2014-15 NBA Power Rankings Week 7

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The day was Tuesday, November 11th.

That was the last time that the Golden State Warriors lost a game. In fact, it was the second of back-to-back losses against the Suns and Spurs.

Other than those two games, however, they haven't lost another game this season and they carry a league-best 12-game winning streak and 17-2 record into this week.

From a team statistical standpoint, the Warriors lead the league in point differential (+10.9) while ranking third in scoring (107.1 points per game) and seventh in team defense (96.2 PPG).

In addition, they rank first in the league in assists (26.1/G), third in rebounding (45.6/G) and second in three-point shooting percentage (.384).

Point guard Stephen Curry is averaging 23.2 points, 7.7 assists and 1.9 steals per game in just 32.8 minutes per game. Curry played 38.2 and 36.5 minutes per game in each of the past two seasons so Curry's scoring and assists numbers are down slightly year over year.

On a per-36 basis, however, Curry is averaging a career-high 25.5 points, 8.5 assists and 2.1 steals. In addition, Curry is once again converting on more than 40 percent of his three-point attempts and is making at least two per game.

Assuming that Curry maintains that pace, it will mark the sixth consecutive season he has done so to start his career. To put that into perspective, only two other players in the history of the NBA have six such seasons: Ray Allen (seven) and Reggie Miller (six).

Pistons on 12-game losing streak, giving Sixers run for their money No. 1 pick

While the Pistons have won more recently (Friday, November 14th) than the Warriors last lost, Detroit is on a 12-game losing streak, the longest active losing streak.

One of their recent losses was to the Sixers in overtime on Saturday. In fact, the Sixers have now won two of their past three games and the Pistons now only have one more win than the Sixers.

Detroit has really struggled to score as they average just 93.1 points per game, third-worst in the league, and they rank last in the league in FG percentage (40.7 percent) and second worst in FT percentage (68.9 percent).

As bad as Detroit has been, there is a strong chance that they could lose their next six games as well.

The Pistons host the Blazers on Tuesday, then they head on the road to face the Suns, Kings and Clippers before returning home to host the Mavericks and Raptors. Perhaps the Kings still won't have DeMarcus Cousins back for their matchup on Saturday, but the Pistons should be underdogs in all six of those games.

Cavs turning things around

After a 5-7 start, the Cavaliers have won their past six games. Some of those matchups were against poor teams, but wins are wins and two of those wins were over the Wizards and Raptors.

During their six-game winning streak, the Cavs have scored 100-plus points in all but one game and held their opponents to less than 100 points in all but one game.

Meanwhile, LeBron James is averaging 24.3 points, 10.2 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game during that six-game span. James has double-digit assists in three consecutive games and in five of his past seven games.

With Kevin Durant returning last week, fans will get treated to a KD-versus-LeBron matchup later this week.

Here are my Week 7 NBA Power Rankings:

1. Golden State Warriors (Record 17-2, Last Week 2)
2. Memphis Grizzlies (Record 16-4, Last Week 1)
3. San Antonio Spurs (Record 15-5, Last Week 3)
4. Portland Trail Blazers (Record 16-4, Last Week 4)
5. Houston Rockets (Record 16-4, Last Week 5)
6. Toronto Raptors (Record 15-5, Last Week 6)
7. Cleveland Cavaliers (Record 11-7, Last Week 11)
8. Dallas Mavericks (Record 16-6, Last Week 7)
9. Los Angeles Clippers (Record 14-5, Last Week 9)
10. Washington Wizards (Record 13-6, Last Week 10)
11. Chicago Bulls (Record 12-8, Last Week 8)
12. Atlanta Hawks (Record 13-6, Last Week 15)
13. Phoenix Suns (Record 12-9, Last Week 12)
14. Sacramento Kings (Record 10-10, Last Week 13)
15. Miami Heat (Record 9-11, Last Week 14)
16. Oklahoma City Thunder (Record 7-13, Last Week 19)
17. Milwaukee Bucks (Record 11-11, Last Week 17)
18. New Orleans Pelicans (Record 9-10, Last Week 18)
19. Denver Nuggets (Record 9-11, Last Week 16)
20. Brooklyn Nets (Record 8-10, Last Week 21)
21. Boston Celtics (Record 7-11, Last Week 24)
22. Orlando Magic (Record 9-14, Last Week 22)
23. Indiana Pacers (Record 7-13, Last Week 20)
24. Los Angeles Lakers (Record 5-16, Last Week 28)
25. Charlotte Hornets (Record 5-15, Last Week 26)
26. Utah Jazz (Record 5-15, Last Week 23)
27. Minnesota Timberwolves (Record 4-15, Last Week 25)
28. New York Knicks (Record 4-18, Last Week 27)
29. Detroit Pistons (Record 3-18, Last Week 29)
30. Philadelphia 76ers (Record 2-18, Last Week 30)

