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. Top playoff contenders have already punched their tickets to the postseason as lower-seed teams battle for the remaining spots. (For any comments or suggestions, e-mail the writer at: a.jabr@kuwaittimes.net)

1- Last defense prowess Goldenweek: andto 1 State overcome showcased- The Warriors Warriorslast their used week’s(63 offensive strong- test14) whichSpurs,and a matchtwo included meetingsagainsta gamethe with Wizards. againstthe RocketsThey the are look on preparedan 11-gamefor a deep winning playoff streak run. and 2- week: WednesdaySan 2 Antonio- A preventedloss Spursto the the (59 WarriorsSpurs - 17) fromLast last what winning1 record would streakin their have enteringlast been eight an today, games eight-gamebut is a not7bad either. 3- 4- Boston Boston Celticsmight be (50 first- 27)in the Last Eastern week: Conference’sto score when standings, Isaiah but Thomasthey struggleis on the bench.plan that This limits means Thomas’that any productiondefensive postseasonin the playoffsexit for the could Celtics. spill an early 4- week: Toronto7 - DeMar Raptors DeRozan (47 won- 30) his Last franchise-recordaward, after which fourth he Player scoredof 40 the points Week in Friday’s 40-point win gameover theof the Pacers; season,his seventhand his season, 30th game tying of Vince30 points Carter’sor more 2000-01this franchise mark. 5- week: Houston3 - The Rockets Rockets (52 lost - 25) threeLast straight Thunder on games March after 27, they including beat two the gamestheir commandingagainst the offense Warriors was in neutralizedwhich defense.by Golden State’s suffocating 6- week: Cleveland6 - LeBron Cavaliers James(49 - 27) passedLast Shaquille O’Neal for seventh place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, but there is no time to celebrate after the Cavs lost the top spot in the East’s standings following losses to the Wizards, Spurs and Bulls last week. 7- Washington Wizards (46 - 31) Last week: 5 - The Wizards clinched their first Southeast Division title since 1979, ending the longest active division-title drought not only in the NBA, but in all four major sports in North America. 8- Los Angeles Clippers (47 - 31) Last week: 10 - The Clippers had a perfect week in which they scored an average of 124 points per games in three wins over the Wizards, Suns and Lakers. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin have each scored over 25 points in each of those games. 9- Utah Jazz (47 - 30) Last week: 8 -

Gordon Hayward is Utah’s leading scorer and a key reason for their success this season, which is why the team’s management should probably be concerned with the All-Star’s impending free agency, especially with recent rumors indicating that Miami could lure him this summer. 10- Portland Trail Blazers (38 - 38) Last week: 12 - Jusuf Nurkic battered his former team for a career-high 33 points and 15 rebounds, putting Portland in position to seal the eighth and final playoff-qualifying spot in the West’s standings. However, Nurkic fell to injury and will be out at least two weeks. 11- Oklahoma City Thunder (43 - 33) Last week: 9 - Russell Westbrook recorded his 40th triple-double of the season on Sunday, which is one shy of Oscar Robertson’s single-season record. He also passed the 15,000-point career scoring mark during that game; which the Thunder still lost to the Hornets. 12- Milwaukee Bucks (40 - 37) Last week: 11 - Several players have stepped up for the Bucks since Jabari Parker fell to injury, including Tony Snell, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Thon Maker; who scored 26, 22 and 23 points respectively in wins over the Hornets, Celtics and Pistons last week. 13- Chicago Bulls (38 - 39) Last week:

16 - The Bulls are suddenly back in the playoff picture, riding a four-game winning streak behind Jimmy Butler’s dominant scoring. A major part of this success can be attributed to Butler’s current scoring surge and being placed as the center focus in Chicago’s offense, which makes Dwyane Wade’s injury seems like somewhat of a blessing in disguise. 14- Memphis Grizzlies (42 - 35) Last week: 17 - There was a sequence of plays that stood out during Friday’s win over the Mavs which started with 40year-old Vince Carter blocking the virtually unblockable fade-away jumper of Dirk Nowitzki before the Grizzlies made a three pointer at the other end of the floor. 15- Miami Heat (37 - 40) Last week: 13 - The Heat’s two losses in their last two games moved them to a tie with

