NBA Power Rankings Update: The Los Angeles Clippers Are Proving Everyone Wrong
Teams Ranked 20th to 11th
The New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Clippers are on the rise, while the Denver Nuggets and Cleveland Cavaliers head in the opposite direction.
| Ranking | Team | Record | nERD | Last Ranking | Plus/Minus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Miami Heat | 26-18 | 45.4 | 21 | +1 |
| 19 | New York Knicks | 20-25 | 45.5 | 19 | Even |
| 18 | Portland Trail Blazers | 23-21 | 48.3 | 18 | Even |
| 17 | Detroit Pistons | 22-21 | 48.6 | 17 | Even |
| 16 | Denver Nuggets | 23-22 | 48.7 | 12 | -4 |
| 15 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 26-17 | 48.8 | 11 | -4 |
| 14 | Milwaukee Bucks | 23-21 | 48.9 | 14 | Even |
| 13 | Philadelphia 76ers | 20-20 | 50.3 | 13 | Even |
| 12 | New Orleans Pelicans | 23-21 | 51.5 | 15 | +3 |
| 11 | Los Angeles Clippers | 23-21 | 52.0 | 16 | +5 |
Risers
The New Orleans Pelicans are on the rise, winning three of their last four contests and sporting the league's seventh-ranked offense in terms of efficiency. That's what happens when you have two All-Stars in Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins performing at their respective peaks and Jrue Holiday playing arguably the best ball of his career. The Pels are currently in a three-way tie for sixth in the Western Conference with the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers, and their chances of making the playoffs now sit at 77.2%, according to our algorithm.
The Los Angeles Clippers are one of the hottest teams in basketball right now. Winners of six straight and 12 of their last 15, the Clippers have had the league's fourth-best net rating at 7.2 since December 20th, trailing only the Minnesota Timberwolves (10.3), Golden State Warriors (8.0), and Oklahoma City Thunder (7.3) over that span. They're still one of the least healthy squads in the Association, but Lou Williams, of all people, is keeping the ship afloat, averaging 23.2 points and 5.0 assists per contest, while shooting 41.2% from deep, and amassing the ninth-most offensive win shares in the league at 4.3.
Fallers
The Denver Nuggets have lost five of their last seven, including embarrassing defeats at the hands of the Sacramento Kings (30th in our rankings) and Atlanta Hawks (26th). At 23-22, they currently sit in ninth in the Western Conference, and might be losing their shot at the franchise's first playoff berth in five years as teams like the Pelicans and Clippers get things together. There's still a lot of season left, obviously, but Denver's 64.4% chances of making the playoffs, according to our algorithm, is currently the lowest of the four teams (the Nuggets, Trail Blazers, Pelicans, and Clippers) jockeying for the final three playoffs spots in the West.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are falling off a cliff. They unceremoniously dropped out of our top tier last week and plummet even further this time around to hit 15th in the entire Association and 8th in the Eastern Conference. We detailed their collapse here, if you want more of an idea of what exactly is going wrong in Cleveland (spoiler alert: everything).
