2015-16 NBA Power Rankings: Week 1

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We are now hours away from the start of the 2015-16 NBA season, but who's counting?!

Unless you're a Sixers fan (like me), the start of the NBA season brings with it optimism for teams and fan bases alike.

With the Cleveland Cavaliers prohibitive favorites in the Eastern Conference, virtually all of the intrigue lies in the Western Conference.

Six of the top seven teams in our NBA Power Rankings all reside in the West.

The Warriors are as deep as any team and have the league's reigning MVP, Stephen Curry, and earn the top spot in our power rankings as defending NBA champions. Meanwhile, the Spurs have as much talent as any team with the addition of free-agent LaMarcus Aldridge to a roster that includes Kawhi Leonard, Tim Duncan, etc.

While health will obviously be a key factor, the Oklahoma City Thunder have the potential to win it all.

At full strength, few teams have as much overall talent and the duo of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are the most-dominant 1-2 punch in the league. The last time they both played 80-plus games (2012-13), Oklahoma City was the No. 1 seed out west with 60 wins. That season, Durant and Westbrook averaged 28.1/7.9/4.6 and 23.2/5.2/7.4, respectively, and both players have triple-double potential in any given night.

Not only is it natural to worry about KD's foot, but Westbrook has missed at least 15 games in three of the past four seasons. And last year the team used 18 different starting lineups.

Like David Blatt taking over a team with LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love last year, Billy Donovan gets a loaded Thunder team as a first-year NBA head coach.

In addition to Durant and Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, Enes Kanter and Andre Roberson round out the starting five. After joining the Thunder last season, Kanter averaged a double-double (18.7 points and 11.0 rebounds) in his 26 games with OKC.

If the Thunder win the title, will Durant return as a free agent in 2016? That will obviously be a huge story line next summer; for now, however, the Thunder are my preseason pick to win it all.

2016 NBA Finals Prediction: Thunder over Cavaliers in seven games

Below are our NBA Power Rankings heading into the first week of the NBA season:

Rank	Team	Record	Last
1	Golden State Warriors	0-0	N/A
2	Cleveland Cavaliers	0-0	N/A
3	Oklahoma City Thunder	0-0	N/A
4	San Antonio Spurs	0-0	N/A
5	Houston Rockets	0-0	N/A
6	Memphis Grizzlies	0-0	N/A
7	Los Angeles Clippers	0-0	N/A
8	Atlanta Hawks	0-0	N/A
9	Chicago Bulls	0-0	N/A
10	New Orleans Pelicans	0-0	N/A
11	Miami Heat	0-0	N/A
12	Indiana Pacers	0-0	N/A
13	Toronto Raptors	0-0	N/A
14	Milwaukee Bucks	0-0	N/A
15	Washington Wizards	0-0	N/A
16	Boston Celtics	0-0	N/A
17	Dallas Mavericks	0-0	N/A
18	Utah Jazz	0-0	N/A
19	Detroit Pistons	0-0	N/A
20	Phoenix Suns	0-0	N/A
21	Orlando Magic	0-0	N/A
22	Minnesota Timberwolves	0-0	N/A
23	New York Knicks	0-0	N/A
24	Charlotte Bobcats	0-0	N/A
25	Brooklyn Nets	0-0	N/A
26	Los Angeles Lakers	0-0	N/A
27	Sacramento Kings	0-0	N/A
28	Denver Nuggets	0-0	N/A
29	Portland Trail Blazers	0-0	N/A
30	Philadelphia 76ers	0-0	N/A

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• 2015-16 Fantasy Basketball Rankings
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2014-15 NBA Power Rankings Week 18

Long live the new King. Highlights, photos, recap & reactions from today's big OT win on http://t.co/VBY18eSOmU. pic.twitter.com/91utdhnqTx
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) March 2, 2015

King James. That was the headline.

Not in reference to LeBron James, but by the Houston Rockets twitter account in reference to James Harden.

Ouch.

A kick below the belt?

Wait, that happened too.



The Cavs were without point guard Kyrie Irving (and the Rockets, of course, were still without Dwight Howard), but the battle between the Cavs and Rockets and Harden and LeBron went into overtime.

LeBron put together a strong line overall with 37 points, eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks, but he was awful from the free-throw line. Making only three of his 11 free throws, it was the first time in his career that he shot at least 10 free throws and made three or less.

Meanwhile, Harden (or should I say, King James?) posted a nearly identical line by scoring 33 points (including 15-of-18 free throws) and adding eight rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks.

With the win over the Cavs, the Rockets are tied with the Pelicans for the league's longest active winning streak of five games.

Houston will open this week with a tough back-to-back on Tuesday (at Atlanta, 47-12) and Wednesday (vs. Memphis, 42-16). Only three teams have a better winning percentage than the Rockets (.695) and the Hawks and Grizzlies are two of those teams.

