USA TODAY International Edition
After awful start, Heat surge into contention
AJ Neuharth- Keusch @ tweetAJNK USA TODAY Sports
USA TODAY Sports’ NBA power rankings for Week 14 ( Jan. 29 through Sunday; stats, standings and records reflected through Sunday’s games). 1. (—) Golden State War
riors ( 43- 8): Other than Saturday’s three- point overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings, the Warriors have been hot, per usual, winning eight of their last 10 while posting an NBA- best 115.5 offensive rating. Back- to- back NBA MVP Stephen Curry has followed suit, averaging 30 points ( on 52.2% shooting), six threepointers ( on 51.4% shooting), 7.8 assists and 4.6 rebounds. 2. (—) San Antonio Spurs
( 39- 11): The Spurs boast the NBA’s top defensive rating ( 101.3 points allowed per 100 possessions) and the league’s secondbest net rating (+ 9.5). They recovered from losses to the New Orleans Pelicans and Dallas Mavericks with wins last week vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder, Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets by a combined 54 points. 3. (—) Houston Rockets ( 37
17): The Rockets, who had gone 5- 5 over their last 10 games but still sat in third place in the Western Conference, have a favorable February ahead of them. Of their seven games, six are against sub.500 teams and five are at home. 4. (—) Cleveland Cavaliers
( 34- 15): After a 7- 8 January with no shortage of locker room drama and trade rumors, the Cavs started February on the right foot with wins against the Minnesota Timberwolves ( 125- 97) — behind a season- high 37 team assists — and New York Knicks ( 111- 104) — led by 32 points and 10 assists from LeBron James and 23 points and 16 rebounds from Kevin Love in his return from a back injury. 5. (+ 3) Boston Celtics ( 3318): Riding a seven- game winning streak — headlined by wins against the Rockets, Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Clippers — the Celtics have become the Eastern Conference powerhouse we expected. What’s more, starting shooting guard Avery Bradley ( Achilles tendon) is expected to return this week. 6. (—) Utah Jazz ( 32- 19): Despite the fact Derrick Favors, an All- Star- caliber forward who has dealt with a nagging knee injury all season, has been limited, averaging 9.1 points and 5.9 rebounds in 22.9 minutes, the Jazz are not only on pace for their first playoff appearance since 2012, they also are on pace for firstround home- court advantage. 7. (+ 3) Washington Wizards
( 30- 20): Led by All- Star point guard John Wall, a healthy Bradley Beal and a much- improved Otto Porter and Markieff Morris, the Wizards have gone 24- 9 since Dec. 1 — the third- best record in the NBA over that span. 8. (- 1) Los Angeles Clippers
( 31- 20): Since Christmas, they have a 9- 11 record, the NBA’s 24th- ranked defense ( 110.6 points allowed per 100 possessions) and a - 2.5 net rating, which ranks 21st. They lost their ninth in a row Thursday to the Warriors. 9. (+ 2) Memphis Grizzlies
( 31- 22): The Grizzlies won three of their four games ( at the Phoenix Suns, Nuggets and Timberwolves) by a combined 47 points. Their loss came to the Thunder on Friday as Russell Westbrook
( sists)38 points, recorded13 rebounds,his 25th 12 triple- asdouble of the season. 10. (- 5) Toronto Raptors ( 31- 21):
member Troublewhen the in Raptors Toronto? wereRein the second biggest in the threat East, to looking competelike with time? the Since CavaliersJan. 1, comethe Raptorsplayoff have won nine of 20 games and have the NBA’s 12th- ranked offense ( down from No. 2 in December) and the 18th- ranked defense ( down from No. 4). 11. (+ 1) Atlanta Hawks ( 30
21): The Hawks put together a late- game comeback to beat the Rockets 113- 108 on Thursday despite 41 points, eight rebounds and eight assists from MVP frontrunner James Harden. Hawks center Dwight Howard, who spent the previous three seasons with the Rockets, led the way with 24 points and 23 rebounds. 12. (- 3) Oklahoma City
Thunder ( 30- 22): Warriors forward Kevin Durant, who spent his first nine NBA seasons with the Thunder, will return home Saturday for the first time since his offseason departure to The Bay. The game — at 8: 30 p. m. ET on ABC — will be Durant’s third time playing his former team this season. In the first two meetings? He scored 39 and 40 points, respectively, and led the Warriors to wins — 122- 96 and 121- 100. 13. (—) Indiana Pacers ( 28
22): The Pacers, who are in the midst of a six- game winning streak, have a tough stretch before the All- Star break, with games against Oklahoma City, Cleveland ( twice), Washington ( twice) and San Antonio. 14. (+ 1) Chicago Bulls ( 25
26): The Bulls won two of their three games, taking down Philadelphia 121- 108 and Oklahoma City 128- 100. Their loss came in overtime to the Rockets. 15. (+ 11) Miami Heat ( 21
