USA TODAY International Edition
RAPTORS MAKE LATE SURGE
Warriors, Spurs, Rockets firmly planted at top
USA TODAY Sports’ NBA power rankings for Week 22 ( March 27 through Sunday; records, standings and stats reflected through Sunday unless noted). 1. (-) Golden State Warriors
( 63- 14): Not only have the Warriors won 11 in a row, including matchups with the Thunder, Grizzlies, Rockets ( twice), Spurs and Wizards, but back- to- back MVP Stephen Curry has played his best basketball of the season during this stretch, averaging 27 points, 7.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 4.8 three- pointers ( at 46.5%). Will he keep it up once Kevin Durant returns? 2. (-) San Antonio Spurs
( 59- 17): The Spurs — who are 7- 2 this season against the Warriors, Cavaliers and Rockets — are, without question, the second- best team in the NBA as we enter the final stretch of the regular season. They put together an impressive week, with a 29- point rout of the Cavaliers, a 21- point comeback win against the Thunder and a six- point win vs. Utah, though they gave up a 22- point lead to lose to the Warriors. 3. (-) Houston Rockets ( 52
25): The Rockets are faced with a quandary. James Harden, who has a wrist injury that’s clearly affecting his play, is in a neck- andneck MVP race with Russell Westbrook. But the Rockets are essentially locked in as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. Harden sat out Sunday’s win against the Suns with the flu — his first missed game of the season. Should he take a few more games off to ensure he’s 100% come playoff time? 4. (-) Boston Celtics ( 50
27): The Celtics, who hold the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, have a must- watch tilt with
the second- seeded Cavaliers on Wednesday. The Celtics were a half- game ahead of the defending champs. 5. (-) Cleveland Cavaliers
( 49- 27): The Cavaliers have lost five of their last 10 games. They had the NBA’s 29th- ranked defense in March. Things got heated between LeBron James and Tristan Thompson during Sunday’s double- overtime win against the Pacers. And yet with six regular- season games remaining, the Cavs are still the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference and reach the NBA Finals. 6. (+ 2) Toronto Raptors
( 47- 30): The Raptors, sans Kyle Lowry, had won eight of their last 10 games and were the third seed in the East. What’s more, Lowry ( wrist) is expected back soon, which would give him valuable reps before the postseason. Don’t forget: This is a team that, at the trade deadline, added Serge Ibaka and P. J. Tucker — neither of whom have played with Lowry yet. We don’t know what this team is capable of at full strength.
7. (-) Utah Jazz ( 47- 30): The Jazz, who were a half- game ahead of the Clippers ( and don’t own the tiebreaker) for the fourth seed in the West, have a tough road ahead, with two games against Portland and games against Golden State and San Antonio ( though they both might rest their stars based on their spots in the standings). Homecourt advantage could make all the difference in a first- round series, as Utah’s Vivint Smart Home Arena ( formerly known as EnergySolutions Arena and the Delta Center) is notorious for being one of the NBA’s toughest places to play. 8. (+ 1) Los Angeles Clippers
( 47- 31): The Clippers have had an up- and- down season and are still searching for consistency, but they’re playing some of their best basketball of the year heading into the playoffs. They’ve won seven of their last nine games, including games against Cleveland, Utah and Washington. Austin Rivers ( hamstring) is likely to
miss some, if not all, of the first round. But once he’s healthy, do the Clippers have what it takes to compete with the likes of Golden State, San Antonio and Houston come playoff time? 9. (- 3) Washington Wizards
( 46- 31): The good news: The Wizards clinched a division title for the first time since 1979, have home- court advantage secured and were one game behind the Raptors for third place in the East. They also have a non- existent injury report, and — provided they can keep it that way — are a legitimate contender to make it to the conference finals for the first time since that 1978- 79 season. The bad news: They’ve lost three consecutive games, three of their five remaining games are on the road and if the playoffs started today they’d be looking at a first- round date with the red- hot Bucks. 10. (-) Oklahoma City Thun
der ( 43- 33): What a week it was for Westbrook and the Thunder, who erased a 13- point deficit in the final few minutes against Dal-
las to open Week 22, followed by a 21- point comeback win against the Magic on Wednesday — an effort highlighted by Westbrook’s historic 57- point, 13- rebound, 11assist triple- double. Two days later, they squandered a 21- point lead of their own in a loss to the Spurs, and on Sunday the Thunder fell to the Hornets despite Westbrook’s sixth consecutive triple- double. Now, they sit comfortably in sixth place in the West.
11. (+ 1) Milwaukee Bucks ( 40- 37)
12. (- 1) Memphis Grizzlies ( 42- 35)
13. (+ 2) Portland Trail Blazers ( 38- 38)
14. (+ 4) Chicago Bulls ( 38- 39) 15. (- 1) Miami Heat ( 37- 40) 16. (+ 1) Atlanta Hawks ( 39- 38)
17. (- 4) Indiana Pacers ( 3740)
18. (- 2) Denver Nuggets ( 36- 40)
19. (-) Charlotte Hornets ( 36- 41)
20. (+ 1) New Orleans Pelicans ( 33- 44)
21. (+ 1) Detroit Pistons ( 3542)
22. (- 2) Dallas Mavericks ( 32- 44)
23. (+ 1) Minnesota Timberwolves ( 30- 45)
24. (- 1) Sacramento Kings ( 30- 47)
25. (+ 2) New York Knicks ( 29- 48)
26. (- 1) Philadelphia 76ers ( 28- 49)
27. (- 1) Orlando Magic ( 2750)
28. (+ 1) Los Angeles Lakers ( 22- 55)
29. (+ 1) Brooklyn Nets ( 1859)
30. (- 2) Phoenix Suns ( 2256)