NBA Power Rankings Update: The Cleveland Cavaliers Are Getting Back on Track
Teams Ranked 30th to 21st
The race for the bottom is heating up as the Sacramento Kings reclaim the last spot.
| Ranking | Team | Record | nERD | Last Ranking | Plus/Minus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Sacramento Kings | 18-43 | 23.4 | 29 | -1 |
| 29 | Phoenix Suns | 19-44 | 24.7 | 30 | 1 |
| 28 | Chicago Bulls | 20-41 | 30.3 | 28 | 0 |
| 27 | Memphis Grizzlies | 18-42 | 32.7 | 25 | -2 |
| 26 | Brooklyn Nets | 20-42 | 34.3 | 27 | 1 |
| 25 | Atlanta Hawks | 19-43 | 34.7 | 26 | 1 |
| 24 | Orlando Magic | 18-43 | 36.4 | 24 | 0 |
| 23 | New York Knicks | 24-38 | 39.6 | 23 | 0 |
| 22 | Dallas Mavericks | 19-43 | 40.5 | 22 | 0 |
| 21 | Los Angeles Lakers | 26-34 | 45.2 | 21 | 0 |
Risers
The Phoenix Suns and Memphis Grizzlies were both on 10-game losing streaks prior to their matchup last night, but the Suns prevailed and moved up a spot in our rankings. Of course, that had just as much or more to do with the Sacramento Kings being awful as it did with the Suns winning one measly game.
The Brooklyn Nets have only won one of their last 10 games, so this week's jump in the rankings is far from merit-based. They basically have nothing to lose for (they owe their pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers this year), while the teams around them are tanking so hard that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver saw it necessary to warn them to stop doing so. The Nets move up this week in order to facilitate other teams moving down, simple as that.
Fallers
The Sacramento Kings have lost five in a row, are 30th in the NBA in offensive rating, 29th in defensive rating, 29th in margin of victory, and dead last in nERD. The Suns have given them some competition lately, but the bottom spot in our rankings has belonged to the Kings more often than not this season.
As mentioned above, the Memphis Grizzlies are on an NBA-worst 11-game losing streak. They only fall two spots, but that's simply because everyone down in this range stinks and loses the vast majority of their games.
