NBA Power Rankings Update: Is the Implosion of the Boston Celtics Being Overblown?
Teams Ranked 10th to 1st
There isn't much movement in the top tier this week, but the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors swap spots.
| Ranking | Team | Record | nERD | Last Ranking | Plus/Minus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Portland Trail Blazers | 39-26 | 56.3 | 10 | 0 |
| 9 | Utah Jazz | 37-27 | 60.1 | 9 | 0 |
| 8 | Philadelphia 76ers | 41-24 | 60.6 | 8 | 0 |
| 7 | Denver Nuggets | 43-21 | 61.5 | 7 | 0 |
| 6 | Indiana Pacers | 42-24 | 62.4 | 6 | 0 |
| 5 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 40-25 | 63.4 | 5 | 0 |
| 4 | Toronto Raptors | 46-19 | 64.0 | 3 | -1 |
| 3 | Boston Celtics | 40-26 | 65.4 | 4 | 1 |
| 2 | Golden State Warriors | 44-20 | 67.0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1 | Milwaukee Bucks | 49-16 | 74.2 | 1 | 0 |
Risers
One of the top stories in the NBA right now is the implosion of the Boston Celtics -- they've lost five of their last eight and no one on the team seems all that happy -- but our algorithms still think they're doing fine. They are our third-ranked team with a nERD of 65.4 and are trending upward after a 3-1 week that included a victory over the mighty Golden State Warriors. Maybe things aren't so bad in Boston; the numbers certainly don't see much of an issue.
Fallers
The Toronto Raptors have the second-best record in the entire NBA at 46-19, but losing three of their last five has caused them to slip ever so slightly in our rankings. They still have our third-best title odds at 12.7%, so there's no real need to panic over a small cold stretch, especially considering the fact that they have the easiest remaining schedule in the Association.
