NBA Power Rankings: Week 18

By Bryan Power - Covers Expert

Coming out of the All-Star break, the Top 5 holds steady and most of the moves are among the bottom half of the league. Find out where your favorite team sits in the Week 18 NBA Power Rankings.

NBA Power Rankings

Week 17 Rank Last Week Change Team W-L
(ATS) 		Power Rating Team Comments
1 1 no change in rankings 36-14
(26-24-0) 		-15.0 Miami
If you follow my rankings, you would have known the Heat were a great bet taking points last Thursday in Oklahoma City.
2 2 no change in rankings 39-14
(31-20-2) 		-14.0 Oklahoma City
Only twice all season have the Thunder lost back-to-back games. Both times the second loss came to Miami. Still own the NBA's best point differential and are the highest scoring team.
3 3 no change in rankings 43-12
(30-23-2) 		-13.5 San Antonio
Shhhh. The Spurs have the best record in the league by a three-game margin. They also have the best win percentage (.679) against teams currently in playoff position.
4 4 no change in rankings 39-17
(31-25-0) 		-11.5 L.A. Clippers
All it took was the return of Chris Paul to bump up the Clippers rating a bit. Big Thursday showdown looming vs. San Antonio, who they've already beaten twice.
5 5 no change in rankings 32-18
(25-23-2) 		-10.5 New York
The talk surrounding the Knicks centers on whether or not they can beat Miami. Shouldn't we be discussing if they are better than Indiana? We will have some idea after the play the Pacers Wednesday.
6 6 no change in rankings 34-21
(32-23-0) 		-9.5 Denver
As much as we'd like to elevate the Nuggets, they are close to their ceiling in this spot. That being said, they are almost unbeatable at home and rank in the Top 3 in points, rebounds and assists.
7 7 no change in rankings 32-21
(29-24-0) 		-9.3 Indiana
The Pacers, not the Knicks, are the team in the East most likely to give Miami a tough series. They are No. 1 in the league in both rebounding and points allowed. And 2-0 vs. the Heat.
8 8 no change in rankings 34-18
(30-21-1) 		-8.5 Memphis
The Grizzlies seem to have stabilized after the departure of Rudy Gay. Opened the second half with a dominant road win in Detroit, their fourth victory in a row.
9 10 move up in rankings1 29-26
(30-24-1) 		-8.0 Houston
The highest scoring team in the league should make a push for the No. 6 seed out West, thus likely avoiding either San Antonio or Oklahoma City in a potential first-round series.
10 9 move down in rankings1 31-22
(23-30-0) 		-7.8 Chicago
The Bulls' only issue is scoring and now word is that Derrick Rose looked "good" in practice. How "good" will Chicago look against Miami on TNT Thursday night? They did out-rebound the Heat 48-28 in an upset earlier in the year.
11 11 no change in rankings 28-25
(22-28-3) 		-7.6 Boston
After going on that crazy 7-0 SU/ATS win streak, is it time for the Celtics to start giving some back? They covered taking points in Denver Tuesday, but their next four games are all on the road and something to keep in mind is they've lost outright the last five times as a road favorite. Still only seventh in the East.
12 13 move up in rankings1 32-22
(24-27-3) 		-7.5 Brooklyn
They were fortunate to come out of the All-Star break with a win over Milwaukee. The Nets have won 10 straight overtime games going back to last season.
13 12 move down in rankings1 25-29
(21-32-1) 		-7.4 L.A. Lakers
Have the Lakers dug themselves too big a hole? How will the passing of the great Jerry Buss impact them? One thing is for sure: Both questions will be endlessly debated on ESPN.
14 14 no change in rankings 29-22
(22-27-2) 		-6.0 Atlanta
The Hawks should trade Josh Smith. Where are they going with him? Being consistently mediocre doesn't pay the bills in this league.
15 16 move up in rankings1 31-24
(27-27-1) 		-5.5 Utah
A nice win to start the second half over Golden State, which came at home where the Jazz are now 21-6. They'll be well rested for Saturday's game vs. the Clippers, but its on the road.
16 17 move up in rankings1 23-29
(30-22-0) 		-5.4 Dallas
This is a team that's better than its record indicates as Dirk Nowitzki missed all those games. But they have the seventh-toughest remaining schedule in the league, which means they'll probably miss the playoffs for the first time in 13 years.
17 15 move down in rankings2 30-23
(27-25-1) 		-5.3 Golden State
Not only have they lost six in a row entering Wednesday (allowing 117.5 PPG), the Warriors are now 0-6 the last six years in their first game after the All-Star break.
18 18 no change in rankings 26-26
(25-27-0) 		-5.3 Milwaukee
They could end up as the East's No. 8 seed simply by default. Went into the break on an eight-game ATS losing skid, but covered in an OT loss at Brooklyn Tuesday.
19 20 move up in rankings1 22-32
(29-24-1) 		-4.5 Toronto
Don't sleep on the Raptors. They have won five straight, three against teams ranked in my Top 7 and their next three games are at home.
20 19 move down in rankings1 22-29
(24-27-0) 		-4.4 Philadelphia
The Sixers have a worse point differential than all but six teams in the league. Has Andrew Bynum been kidnapped?
21 21 no change in rankings 15-37
(31-19-2) 		-4.0 Washington
The Wizards own the best ATS record in the league despite opening the second half with a loss to Toronto. They own home victories over Miami, Oklahoma City, the Clippers, New York, Chicago and Brooklyn.
22 22 no change in rankings 19-35
(30-24-0) 		-3.8 New Orleans
Went into the break on a 15-6 ATS run but started the second half with an outright loss at home to Chicago. Still though, in that sneaky group of teams worth taking as an underdog more often than not.
23 25 move up in rankings2 16-37
(25-27-1) 		-3.5 Cleveland
Though they've essentially been a .500 team the last 20 games, the Cavs still own a 6-14 SU mark against teams with a losing record.
24 24 no change in rankings 21-34
(26-29-0) 		-3.4 Detroit
The Pistons have lost 13 games this season in which they held a double-digit lead. That's obviously the most in the league.
25 27 move up in rankings2 19-31
(21-27-2) 		-3.3 Minnesota
Entered the All-Star break by losing 16 of 19 games and only one of their upcoming five games will be at home.
26 23 move down in rankings3 25-29
(22-30-2) 		-3.3 Portland
This ship is sinking very fast. If Damian Lillard is the presumed Rookie of the Year, then how bad would the Blazers be had they drafted someone else? Scoring 63 points against New Orleans? Losing outright at home to Phoenix?
27 26 move down in rankings1 19-36
(23-30-2) 		-2.5 Sacramento
It's going to be neck-and-neck between the Kings and Suns for last place in the Pacific Division and the worst record in the Western Conference.
28 28 no change in rankings 18-36
(22-29-3) 		-2.0 Phoenix
A surprising outright win to start the second half in Portland. The team could be gutted shortly and is only 4-8 ATS as home chalk.
29 29 no change in rankings 15-38
(22-30-1) 		-1.0 Orlando
By losing outright at home to Charlotte Tuesday, the Magic have now failed to cover the last 10 times they have been favored.
30 30 no change in rankings 13-40
(20-32-1) 		0.0 Charlotte
Though they beat Orlando, the Bobcats' overall resume still dictates why they occupy the bottom spot. They have more wins before Thanksgiving then they have after.
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.