 points and eight threes in a win over the Washington Wizards. Two days earlier, he had 34 points and six assists. And two days before that, though they came in a loss, he had six threes and seven blocks against the Utah Jazz.

All told, the 20-year-old is averaging 36.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, 6.7 threes and 4.3 blocks over his last three appearances.

And while Wembanyama is not likely to produce at that level for the rest of this season, being anywhere near there would keep the Spurs in the play-in mix for the foreseeable future.

Previous Rank: 13

Net Rating: -3.5

The start of Tyrese Haliburton’s 2024-25 campaign has been an adventure, and not often the fun kind.

After he went for nine points on 3-of-14 shooting in the Indiana Pacers’ Wednesday loss to the Orlando Magic, Haliburton is now averaging 16.0 points on 39.1 percent shooting (including 27.1 percent from deep).

And if he doesn’t break out of this slump (which seems to extend back to an injury in January) soon, it’s hard to imagine Indiana being any better than an around-.500 team.

In the meantime, the Pacers have Haliburton’s supporting cast to thank for keeping competitive.

Pascal Siakam is averaging a team-high 20.5 points and 2.3 threes. Bennedict Mathurin is at 19.7 points. Myles Turner is going for 16.8 points. And all three are shooting over 40 percent from deep.

Previous Rank: 15

Net Rating: -2.9

There is plenty of understandable concern surrounding the Milwaukee Bucks.

They’ve lost twice as many games as they’ve won. Damian Lillard is 34 years old and missing games in concussion protocol. They’ve underwhelmed in every playoff run since winning the title in 2021. Khris Middleton is still out from multiple offseason ankle surgeries. And offseason additions Taurean Prince, Gary Trent Jr. and Delon Wright haven’t really moved the needle in the right direction.

But as long as they have Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks feel like a threat to beat just about anyone on just about any night.

He willed Milwaukee to victory on Wednesday, when he had 59 of his team’s 127 points. And for the season, he’s averaging 33.3 points, 12.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists.

Previous Rank: 16

Net Rating: +1.3

Given the loss of Paul George and absence of Kawhi Leonard, everyone but the most optimistic Los Angeles Clippers fans have to be surprised by this team being .500 through 12 games.

And while a versatile, switchable defense has a lot to do with L.A. outperforming expectations, James Harden deserves some credit for spearheading the just-good-enough offense.

Through 12 games, the 10-time All-Star is averaging 20.7 points, 8.8 assists and 8.2 rebounds in his age-35 campaign.

Prior to 2024-25, 34-year-old LeBron James was the oldest player to register a 20-8-8 season.

Previous Rank: 12

Net Rating: +4.2

The New York Knicks’ head-scratching 2024-25 campaign continued this week, which included losses to a pair of sub-.500 teams (the Indiana Pacers and Chicago Bulls) and wins over Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid.

And despite being under .500 themselves, New York is still in the top 10 in net rating.

So, instead of worrying about the losses, we’ll assume the Knicks’ record will eventually start catching up to the point differential. And that’s not all difficult to imagine when Karl-Anthony Towns is playing like he did on Wednesday.

It came in a loss, but Towns had 46 points and six threes against the Chicago Bulls. And if he stays anywhere near his current production level (26.5 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists) after Jalen Brunson returns to his MVP candidate form, the wins should start adding up.

Previous Rank: 17

Net Rating: +4.2

It took a little time to stabilize after Paolo Banchero’s injury, and a downturn in strength of schedule certainly helps, but the Orlando Magic going 4-0 this week has to have their fans feeling better than they were when the last batch of rankings came out.

And perhaps most encouraging, newly extended Franz Wagner seems to be growing into the role he’ll be required to play during Banchero’s absence.

During the streak, Wagner is averaging 27.8 points and 6.0 assists. He’s still struggling with his outside shot, but the playmaking, ability to get to the line and versatile defense are making up for that.

Previous Rank: 6

Net Rating: +2.7

The Dallas Mavericks have dropped four straight and ended this week with a loss to the lowly Utah Jazz.

And while it’s hard to nitpick the games of their two superstars—Luka Dončić is averaging 29.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists, while Kyrie Irving is averaging 25.2 points and 4.9 assists while shooting 54.1 percent from deep—it’s easy to start wondering about the supporting cast.

The third-leading scorer, Klay Thompson, is barely averaging more points (14.8) than shot attempts (13.0) per game. The only other double-figures scorer, Daniel Gafford, is losing his minutes so far this season. And Naji Marshall’s three-point shot hasn’t shown up yet. He’s just 4-of-25 from deep so far.