Jimmy Butler latest Bull to miss multiple weeks

Since his MVP-winning 2010-11 season, Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose has played a total of 95 games over the past three-and-a-half seasons.

Unfortunately, there's a chance that Rose, who had surgery on his meniscus last week, won't play any more regular-season games this season.

With a timetable of four to six weeks, however, he is expected to return at some point and he's already rehabbing his knee. If he doesn't play during the rest of the regular season, D-Rose should return at some point during the playoffs.

Making matters worse for the Bulls, they will be without Jimmy Butler as well.

Butler is expected to miss the next three to four weeks with an elbow sprain, but it looks as though he will avoid surgery.

Butler and Rose are the team's top-two scorers -- 20.2 and 18.4 points per game, respectively -- and no player has averaged more minutes per game than Butler (38.9/G), who is also one of the league's best perimeter defenders.

In addition to the loss of Butler and Rose, the Bulls are expected to be without Taj Gibson for another week. Gibson is averaging a career-high 13.0 points in 28.7 minutes per game as well as 6.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks.

Russell Westbrook: Three consecutive triple-doubles

Already without Kevin Durant (foot), the Thunder were without point guard Russell Westbrook on Sunday after having facial surgery.

That said, it doesn't look as though he'll miss much more time.

Russell Westbrook won't miss much time with surgery. "If he had a playoff game (Sunday), he could play," league source tells Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) February 28, 2015

Before missing Sunday's game, Westbrook had three consecutive triple-doubles. During that three-game span, Westbrook averaged 33.0 points, 12.67 rebounds and 10.67 assists per game.

No player has more triple-doubles this season than Westbrook (five). Coincidentally, the two players tied for second -- Rajon Rondo and Michael Carter-Williams (three each) -- have both been traded during the season.

Here are my Week 18 NBA Power Rankings:

1. Golden State Warriors (Record 46-11, Last Week 1)
2. Atlanta Hawks (Record 47-12, Last Week 2)
3. Memphis Grizzlies (Record 42-16, Last Week 3)
4. Cleveland Cavaliers (Record 37-24, Last Week 4)
5. Houston Rockets (Record 41-18, Last Week 7)
6. Portland Trail Blazers (Record 39-19, Last Week 9)
7. Los Angeles Clippers (Record 39-21, Last Week 10)
8. San Antonio Spurs (Record 36-23, Last Week 6)
9. Dallas Mavericks (Record 39-22, Last Week 8)
10. Oklahoma City Thunder (Record 33-27, Last Week 12)
11. Toronto Raptors (Record 37-22, Last Week 5)
12. Chicago Bulls (Record 37-23, Last Week 11)
13. New Orleans Pelicans (Record 32-27, Last Week 16)
14. Indiana Pacers (Record 25-34, Last Week 17)
15. Washington Wizards (Record 34-26, Last Week 14)
16. Phoenix Suns (Record 31-29, Last Week 13)
17. Milwaukee Bucks (Record 32-27, Last Week 15)
18. Detroit Pistons (Record 23-36, Last Week 18)
19. Charlotte Hornets (Record 24-33, Last Week 19)
20. Brooklyn Nets (Record 24-33, Last Week 20)
21. Miami Heat (Record 25-33, Last Week 21)
22. Utah Jazz (Record 23-35, Last Week 23)
23. Boston Celtics (Record 23-34, Last Week 25)
24. Orlando Magic (Record 19-42, Last Week 22)
25. Sacramento Kings (Record 20-37, Last Week 24)
26. Los Angeles Lakers (Record 16-42, Last Week 28)
27. Denver Nuggets (Record 20-39, Last Week 26)
28. Minnesota Timberwolves (Record 13-45, Last Week 27)
29. Philadelphia 76ers (Record 13-46, Last Week 29)
30. New York Knicks (Record 12-46, Last Week 30)

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2014-15 NBA Power Rankings: Week 5

Here are my Week 5 NBA Power Rankings:

1. Memphis Grizzlies (Record: 12-2, Last Week: 1): Grizzlies center Marc Gasol now has eight games of 20-plus points this season. Gasol had just eight 20-point games (out of 59) last season. Since Gasol returned from injury on Jan. 14, 2014, the Grizzlies have an NBA-best record (45-15, .750).

Surprisingly, the Grizzlies have just the sixth-lowest odds to win the Western Conference based on odds from Sportsbook.ag.

2. Golden State Warriors (Record: 10-2, Last Week: 3): Marreese Speights has played only 158 minutes in 11 games, but he leads the NBA in points per 36 minutes (29.5) and in points per 100 possessions (39.5).

