NBA Power Rankings: Where Every Team Stands at the New Year

Another wild week of NBA action is in the books, and the theme of this stretch has to be absurd individual performances.

This week alone, Luka Dončić had a 60-point, 21-rebound, 10-assist triple-double. Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokić each had multiple 40-point games. And (take a deep breath before diving into this list) Julius Randle, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Zion Williamson, DeMar DeRozan, Darius Garland, Jayson Tatum, RJ Barrett, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton all cleared 40 in single games since Thursday.

Yes, that's 12 different players with 40 point games in just seven days.

The level of talent on display throughout the NBA this season is absurd. And that brings a rare kind of parity that makes ranking the league's 30 teams feel almost impossible.

Still, that's the weekly task at hand, and we'll use the same criteria as always to sort through the NBA.

Using numbers, recent play, championship chances and a healthy dose of subjectivity, here's how the entire league stacks up as we head into New Year's Eve.

Previous Rank: 27
Net Rating: -7.0

After getting bumped into his bench by Moritz Wagner (a foul that led to Wagner's ejection), Killian Hayes cold-cocked the Orlando Magic big man in the back of the head, leading to a bench-clearing scuffle and Hayes' own ejection.

The league announced that Hayes will be suspended for Detroit's next three games, which should mean an opportunity for veteran Alec Burks to continue boosting his own trade value.

Over his last 12 games, Burks is putting up 13.8 points and 2.3 threes in just 22.1 minutes while shooting 49.1 percent from three.

Any contender looking for depth on the wing should be calling the Pistons about either Burks or Bojan Bogdanović.

Previous Rank: 26
Net Rating: -6.2

The losses just keep rolling in for the Houston Rockets, but Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green appear to be finding their rhythm in spite of them.

Over the last five games, Porter has put up 24.0 points, 6.8 assists and 3.6 threes while shooting 51.2 percent from the field and 43.9 percent from three. In the same stretch, Green is at 23.8 points and 3.4 threes with a 47.7 field-goal percentage and a 39.5 three-point percentage.

Offensively, they already have what it takes to win games. If they figure out how to defend, it won't take long for the Rockets to turn the corner.

Previous Rank: 30
Net Rating: -6.6

They beat the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday, but that should only reinforce that it's time for the Charlotte Hornets to start shopping all the veterans in the rotation.

None of Gordon Hayward, Terry Rozier, Mason Plumlee and Kelly Oubre Jr. are likely to fetch big hauls on their own, but three or four deals that ship out all four could really help Charlotte's stockpile of future assets.

And if that also means more losses and better lottery odds, great. Any amount of short-term basketball pain would be worth a years-long partnership of LaMelo Ball and Victor Wembanyama.

Previous Rank: 29
Net Rating: -8.8

After losing 16 out of 17 games from early November to early December, the San Antonio Spurs suddenly turned plucky for much of the rest of December.

San Antonio is 6-5 in its last 11 games, with wins over the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and Utah Jazz.

And after a bit of a scoring slump (he averaged 16.6 points on 18.3 shots over 11 games in the aforementioned skid), Keldon Johnson has put up 23.5 points on 48.6 percent shooting since December 4.

Previous Rank: 23
Net Rating: -3.7

Winning eight of nine earlier this month put the Orlando Magic in range of the play-in tournament, but they followed up that run with back-to-back losses to the Los Angeles Lakers and Detroit Pistons.

And leaving the bench during Wednesday's scuffle led to one-game suspensions for eight players (plus two games for Moritz Wagner). That could help extend the losing streak.

Still, Orlando was never supposed to push for a 2022-23 playoff spot, and there's plenty to be excited about if you're a fan of this young Magic team.

Over his last 10 games, Franz Wagner is averaging 21.1 points and 2.1 threes while shooting 40.4 percent from deep.

In the same stretch, Paolo Banchero, who's running away with the Rookie of the Year award, is shooting 42.2 percent from three. Earlier in the season, consistency from the outside seemed like the only weak spot for Banchero as a scorer.

Previous Rank: 28
Net Rating: -1.6

The Washington Wizards went through what looked like a full-fledged tailspin from November 23 to December 22, when they went 2-14.

But an undefeated week that included a road win over the Sacramento Kings and two home wins over the Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns has Washington right back in the hunt for a play-in spot.

If they can stay healthy—a big "if" considering the injury histories of Kristaps Porziņģis and Bradley Beal, the latter of whom suffered a hamstring injury this week)—the numbers of the Wizards' top three scorers suggest they should stay in the hunt. When Beal, Porziņģis and Kyle Kuzma are all on the floor, Washington is plus-3.2 points per 100 possessions.

