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Change
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Team
|
W-L
(ATS)
|
Power Rating
|
Team Comments
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| 1 |
2 |
 1 |
 |
31-14
(22-23-0)
|
-14.8 |
Miami
After a three-week hiatus, the Heat are back in the top spot despite the loss at Indiana on Friday. I won't hold that against them, but a 12-11 SU road record is a bit of a cause for concern. |
| 2 |
1 |
 1 |
 |
36-12
(28-18-2)
|
-14.8 |
Oklahoma City
The Thunder also suffered an outright loss, but to a much lesser opponent - Cleveland. They immediately bounced back by blowing out Dallas, though. |
| 3 |
3 |
 |
 |
38-11
(27-20-2)
|
-14.5 |
San Antonio
The reason I'm reluctant to put the Spurs any higher is because their ceiling simply isn't as high as the Heat and Thunder. San Antonio has won 10 straight, but its annual rodeo road trip (nine games) begins Wednesday. |
| 4 |
4 |
|
 |
34-16
(27-23-0)
|
-11.5 |
L.A. Clippers
The Clippers maintain their No. 4 ranking, but the gap between them and the top 3 is widening as they continue to lose with Chris Paul sidelined. They need to win in Orlando because road games at Miami and New York are on the horizon. |
| 5 |
5 |
|
 |
31-15
(25-20-1)
|
-10.5 |
New York
The Knicks remain a solid No. 5 on the list after sweeping a five-game homestand in which they were favored in every game. They went 4-1 ATS, which is what bettors expected. |
| 6 |
6 |
|
 |
31-18
(29-20-0)
|
-9.5 |
Denver
Ultimately, I don't believe Denver is a legitimate title contender. But with the exception of San Antonio, no team is hotter (13-2 SU L15) and no team is better at home (21-3 SU). The Nuggets are also the best rebounding squad in the league. |
| 7 |
10 |
3 |
 |
30-19
(27-22-0)
|
-9.1 |
Indiana
This is the highest ranking the Pacers have had all season thanks to a four-game win streak, including a big victory over Miami. Indiana has won 15 in a row at home and is tied with Denver for the top spot in rebounding and is allowing the second-fewest in the Association. |
| 8 |
7 |
1 |
 |
30-17
(27-19-1)
|
-9.0 |
Memphis
The Grizz are starting to slip and an outright loss at home to Phoenix is an ominous sign for the post Rudy Gay era. However, Memphis is still No. 1 in the league in points allowed (89.7 PPG) |
| 9 |
8 |
1 |
 |
29-19
(20-28-0)
|
-8.8 |
Chicago
Injuries are beginning to mount for the Bulls, and the lack of defense was an issue Monday at Indiana. Things won't easier with a trip to Denver Thursday night on TNT. |
| 10 |
12 |
2 |
 |
27-23
(26-23-1)
|
-8.0 |
Houston
It's getting harder to ignore the Rockets, who just set a NBA record with 23 3-pointers Tuesday vs. Golden State. But if you live by jump shooting, ultimately you will die from jump shooting. |
| 11 |
11 |
|
 |
30-18
(27-20-1)
|
-7.0 |
Golden State
Despite the four-game win streak that preceded it (all against bad teams), the 31-point loss at Houston is pretty tough to swallow. So were some of coach Mark Jackson's tactics. |
| 12 |
15 |
3 |
 |
23-26
(20-28-1)
|
-6.4 |
L.A. Lakers
This might seem high for a team that's still three games below .500, but no team below the Lakers has a better point differential. We'll see how the Gasol injury affects things. I'm sure coach D'Antoni is happy about it. |
| 13 |
9 |
4 |
 |
28-20
(21-24-3)
|
-6.2 |
Brooklyn
Bad losses to both the Heat and Lakers have me thinking the Nets are more of a pretender than contender now. The loss to L.A. was actually their first all season to a team with a losing record (17-1 SU). |
| 14 |
14 |
|
 |
24-23
(18-26-3)
|
-6.1 |
Boston
Explain to me how you go 0-6 SU/ATS with Rajon Rondo in the lineup, then immediately turn around and go 4-0 SU/ATS after losing him for the season. Playing Orlando, Sacramento and the Clippers minus Chris Paul definitely helps! |
| 15 |
13 |
2 |
 |
26-21
(19-26-2)
|
-6.0 |
Atlanta
Before losing at Indiana, the Hawks had covered six of eight on the road. But they are also a terrible 5-12-2 ATS the last 19 times they've been asked to lay four or more points. |