3. Houston Rockets (Record: 10-3, Last Week: 2): James Harden is shooting a career-low 39.1 percent from the field, but he is shooting a career-high 89.5 percent from the line and making a league-high 9.2 free throws per game.

4. Toronto Raptors (Record: 11-2, Last Week: 6): The Raptors currently lead the NBA in point differential (+12.2). They rank second in the league in scoring offense (106.9 per game) and sixth in scoring defense (94.7 per game).

5. San Antonio Spurs (Record: 9-4, Last Week: 5): Tony Parker is a career 32.1-percent shooter from three-point range, but he has made 63.6 percent of his attempts this season. His career-best percentage is 39.5 percent (2006-07).

6. Portland Trail Blazers (Record: 10-3, Last Week: 9): Since starting the season 3-3, the Blazers have won seven consecutive games, the longest active winning streak in the NBA, and will face the winless Sixers on Monday night.

7. Washington Wizards (Record: 9-3, Last Week: 8): In his three games since returning from injury, Bradley Beal is averaging 16.7 points, 4.7 points and 1.3 steals per game in 30.7 minutes per game off the bench.

8. Chicago Bulls (Record: 8-5, Last Week: 7): Derrick Rose, who has missed the past four games due to a hamstring injury, may or may not play Monday night. If he's unable to play tonight, however, he is confident that he'll return for Tuesday's matchup against the Nuggets.

9. Dallas Mavericks (Record: 10-4, Last Week: 11): Brandan Wright had his first double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds) on Saturday against the Rockets and has now scored in double digits in seven consecutive games. Wright has yet to shoot below .545 in any game this season and he leads the league with a .785 field goal percentage.

10. Phoenix Suns (Record: 9-5, Last Week: 16): Among players with no starts this season, Isaiah Thomas (15.4 PPG) and Gerald Green (14.2) rank second and fourth in the NBA in per-game scoring. In addition, Thomas is currently leading all Suns players in scoring.

11. Los Angeles Clippers (Record: 7-5, Last Week: 10): Chris Paul continues to lead the NBA in assist/turnover ratio (6.33). If he continues to average 9.5-plus assists per game and 1.5 turnovers (or less) per game, CP3 will become the first player in league history to do so for a full season.

12. Sacramento Kings (Record: 8-5, Last Week: 13): The Kings lead the NBA in offensive rebound percentage (30.0) and rebound percentage (55.4).

13. Miami Heat (Record: 8-6, Last Week: 14): Over the past six games with Dwyane Wade sidelined, Mario Chalmers has averaged 20.0 points, 7.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

14. Cleveland Cavaliers (Record: 5-7, Last Week: 4): Four games last week. Four losses last week. With LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love & Co. are still adjusting to each other, the Cavs averaged just 89.5 points in those four losses.

15. New Orleans Pelicans (Record: 7-5, Last Week: 12): Anthony Davis is averaging 26.3 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and 2.0 steals per game. The last player to average 26/11/3/2 is, well, nobody.

16. Atlanta Hawks (Record: 6-5, Last Week: 15): Fourteen different players have seen the court for the Hawks this season. All 14 of them are averaging double-digit minutes.

17. Milwaukee Bucks (Record: 7-7, Last Week: 17): The Bucks already have seven wins and compared to last season, it's more than a month earlier than they got their seventh win last year, which occurred on New Year's Eve against the Lakers. (And then they went 1-14 in January.)

18. Denver Nuggets (Record: 6-7, Last Week: 28): After a 1-6 start to the season, the Nuggets have won five of their past six games including the previous four games. Having another perfect week will be tough, however, as they face the Bulls on Tuesday and then have a home-and-home with the Suns this week.

19. Indiana Pacers (Record: 5-8, Last Week: 20): Although Roy Hibbert will miss Monday's game with an ankle injury, David West is close to returning and even Paul George has hopes (albeit unlikely ones) of returning this season.

20. Brooklyn Nets (Record: 5-8, Last Week: 18): Deron Williams currently ranks fifth in the league in minutes per game and Williams is one of three players with double-digit games of 15-plus points and five-plus assists this season. The other two are Stephen Curry and James Harden.

21. Utah Jazz (Record: 5-9, Last Week: 23): Only the Lakers (11) have allowed more 100-point games to their opponents than the Jazz (10) this season.

22. Orlando Magic (Record: 6-9, Last Week: 26): Nikola Vucevic currently leads the NBA in double-doubles with 11 of them in 15 games this season.

23. Boston Celtics (Record: 4-8, Last Week: 21): The Celtics rank last in the league in FTA Rate (.220), which measures how often a team gets to the free-throw line in relation to field-goal attempts.

24. Charlotte Hornets (Record: 4-10, Last Week: 19): Expectations were high for the Hornets entering the season, but they have now lost five games in a row and seven of their past eight games.