Previous Rank: 25
Net Rating: -1.7

It might be panic time for the Los Angeles Lakers, who are 1-5 in their last six games and 3-7 in games missed by Anthony Davis, who remains out indefinitely with a "stress injury" in his foot.

If Davis misses much more time, the distance between the Lakers and the play-in tournament might be insurmountable.

L.A. is plus-2.7 points per 100 possessions with AD on the floor and minus-5.7 without him.

Previous Rank: 24
Net Rating: -1.5

DeMar DeRozan closed out a heck of a five-game stretch with 42 points on 15-of-25 shooting in the Chicago Bulls' overtime win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.

In those contests, DeRozan has put up 30.0 points, 6.8 assists and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 55.4 percent from the field.

More importantly, Chicago is 4-1 in this stretch and back in the play-in tournament picture.

It may not be good enough to keep DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vučević out of the rumor mill before the February trade deadline, but at least the Bulls are showing signs of life.

Previous Rank: 22
Net Rating: -1.1

The Oklahoma City Thunder have won four of their last six games, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to look like one of the game's most consistent high-volume scorers.

SGA had his third 40-point game of the season to start this week, and he followed that up with back-to-back 28-point performances.

It's a random number, but we'll use it since it's the benchmark Gilgeous-Alexander gave us most recently. After Thursday's loss, he now has 24 games of at least 28 points, which is only one behind Luka Dončić for the league lead.

That also means SGA has gotten to that level in three out of every four games he's played this season.

Previous Rank: 20
Net Rating: -0.1

The Toronto Raptors are 4-11 in their last 15 games, but that certainly hasn't knocked them out of playoff contention.

They're still seventh in the East in net rating and only a half game out of 10th place and a shot in the play-in tournament.

Pushing much higher than that might require better play out of Pascal Siakam's supporting cast, though.

On the year, Siakam is averaging a career-high 26.5 points, but Fred VanVleet is shooting just 38.2 percent from the field and 33.1 percent from deep. Last season's Rookie of the Year, Scottie Barnes, has seemingly plateaued (for now) and is shooting 29.8 percent from three.

Previous Rank: 17
Net Rating: -0.5

The Minnesota Timberwolves are now three games below .500, and every individual game has become a referendum on the Rudy Gobert trade. So far, the results have not been kind to the three-time Defensive Player of the Year.

Away from the pick-and-roll-heavy offense that helped make him a three-time All-Star for the Utah Jazz, and as head coach Chris Finch struggles to find the right role for him in Minnesota, Gobert is posting his worst box plus/minus since his rookie season.

His struggles aren't limited to the offensive side of the floor, either. His defensive rebounding percentage is down to 28.9, his worst mark since 2017-18, and he's posting a career-low 3.8 block percentage.

Minnesota is allowing 6.1 fewer points per 100 possessions with Gobert on the floor. That might be easier to highlight if its offensive rating didn't plummet by 12.8 points when he plays.

Previous Rank: 19
Net Rating: -1.0

It's starting to feel like changes are inevitable for the Atlanta Hawks between now and February 9's trade deadline.

Beyond going 4-8 in its last 12 games, Atlanta has a season-long point differential that's below zero when Trae Young is on the floor. The face of the franchise for the past half-decade is suddenly in trade rumors too.

"Rival executives in attendance at the NBA's annual G League Winter Showcase are of the belief that Atlanta Hawks star point guard Trae Young could be the next player on a rookie max extension to request a trade if the team doesn't make inroads come postseason time," Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes recently reported.

There are a lot of qualifiers in there, but any whiff of a Trae trade would've seemed impossible a few years ago.

There are less drastic moves to make, including the years-long rumored trade of John Collins. If Atlanta stays on this track much longer, the front office will have to seriously consider making them.

Previous Rank: 18
Net Rating: -0.6

Tyrese Haliburton's season-long numbers were already All-Star worthy, but he's seemingly leveled up since MSG Network's Wally Szczerbiak called him "Mr. Supposed, Wannabe, Fake All-Star."

In the five games since that broadcast, Haliburton is averaging 28.0 points, 7.4 assists and 5.2 threes, while shooting 52.0 percent from deep.

More importantly, the Indiana Pacers are 4-1 in those games and back in range of sixth place in the Eastern Conference and the avoidance of the play-in tournament.

