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NBA Power Rankings: Sixers and Celtics rising, Rockets and Spurs slip

Sarah Stier / Getty Images Sport / Getty

During the regular season, theScore's NBA Power Rankings will be published every two weeks. This edition was compiled by editors John Chick, Andrew Joe Potter, and Wael Saghir.

1. Toronto Raptors (21-7)

Kyle Lowry has been disturbingly anemic of late, failing to score double-digit points in four consecutive outings. Still, the Raptors have the best record in the league, and aside from losing three of their last four, have taken care of business this season. - Potter

2. Philadelphia 76ers (18-9)

Joel Embiid, who was still on a playing restriction last season, is now 10th in total minutes so far in 2018-19. He's still working through getting fewer touches on the block since the Jimmy Butler trade, but the Sixers are still 8-2 over their last 10. - Chick

3. Golden State Warriors (18-9)

There are legitimate questions about the Dubs' depth with Andre Iguodala in decline, although DeMarcus Cousins is expected to be activated soon. These concerns are somewhat overblown, however; this is still a West-leading 18-9 team which will send three or four players to the All-Star Game. - Chick

4. Oklahoma City Thunder (16-8)

The Thunder have been on a tear and rank first in the Association on defense, allowing just 101.4 points per 100 possessions. Russell Westbrook has deferred offensively to Paul George, with the latter leading the team in scoring (24 points per game). - Saghir

5. Milwaukee Bucks (17-8)

Other than the Bucks' recent win over the Raptors - their second of the year - Milwaukee has been fairly quiet of late, splitting the past six games while posting a net rating of just 2.6 over that span. They still lead the league with a net rating of 9.1 points per 100 possessions, but they're hardly blowing doors off hinges. - Potter

6. Los Angeles Lakers (16-10)

Jesse D. Garrabrant / National Basketball Association / Getty

Never count out LeBron. The four-time MVP truly is an unstoppable force when he's at his best, leading L.A. to four wins in five games to close out the week. While the Lakers have yet to find their offense, the team currently ranks third on defense and have left their struggles behind after a 2-5 start. - Saghir

7. Denver Nuggets (17-9)

The injury bug is infesting the thin air of Denver, with starters Paul Millsap and Gary Harris out for an extended period. To make matters worse, the Nuggets' next five games are against winning teams. - Chick

8. Boston Celtics (15-10)

The Celtics are the lone undefeated team since the last edition of theScore's power rankings on Nov. 26. Sure, they've only played five games, and three of their wins came against the moribund Cavaliers, Knicks, and Bulls, but it looks like Boston is finally starting to gain some traction. - Potter

9. Los Angeles Clippers (16-9)

The Clippers have dropped three of their last four after ranking first in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. Their latest loss to the Heat is arguably the most painful of the campaign after scoring just two points in the first 8:36 of the fourth quarter in a season-worst 23-point blowout. - Saghir

10. Minnesota Timberwolves (13-13)

The Wolves are 9-4 since trading Butler, with Robert Covington emerging as a dark-horse DPOTY candidate. However, Andrew Wiggins is averaging just 15 points on 38 percent shooting over that span and has the same VORP as Markelle Fultz this season. - Chick

11. Dallas Mavericks (13-11)

Glenn James / National Basketball Association / Getty

Luka Doncic is getting plenty of well-deserved love for the Mavericks' turnaround, especially after single-handedly beating the Rockets late with an individual 11-0 run. However, the unheralded bench has been the truest star, led by the shockingly effective 34-year-old point guard, J.J. Barea. - Saghir

12. Indiana Pacers (16-10)

The Pacers have managed to stay afloat as Victor Oladipo has missed 10 straight games with a knee injury. They've won three consecutive against weaker competition and should be well-positioned for the eventual return of their All-Star. Bojan Bogdanovic has comfortably taken on the scoring load while Domantas Sabonis continues his elite contributions off the bench. - Saghir

13. Memphis Grizzlies (15-10)

Lineups featuring all four of Mike Conley, Marc Gasol, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Kyle Anderson are surrendering a minuscule 89.5 points per 100 possessions.
- Chick

14. Detroit Pistons (13-11)

Detroit beat the Warriors on Dec. 1, capping a five-game winning streak. Since then, they've lost four in a row to the Thunder, Bucks, Sixers, and Pelicans. If the Pistons want to be taken seriously, they need to have better showings against fellow playoff hopefuls. - Potter

