NBA Power Rankings Update: Are the Celtics a Finals Contender or a First-Round Exit?
Teams Ranked 20th to 11th
The New Orleans Pelicans teeter on the edge of dropping into the bottom-10, the Minnesota Timberwolves move out of their way to let them fall, and the Charlotte Hornets are making a late-season push for the postseason.
| Ranking | Team | Record | nERD | Last Ranking | Plus/Minus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | New Orleans Pelicans | 32-45 | 47.1 | 18 | -2 |
| 19 | Charlotte Hornets | 35-39 | 47.3 | 21 | 2 |
| 18 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 33-41 | 47.6 | 19 | 1 |
| 17 | Brooklyn Nets | 38-38 | 48.8 | 17 | 0 |
| 16 | Orlando Magic | 37-39 | 49.4 | 16 | 0 |
| 15 | Miami Heat | 37-38 | 50.7 | 15 | 0 |
| 14 | Sacramento Kings | 37-38 | 52.0 | 14 | 0 |
| 13 | Los Angeles Clippers | 45-31 | 53.1 | 13 | 0 |
| 12 | San Antonio Spurs | 44-32 | 55.9 | 12 | 0 |
| 11 | Houston Rockets | 48-28 | 57.6 | 11 | 0 |
Risers
Don't count the Charlotte Hornets out of the playoffs just yet. They've won four in a row, now sit only a game and a half out of eighth place in the Eastern Conference, and we give them a 28.7% chance of sneaking in. They'll have a hard time leapfrogging the eighth-place Orlando Magic (66.8% postseason odds) and ninth-place Miami Heat (42.8% postseason odds) to do so, but it's in play.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are 1-6 over their last seven and have been eliminated from playoff contention for a while now. They move up a spot in our rankings this week, but that's more about making room for the New Orleans Pelicans to fall past them than anything good that they've done.
Fallers
Speaking of the New Orleans Pelicans, they've lost 9 of their last 11 and are on the edge of sliding into our bottom-10.
