Warriors, Suns keep rising, Hornets buzzing
The Los Angeles Lakers have four players named to the NBA 75th anniversary team in LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis — and Dwight Howard should’ve made the list.
Put those five together in their ultimate primes, the Lakers are unstoppable and probably standing atop The Republic’s Top 5 power rankings.
Unfortunately, they’re all past that, the Lakers (8-9) are below .500 and all eyes are on Frank Vogel to figure out how to make this all work.
So who is No. 1 right now?
Here’s how the rankings stack up this week through Saturday’s games.
1. Golden State Warriors (14-2, Last
week 3rd)
The Warriors rise to the top of the Top 5 power ranking with a convincing win at Brooklyn after a slipup at Charlotte.
Having won 10 of its last 11 games to own the NBA’s best record, Golden State continues to thrive on the defensive end.
2. Brooklyn Nets (12-5, Last week 1st)
Imagine what this team would be with Kyrie Irving right now?
Golden State certainly doesn’t beat them by 18 points in Brooklyn.
The Nets have only beaten three teams that have a winning record in Washington (11-5), 76ers (9-8) and Cavaliers (9-8).
3. Phoenix Suns (12-3, Last week 5th)
They have the NBA’s longest current winning streak of 11 in a row — and aren’t even playing their best overall basketball.
Like Golden State, defense has been their calling card
4. Chicago Bulls (11-5, Last week 4th)
The Jazz or Wizards could easily be in this spot, but the Bulls remain here after winning three of their last four on a five-game road trip with double-digit wins over the Lakers and Clippers and an 114-108 victory in Denver.
Yes, they lost at Portland, but so did Phoenix by 29 points.
5. Miami Heat (11-6, Last week 2nd)
Hard to beat a team two times in a row.
Miami handled the Wizards, 112-97, at home before losing by three Saturday in Washington as Jimmy Butler missed a 3 that would’ve tied the game with 1.9 seconds left.
Then Bam Adebayo nearly forced overtime on a heave from 80-feet.
Next 5
Utah Jazz (11-5) — They’ve won three straight, but the 76ers are without Joel Embiid, while the Raptors and Kings are below .500. Rudy Gay dropped 20 in his Jazz debut after missing 14 games while recovering from heel surgery. The veteran forward isn’t going to hit 5-of-6 from 3 every night, but he is a welcomed addition.
Washington Wizards (11-5) — Lost at Charlotte and at Miami before beating the Heat in a rematch. Great at home (7-1), average away (4-4). The Wiz have an upcoming four-game road trip as Dallas (9-6) is the only team on it with a winning record. Can they handle Pelicans (3-15), Thunder (6-10) and Spurs?
Charlotte Hornets (10-8) — One of the most exciting teams that’s winning, too. Posted a five-game win streak with big victories over the Knicks, Warriors and Wizards before losing in Atlanta. Better put on your track shoes against them. The Hornets are second in the NBA in scoring and third in pace.
Dallas Mavericks (9-6) — They probably would’ve won one of those two in Phoenix with Luka Doncic as the All-Star point guard missed both games with left knee and ankle sprains.
Milwaukee Bucks (9-8) — Winners of three straight, the Bucks are clearly a different team with Khris Middleton back after he tested positive for COVID-19.