If the role players don’t start maximizing their roles soon, Dallas could have a hard time rising above the West’s play-in range.

Previous Rank: 7

Net Rating: +2.9

It’s fair to be a little worried about the Minnesota Timberwolves.

It’s not just that they’re at an even .500 through 12 games, though that’s worse than expected. It’s not just that they’re coming off three straight losses and back-to-back defeats to the Portland Trail Blazers, though that would have seemed unthinkable a month ago.

The biggest concern may well be how poorly Julius Randle is fitting alongside Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert.

All of the fears that accompanied him to Minnesota after the Karl-Anthony Towns trade are proving warranted. His tendency to hold the ball too long is stifling movement and potentially taking possessions from Edwards. The lack of respect commanded by his jumper is shrinking the floor when he’s on it with Gobert.

When Randle is on the court, Minnesota is plus-0.8 points per 100 possessions. It’s plus-7.7 when he’s off.

Similar swings were a characteristic of much of Randle’s time with the New York Knicks, and the Timberwolves might need to start thinking about some dramatic changes to avoid continuing the trend.

Trades or even a move to the bench should at least be on the table.

Previous Rank: 14

Net Rating: -0.1

Anthony Davis (30.2 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks) and Austin Reaves (18.6 points, 5.3 assists and 2.7 threes) deserve plenty of credit for the Los Angeles Lakers’ early 52-win pace, but it’s impossible to look at this team without marveling at LeBron James’ production.

The legendary playmaker turns 40 in December, and he’s coming off three straight triple-doubles.

He’s averaging 24.3 points (first of all time for an age-40-or-older season), 9.4 assists (first in the same group) and 8.1 rebounds (second). He’s shooting a career-high 45.9 percent from deep.

We keep thinking the inevitable decline for LeBron has to be around the corner, but he’s fended it off enough times to maybe eliminate the word “inevitable” from that sentence.

Previous Rank: 11

Net Rating: +7.3

The Memphis Grizzlies’ momentum was slowed a bit by injuries to Ja Morant (hip), Desmond Bane (oblique) and Brandon Clark (toe), but Jaren Jackson Jr. is helping them more than stay afloat.

Prior to Wednesday’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis had won five of six games. And over his last seven appearances, JJJ is averaging 23.3 points, 2.3 threes, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks.

If he stays at or around that territory after Morant, Bane and Clarke start heading back to the rotation, Memphis will look like a borderline title contender.

Previous Rank: 10

Net Rating: +5.4

The Houston Rockets are on pace for 55 wins, have the third best defense in the league and have a pair of young reserve forwards to thank for much of the success.

When 21-year-old Amen Thompson and 23-year-old Tari Eason are both on the floor, Houston is allowing 106.6 points per 100 possessions and outscoring opponents by a whopping 16.0 points per 100 possessions.

And while versatile, on- or off-ball defense is the calling card of both, they’re helping on the other end, too.

In just 22.9 minutes, Eason is averaging 12.2 points, 2.1 offensive rebounds, 1.8 steals (which generate extra offensive possessions) and 1.3 assists. Thompson is at 10.9 points and 2.0 assists in 25.3 minutes.

Previous Rank: 9

Net Rating: +4.1

The Sacramento Kings went 2-2 for the week, with one of the losses being a blowout at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs.

Generally speaking, units without Domantas Sabonis have struggled to maintain the team’s level of play when he’s on the floor.

However, all of that is of less importance than the fact that the team is over .500, has a top-10 net rating and is seeing its top trio mesh together well.

De’Aaron Fox is averaging 24.6 points and 5.2 assists. DeMar DeRozan is at 22.9 points and 4.1 assists. Sabonis is putting up 19.9 points, 12.6 rebounds and 6.8 assists.

And when all three are sharing the floor, Sacramento is plus-11.0 points per 100 possessions.

Previous Rank: 5

Net Rating: +0.3

With Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal both out with calf injuries, a critical stretch for Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns is on the way.

There was already a reason for a little skepticism of the record. As you can see, their point differential is barely above zero, and their “expected” win-loss record is 6-6.

When KD’s off the floor, they have a point differential around that of a 40-win team. And on Thursday, the first game without both Durant and Beal, Phoenix got blown out, 127-104, by the Sacramento Kings.

Booker now has to carry the team through the rest of a four-game road trip that will end with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves. Then, the banged-up Suns will face the Orlando Magic, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors during a home stand.