25. Oklahoma City Thunder (Record: 3-12, Last Week: 22): Although Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant will be back in the near future, Reggie Jackson is one of just two players in the league to currently average at least 20 points, seven assists and five boards per game. The other is Golden State's Stephen Curry.

26. New York Knicks (Record: 4-10, Last Week: 24): The Knicks currently lead the NBA in three-point shooting percentage (40.6 percent). The Knicks have eight players averaging at least one three-point shot per game and five of them are shooting at least 40 percent from behind the arc.

27. Detroit Pistons (Record: 3-10, Last Week: 25): After shooting 60.8 and 62.3 percent from the field in his first two seasons, respectively, Andre Drummond is shooting just 39.7 percent from the field this year although he's shooting a career-high 43.6 percent from the free-throw line.

28. Minnesota Timberwolves (Record: 3-9, Last Week: 27): The T'Wolves have managed to keep their opponents from scoring 100-plus points in three games. They are tied with the Celtics and Lakers to rank last in the league in that category.

29. Los Angeles Lakers (Record: 3-11, Last Week: 29): Jordan Hill has an active streak of six consecutive games with 10-plus points and 10-plus rebounds, which is tied with Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins for the longest such streak this season.

30. Philadelphia 76ers (Record: 0-13, Last Week: 30): This tweet says it all:

Your weekly @numberFire update: Sixers favored in ZERO of remaining 69 games. Best win odds are 44.6% on March 30 at home against ... Lakers
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) November 24, 2014

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

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2014-15 NBA Power Rankings: Week 4

Here are my Week 4 NBA Power Rankings:

1. Memphis Grizzlies (Record: 9-1, Last Week: 1): Earlier in the week, the Grizz allowed the Kings to build a 26-point lead, but they came back to win the game by one point. That makes the team's largest come-from-behind win in franchise history.

2. Houston Rockets (Record: 9-1, Last Week: 3): The Rockets lead the NBA in Defensive Rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) at 91.5.

3. Golden State Warriors (Record: 8-2, Last Week: 2): Over past six games, Stephen Curry has four double-doubles (two with points and assists and two with points and rebounds). During that span, Curry is averaging 27.67 points, 6.33 rebounds and 7.16 assists per game.

4. Cleveland Cavaliers (Record: 5-3, Last Week: 10): Aside from Anthony Morrow, who has played only three games this season, Kyrie Irving leads the league in fourth-quarter scoring (7.9 per game).

5. San Antonio Spurs (Record: 5-4, Last Week: 9): Tim Duncan has yet to score 20 points in a game this season, but he has six double-doubles in eight games.

6. Toronto Raptors (Record: 8-2, Last Week: 4): Jonas Valunciunas got a season-high 34 minutes in the team's last game and delivered a 17-point, 14-board double-double. It's his second double-double of the season.

7. Chicago Bulls (Record: 7-3, Last Week: 5): The Bulls are one of two teams that are perfect on the road, but they are only 2-3 at home this year.

8. Washington Wizards (Record: 7-2, Last Week: 7): Playing 36 minutes per game in the team's first five games, Marcin Gortat had three double-doubles and averaged 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. In his past four games, however, The Polish Hammer is averaging just 8.5 points and 7.75 rebounds.

9. Portland Trail Blazers (Record: 7-3, Last Week: 14): Damian Lillard currently leads the league in three-pointers made (33) and he has connected on 14-of-20 three's in his past three games.

10. Los Angeles Clippers (Record: 5-3, Last Week: 8): DeAndre Jordan has 31 rebounds and 10 blocked shots in his past two games.

11. Dallas Mavericks (Record: 7-3, Last Week: 13): The Mavericks currently lead the NBA in Offensive Rating (points per 100 possessions) at 115.0.

12. New Orleans Pelicans (Record: 5-3, Last Week: 11): The Pelicans currently lead the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.12.

13. Sacramento Kings (Record: 6-4, Last Week: 12): The Kings commit the second-most personal fouls, but they also make (28.5) and take (35.1) more free throw attempts than any other team.

14. Miami Heat (Record: 5-5, Last Week: 6): With Dwyane Wade sitting out on back-to-back games, the Heat have dropped three consecutive games to fall to .500. On Monday night, they will face the Nets, who have also lost three consecutive games.

15. Atlanta Hawks (Record: 5-4, Last Week: 20): The Hawks got throttled by the Cavs on Saturday (31-point loss). In their other three losses, the Hawks lost by a total of 12 points.

16. Phoenix Suns (Record: 5-5, Last Week: 16): Alex Len had his second double-double of the season in the team's last game with 17 points and 11 boards. In his seven games between double-doubles, Len is averaging 3.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.

17. Milwaukee Bucks (Record: 5-5, Last Week: 24): Only the Rockets have a better Defensive Rating than the Bucks (94.7) so far this season.