| 16 |
16 |
|
 |
27-22
(23-25-1)
|
-5.8 |
Utah
Utah has won eight of nine at home since the start of the New Year. Unfortunately, that one loss was by 45 points (to Houston) last week and will take some time for me to look the other way. |
| 17 |
17 |
|
 |
25-22
(24-23-0)
|
-5.4 |
Milwaukee
The Bucks have failed to cover four straight after giving up the lead and the cash late at Denver Tuesday. Milwaukee has only one win over a team in the top 10 (Chicago) in 2013. |
| 18 |
19 |
1 |
 |
20-28
(27-21-0)
|
-5.3 |
Dallas
I'm more down on this team than most. But they have covered 11 of 13 games and enjoy a favorable homestand leading into the All-Star break. |
| 19 |
20 |
1 |
 |
21-26
(22-25-0)
|
-5.1 |
Philadelphia
It's not too late for Doug Collins' team to establish itself as a playoff contender. They have won three in a row, granted all of them were against awful teams. |
| 20 |
18 |
2 |
 |
25-23
(22-24-2)
|
-5.0 |
Portland
This team is bad defensively on the road (101 PPG). The Blazers shot 58 percent in a win at Minnesota and still only won by two points. Yikes. |
| 21 |
21 |
|
 |
18-31
(23-26-0)
|
-3.0 |
Detroit
There's a significant dip between the top 20 and the Pistons as we begin to enter the group of teams that should already be thinking about the Draft Lottery and it's not even the All-Star break. |
| 22 |
22 |
|
 |
17-31
(25-22-1)
|
-2.8 |
Toronto
Andrea Bargnani is returning from injury, which is good news. So is the fact Rudy Gay has scored 49 points in his first two games as a Raptor. |
| 23 |
24 |
1 |
 |
12-35
(28-17-2)
|
-2.6 |
Washington
That 10-game ATS win streak took a slight detour with four straight losses, but the Wiz did cover at San Antonio and then beat the Clippers without Chris Paul. |
| 24 |
23 |
1 |
 |
15-33
(26-22-0)
|
-2.5 |
New Orleans
The Hornets have lost four straight games on the road. After hosting Phoenix Wednesday night, they'll play three more away from the Big Easy, which will be anything but easy. |
| 25 |
26 |
1 |
 |
17-32
(20-26-3)
|
-2.3 |
Phoenix
A nice outright win Tuesday at Memphis, but the Suns are still just 5-20 on the road. Since a season-high four-game win streak in mid-December, they have won back-to-back games only once. |
| 26 |
28 |
2 |
 |
14-34
(22-25-1)
|
-2.1 |
Cleveland
The Cavs are playing a lot better of late, almost solely due to the play of the sensational Kyrie Irving. The rest of their games before the break are at home, and three are against teams lower than them in the rankings! |
| 27 |
25 |
2 |
 |
18-27
(20-24-1)
|
-2.0 |
Minnesota
Remember at the start of the season when we all thought this might be a playoff team? What a dumb idea that was. |
| 28 |
27 |
1 |
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17-33
(19-29-2)
|
-1.3 |
Sacramento
There's nothing this team does well, including relocating. They are off until Saturday when they look to avenge an OT loss at Utah, their fourth straight loss overall. |
| 29 |
29 |
|
 |
14-34
(21-26-1)
|
-0.5 |
Orlando
I recall saying there was a chance this could be the worst team in the league at the start of the season. They have now lost 10 straight (for the second time this season!) and 21 of their last 23 games. |
| 30 |
30 |
|
 |
11-36
(18-28-1)
|
0.0 |
Charlotte
Still sitting at four wins since November, the Bobcats do have a 16-point victory over Washington and a 10-point win over Chicago to their credit. Their other nine wins are by a combined 28 points. |
| Return to the Current Week's rankings |
Power Ratings compute offensive and defensive statistics into one number for each team, while accounting for factors like recent performances and strength of schedule. Power Ratings can be used as a baseline for relative spread index to compare current or future match-ups between two teams. The relative spread does not account for non-statistical factors like home-field advantage, recent injuries, game time decisions, rivalries, publicity, and weather.