Previous Rank: 21
Net Rating: -0.7

The Golden State Warriors went 1-3 in their first four games after Stephen Curry went down with a shoulder injury. That stretch made it easy to doubt their chances of staying afloat without their superstar.

All of those games were on the road, though. Returning home has helped them get back on track with three straight wins and continues one of this season's wildest trends.

As concerning as their road record is, the Warriors should stay in the play-in mix if they keep winning at this rate at the Chase Center. And if Curry is healthy for win-or-go-home games, you have to like the Warriors' chances against other teams in that range of the standings.

Previous Rank: 11
Net Rating: +1.7

An eight-game winning streak earlier this month had the New York Knicks and their fans on top of the world, but they've come crashing off that perch.

After ending the week with a loss to the rebuilding San Antonio Spurs, New York has now dropped five straight. And the fourth loss in this run was pretty much impossible to pull off.

Against the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday, the Knicks coughed up a nine-point lead in less than 30 seconds.

On top of that, New York also allowed the first 60-point, 20-rebound, 10-assist triple-double in league history (more on that later) to Luka Dončić.

NBA weeks don't get much more demoralizing than this.

Previous Rank: 14
Net Rating: +1.1

The Utah Jazz are 2-4 in their last six games, and their top three guards in total minutes played have all cooled off over the last few weeks.

After Jordan Clarkson, Malik Beasley and Mike Conley combined to shoot 42.1 percent from the field and 37.9 percent from three through the end of November, those marks are down to 41.3 and 33.3, respectively, in December.

That decline has sent Utah to the edge of the West's play-in range. Still, the Minnesota Timberwolves' struggles have helped to keep Utah in the West's top 10.

Either way, Lauri Markkanen should still be very much in the conversation for his first All-Star nod. In the eight games since he returned from an illness, he averaged 26.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.5 threes while shooting 52.3 percent from the field and 49.3 percent from deep.

Previous Rank: 13
Net Rating: +0.3

Damian Lillard is looking very much like his pre-injury-riddled-2021-22 self, but the Portland Trail Blazers are staying in the hunt for a playoff spot thanks to his improved supporting cast.

Anfernee Simons has been with the team since 2018-19, but this version of him didn't show up until CJ McCollum was traded and Lillard was shut down last season. He's followed up the flashes he showed in 2021-22 with 22.4 points, 3.9 threes and a 38.3 three-point percentage in 2022-23.

But the bigger swing piece might be Jerami Grant, who's playing better than he ever did with the Detroit Pistons. He was supposed to take a slight step back in Portland, but Grant is just 0.2 points per game off the career high he set with Detroit in 2020-21, and his current effective field-goal percentage is eight points higher than last year's mark.

Previous Rank: 12
Net Rating: +1.4

Coming off a 1-3 stretch that included losses to the sub-.500 Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards, the Sacramento Kings had a get-right win in which they overcame a 19-point deficit against the West-leading Denver Nuggets on Wednesday.

That victory highlighted something that has worked—albeit in a relatively small sample—for the Kings throughout the season.

Malik Monk plays most of his minutes with Sacramento's second unit. But when he's on the floor with Domantas Sabonis and his old Kentucky teammate De'Aaron Fox, the Kings' offense is a supernova.

When those three are in the game, Sacramento's defense is a disaster. But the Kings still opponents by 14.2 points per 100 possessions thanks to a 100th-percentile offensive rating of 136.6.

Previous Rank: 16
Net Rating: -0.9

The Miami Heat took sort of a roundabout way to get here, but it felt inevitable that they'd eventually get above .500. The organizational foundation is too strong, and there's too much talent at the top of the roster for Miami to have remained outside the play-in range forever.

After cruising past the the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, the Heat are now 7-3 in their last 10 games. Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo are combining for over 60 points and 13 assists per game in this stretch.

If those three keep this up and get a bit of shooting from the supporting cast, Miami should get pretty familiar with a top-six position in the East.

Previous Rank: 9
Net Rating: +3.6

Things went from bad to worse for the Phoenix Suns this week. Beyond going 1-3 since the last edition of the Power Rankings, Phoenix is 5-10 in its last 15 games, and it'll be without leading scorer Devin Booker for at least another month.

At plus-0.3 points per 100 possessions, the Suns have survived a bit better without Booker than most teams do without their first option. However, Wednesday's blowout loss to the Washington Wizards suggest that mark could be falling.

Granted, Chris Paul is still around. While plenty of numbers suggest he might finally be declining, CP3 has been pretty steady since Booker started falling in and out of the rotation.

