NBA Power Rankings

[ChosenOne]

1 Oklahoma City (17-4)

Pace: 94.8 (13), OffRtg: 111.3 (1), DefRtg: 100.3 (9)

Last season, the Thunder scored 5.3 points per 100 possessions more than the league average. This season: 9.2, making them the best offensive team since the 2003-04 Mavericks. On Sunday, they rolled through the Pacers' defense, which ranked No. 1 before the game started. The only teams that have held them under a point per possession are the Spurs and ... the Pistons.

Last week: 4

 

2 San Antonio (17-4)

Pace: 96.4 (4), OffRtg: 106.7 (5), DefRtg: 98.2 (6)

The man Sekou Smith has Tony Parker at No. 8 in his MVP rankings, but how about a little love for Tim Duncan? As National Post writer Eric Koreen tweeted Sunday (here and here), Duncan's per-36 numbers are on par with his numbers when he was named MVP 11 years ago. More important, the Spurs, anchored by Duncan, are back to being one of the better defensive teams in the league.

Last week: 2

 

3 Memphis (14-4)

Pace: 93.6 (23), OffRtg: 102.8 (12), DefRtg: 97.0 (2)

Before Friday, the Grizz were the best third-quarter team in the league (plus-18.7 points per 100 possessions). Then they got outscored 59-33 in the third quarter by the Hornets and Hawks. They won each of the other six periods over the weekend, but that only earned them a split. Point guards Mike Conley and Jerryd Bayless have shot a combined 17-for-59 (29 percent) in December.

Last week: 3

 

4 New York (15-5)

Pace: 93.2 (26), OffRtg: 110.2 (2), DefRtg: 101.1 (12)

Melo or no Melo, Amar'e or no Amar'e, Lin or no Lin, the Knicks are now 33-11 in the regular season under Mike Woodson, with only one loss (vs. Miami in April) at Madison Square Garden. Sunday's win over the Nuggets began a stretch of eight straight games in New York, with Tuesday's visit to Brooklyn a chance to avenge their only other Woodson-coached loss in the five boroughs.

Last week: 6

 

5 Atlanta (12-5)

Pace: 94.9 (12), OffRtg: 102.1 (13), DefRtg: 97.8 (5)

It's probably time to start believing in the Hawks, who are one of only two teams to win in Oklahoma City and now one of only two teams to win in Memphis. All of a sudden, they're just a half game behind the Heat, who they visit in a must-watch League Pass game on Monday. Both Al Horford and Josh Smith rank in the top five in restricted area shooting percentage at 74 percent.

Last week: 9

 

6 Miami (13-5)

Pace: 95.1 (11), OffRtg: 109.5 (3), DefRtg: 103.6 (21)

LeBron James said on Saturday that games against bad teams can be used to develop better habits. We'll see what kind of habits can be developed in 48 minutes against the Hornets, because those habits will be tested on Monday against the Hawks and on Wednesday against the Warriors ... and also on Saturday against those Wizards that just scored 105 points on them.

Last week: 1

 

7 L.A. Clippers (14-6)

Pace: 94.7 (15), OffRtg: 107.6 (4), DefRtg: 99.1 (7)

The Clippers have overtaken the Nuggets as the streakingest team in the NBA. With Blake Griffin leading the way (20.7 points on 60 percent shooting), their offense has been on fire (OffRtg: 114.8) on their current six-game winning streak. The opponents aren't as tough as they were on the last one (when they went 1-3), but they begin another four-game trip in Chicago on Tuesday.

Last week: 7

 

8 Golden State (13-7)

Pace: 95.7 (7), OffRtg: 102.8 (11), DefRtg: 101.3 (13)

Last week, we noted how the Warriors, led by David Lee, have improved on the glass. But Lee has also stepped up offensively, averaging 22.4 points on 58 percent shooting as the Dubs have won six of their last seven. Of course, Stephen Curry (22.4 points, 26-for-51 from 3-point range) has been pretty good in that stretch too. GSW has won the first three games of its seven-game trip.