Also, check out our Fantasy Basketball Rest-of-Season Rankings

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Andre Drummond grabs 22 rebounds, scores 18 points

After a couple of quiet games, Detroit's Andre Drummond had a big night against the Celtics.

Drummond scored 18 points and added 22 rebounds.

It was the third time that Drummond grabbed 22-plus rebounds in his past 11 games and he has at least 17 rebounds in six of his past 12 games.

The only player with more games of 20-plus rebounds than Drummond (five) this season is Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (six).  Houston's Dwight Howard also has five games with 20-plus rebounds.

On the season, Drummond is averaging 13.21 points, 13.06 rebounds and 1.79 blocked shots per game.

Josh Smith agrees to 4-year deal with Pistons

The Detroit Pistons and free-agent forward Josh Smith have agreed to a four-year deal worth $56 million, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

Smith, who has played all nine of his NBA seasons with the Hawks, averaged 17.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.  In addition, Smith averaged 1.8 blocks and 1.2 steals per game.

Only two players averaged a line of 17/8/4/1/1 per game last season: Smith and LeBron James.

Interestingly enough, Smith made a career-high 61 three-pointers last season while also shooting a career-low 51.7 percent from the free-throw line.

With the addition of Smith, the team's starting front court will likely be Smith, Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe, which means Smith will spend a lot of time at small forward.

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Options Heading into NBA Week 4

Now that we are several weeks into the 2012-13 NBA season, it may be time to make some tweaks for your fantasy roster(s) either due to injuries, lack of performance, etc.

I've put together a list of players worth adding that are owned in 50 percent or less of Yahoo! leagues that are worthy of consideration.

While some players that are owned in 60, 70, 80 percent of leagues could certainly make for better additions than the players on this list, the thought behind the 50-percent cutoff is that there is a better chance than not that the players on this list are actually available in your league(s).

Here are some players to consider adding in fantasy leagues (Yahoo! ownership in parenthesis):

PG - A.J. Price, Wizards (28 percent owned in Yahoo! leagues)

Until John Wall (knee) returns from injury, Price has decent value as the team's starting point guard.  Price is averaging 9.9 points, 6.4 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game through the first eight games of the season.

PG/SG - Jordan Crawford, Wizards (47 percent)

The Wizards backcourt of the future is clearly Wall and Bradley Beal, both top-three picks in 2010 and 2012, respectively.  Not only is Wall out with an injury, but Beal was benched in favor of Crawford on Saturday.

Crawford has scored 20-plus in 34-plus minutes in back-to-back games.  On the season, he is averaging 12.4 points, 4.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game.

PG/SG - Eric Bledsoe, Clippers (12 percent)

If given a larger opportunity, Bledsoe could really deliver for fantasy owners.  In only 18 minutes per game, he is averaging 10.6 points and 1.6 steals per game.  In addition, he is shooting 50.7 percent from the field and 86.4 percent from the line.

PG/SG - Alexey Shved, Timberwolves (13 percent)

Coming off a season-high 22 points, Schved has scored in double-digits in three consecutive games and is averaging 17 points during that span.  Over his past five games, Schved has at least five assists in four games and is averaging 5.4 dimes during that span.