Over his last 10 games, Paul is averaging 15.6 points, 8.9 assists, 2.0 threes and 1.5 steals while shooting 40.8 percent from deep.

Previous Rank: 10
Net Rating: +0.2

The Los Angeles Clippers ended their week with a road loss to the Boston Celtics, but things are undoubtedly looking up.

L.A. is 7-3 in its last 10 games, and Kawhi Leonard seems to be hitting his stride.

Over his last seven appearances, Kawhi is averaging 22.9 points while shooting 53.9 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from deep.

And over the course of the entire season, the Clippers are plus-13.2 points per 100 possessions with Kawhi on the floor and minus-4.0 without him.

Previous Rank: 9
Net Rating: +2.2

A loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in mid-December pushed the Dallas Mavericks under .500, but they've rattled off five straight wins since then.

And thanks in large part to his 60-point, 21-rebound, 10-assist performance against the New York Knicks on Tuesday (again, more on that later), Luka Dončić is putting up numbers that look straight out of the 1960s during this streak.

Over these five games, Luka is averaging 40.4 points, 11.8 rebounds, 10.4 assists and 3.0 threes. The Mavericks are plus-57 in his 200 minutes.

Much has been made of the struggles of Dončić's supporting cast this season, but having this kind of individual talent on the roster means you have a chance in any game (as we've seen many times over the last four-and-a-half seasons).

Previous Rank: 2
Net Rating: +2.2

Nobody is really talking about it. Maybe everyone thinks it's one of those things that might just go away if you ignore it, but Giannis Antetokounmpo isn't affecting winning this season the way he has in the past.

Wednesday's loss to the Chicago Bulls, which pushed the Milwaukee Bucks' losing streak to four games, was a good example of the trend.

Giannis went off for 45 points, 22 rebounds and seven assists, but he shot worse than 50 percent from the field, missed all three of his three-point attempts and missed six free throws. He was a minus-10 in a game that Milwaukee lost by six in overtime.

For the season, Giannis' true shooting percentage is still above the league average, but it's his lowest mark since 2015-16. Perhaps even more concerning, the Bucks' net rating is slightly better when Giannis is off the floor.

This is all a little nitpicky. Giannis' raw numbers remain absurd, and Milwaukee is in the hunt for the No. 1 seed in the East. But the Bucks have established a mighty high standard for themselves, and a step back from Giannis (even if it's slight) could make a world of difference in a playoff series against the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets or Philadelphia 76ers.

Previous Rank: 1
Net Rating: +5.2

Like the Memphis Grizzlies before them, the Cleveland Cavaliers followed up their first stint at No. 1 in the power rankings with a stinker of a week.

After winning five straight to push their record to 22-11 (and their net rating to first in the league), Cleveland went 0-3 this week, with losses to three teams that they could face in the playoffs (the Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets and Indiana Pacers).

Perhaps most surprising, Cleveland gave up an average of 126.0 points in those three losses. It was first in defensive rating before this week started.

Teams are allowed to go through rough patches, and this could quickly be seen as little more than that, but it's also a reminder that this team is arguably ahead of schedule. All of Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley are 26 years old or under. Stretches of complacency are nothing to panic about.

Previous Rank: 7
Net Rating: +3.8

It took about two months to get to this point, but this week finally gave us some minutes with all of Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. on the floor for the Memphis Grizzlies.

And while the Grizzlies went 2-2 in their first four games with their best three players, they were plus-28 in the 55 minutes in which the entire trio was on the floor.

If all three continue to play as well as they have when the Big Three hasn't been intact, Memphis should be in the hunt for the top seed in the West.

Previous Rank: 8
Net Rating: +4.0

The Philadelphia 76ers have two more games in December, but it's already safe to assume Joel Embiid will be in the mix (if not the leader) for Eastern Conference Player of the Month.

After dropping 48 points on 17-of-32 shooting on Tuesday, Embiid is up to 37.0 points on 54.9 percent shooting from the field and 45.2 percent from deep in December.

And now that he's played enough games, Embiid is now qualified for (and is climbing) Basketball Reference's MVP Tracker ("based on a model built using previous voting results").

After all the early buzz for Jayson Tatum, there's a chance we're looking at a third straight season in which the MVP debate comes down to Embiid and Nikola Jokić.

Previous Rank: 4
Net Rating: +2.2

The Denver Nuggets closed out their week with a loss to the Sacramento Kings, but it's easy to credit that one to the absences of Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray (not to mention the fact that it was the second night of a back-to-back).

