Are the Chicago Bulls for real? They sit second in the NBA’s Eastern Conference standings, two games behind Miami with two games in hand, but their record against playoff contenders is disproportionately poor. Also, their average margin of victory (+1.9) is the second-worst among the top seven teams in the conference. It will be interesting to see where they move during the second half of the season. Meanwhile, don’t sleep on the Minnesota Timberwolves, who have crept into the playoff picture in the West and are just 3 ½ games behind Denver for sixth – and safety from the play-in tournament. New Orleans has also won two straight, drawing a bump from the acquisition of CJ. McCollum, and now they sit in tenth. If you’re thinking about NBA betting odds, look at our updated power rankings.
NBA News: Updated Power Rankings
#1 Phoenix Suns (49-12)
Phoenix has lost two in a row just three times this season, but they did it again this past week, falling to New Orleans and Utah. They are having to play without Chris Paul (thumb fracture), and while Devin Booker is filling in with the distribution, averaging eight assists per contest since the All-Star break, but the offense is still foundering a bit.
#2 Golden State Warriors (43-18)
There’s still a lot to like about this elite team, but Golden State led Dallas by 21 on Sunday – and by 19 in the fourth quarter – but let the Mavericks up off the mat to get the win. Coming up is a challenging road trip, and this is a team that needs Draymond Green (disk) back in order to contend.
#3 Memphis Grizzlies (42-20)
Ja Morant broke the team’s regular-season scoring record in Saturday by putting up 46…and then he broke it again Monday with 52. He has six 40-point games this season; the previous franchise record was one. In 19 games, Morant has 20 or more points in the paint. He joins Shaq, Amar’e Stoudemire, AD, Giannis and Zion as the only players to get at leat 20 paint points in that many games in the last 25 seasons.
#4 Miami Heat (40-21)
The Heat have won three in a row and eight of nine, riding Bam Adebayo, who has 22.7 points and 11.3 boards per game in February. Their 13-point win over the Bulls on Monday guaranteed them the tiebreaker should the two teams finish with the same record.
#5 Philadelphia 76ers (37-23)
Joel Embiid and James Harden have hit it off well. It helped that their first two common opponents were the Timberwolves and the Knicks. But are the 76ers going to actually contend this year?
#6 Chicago Bulls (39-22)
The Bulls have a terrific record, but they are 0-7 against Phoenix, Golden State, Memphis and Miami – the four teams with better win-loss records.
#7 Utah Jazz (38-22)
The Jazz beat Dallas and Phoenix coming out of the All-Star break, and Donovan Mitchell has put up 27.9 points and 5.4 assists per game in the eight games since returning from the concussion protocol.
#8 Milwaukee Bucks (36-25)
Without Brook Lopez, the Bucks’ defense has become porous, and they have lost four of five. Over that stretch, the only team with a worse defensive rating is the Houston Rockets.
#9 Dallas Mavericks (36-25)
Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans have performed much better than expected since coming from Washington. Dinwiddie had 24 in Sunday’s win at Golden State, and Bertans is shooting 39.3% from downtown.
#10 Boston Celtics (36-27)
Boston has gotten better lately despite that ugly loss to Indiana on Sunday. They face Atlanta, Memphis and Brooklyn at home coming up, so we’ll see if the Celtics are ready for East contender consideration.
#11 Cleveland Cavaliers (36-24)
The injury bug has come to the Land, as Caris LeVert (foot), Darius Garland (back) and Rajon Rondo (toe) all on the sideline. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen collaborated for 32 points and 25 boards in a needed win over Washington on Saturday, though.
#12 Denver Nuggets (35-25)
Despite not having Jamal Murray or Michael Porter Jr, Michael Malone gets the most out of his roster. The Nuggets have won six in a row, and both of those players could come back in March or early April.
#13 Brooklyn Nets (32-29)
Kyrie Irving put up 38 in a huge win over Milwaukee on Saturday. Kevin Durant should return this week from an MCL sprain, and Ben Simmons is rounding into shape mentally to come back and play. With the upcoming lifting of the vaccination mandate in New York City, Irving could be playing at home soon.
#14 Toronto Raptors (32-27)
The Raptors were doing so well..and now they’ve dropped four of five. They are 2 ½ games out of sixth place with 23 games remaining, and they need to make a move now while the rest of the East is still struggling with consistency.