18. Brooklyn Nets (Record: 4-5, Last Week: 15): After making 12-of-25 three's in his first five games, Joe Johnson has made just 2-of-10 from behind the arc in the past four games.

19. Charlotte Bobcats (Record: 4-6, Last Week: 17): In his first nine games, Lance Stephenson was averaging 10.56 rebounds per game with at least seven in each game. In his most recent game, Stephenson had no rebounds.

20. Indiana Pacers (Record: 4-7, Last Week: 28): Despite their slew of injuries, the Pacers won three of four games last week.

21. Boston Celtics (Record: 3-5, Last Week: 19): Per 40 minutes, Rajon Rondo is nearly averaging a triple-double -- 12.2 points, 14.4 assists and 9.8 rebounds.

22. Oklahoma City Thunder (Record: 3-8, Last Week: 18): Reggie Jackson is averaging 21.5 points, 7.6 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game this season.

23. Utah Jazz (Record: 4-7, Last Week: 21): In his past four games, Gordon Hayward has alternated hot and cold shooting nights: 30 points (11 of 15 from field), 11 (five of 16), 33 (11 of 18) and 12 (three of 10).

24. New York Knicks (Record: 3-8, Last Week: 22): The Knicks have struggled defending the three-point line. They allow a league-high 42.0 percent from behind the arc and only the Mavs and Lakers allow more made three's than the Knicks.

25. Detroit Pistons (Record: 3-7, Last Week: 25): Only DeMarcus Cousins and Dwight Howard are averaging more personal fouls per game than Drummond, who is playing just 27.8 minutes per game. Drummond is averaging 8.4 points and 11.2 rebounds per game.

26. Orlando Magic (Record: 4-7, Last Week: 27): Nikola Vucevic is currently tied the league lead in double-doubles with seven and is averaging 18.2 points and 11.5 rebounds per game.

27. Minnesota Timberwolves (Record: 2-7, Last Week: 23): Andrew Wiggins is currently tied with Jabari Parker for the lead in scoring average (10.6 per game) among rookies.

28. Denver Nuggets (Record: 2-7, Last Week: 26): Since opening the season with a win, the Nuggets have lost seven of eight games.

29. Los Angeles Lakers (Record: 1-9, Last Week: 29): With Kobe Bryant shooting so much, one of the benefits is that the Lakers leads the league in offensive rebounding (13.2 per game) and Jordan Hill (4.8/G) leads the league.

30. Philadelphia 76ers (Record: 0-9, Last Week: 30): I'm not sure who would throw their money away, but the 76ers have 9,999/1 odds to win the NBA Championship based on odds from Sportsbook.ag. The Magic are second worst with 1,250/1 odds.

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2014-15 NBA Power Rankings: Week 3

The NBA season is young and there are plenty of surprises. One example, the Kings have more wins than the Spurs and Cavs.

Combined.

With that said, here are my Week 3 NBA Power Rankings:

1. Memphis Grizzlies (Record: 6-1, Last Week: 6): I tend to be higher on the Grizzlies than most, but they are often underrated and currently lead the NBA in scoring defense (87.6 PPG).

2. Golden State Warriors (Record: 5-1, Last Week: 1): Leading the NBA in scoring, Stephen Curry had a double-double (28 points, 10 assists) with five steals on Sunday, but he also had 10 turnovers as well. That is a league high in turnovers this season.

3. Houston Rockets (Record: 6-1, Last Week: 7): Averaging 25.4 points per game (like last year), James Harden is averaging career highs in boards (6.7/G) and assists (7.1/G) through seven games.

4. Toronto Raptors (Record: 6-1, Last Week: 12): The Raptors lead the NBA in scoring offense (107.4 PPG) and scoring differential (+11.5).

5. Chicago Bulls (Record: 5-2, Last Week: 5): After averaging a league-low 93.7 PPG last year, the Bulls are scoring 104.3 PPG (sixth in NBA) this season as Jimmy Butler leads the team with 19.6 PPG (13.1/G last year).

6. Miami Heat (Record: 5-2, Last Week: 9): Chris Bosh has scored 20-plus points in all seven games this season. In his previous four seasons with the Heat, Bosh never scored 20-plus in more than five games, which he did in 2010.

7. Washington Wizards (Record: 5-2, Last Week: 11): With a current W/L percentage of .714 early in the season, the Wizards are off to a great start. If they manage to win 60 percent (or more) of their games, it will be the first time the franchise has done so since the 1978-79 season.

8. Los Angeles Clippers (Record: 4-2, Last Week: 8): The Clippers lead the league in turnover differential (-7.8) and A/TO ratio (2.13). Chris Paul has 63 assists and just five turnovers through six games.

