NBA Power Rankings: Week 2

By Bryan Power - Covers Expert

The Spurs' hot start has them knocking off the Lakers for the second spot in the power rankings. As for Los Angeles, its two teams are heading in different directions in Week 2.

NBA Power Rankings

Week 2 Rank Last Week Change Team W-L
(ATS) 		Power Rating Team Comments
1 1 no change in rankings 2-1
(1-2-0) 		-15.0 Miami
Head and shoulders. the class of the league. It's up to them if they want 65-plus wins.
2 4 move up in rankings2 3-0
(1-1-1) 		-13.3 San Antonio
A 4-0 start was a franchise best. Now how will they do with four straight road games?
3 3 no change in rankings 1-2
(1-1-1) 		-13.0 Oklahoma City
Was not too overly concerned about the 1-2 start. Call it a Harden hangover.
4 9 move up in rankings5 2-1
(2-1-0) 		-11.8 L.A. Clippers
By beating the Lakers, this is L.A.'s best team right now, but coming back with outright losses to the Warriors and Cavs was very disappointing.
5 6 move up in rankings1 2-0
(2-0-0) 		-11.5 New York
After season opener was cancelled, they've taken advantage of a light schedule with hot shooting.
6 7 move up in rankings1 1-2
(0-3-0) 		-11.0 Boston
Never discount this team. They are better than last year, but will be prone to off nights.
7 2 move down in rankings5 1-3
(1-3-0) 		-10.5 L.A. Lakers
Until they master or ditch the Princeton offense, the Lakers will be overvalued.
8 11 move up in rankings3 2-1
(1-2-0) 		-10.3 Chicago
No dropoff on the defensive end without Rose. Tom Thibodeau is an amazing coach.
9 10 move up in rankings1 2-1
(2-1-0) 		-10.0 Indiana
Without Danny Granger for the next three months, this team could take a tumble.
10 13 move up in rankings3 1-1
(1-1-0) 		-9.5 Memphis
An undervalued team with plenty of depth.
11 8 move down in rankings3 1-1
(1-1-0) 		-9.0 Philadelphia
Teams will not consistently shoot as well against them as the Knicks did. Wait until Bynum gets back.
12 5 move down in rankings7 0-3
(1-2-0) 		-8.5 Denver
Like Memphis, also undervalued with plenty of depth. They just got off to a slower start.
13 17 move up in rankings4 1-2
(1-2-0) 		-8.0 Utah
Brutal early season schedule with eight of first 11 games on the road.
14 12 move down in rankings2 2-1
(2-1-0) 		-7.5 Dallas
Team is now 4-1 without Nowitzki. With the exception of Friday night at New York, upcoming schedule is favorable.
15 15 no change in rankings 1-0
(1-0-0) 		-7.0 Brooklyn
After getting drubbed at Miami, the new look Nets have been outscored by 56 points last six quarters.
16 27 move up in rankings11 2-1
(2-1-0) 		-6.5 Houston
This ranking seems too high and is in deference to the hot start. Harden will cool off and Lin is overrated.
17 14 move down in rankings3 1-1
(1-1-0) 		-6.0 Atlanta
Only three games under their belt, so tough to get a gauge. Upcoming game vs. Miami, followed by a four-game West Coast swing.
18 18 no change in rankings 2-1
(2-1-0) 		-5.3 Portland
Though next three games are at home, beware of this team on the road.
19 19 no change in rankings 2-0
(1-1-0) 		-5.0 Milwaukee
A 2-0 start was proven to be fraudulent with a blowout loss at home to Memphis.
20 20 no change in rankings 2-1
(3-0-0) 		-4.3 New Orleans
Without either lottery pick in the starting lineup, the Hornets scored a franchise low 62 points Wednesday.
21 21 no change in rankings 2-1
(2-1-0) 		-4.0 Golden State
Always a very tough and inconsistent team to get a read on. Have alternated wins and losses first four games.
22 22 no change in rankings 1-2
(2-1-0) 		-3.8 Cleveland
Beat the Clippers on the road as double digit dogs, but were also annihilated by Chicago at home.
23 26 move up in rankings3 1-2
(1-2-0) 		-3.5 Toronto
Losing PG Kyle Lowry was a hit, though Jose Calderon is there to pick up the slack.
24 16 move down in rankings8 1-1
(1-1-0) 		-3.0 Minnesota
Not sure how this team has started 3-1 despite being without Love and Rubio.
25 25 no change in rankings 0-3
(1-2-0) 		-2.8 Sacramento
Another wildly young and inconsistent bunch.
26 24 move down in rankings2 0-3
(1-2-0) 		-1.5 Detroit
Winless entering Wednesday, the Pistons have drawn a brutal early season six-game road trip.
27 28 move up in rankings1 1-2
(0-3-0) 		-1.0 Phoenix
Their two wins have come against Detroit and Charlotte. Have lost by 21 to Magic and 25 to Heat.
28 23 move down in rankings5 0-2
(1-1-0) 		-0.5 Washington
Have started 0-3 for fourth time in six seasons.
29 29 no change in rankings 2-0
(2-0-0) 		0.0 Orlando
The 2-0 start was fraudulent. Watch as the losses begin to pile up.
30 30 no change in rankings 1-1
(1-1-0) 		0.5 Charlotte
Have not won back to back home games since March 2011
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.