15. New Orleans Pelicans (14-14)

The Pelicans boast a perennial MVP candidate in Anthony Davis, a solid supporting cast in Jrue Holiday, Nikola Mirotic, and Julius Randle, and have faced some solid, but not entirely imposing competition over the past two weeks. They have a .500 record to show for it. - Potter

16. Portland Trail Blazers (15-11)

Cameron Browne / National Basketball Association / Getty

The Blazers have continued their enigmatic ways after dropping six of their last 10, but did reel off two straight wins to stop the bleeding. Although it's tough to imagine Portland slipping out of the playoff picture as Damian Lillard remains an elite point guard, it's becoming increasingly difficult to envision this awkwardly constructed roster as a legitimate playoff threat. - Saghir

17. Sacramento Kings (13-12)

The bloom has come off the rose of their 6-3 start, but the Kings have still established themselves as a scrappy, up-and-coming team. Expect them to keep beating up on the true cellar-dwellers while giving stronger opponents a good fight. - Potter

18. Miami Heat (11-14)

The recent play of Justise Winslow must be acknowledged. The forward had back-to-back, well-rounded performances to close the week, and has an opportunity to take over point guard duties with Goran Dragic and Josh Richardson out against the Clippers. - Saghir

19. Utah Jazz (13-14)

With so many teams facing uncharacteristic struggles, it's hard to tell how much stock to put in certain results. In their past seven games, the Jazz beat the Nets, Hornets, Spurs, and Rockets, but dropped games to the Pacers, Heat, and Spurs. Their outlook remains muddled as ever. - Potter

20. Washington Wizards (11-15)

An easy stretch of games ended with a blowout loss to the Cavaliers, with John Wall finishing with one point. The Wizards remain among the worst teams in the league on both ends of the floor. - Saghir

21. Orlando Magic (12-14)

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Nikola Vucevic continues his resurgent season, and as of Sunday, had virtually the same player efficiency rating (27) as LeBron James. Will the Magic hang on to him in hopes of a bottom-tier playoff spot, or try and trade his expiring contract? - Chick

22. Charlotte Hornets (13-13)

The Hornets' trend of winning big and losing close continues. Their middling record belies the league's eighth-best average point differential (3.3), better than the Clippers (3.1), Lakers (2.2), and Sixers (2.0). With eight losses by five points or fewer, Charlotte needs to figure out how to close. - Potter

23. Houston Rockets (11-14)

Anytime the Rockets recover from a poor stretch of games, they seem to fall back into bad habits. There's a lot of animosity toward Houston's recent performances and none of it is Carmelo Anthony's fault. - Saghir

24. San Antonio Spurs (12-14)

The Spurs' season in a nutshell: In last Tuesday's loss to the Jazz, DeMar DeRozan, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Jakob Poeltl combined to shoot 23-of-34. None of those attempts were from 3-point range. - Chick

25. Brooklyn Nets (10-18)

Brooklyn caught a bad break with Caris LeVert going down, and promptly lost eight straight. But as their weekend win over the Raptors showed, their League Pass value remains real. - Chick

26. Cleveland Cavaliers (6-20)

David Liam Kyle / National Basketball Association / Getty

With Kevin Love on the shelf, the door is open for Collin Sexton to take the reins. The rook has averaged 19.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.1 assists over his past seven games. - Potter

27. Atlanta Hawks (6-20)

John Collins made his season debut on Nov. 17 and quickly established himself as Atlanta's top player. In his last four games, he's averaging 25 points and 12 rebounds on 67 percent shooting. - Chick

28. New York Knicks (8-20)

Former lottery picks Noah Vonleh and Emmanuel Mudiay rank fourth and fifth on the Knicks in terms of playing time. It remains to be seen if either will end up contributing toward a winning team, but at least the Knicks are giving them a chance. Both have had positive moments in recent weeks. ​- Potter

29. Chicago Bulls (6-21)

Fifty-six points. There's no excuse for losing by such a wide margin (especially at home). The loss to Boston comes just a day after the Bulls snagged their best win of the season against the Thunder. The locker room is already in disarray a week into newly-appointed head coach Jim Boylen's tenure. - Saghir

30. Phoenix Suns (4-22)

Take away Deandre Ayton, Devin Booker, and T.J. Warren (the latter two who have missed multiple games recently), and the Suns are basically a G League team. - Chick

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