KUWAIT TIMES NBA POWER RANKINGS

KUWAIT: In addition to its usual coverage of the NBA, Kuwait Times introduces a new feature this year: the NBA Power Rankings. It is a weekly list ranking each team based on its performance during the week. Golden State Warriors remain on top this week also and for the fifth straight week. (For any comments or suggestions, e-mail the writer at: a.jabr@kuwaittimes.net)

1- Golden State Warriors (46 - 8) Last week: 1 - It was a great week for the Warriors. Kevin Durant had a successful return to Oklahoma City on Saturday, and Draymond Green became the only player in NBA history to record a triple-double with fewer than 10 points scored, finishing with four points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, 10 steals and five blocks in Friday’s win over the Grizzlies. 2- Cleveland Cavaliers (37 - 16) Last week: 2 - This past week saw LeBron James pass Lenny Wilkens for 13th on the all-time assists list, and former No. 2 draft pick Derrick Williams making an impressive debut with the Cavs, going with 12 points in 22 minutes in Thursday’s loss to the Thunder. 3- Houston Rockets (40 - 17) Last week: 6- Patrick Beverley, a natural point guard, has transitioned into the shooting guard position when paired with James Harden in the starting lineup, but slides back to point guard when playing with the second unit. He’s averaged 13.6 points and shot 48.1 percent from the field in his last five games. 4- San Antonio Spurs (41 - 13) Last week: 2 - Back-to-back NBA Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard is showing what he can do on offense this year as well. He entered yesterday averaging 25.8 points per game, which is ninth highest in the NBA this season. 5- Boston Celtics (35 - 19) Last week: 4 - All-Star Isaiah Thomas is finally getting the help he needs: playing against the Jazz on Saturday with virtually three starters sidelined, the bench scored 50 points - the second highest production from the reserves by any team this season (via ESPN). 6- Washington Wizards (32 - 21) Last week: 5 - The Wizards have won nine of their last ten games, with their only loss coming in a close 140-135 overtime defeat against the Cavs. During that stretch of games, Washington ranked fourth in the league in offensive rating, third in defensive rating and second in net rating. 7- Memphis Grizzlies (33 - 23) Last week: 8 - Forty-year-old Vince Carter had four blocks (including an emphatic swat of a lay-in attempt by LaMarcus Aldridge) and played key defense that helped Memphis beat the Spurs last Monday. 8- Utah Jazz (34 - 21) Last week: 7 - George Hill missed Thursday’s game against the Mavs, which resulted in a loss for Utah that snapped a four-game winning streak. The Jazz are 22-8 when Hill plays and 12-13 when he does not this season. 9- Miami Heat (24 - 31) Last week: 10 - Before their loss that snapped their 13game winning streak on Saturday, the Heat became one of two NBA teams in history to have a double-digit win streaks without having an All-Star. Meanwhile, Hassan Whiteside scored 90 points, grabbed 67 rebounds and made 40-56 shots from the field over his last four games prior to Saturday. 10- Los Angeles Clippers (33 - 21) Last week: 13 - Blake Griffin is returning to form, and the Clippers have responded with wins in their last two games against the Knicks and Hornets following a threegame losing streak. 11- Atlanta Hawks (31 - 23) Last week: 11 - The Hawks led by as much as 22 points at one stage during their match against the Kings on Friday, but eventually allowed Sacramento to come from behind and steal the victory. They do not have problems starting games strong, but often struggle to hold off teams as the match progresses. 12- Oklahoma City Thunder (31 - 24) Last week: 12 - Russell Westbrook had a game-high 47 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in Saturday’s showdown against the Warriors, but also conceded 11 turnovers that resulted in 15 points for Golden State; who eventually won the game by 16 points. 13- Indiana Pacers (29 - 25) Last week: 9 - The Pacers conceded three straight games after a seven-game winning streak. Before that they had lost three straight games as well, which virtually renders that successful stretch of games useless. 14- Toronto Raptors (32 - 23) Last week: 14 - Sunday’s loss to the Pistons which was the Raptors’ 10th in their last 14 games - showed a trend that Toronto has demonstrated all season long: bad defense combined with lack of offensive plays that capitalize on the team’s versatile options on that end of the floor. 15- Detroit Pistons (26 - 29) Last week: 19 - Since his rookie season in 2012-13, Andre Drummond has 216 double-doubles, most in the NBA over that span. Meanwhile, the Pistons - who won three of their five games - entered Monday in the eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings, and hope to continue