Unless the four-time All-Star is able to go supernova, Phoenix could be around .500 by the time November ends.

Previous Rank: 2

Net Rating: +12.4

Add the Oklahoma City Thunder to the increasingly depressing list of teams missing critical players.

This week, we learned Chet Holmgren will be out for several weeks as he recovers from a hip fracture.

And if you’re among the more pessimistic persuasion of NBA fans, 8-10 weeks before getting a protocol for a return means Holmgren could be months away from in-game action.

It’s obviously a huge loss for the Thunder. The 2022 No. 2 pick is the anchor of the league’s best defense and arguably OKC’s second-best player. The disadvantages of being without him are even more pronounced with Isaiah Hartenstein also out.

But the Thunder are uniquely capable of winning games playing small-ball until Hartenstein returns, which could happen within a few weeks now.

With the floor completely spread out, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should be able to dominate driving lanes. That’ll help Jalen Williams, too. And though a lack of rebounding and rim protection will hurt, they survived missing the former on the way to 57 wins in 2023-24.

Previous Rank: 8

Net Rating: +2.7

After starting 0-2, the Denver Nuggets have won seven of their last eight games and each of their last five.

And after seemingly every fan and analyst was willing to take victory laps on their “Denver is doomed without Kentavious Caldwell-Pope” takes two games into the season, the Nuggets are winning in large part due to the young players the front office expected to replace KCP.

Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon have both already missed multiple games, but the youngsters are also picking up that extra slack.

Christian Braun is averaging 16.3 points and 5.4 rebounds. Peyton Watson is shooting 39.1 percent from three and making game-saving blocks against multiple opponents, and Julian Strawther is averaging 9.3 points and 1.3 threes off the bench.

Of course, Nikola Jokić averaging an eye-popping 29.7 points, 13.7 rebounds, 11.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks certainly helps, but the improving supporting cast is a big part of why he’s been so productive.

Previous Rank: 4

Net Rating: +10.9

The Golden State Warriors hosted Klay Thompson for the first time since his departure on Wednesday.

And though Thompson had one of his better individual performances of the season, Stephen Curry closed out the Mavs with 37 points on 14-of-27 shooting and nine assists.

Down the stretch, he completely took over.

Even before the big showdown with Dallas, though, Golden State had already been reestablishing itself as a title contender.

Losing Thompson hurt from an emotional standpoint, but the Warriors bolstered their depth in the wake of his departure.

And while Curry is still the clear catalyst, Golden State already has 13 players with at least 100 minutes. And 12 of those 13 have above-replacement-player box plus/minuses.

Previous Rank: 3

Net Rating: +11.0

After beating the shorthanded Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday, the Cleveland Cavaliers are off to one of the best starts in NBA history.

And while it’s more than fair to point out that Cleveland has had one of the easiest schedules in the league to this point, it does have wins over the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers. And both were blowouts.

The better takeaway from this start is that new coach Kenny Atkinson has figured out the best ways to stagger minutes with the Cavs’ undersized backcourt of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland and their three-point-challenged frontcourt of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.

Consistent contributions from reserves Caris LeVert (11.5 points and 4.4 assists) and Ty Jerome (10.0 points and 3.4 assists) have helped on that front.

Previous Rank: 1

Net Rating: +11.0

They still have a double-digit net rating and one of the best records in the league, but the Boston Celtics have looked a little closer to mortal than they did for most of last season.

They’re 3-2 in their last five, and that includes an NBA Cup-opening loss to the Atlanta Hawks, who where 16-point underdogs to the reigning champions.

But it’s hard to feel all that concerned about a couple recent losses. Kristaps Porziņģis has yet to debut this season, and Jayson Tatum may be on the way to the best campaign of his career.

After going for 36 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in Wednesday’s blowout win over the Brooklyn Nets, Tatum is averaging 30.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists.

The ball is popping so far this NBA season.

Three teams (the Nuggets, Grizzlies and Warriors) are averaging at least 30 assists, and four more (the Raptors, Hawks, Bulls and undefeated Cavaliers) are above 28 per game.

Over the five seasons prior to this one, there was only one team that eclipsed 30 per game for a full season.

And while there’s plenty of time for the seven squads listed above to come down to earth a bit, the way the game is played right now lends itself to some big passing numbers.

Teams are obviously hunting threes, and those are much better shots when they’re of the catch-and-shoot variety. Driving, drawing defenders and kicking out to the three-point line is as important as it’s ever been.