#15 Minnesota Timberwolves (32-29)
Anthony Edwards has made just 2 of 23 three-point attempts over his last four games, averaging 8.8 points per game and shooting 21.4% from the floor overall. If the Timberwolves are going to continue their recent surge, he needs to find his shooting touch.
#16 LA Clippers (32-31)
The Clippers are taking care of business during an easier part of the schedule, beating Houston twice and edging the Lakers to take the season series. They get to play Houston and the Lakers again this week, hoping to gain on Minnesota.
#17 Atlanta Hawks (29-31)
Trae Young hung 41 points and 11 assists on Toronto on Saturday, shooting 17 of 24; this was Young’s third 40-10 game this season in which he shot 60% from the floor or better. The only player ever to have more of those games in a season was Nate Archibald, back in 1972-73.
#18 Charlotte Hornets (30-32)
The Hornets are sliding off the table at this point, having dropped 10 of 12 after losing on Sunday to Detroit in overtime. Next up for the Hornets are games against the Cavaliers, the Nets and the Celtics, so there are no easy outs right now.
#19 L.A. Lakers (29-33)
The Lakers are only 2 ½ games ahead of 11th place – which means they are just 2 ½ games away from missing the playoffs altogether. After having lost nine of 12, it is hard to figure out just what this team needs, given the talent they’ve assembled.
#20 Washington Wizards (27-33)
Kyle Kuzma had a great week last week, scoring 36 and then 34 points in the last two games. However, the Wizards won neither one, as they lost to San Antonio in double overtime and then only managed 86 points against Cleveland. Kristaps Porzingis remains on the shelf, and the Wizards keep sliding down the table.
#21 New Orleans Pelicans (25-36)
The Pelicans only won one of the first five games they played with CJ McCollum on the floor, but he finally meshed with Brandon Ingram on Friday as New Orleans rolled by 15 over Arizona, combining for 60 points, shooting 57.1% from the floor. Then they beat the Lakers by 28, combining for 41 points, 16 assists, 10 boards and five steals.
#22 Portland Trail Blazers (25-36)
Jusuf Nurkic is out with plantar fasciitis for a minimum of four weeks, and the Trail Blazers have lost the first two games of his absence. Josh Hart and Anfernee Simmons have their work cut out for them to keep Portland in the play-in tournament.
#23 San Antonio Spurs (24-37)
In their double-overtime win over Washington, the Spurs put up 157 points, the most ever in a game under Gregg Popovich. The next Spurs win will tie Pop with Don Nelson for the record in victories by a head coach.#24 N.Y. Knicks (25-36)
Rookie Quentin Grimes injured his right patella on Friday in a loss to Miami, giving the Knicks a five-game losing streak. Remember when the Knicks seized the fourth seed last year? That feels like a decade ago.
#25 Sacramento Kings (22-40)
Donte DiVincenzo has not done well so far in Sacramento. The Kings have gone 1-4 with him, and he had just one point in 18 minutes in a loss to Denver on Saturday.
#26 Indiana Pacers (21-41)
Malcolm Brogdon finally returned after missing 15 games due to an Achilles injury. He was on a minutes restriction but still put up 15 points and four assists, giving fans their first look at Brogdon paired with Tyrese Haliburton, who scored 14 points and dished out 11 assists.
#27 Oklahoma City Thunder (19-41)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has returned with authority, posting 68 points, 10 boards and 10 assists in the two games after the All-Star break. With Josh Giddey as the primary playmaker, Gilgeous-Alexander will have to adjust to being off the ball, but it should also give him more opportunities to escape double teams.
#28 Detroit Pistons (15-46)
The Pistons got 25 from Cade Cunningham against Boston over the weekend, his eighth game with 25 or more. The future is bright, but it’s still the future.
#29 Houston Rockets (15-45)
Eric Green’s return from plantar fasciitis has been difficult so far. He is only shooting 39% from the floor over five games, and the Rockets have been outscored by 63 points when he has been on the floor during those games.
#30 Orlando Magic (14-47)
Markelle Fultz returned on Monday, the first bright sign in a long time for the Magic. Wendell Carter Jr had a strong February, putting up 18.2 points and 10.6 boards per game.
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