Last week: 8

 

9 Chicago (11-8)

Pace: 93.3 (25), OffRtg: 100.5 (19), DefRtg: 97.0 (1)

The Bulls played four games in five nights last week and, of course, Luol Deng averaged 43.2 minutes in the four games. But considering the competition and lack of rest, Chicago had its best defensive game of the season in holding the Knicks to just 85 points on Saturday. The No. 1 D faces two more top-10 offensive teams this week: the Clippers on Tuesday and Nets on Saturday.

Last week: 12

 

10 Brooklyn (11-8)

Pace: 91.2 (29), OffRtg: 103.7 (9), DefRtg: 103.2 (19)

Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Gerald Wallace are the All-Stars, but is there any doubt now that Brook Lopez is the Nets' most important player? They're now 1-4 without him, looking awful on both ends of the floor at one point or another. So it would be nice if he were back for Round 2 vs. the Knicks on Tuesday, the start of a four-games-in-five-nights stretch, but that doesn't sound likely.

Last week: 5

 

11 Boston (11-9)

Pace: 94.3 (18), OffRtg: 101.8 (14), DefRtg: 100.7 (11)

The Boston defense is improving, having allowed just 92 points per 100 possessions over the last five games. The opposing offenses haven't been very good in that stretch, but before it, the defense held its own against OKC and Brooklyn. Now, if the Celtics could get some consistent offense from Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo (or at least one of the two), they'd be in good shape.

Last week: 11

 

12 Utah (12-10)

Pace: 94.3 (20), OffRtg: 106.0 (7), DefRtg: 103.8 (22)

The Jazz began the week with a home loss to one L.A. team, but ended it with a road win over the other. In between, they took care of business against the Magic and Raptors and proved how balanced and deep they can be. Though Derrick Favors was out, they had nine different guys score in double-figures in at least one of the three wins. This week, they host the Spurs and Grizzlies.

Last week: 16

 

13 Milwaukee (10-9)

Pace: 96.3 (5), OffRtg: 99.5 (22), DefRtg: 101.4 (14)

As the Bucks' defense got better over the course of last week, so did their results. On Monday, they got smoked by the Hornets. On Wednesday, they were competitive in San Antonio. On Friday, they beat the Bobcats. Then on Sunday, they picked up an impressive win in Brooklyn, with Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis outscoring Deron Williams and Joe Johnson, 50-24.

Last week: 10

 

14 Denver (10-11)

Pace: 95.8 (6), OffRtg: 103.9 (8), DefRtg: 104.4 (24)

It could have been a huge week for the Nuggets, who went down to the wire in Atlanta, Indiana and New York. But after scoring 32 points against the Hawks and 23 against the Knicks, Ty Lawson had critical turnovers in the final minute of both losses. It's been a rough season so far for the point guard. His shooting is down, his free throw rate is down, and his turnover rate is up.

Last week: 17

 

15 Philadelphia (11-9)

Pace: 92.6 (27), OffRtg: 99.0 (24), DefRtg: 100.5 (10)

The Sixers tend to go as Evan Turner goes. Turner has shot just 38 percent as the team has lost three of four, but the one win came when he struggled through a grind of a game and hit the game-winner against the Celtics in overtime. His raw numbers are up, but that has a lot to do with increased playing time and usage. Turner's scoring efficiency is only slightly better than it was last season.

Last week: 13

 

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[ChosenOne]

The Hawks are quietly and surprisingly creeping up this list right now.

[fish7718]

Before that one, L.A. visits the Knicks on Thursday, so keep in mind that the record for the most points scored by one team in a regulation game is 173.

oh god i can see us scoring like 85 now lol

[Sħãlïq™]

The Hawks are quietly and surprisingly creeping up this list right now.

Yeah, I was surprised to see 'em ahead of Miami and LAC...

 

Plus-minus Studs: Matt Barnes and Jamal Crawford (LAC) were each a plus-51 in four games last week.

+51?! What's the record for highest +?

Edited December 10, 2012 by Sħãlïq

[DunkinDerozan]

I'd say the Hawks and the Lakers are the two biggest surprises.