SG/SF - Tony Allen, Grizzlies (38 percent)

While he won't help you in many categories, he will help you in one: steals.  Allen is averaging 1.8 steals per game, which is his average over the past three seasons.  Especially for a guard, Allen also helps with blocks (0.7 per game).

SG/SF - Kyle Korver, Hawks (36 percent)

In his past six games, Korver has averaged more than 30 minutes per game and has knocked down 19 of his 20 threes in those six games.  During that span, he is averaging 13.8 points and is shooting 53.8 percent from the field and 100.0 percent from the line.

SG/SF - Alonzo Gee, Cavaliers (17 percent)

With 17 points against the Sixers on Sunday, Gee has scored in double-digits in four of his past five games.  In addition, he has multiple steals in six of his 10 games played this season.  On the year, he is averaging 11.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game.

SF/PF - Tayshaun Prince, Pistons (29 percent)

Prince is not great in any one individual category, but he contributes some in them all.  On the season, he is averaging 12.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.  In 11 games, he also has five three-pointers, seven steals and five blocks.

SF/PF - Derrick Williams, Timberwolves (21 percent)

Williams, the second overall pick in 2011, scored 23 points and had four blocked shots, both season highs, in his last game.  Although his minutes will continue to vary once Kevin Love returns, Williams has played 12, 23 and 37 minutes in his past three games, respectively.

SF/PF - Shawn Marion, Mavericks (46 percent)

Although he's not a big scorer, Marion has the ability to contribute in multiple categories for fantasy owners, especially rebounds, steals and blocks.  Marion is averaging 7.3 points and 8.8 rebounds in his six games played this season.

SF - Kyle Singler, Pistons (seven percent)

Before Singler became a starter, the Pistons were 0-8.  Since then, they have won two of three games.  In those three games, Singler has scored at least 14 points in each game.

On the season, Singler is shooting 51.9 percent from the field and 47.8 percent from behind the arc.

PF/C - Larry Sanders, Bucks (49 percent)

As a reserve, Sanders is averaging 24 minutes (and 5.0 fouls) per game.  Sanders is averaging 8.3 points and 2.4 blocks per game and is shooting better than 60 percent from the field.

PF/C - Jason Thompson, Kings (43 percent)

Through 10 games, Thompson is averaging 10.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.  Not only is Thompson shooting above 50 percent from the field, he is shooting 76.5 percent from the line as well.  Considering Thompson is shooting 66.8 percent from the charity stripe in his career, it's likely his free throw percentage dips.

PF/C - Tristan Thompson, Cavaliers (27 percent)

Thompson, the fourth overall pick in 2011, has back-to-back double-doubles and four of them on the season.  Despite being 6-foot-9, Thompson has only three blocks on the season, but he is averaging 9.7 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game.

PF/C - Patrick Patterson, Rockets (18 percent)

Patterson logs nearly 30 minutes per night and is averaging 11.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.  In addition, he will make the occasional three.

C - Samuel Dalembert, Bucks (49 percent)

Although Dalembert starts, he is averaging less than 17 minutes per game.  He has been more effective lately although his playing time has not jumped significantly.  In his past four games, Dalembert has scored in double-figures three times and is averaging seven rebounds per game during that span.

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Also, check out my Fantasy NBA rankings:

• Rest of Season Fantasy PG Rankings
• Rest of Season Fantasy SG Rankings
• Rest of Season Fantasy SF Rankings
• Rest of Season Fantasy PF Rankings
• Rest of Season Fantasy C Rankings

Greg Monroe has triple-double vs. Kings

The Pistons dropped a fifth consecutive game to start the season, but it was certainly not Greg Monroe's fault.

Monroe had a career-high 11 assists, which is four more than he had in his other four games this season combined.

In the process, Monroe finished with a triple-double, the first of his NBA career.  In addition to his 11 dimes, Monroe scored 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting and grabbed a season-high 12 rebounds.

While he got off to a slow start in the team's first three games (no double-doubles), he has had strong back-to-back performances (double-double and triple-double).

On the season, he is averaging 16.0 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.

Rajon Rondo suspended two games

The Celtics will be without point guard Rajon Rondo for their next two games.