Overall, Denver's stock is up. It's 8-2 in its last 10 games, a stretch that includes comfortable wins over the Memphis Grizzlies and Portland Trail Blazers, as well as an overtime thriller against the Phoenix Suns that gave us one of the highlights of the year.

As always, though, the story of the Nuggets begins and ends with Nikola Jokić. After most seemed hellbent on keeping the two-time reigning MVP out of the debate for a third year in a row, he's forced his way in with a mind-boggling stretch of games.

Over his last 10 appearances, Jokic is putting up 31.5 points, 12.6 rebounds, 10.5 assists and 1.8 steals with a 66.8 true shooting percentage.

Previous Rank: 5
Net Rating: +3.2

It's time to return the Brooklyn Nets to the tier of legitimate title contenders. Even with the unpredictability that can follow Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons, the talent level on this roster has Brooklyn looking like a juggernaut.

Since November 27, the Nets are 14-1, with the best net rating (plus-7.8) and offensive rating (119.6) in the NBA.

While Durant's MVP-like play and Simmons' mini-resurgence have a lot to do with the team's ascent, it's impossible to ignore its proximity to Kyrie's return from suspension.

Irving has missed only two games since November 20. He's averaging 25.8 points, 4.5 assists and 3.2 threes while shooting 40.7 percent from deep over that stretch.

Previous Rank: 6
Net Rating: +5.3

Zion Williamson seems to enjoy playing against Rudy Gobert.

After dropping 43 (most of which came from around the rim) on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, Zion is now averaging 28.2 points and shooting 67.1 percent from the field in head-to-head matchups against Gobert.

Lately, it doesn't seem to matter who opponents throw in front of Zion, though.

Since Brandon Ingram left the rotation in late November, Williamson is averaging 29.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.9 assists while shooting 63.8 percent from the field.

Whenever Ingram returns, the Pelicans should have no doubt about whom to run the offense through.

Previous Rank: 3
Net Rating: +7.0

The Boston Celtics went 1-5 over an offense-starved stretch earlier in December, but they're on a four-game winning streak and looking very much like the team at the top of the power rankings a few weeks ago.

Boston is scoring 123.6 points per 100 possessions during the streak, which was enough to move the Celtics back to first in both offensive and net rating.

Perhaps even more encouraging than that, Robert Williams III appears to have shaken off whatever rust he picked up during his injury-induced absence.

He sat out one game during the streak, but he's averaging 9.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in just 18.6 minutes while shooting 91.7 percent from the field over the other three games.

On Wednesday alone, four players (Giannis Antetokounmpo, Zion Williamson, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Jokić) scored at least 40 points. That came just one night after Luka Dončić's historic 60-point, 21-rebound, 10-assist triple-double.

This season, we've already seen a whopping 74 individual performances of at least 40 points. That's tied for the 19th-most in a single campaign, and we haven't even hit January.

The league is on pace for 174 such games, which would break the all-time mark of 142 set in 1961-62. In that season, 63 of the 40-point games came from Wilt Chamberlain alone.

This year's pool of 40-point scorers is already 31 players deep. Fifteen have done it more than once, with Luka leading the way at seven.

"Game Score was created by John Hollinger to give a rough measure of a player's productivity for a single game," per Basketball Reference's glossary. "The scale is similar to that of points scored, (40 is an outstanding performance, 10 is an average performance, etc.)."

Given that definition, it probably comes as no surprise that Luka Dončić's 60-point, 21-rebound, 10-assist masterclass against the New York Knicks on Tuesday gave him the sixth-highest individual game score in league history.

The only marks ahead of Luka's 56.3 come from Michael Jordan (64.6 in 1990), Kobe Bryant (63.5 in 2006), Karl Malone (60.2 in 1990), David Thompson (57.0 in 1978) and James Harden (56.6 in 2018).

Luka's performance goes way beyond the numbers, though. It spearheaded a seemingly impossible comeback in which the Dallas Mavericks were down nine with less than 30 seconds left. It included a textbook intentionally missed free throw because his team was down two with less than five seconds left. And it produced an absurd shot chart and an 11-of-12 shooting line around the rim.

Luka had his entire repertoire on display in the win over the Knicks. His scoring efficiency and rebounding against a team starting Mitchell Robinson at center was one of the bigger takeaways.

Prior to his rookie season, there were some concerns about Dončić adapting to the size and athleticism of the NBA. However, he has turned into a dominant interior force with his strength, touch and craftiness.