9. San Antonio Spurs (Record: 2-3, Last Week: 2): Based on NBA futures from Vegas, the Spurs still have the best odds (6/1) among Western Conference teams to win it all ...

10. Cleveland Cavaliers (Record: 2-3, Last Week: 3): ... and while the Cavs are trying to build chemistry and play unselfishly, they are still the favorites to win it all (3/1).

11. New Orleans Pelicans (Record: 3-2, Last Week: 13): Among players getting 20-plus minutes per game, no player has a higher PER (Player Efficiency Rating) than Anthony Davis (34.89) — Golden State's Stephen Curry (29.89) is second.

12. Sacramento Kings (Record: 5-2, Last Week: 15): There are a number of reasons why the Kings are off to a strong (surprising) start. Through Sunday's games, they lead the NBA in rebounding (47.4/G) and get to and make more free throws than any other team (30.1 FTM/G, 37.3 FTA/G).

13. Dallas Mavericks (Record: 4-3, Last Week: 4): The Mavs currently lead the NBA in Offensive Rating (number of points scored per 100 possessions) with 112.0.

14. Portland Trail Blazers (Record: 4-3, Last Week: 14): The starting lineup of LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum, Damian Lillard, Robin Lopez and Wesley Matthews is the league's highest-scoring quintet (46.9 PPG).

15. Brooklyn Nets (Record: 4-2, Last Week: 21): While the Mavs lead the league in Offensive Rating; the Nets are second at 109.5.

16. Phoenix Suns (Record: 4-3, Last Week: 10): Coming off a tough three-game schedule (Grizzlies, Kings and Warriors), the Suns face the Nets, Bobcats and Clippers this week, all quality opponents. Then the schedule gets a lot softer from 11/17-12/2 with only one of their nine opponents having a winning record. Excluding the Raptors, the other eight teams they will face during that stretch have a combined 11-41 record.

17. Charlotte Bobcats (Record: 3-4, Last Week: 19): Kemba Walker's win-loss splits: (Wins) 19.7 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 7.3 APG, 2.0 SPG and (Losses) 12.3 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.3 SPG.

18. Oklahoma City Thunder (Record: 2-5, Last Week: 18): Mark Cuban wonders if the Thunder should shut down stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook for the rest of the season? Hmmm, what could he gain from that?

19. Boston Celtics (Record: 3-3, Last Week: 24): The Celtics (25.0/G) and Rajon Rondo (11.2/G) lead the NBA in assists per game.

20. Atlanta Hawks (Record: 2-3, Last Week: 20): Jeff Teague leads the NBA in drives per game (14.0), but he only has a 33.3 percent field-goal percentage on drives.

21. Utah Jazz (Record: 3-4, Last Week: 25): Among qualified rookies, Jazz point guard Dante Exum leads rookies in PER (15.14).

22. New York Knicks (Record: 2-5, Last Week: 16): Carmelo Anthony has failed to score more than 20 points in four consecutive games and is a combined 26-of-84 (30.95 percent) during that stretch.

23. Minnesota Timberwolves (Record: 2-4, Last Week: 23): Not only did the team lose (trade) Kevin Love in the offseason, but now they will be without Ricky Rubio (ankle) for 6-8 weeks. Rubio was averaging a career-high 10.0 assists per game and shooting 42.6 percent from the field (previous career high is 38.1 percent).

24. Milwaukee Bucks (Record: 3-4, Last Week: 27): Brandon Knight is averaging 17.57 points, 6.43 rebounds and 7.29 assists per game. Only three players are averaging 17/6/7: Harden, Curry and Knight.

25. Detroit Pistons (Record: 2-4, Last Week: 26): The Pistons currently rank last in the league in points per shot (1.09).

26. Denver Nuggets (Record: 1-5, Last Week: 17): The Nuggets are 0-for November and The Manimal is averaging just 27 minutes per game this season.

27. Orlando Magic (Record: 2-5, Last Week: 28): One of the team's few bright spots, Nikola Vucevic is averaging career highs across the board: 18.6 PPG, 12.3 RPG, 2.4 APG and 1.1 BPG.

28. Indiana Pacers (Record: 1-6, Last Week: 22): Four Pacers are averaging more than 12.0 PPG — Chris Copeland (16.7), Donald Sloan (15.1), Roy Hibbert (12.6) and Solomon Hill (12.0). Casual fans probably only recognize one name on that list, which shows how injuries have impacted this team.

29. Los Angeles Lakers (Record: 1-5, Last Week: 29): This should come as no surprise, but Kobe Bryant has a league-high 37.7 usage rate aside from Russell Westbrook (42.9 percent).

30. Philadelphia 76ers (Record: 0-7, Last Week: 30): With few positives to the start of the season (successful tanking progress aside), Tony Wroten (23.4 PPG, 6.8 APG, 2.7 SPG) has been a fantasy must-start with Michael Carter-Williams out.