Rondo was ejected after throwing the ball at a referee in yesterday's game against the Pistons.

And according to the team (via Twitter), Rondo has been suspended for two games.

The NBA suspended Rajon Rondo for 2 games "for throwing a ball at an official and striking him in the chest" in Sunday's game vs. Detroit.

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 20, 2012

Rondo, who ranks second in the NBA in assists (9.6 per game), will miss tonight's game at Dallas and Wednesday's game at Oklahoma City.

2012 NBA Mock Drafts and Mock Draft Database Updated

The 2012 NBA Draft will be held in New York City on June 28th, which is exactly two months after Day 3 of the 2012 NFL Draft.

Not only did we update our 2012 NBA Mock Draft Database this morning, but we also released our first two NBA Mock Drafts for 2012.

For draft order, we used the inverse of our NBA Consensus Power Rankings.

Brendan Donahue's top five picks are:

1. Charlotte Bobcats: Anthony Davis, PF, Kentucky
2. New Orleans Hornets: Harrison Barnes, SF, North Carolina
3. Washington Wizards: Michael Gilchrist, SF, Kentucky
4. Detroit Pistons: Thomas Robinson, PF, Kansas
5. Toronto Raptors: Andre Drummond, C, Connecticut

See all of his first-round mock here.

Kevin Hanson's top five picks are:

1. Charlotte Bobcats: Anthony Davis, PF, Kentucky
2. New Orleans Hornets: Andre Drummond, C, Connecticut
3. Washington Wizards: Harrison Barnes, SF, North Carolina
4. Detroit Pistons: Michael Gilchrist, SF, Kentucky
5. Toronto Raptors: Perry Jones, PF, Baylor

See all of my first-round mock here.

NBA Notes, 1/29/12

Here are some notes, stats and observations from Saturday's games:

- Pistons center Greg Monroe had his third straight double-double although he shot only six of 19 from the field.

- Not only did Kemba Walker have the third triple-double in Bobcats history, Boris Diaw, one of the other two, had his third double-double of the season: 21 points and 10 rebounds.

- Charlotte's Byron Mullens had a season-high 23 points off the bench.

- In his past three games combined, Wizards center JaVale McGee had only 17 points. He led the Wizards in scoring (22 points) Saturday night and also had 10 rebounds and five blocked shots.

- Houston's Jordan Hill had his second straight double-double off the bench. In tonight's win over the Knicks, Hill had 14 points and 11 rebounds.

- After scoring 21 points last night, Chase Budinger led the Rockets in scoring off the bench tonight with 19 points.

- Kyle Lowry had a rough game: three points, three rebounds and four assists.

- Coming off a seven-3's performance, New York's Bill Walker was only one of seven from three-point range.

- For the second straight game, Milwaukee's Drew Gooden has scored 23 points and he has had one three-pointer in each of the past four games.

- On a night with a couple of triple-doubles, Kobe Bryant was just shy of his own: 27 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.

- Lakers guard Andrew Goudelock scored double-digits for the second straight game with 13 points off the bench.

- Like his brother Pau, Grizzlies center Marc Gasol had a double-double last night: 18 points and 13 rebounds. He added four blocked shots.

- Teammate Mike Conley added a double-double of his own: 15 points and 10 assists, which ended a four-game drought of double-doubles. Conley is averaging 12.9 points and 7.5 assists on the season.

- Jared Dudley had a season-high 20 points last night. He added six rebounds, four assists, three steals and two three-pointers.

- Sacramento's Tyreke Evans had a season-high 31 points. So did teammate Jason Thompson, who scored 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting.

- Meanwhile, Jimmer Fredette has scored in double-digits for the fourth straight game and he has made 14 three-pointers during that span.

- Utah's Gordon Hayward scored a season-high 21 points last night. It was only the seventh game this season that Hayward has been in double-digits. C. J. Miles scored a season-high 20 points off the bench.

NBA Consensus Power Rankings Through Week 3

While the same three teams are in the top three spots of our NBA Consensus Power Rankings, they are in reverse order from last week: (1) Chicago Bulls, (2) Oklahoma City Thunder and (3) Miami Heat.