30): The Heat were 11- 30 on Jan. 14, in 14th place in the East and bound for the lottery. After Saturday’s 125- 102 win vs. the 76ers, they were 21- 30, two games out of eighth place and looking like an entirely different group. 16. (+ 3) Detroit Pistons ( 23
28): The Pistons’ mediocre 201617 continued with losses to Eastern Conference foes Boston and Indiana and wins against New Orleans ( 118- 98) and Minnesota ( 116- 108). For the season, the Pistons, who were expected by many to compete for a top- four seed in the East, rank 23rd in the NBA in offense ( 103.7 offensive rating), 14th in defense ( 105.5 defensive rating) and 19th in net rating (- 1.8) and have a .451 winning percentage, which ranks 15th. 17. (- 3) Charlotte Hornets
( 23- 28): The Hornets, in the midst of a seven- game losing streak, rank 20th in the NBA in fourth- quarter points allowed ( 25.9). They also have the NBA’s worst defensive rating ( 124.6 points allowed per 100 possessions) in clutch situations ( final five minutes when the score is within five points). 18. (- 2) Denver Nuggets
( 22- 28): The highlight of the Nuggets’ week came Friday, when budding star Nikola Jokic returned from a three- game absence ( hip) and posted the first triple- double ( 20 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists) of his career. 19. (- 1) Milwaukee Bucks
( 22- 28): The Bucks ended a fivegame losing streak Saturday with a 137- 112 rout of the Suns. But after losing eight of their last 10, they sat a half- game out of the Eastern Conference playoff
standings — a far cry from what they’re capable of. 20. (- 3) Portland Trail Blazers ( 22- 30): The Trail Blazers, who lost three of their four games — a heartbreaker to the Warriors, a four- point loss to the Mavericks and a six- point loss to the Thunder — play five of their seven remaining February games on the road, where they are 8- 19. 21. (+ 4) Dallas Mavericks ( 20- 30): The Mavs’ week was highlighted by the emergence of Yogi Ferrell, an undrafted rookie who scored a career- high 32 points in Friday’s win against the Trail Blazers en route to a reported two- year contract. 22. (—) New York Knicks ( 22- 30): The Knicks, whose lone win came against the Brooklyn Nets, have a tough February ahead, with games against the Clippers, Spurs, Thunder, Cavaliers and Raptors. 23. (—) Sacramento Kings
( 20- 31): The Kings’ three- game losing streak ended with a shocking 109- 106 win against a sloppy Warriors team, led by All- Star center DeMarcus Cousins, who finished with 32 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists. It was the 21st time this season he scored 30 or more points. 24. (- 3) Minnesota Timberwolves ( 19- 32): Forget the fact that the Timberwolves lost three of their four games. Their biggest loss came against the Pistons, when starting shooting guard Zach LaVine suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament. The 21year- old was having a career- year, averaging 18.9 points. 25. (- 5) New Orleans Pelicans ( 19- 32): It looks like AllStar forward Anthony Davis finally might be getting frontcourt help. USA TODAY Sports reported that the struggling Pelicans were in serious trade talks with the 76ers to acquire second- year big man Jahlil Okafor. 26. (+ 1) Orlando Magic ( 2033): The Magic rank 27th in the NBA with a - 6.2 net rating this season and have the NBA’s 22ndranked defense despite the offseason hiring of defensive- minded coach Frank Vogel. 27. (- 3) Philadelphia 76ers ( 18- 32): Plagued by injuries to Joel Embiid ( bruised knee), Robert Covington ( bruised hand) and Okafor ( knee soreness), the 76ers have lost three in a row and five of six. Still, they were two games away from their highest win total since the 2012- 13 season. 35): 28. The (—) bright Phoenixside of Sunsthe Suns’( 16three- Marquese loss Chriss week? put Rookie together forwardhis best career- stretchhigh 20of games, points recordingin a loss to a the loss Grizzliesto the Bucks. and 27 points in a ( 17- 29. 36): (—) The Los biggest Angeles news Lakers in Laker Land came Thursday, when the team announced that Hall of Famer Magic Johnson would return to the organization as an ownership adviser. 42): 30. (—) Brooklyn Nets ( 9
The Nets, who have one win in 2017 and a .176 winning percentage for the season, are on pace for the second- worst season in franchise history.
Power, MVP and Rookie rankings voters: USA TODAY Sports’ Jeff Zillgitt, Sam Amick, Kevin Spain, AJ NeuharthKeusch and Michael Singer; The Arizona Republic’s Doug Haller; The ( Memphis) Commercial Appeal’s Ronald Tillery; Detroit Free Press’ Vince Ellis; The Indianapolis Star’s Nate Taylor; The ( Bergen County, N. J.) Record’s Steve Popper; HoopsHype. com’s Jorge Sierra and Raul Barrigon; USA TODAY Sports Weekly’s Howard Megdal.