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2013-14 Consensus NBA Power Rankings, Week 1

Earlier this offseason, Kyle Baillargeon, one of our NBA contributors, made his preseason prediction for which team will win the NBA Finals next June.

It should come as little surprise that Kyle predicted that LeBron James and the Miami Heat will win their third NBA title in as many seasons.

After all, the Heat are prohibitive favorites to win the title. Sportsbook.ag has the odds set for the Heat at 12/5. The next closest are the Thunder and Clippers, who have 7/1 and 8/1 odds, respectively.

Among Eastern Conference teams, the Bulls are next at 9/1 followed by the Nets (12/1) and Pacers (14/1). The Spurs and Rockets also have 12/1 odds.

There are only three other franchises that have won three consecutive championships: Celtics, Lakers and Bulls. So pulling off a "three-peat" would put LeBron and the franchise in rarified company.

Regardless of conference, which team poses the greatest threat to a Miami Heat "three-peat" this season?

John (follow on Twitter): Chicago Bulls

I'll buy into the hype and say that the Chicago Bulls pose the greatest threat to the Heat's chances to "three-peat."

The physical play that the Bulls are notorious for is something with which Miami struggles, and getting Derrick Rose back healthy is an obvious game-changer for Chicago. They are a good young team with enough size and depth to be legit championship contender.

Heading into the start of the season, I'd give the Bulls the best chance to knock off the Heat.

Kevin (follow on Twitter): Chicago Bulls

While Kevin Durant is the second-best player in the league and the Thunder have the second-lowest odds to win it all, I think the Heat's stiffest competition resides in the East. Deciding between the Pacers and Bulls is tough, however.

The Bulls get back Derrick Rose, who is the only player not named LeBron to win the MVP award in the past five years. Coach Tom Thibodeau has the team playing tough hard-nosed defense and they hung tough last year despite injuries.

On the other hand, the Pacers have one of the league's best defenses as well and Paul George is one of the best players and defenders in the league and should be more of a household name than he is. In addition, they get back Danny Granger, who led them in scoring two seasons ago, and added Luis Scola.

For the purpose of answering this (technically my own) question, I will say it's the Bulls since they will get one of the top three to five players in the league back.

[On a side note, I love the fact that there appears to be some real animosity brewing within the Eastern Conference.]

Dan (follow on Twitter): Indiana Pacers

To me, the "Heatles" are on the inside track to have a three-peat, (trademarked by Pat Riley, funny enough), but they still do have one obstacle standing in their way. The Indiana Pacers pose the biggest threat to the Heat, as they have the best possible matchup against LeBron and crew.

The Pacers have the most effective big man in Roy Hibbert that counters the Heat's small-ball lineup, and also they will benefit from having their best scorer in Danny Granger back this year. If any team has learned to beat Miami, it will be the Pacers, as hopefully they will keep Dwyane Wade from referring to himself as four, as he calls himself "three" right now.

Sean (follow on Twitter): Houston Rockets

While I do think the Heat are the favorites to win another championship this year, if I had to bet the Hear or the field, I would take the field all day.

I think any team that is ranked in my top 10 has a legit chance at winning a title. I am going to go with Houston. I know a lot of people don't like Dwight Howard, but he is the missing piece that the Rockets needed. Howard is still the best defensive player in the game, and a matchup nightmare in particular vs. the Heat.

The Rockets also have the ability to win games draining three's. Houston was second in the NBA last year in both scoring, and three pointers made.

To view where all 30 NBA teams appear in our initial 2013-14 NBA Consensus Power Rankings, click here.

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James Harden scores career-high 46 vs. Thunder

With the NBA trade deadline fast approaching, the Rockets acquired rookie power forward Thomas Robinson, the fifth overall pick in last year's draft, from the Kings earlier tonight (per Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports).

Meanwhile, James Harden, Robinson's new teammate, had a career night against the team that traded him to Houston before the season began.

Despite trailing by 14 points around midway through the fourth quarter, the Rockets mounted a comeback and beat the Thunder by three, 122-119.

In the process, Harden scored a career-high 46 points.  He set his previous career high against the Hawks in his second game as a Rocket.

Not only was he 14 of 19 from the field, Harden made seven of eight three-pointers and 11 of 12 free throws.  On top of his great shooting night, Harden added eight rebounds, six assists, a steal and a blocked shot.

James Harden (ankle) to miss Clippers game?

After stepping on Golden State's David Lee's foot last night, Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden (ankle) left the game but later returned.

Harden finished the game with 27 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.  In six games this month, one of which includes a triple-double, Harden is averaging 27.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game.