Indiana for eighth and final playoffqualifying spot in the East’s standings, and their hopes are not looking too good as they play their remaining games against the Hornets, Raptors, Wizards (twice) and Cavaliers. 16- Denver Nuggets (36 - 40) Last week: 14 - The Nuggets’ playoff hopes got a boost following their victory over the Heat on Sunday. They remain two games behind Portland for eighth place in the West’s standings. 17- Indiana Pacers (37 - 40) Last

week: 15 - Desperate to make it to the playoffs (and keeping Paul George happy), the Pacers signed their former starter Lance Stephenson, but it remains to be seen whether he provides the spark that they need or continues to show the disappointing performance he showed in the past couple of years. 18- Charlotte Hornets (36 - 41) Last week: 21 - The Hornets kept their playoff hopes alive after lodging impressive wins over the Raptors, Nuggets and Thunder last week, but still have a lot to overcome to secure a position in the postseason. 19- New Orleans Pelicans (33 - 44) Last week: 20 - DeMarcus Cousins made sure to let his former team know what they are missing after trading him. In his first game against the Kings, he scored 37 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the Pelicans to victory. 20- Atlanta Hawks (39 - 38) Last week: 18 - Paul Millsap finally came back from injury with much hope that his return would end Atlanta’s recent struggles suffered in his absence. But his return was still not enough to beat the Nets on Sunday. 21- Dallas Mavericks (32 - 44) Last week: 19 - The Mavs were officially eliminated from the playoffs after the Blazers beat the Suns on Saturday. The last time they did not play in the postseason was in 2000. 22- Detroit Pistons (35 - 42) Last week: 22 - The Pistons have lost six of their last seven games, and it seems highly unlikely that they will make it to the postseason as they play four of their remaining five games this season against playoff contenders. 23- Brooklyn Nets (18 - 59) Last week: 25 - The Nets are showing some fight as the regular season is winding down, first losing by a small margin against both of the Pistons and 76ers, before surging to beat the Magic and Hawks the following two games. 24- Minnesota Timberwolves (30 - 45) Last week: 26 - Minnesota were officially eliminated from playoff contention with their loss to the Kings on Saturday. They turn their attention to the offseason where Tom Thibodeau will have a chance to reevaluate his roster. 25- Sacramento Kings (30 - 47) Last week: 27 - One day after losing to DeMarcus Cousins’ Pelicans on Friday, the Kings defeated the Wolves behind 22 points from Buddy Hield; one of the main pieces that Sacramento got in return for their former All-Star center. 26- New York Knicks (29 - 48) Last week: 28 - The Knicks are officially out of the playoffs; a far cry from the aspirations that surrounded the team following their last summer acquisitions. The main questions now surround the future of Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose with the team. 27- Philadelphia 76ers (28 - 49) Last week: 24 - Already without injured center Joel Embiid, the 76ers have shut down Jahlil Okafor and Robert Covington for the rest of the season due to injuries as well. The injury-riddled Sixers will miss the playoffs for the fifth straight season. 28- Orlando Magic (27 - 50) Last week: 23 - New NBA Hall of Fame inductee Tracy McGrady had his best days as a scorer as a member of the Magic. He led the league in scoring in the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons as a member of Orlando. 29- Los Angeles Lakers (22 - 55) Last week: 29 - After a strong season with the Lakers this year, Nick Young remains undecided whether to pick up his player option and remain with the team for one more year, or become a free agent this summer. 30- Phoenix Suns (22 - 56) Last week: 30 - The Suns have lost their last 12 games. They play the next two matches against the Warriors and Thunder before they close the season with games against the Mavs and Kings respectively, hoping to secure a win that prevents closing the season on a 16-game losing streak.