With an ankle injury sidelining Dwyane Wade indefinitely, things may continue to get worse for the Heat before they get better. Miami has lost three straight games and their next three games are against teams in the top seven in our rankings: Spurs (9-4), Lakers (9-5) and Sixers (9-3).

"I've got to step it up a little more offensively and defensively," James said (via Chris Perkins of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel), "revert back to some of the ways when I was back in Cleveland, when I knew for the most part I had to be the No. 1 option offensively."

On the other hand, the bottom four teams in our rankings have remained exactly the same: (27) Charlotte Bobcats, (28) New Jersey Nets, (29) Detroit Pistons and (30) Washington Wizards.

Here are some stats about this week's NBA Consensus Power Rankings:

- Biggest jump from last week: Houston Rockets (+4.50)
- Biggest drop from last week: Portland Trail Blazers (-7.00)
- Team with widest difference between high and low ranker: Dallas Mavericks (9)

[See our full NBA Consensus Power Rankings.]

Over the past four seasons, the Celtics have finished first in the Atlantic Division and finished with at least 50 wins and a .610 winning percentage in each season. During that four-year span, the Celtics have a combined record of 234-94 (.713 winning percentage). This year has not gone nearly as well so far as the Celtics have lost seven of their first 11 games.

Each week, we respond to one roundtable question and here's this week's question: Will the Celtics finish above or below .500 this season?

John (follow on Twitter): The Celtics are off to a slow start, and I certainly found it amusing when Pacer fans started chanting "AARP" when they had the ball in a recent game in Indiana. The Celtics will get better, though. They don't look to be a real threat to win it this year, but they still have enough talent to be a playoff team. I won't put them much over .500, as they will likely only play hard enough to get into the playoffs. They are a team that will benefit more from resting than they would trying to move up a spot or two. Still, I have them finishing somewhere over the .500 mark, good enough for third in the division behind the Knicks and Sixers.

Sean (follow on Twitter): I believe Boston will finish above .500, but I am starting to think they will not finish as high as I thought they would originally. The Celtics are 4-7 this season, and the only four wins they have are versus the Wizards (twice), Nets and Pistons, who are the bottom three teams in my power rankings. The 4th-worst team in my rankings, the New Orleans Hornets, beat the Celtics this year. Jason Terry hit the nail right on the head during his halftime interview this week when he basically said Rondo is the only player playing with any energy. Later that game, Jeff Van Gundy was ripping the Celtics for the same thing. The Celtics have too much talent not to finish above .500 especially in the Eastern Conference where there are a lot of teams worse than them.

Dan (follow on Twitter): The Celtics will not finish this season above .500, as the compressed format goes against their age. The Celtics big three have all missed time this year, and they have no depth off of the bench to speak of. The Celtics starting rotation right now consists of (when healthy) Garnett, Allen, Pierce, Rondo, and Jermaine O'Neal, and they can only maybe go 7-8 deep with Bass, Wilcox, and Dooling. The Celtics are just too old to string back-to-back nights and three games in four nights trips into multiple wins. I do expect the Celtics to grab one of the final playoff spots, but they will need to add depth at the trade deadline.

Kevin (follow on Twitter): Through 11 games, all four of the Celtics wins have come against the bottom three teams in our Power Rankings. With the Thunder up next on their schedule (Monday), let's count that as a loss, which would drop the Celtics to 4-8. Their schedule in April is tough: only four of their 15 opponents have a losing record. In those four games against teams with a losing record, the Celtics are on the road in three of them. Let's say they go 6-9 in April (although you could argue that's optimistic). Assuming a loss to the Thunder on Monday and a 6-9 April record, that puts their record outside of January 17th to March 31st at 10-17. In other words, the Celtics need to win 24 of those 39 games to finish above .500. Long story short: Celtics will NOT finish above .500 this year.

To see where all 30 teams fall in our power rankings going through Week 3, click here.

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Related: Our End-of-season NFL Consensus Power Rankings