Per Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports, "Harden will miss Wednesday's game at Clippers with ankle injury but will be ready for Sunday's All-Star Game."

That said, Harden has not yet ruled himself out for Wednesday night's matchup against the Clippers, according to  Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.

“I’m tough enough,” Harden said. “My main focus is on tomorrow, getting the right treatment, icing as much as possible, try to get my ankle ready and my knee ready. My whole body hurts.”

Houston is hosting this weekend's All-Star game and activities. After tonight's game against the Clippers, the Rockets won't play a regular-season game again until February 20th when they host Harden's former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

James Harden gets first triple-double of career

Since James Harden was drafted third overall in the 2009 NBA Draft, 51 players have recorded a triple-double.

Make that 52.

For the first time in his career, Harden finished with a triple-double as the Rockets beat the Bobcats, 109-95.  Harden had 21 points, a career-high 11 rebounds and 11 assists.

It was the third time this season that Harden had double-digit assists and the third time he has had double-digit rebounds.

On the season, Harden is averaging 25.8 points, 5.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game, all of which are career highs.

NBA Consensus Power Rankings, Week 7

Who needs Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire?

Without both of their "superstars," the Knicks have continued to win behind their new superstar Jeremy Lin. Nearly cut by the Knicks themselves, Lin has taken the NBA world by storm.

It has led to words like Linsanity, Lincredible, Linning, etc.

No player has scored more points in his first four starts than Lin, who has scored 20-plus points in five straight games including a career-high 38 points against Kobe and Lakers on Friday night.

From getting MVP chants at Madison Square Garden and "overrated" chants on the road in places like Minnesota, how could you not root for a guy that is sleeping on his brother's couch and was an unknown about a week ago? (And this is coming from a Sixers' fan, i.e., I hate the Knicks.)

The Knicks have moved up a couple of spots in our power rankings to No. 18 from No. 20 (tied with Milwaukee) in last week's rankings.

Like last week, the top three teams all have No. 1 ranks from at least one of our four rankers, but the Thunder and Bulls are tied for the No. 1 spot. On the other hand, the bottom three teams were unanimous choices with the Wizards, Hornets and Bobcats as the worst three teams in the league.

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

- Biggest jump from last week: New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs (+2.50)
- Biggest drop from last week: Denver Nuggets (-3.75)
- Team with widest difference between high and low ranker: Indiana Pacers (7)

[See our full NBA Consensus Power Rankings.]

Each week, we respond to one roundtable question and here's this week's question: Who will win the Southwest Division this season?

John (follow on Twitter): San Antonio Spurs

The Southwest Division is one of the toughest in the league, with four of the five teams above .500, and the top three teams within 2.5 games of one another. I like the Spurs to remain atop the division. While they have been left off most people's lists as being a legitimate contender, I think the Spurs have a real shot this year. They have fallen off from what they were a few years ago, and I think most people think they're just too old now. It's tough to argue, though, that the Spurs are playing great ball. They have a 13-1 home record and have experience over most other teams in the West come playoff time. If the Lakers fail to make a big splash before the trade deadline (i.e., get Dwight Howard), I think that Oklahoma City is the clear favorite in the West, with few other teams being able to challenge them. With the Clippers losing Billups and Dirk not playing like the MVP he played like last year, I think the Spurs are the closest real contender, and I expect them challenge to represent the West. Right now, I have them in the Western Conference Finals, with a sporting chance against the KD and the Thunder.

Sean (follow on Twitter): Dallas Mavericks

I think the defending champion Mavericks win the Southwest division this year. I think they are going to make some moves towards the trade deadline to improve their team. The short season is definitely hurting them thus far since they have the oldest starting five in the NBA, but I think they will overtake the Spurs at some point this season, and never let up.

Dan (follow on Twitter): San Antonio Spurs

In what has been the most competitve divison in the league this year, the Southwest Divison will most certainly come down to the wire. I have the San Antonio Spurs coming out on top, as even in this compressed schedule I love thier veteran poise. The Spurs have also been the hottest team lately as they have won seven in a row, and are an impressive 13-1 at home. I love the Spurs to take this divison down even over the defending champs.

Kevin (follow on Twitter): Dallas Mavericks

Going into the playoffs last season, the Dallas Mavericks were widely considered to be a team ripe for an early-round exit from the postseason. Instead they kept disproving their doubters along the way to winning the NBA title. The Mavs had some key losses in the offseason like Tyson Chandler and J.J. Barea last year, but they added Lamar Odom, arguably the league's best sixth man. Although Dirk Nowitzki is averaging only 18.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, his lowest averages since the 1990's, I expect him and the Mavs to get on a roll and win the Southwest Division. That said, I expect half of the West's playoff teams to come from this division.

To see where all 30 teams fall in our power rankings going through Week 7, click here.

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

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.