winning and keep their playoff hopes alive. 16- Dallas Mavericks (22 - 32) Last week: 17 - The Mavs have won seven of their last ten matches, and are only two games behind Denver for the eighth spot in the Western Conference standings as of Monday. Coach Rick Carlisle has the answer for how his team managed to turn their season around: “we play better when Dirk is healthy and feeling good.” 17- Denver Nuggets (24 - 30) Last week: 16 - Trading away Jusuf Nurkic served as the final chapter in the big-man logjam story that betted him against Nikola Jokic for the starting center’s job in Denver. Cannot blame the Nuggets when Jokic has just exploded for a career-high 40 points that helped them beat the Knicks on Friday. 18- Portland Trail Blazers (23 - 31) Last week: 15 - Speaking of which, Portland has definitely ‘cashed-in’ with the aforementioned trade, landing Nurkic who is still young (22 years) and has shown last year and early this season how solid he can be. Meanwhile, the trade also landed Portland another first-round pick, which means that they now possess three such picks in this summer’s talent-rich draft. 19- Sacramento Kings (23 - 32) Last week: 22 - The Kings beat the Celtics on Wednesday and snapped their sevengame winning streak, all while playing without suspended star DeMarcus Cousins. The win seems to have inspired them as they have since won their following two games against the Hawks and Pelicans. 20- Milwaukee Bucks (23 - 30) Last week: 20 - Jabari Parker was having a career year before tearing his ACL; an injury that will sideline him for 12 months. He averaged 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 0.4 blocks per game this season. 21- Chicago Bulls (26 - 29) Last week: 18 - With both Dwayne Wade and Jimmy Butler injured, the Bulls lost to the Timberwolves by 28 points on Sunday, and finished their road trip with a 2-4 record. It goes without saying that they need their All-Star players back as soon as possible. 22- Minnesota Timberwolves (21 - 34) Last week: 23 - Sunday’s win over Chicago completed a season sweep for coach Tom Thibodeau against his former team. And although he insisted that it was ‘just another game,’ everyone else, including Chicago’s Taj Gibson think otherwise. 23- Philadelphia 76ers (20 - 34) Last week: 25 - It is not likely that Joel Embiid’s minor injury could prevent the Sixers from trading Jahlil Okafor if presented with a good offer before the Feb 23 deadline. Meanwhile, the team now has five go-ahead field goals in the final 10 seconds of regulation or overtime, the most in the NBA (via ESPN Stats and Info). 24- New York Knicks (23 - 33) Last week: 24 - The Knicks needed that moraleboosting win over the Spurs on Sunday, which ended a four-game losing streak and came following the drama that saw former Knick Charles Oakley being banned from the Madison Square Garden after confronting team owner James Dolan. 25- Charlotte Hornets (24 - 30) Last week: 21 - The Hornets have lost nine of their last ten games entered yesterday, and their only win came last Tuesday against the lowly Nets. After hosting Philadelphia last night, they embark on a season-high seven game road trip. 26- Los Angeles Lakers (19 - 37) Last week: 29 - The Lakers scored an NBA season-high 47 points in the first quarter in their win over the Bucks on Friday. In comparison, the Pistons scored 41 points in the first half against the Spurs the same night. 27- New Orleans Pelicans (21 - 34) Last week: 26 - The Pelicans want to trade for Philadelphia’s Jahlil Okafor, but seem reluctant to part ways with Jrue Holiday or a first-round pick, especially that they had traded away a first-round pick to acquire Holiday from Philadelphia back in 2013. 28- Phoenix Suns (17 - 38) Last week: 28 - Devin Booker became the youngest player with 20+ points in 16 straight games before the age of 21, passing LeBron James’ previous record of 15 games. 29- Orlando Magic (20 - 36) Last week: 27 - We are close to the All-Star break and the Magic has a worse record than the 76ers, something that would have been crazy to think about at the beginning of the season. 30- Brooklyn Nets (9 - 45) Last week: 30 - The Brooklyn Nets have lost 13 straight home games, a streak that began on January 2. This is the longest home losing streak to begin a calendar year in NBA history (via the Elias Sports Bureau).