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NBA Power Rankings: Celtics and Raptors both on a roll – Metro US
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NBA Power Rankings: Celtics and Raptors both on a roll

NBA Power Rankings: Celtics and Raptors both on a roll
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1. Golden State Warriors (46-4) Last week: 1 – The Warriors currently own a nine-game winning streak, which is the longest in the NBA. That includes a big win over the Thunder. It also includes a trip to the White House to be honored as the champs.

2. San Antonio Spurs (43-8) Last week: 2 – The Spurs may be 28-0 at home, but after a win over the Lakers on Feb. 6, they don’t play another game in San Antonio until Mar. 2. That’s a lot of packing, but they’re familiar with this stretch.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder (39-14) Last week: 3 – Hand it to the Thunder for giving it their all and almost pulling off the upset over the Warriors behind Kevin Durant’s 40 points and 14 rebounds. But man, that’s gotta be a tough one to swallow.

4. Toronto Raptors (35-16) Last week: 5 – Everything is coming up Raptors heading into the All-Star Break. They’ve won 14 of their last 15 games with one more in Minnesota before their home city hosts the NBA All-Star Game. These guys are playing together, and it shows.

5. Cleveland Cavaliers (37-14) Last week: 4 – Sorry, but wins over the Pelicans and Kings aren’t going to move the needle. The Cavs lost to Hornets in Charlotte and then blew one at home to the Celtics. They still aren’t all there under new coach Ty Lue.

6. Los Angeles Clippers (35-17) Last week: 6 – Credit where it’s due: The Clippers have fought through drama and injuries to win 19 of their last 23 games. If they can continue to win until Blake Griffin returns, they could make for a very tough second-round out in the West.

7. Boston Celtics (31-22) Last week: 10 – What a week for the Celtics, who went 4-0 including a win in Cleveland. These guys have now won nine of their last 10 and are playing their best basketball in the Brad Stevens era. They’re probably playing too good for Danny Ainge to make a major deadline trade.

8. Memphis Grizzlies (30-22) Last week: 8 – There’s one person who enjoyed Derek Fisher’s firing more than anybody else, and that is Grizzlies forward Matt Barnes, who got in an altercation with Fisher over the summer over Barnes’ estranged wife. He posted an Instagram picture of himself just smirking. Ruthless move.

9. Miami Heat (29-23) Last week: 7 – Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are headed to the All-Star Game, and rightfully so, but let’s not forget how important center Hassan Whiteside has been this season: 12.2 points, 11.1 rebounds, 3.93 blocks. The Heat need more out of Goran Dragic, though.

10. Atlanta Hawks (30-24) Last week: 9 – Um . . . back-to-back losses to the Magic? The first loss came on a buzzer-beater. The second came after leading the Magic by 20 points in the first quarter. As the obvious better team, that’s pretty unacceptable.

11. Dallas Mavericks (29-25) Last week: 11 – Mark Cuban has to know his Mavericks team isn’t good enough to roll with the top teams in the West, but does that mean he’ll be able to add a serviceable player or two for the second half of the season?

12. Indiana Pacers (28-24) Last week: 15 – The Pacers’ two straight wins are huge when you consider the team in front of them (Atlanta) has lost two straight, and the two teams behind them (Chicago and Detroit) have lost three straight and two straight, respectively. They’ve climbed a bit in the standings.

13. Detroit Pistons (27-26) Last week: 13 – Part of it is schedule, but the other part of it is just losing: The Pistons haven’t beaten a playoff team in the East since Jan. 6, when they beat the Celtics. And they have since lost to them, too.

14. Utah Jazz (25-25) Last week: 17 – Which team currently has the second-longest winning streak in the NBA? That’s right, it’s the Jazz at six games. And to think, before this current winning streak their longest was just two games. Good momentum heading into the break.

15. Portland Trail Blazers(26-27) Last week: 18 – We said last week that if Damian Lillard had an All-Star chip on his shoulder, he should show it by helping his team to victory. Well, the Blazers are 7-1 over their last eight games and knocking on the No. 8 seed’s door.

16. Houston Rockets (27-26) Last week: 14 – After dropping a 96-79 decision to the Blazers over the weekend, some media pundits are calling for a major shake-up in Houston. It can’t really hurt at this point, as the Rockets are nowhere near title contention.

17. Charlotte Hornets (26-26) Last week: 20 – The Hornets have been making up some serious ground on some playoff teams ahead of them in the East. They’re 7-3 over their last 10 games, which is three games better than the Hawks and Pistons, and four games better than the Bulls.

18. Chicago Bulls (27-24) Last week: 12 – The Bulls are 5-12 since Jan. 12 and 1-5 over their last six games. But the news gets much worse: Jimmy Butler will miss the next three to four weeks with a knee sprain. It’s going to be a battle just to make the playoffs.

19. Sacramento Kings (21-31) Last week: 16 – I don’t watch a lot of Kings games, but when I do, I don’t see any defense whatsoever. These guys don’t want to play for George Karl, and that’s why he can’t last in Sacramento.

20. Washington Wizards (22-27) Last week: 21 – The Wizards continue to struggle this season, but in an Eastern Conference that’s fairly wide open, a strong second half can push them into the playoffs. John Wall and Bradley Beal could – could! – carry them there. But is it worth the first-round exit?

21. New York Knicks (23-31) Last week: 19 – Derek Fisher, you are the weakest link. Goodbye. Fish has gone fishin’ after getting fired on Monday. The Knicks have lost five in a row and nine of ten. Fisher may have won five championships as a player under Phil Jackson, but it sure doesn’t look like he’s ready to win any as a coach.

22. Denver Nuggets (21-32) Last week: 25 – Tough loss at the buzzer in Brooklyn. They’ve got one more in Detroit before the Break. My question: Will that one be Danilo Gallinari’s last with Denver? He’s popped up in trade rumors.

23. Orlando Magic (23-28) Last week: 23 – Did two wins over the Hawks right the ship in Orlando? If anything, it’s a positive as the All-Star Break approaches. The Magic host one more game before that break against a little team from San Antonio. Let’s see just how right that ship is.

24. Milwaukee Bucks (20-32) Last week: 24 – One former NBA point guard got the axe this week in New York. Is the one in Milwaukee next? The Bucks are 1-5 since Kidd’s return from hip surgery. He couldn’t coach them to wins before the surgery, either.

25. New Orleans Pelicans (19-32) Last week: 22 – The Pelicans did go on that 7-2 stretch over the second half of January, but I look at teams like the Jazz, Blazers, and even the Nuggets as bigger threats to snag a playoff spot.

26. Minnesota Timberwolves (16-37) Last Week: 26 – The NBA’s Dunk Contest is this weekend, which means fans get another chance to see youngster Zach LaVine throw down some serious slams. He’s defending his crown.

27. Brooklyn Nets (14-39) Last week: 27 – Fun game for Nets fans on Monday against the Nuggets. Joe Johnson proved he can still hit game-winners. The question is will he be attempting them for the Nets after the trade deadline?

28. Philadelphia 76ers (8-44) Last week: 28 – Heyyy, the 76ers beat the Nets last week. They’re 7-14 over their last 21 games, which doesn’t sound good, but consider they were 1-30 before that and it’s amazing.

29. Los Angeles Lakers (11-43) Last week: 30 – All this talk about Kevin Durant reportedly interested in the Warriors has to make the Lakers cringe. “Cringe” is a good word to sum up their play this season, too.

30. Phoenix Suns (14-39) Last week: 29 – Four more losses last week and it’s obvious that the sun set on the Suns long ago. Would not be surprised if Markieff Morris is on a new team by the end of next week.