USA TODAY International Edition
Streaking Celtics make jump to No. 1
Don’t look now, but the Minnesota Timberwolves have the second-best record in the NBA Western Conference.
They’ve won five consecutive games, two of which were decided by three points, and are starting to look like the team we expected them to be heading into the season.
Meanwhile, in the Eastern Conference, the Cleveland Cavaliers continue to struggle while the 8-2 Boston Celtics are rolling.
With three weeks down, here’s how we view the league’s current power structure. (Note: Records, stats and rankings are through Sunday.)
1 (last week 6). Boston Celtics (8-2): The Celtics’ eight-game winning streak is most impressive considering the help Kyrie Irving is getting from Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Al Horford, who are all averaging 13-plus points per game. Defensively, the Celtics are holding opponents to a league-best 94.7 points per 100 possessions.
2 (LW 3). Golden State Warriors (7-3): In three games since that surprising loss to Detroit, the Warriors have scored 126.7 points per game, shot 55.1% from the field and 47.4% from beyond the arc and have an NBA-best net rating of +25. Still worried?
3 (LW 1). Houston Rockets (8-3): The good news? They are riding a three-game winning streak and just put up 137 points against Utah’s stout defense thanks to a career-high 56-point night from James Harden. The even better news? Chris Paul is expected to return from his knee injury in the next two weeks.
4 (LW 16). Minnesota Timberwolves (7-3): The T’wolves have won five games in a row for the first time since January 2009, but coach Tom Thibodeau, who said his team’s upcoming three-game road trip to Golden State, Phoenix and Utah “will be a great test,” is hardly satisfied. “If we’re looking back at what happened here, we won’t be ready for what’s coming,” he said.
5 (LW 7). Detroit Pistons (7-3): Another week, another couple spots up in the rankings for the Pistons, who are off to a 7-3 start for the first time since 200809.
6 (LW 10). Portland Trail Blazers (6-4): Star point guard Damian Lillard poured in 36 points (on 18 shots) and 13 assists in Sunday’s win over Oklahoma City, becoming the first Portland player to reach those marks since Clyde Drexler in 1986. It was his fourth consecutive 30plus-point game.
7 (LW 2). Memphis Grizzlies (6-4): Veteran swingman Tyreke Evans, whom the Grizzlies signed to a one-year, $3.3 million deal over the summer, has been a steal, averaging 17.1 points (on 48.8% shooting from the field and 44.7% from beyond the arc) and 5.1 rebounds off the bench.
8 (LW 5). San Antonio Spurs (6-4): Coach Gregg Popovich passed Phil Jackson for sixth on the NBA’s all-time wins list Sunday with his 1,156th victory on the San Antonio sideline. He needs 180 more to pass Don Nelson for the No. 1 spot.
9 (LW 9). Washington Wizards (5-4): Sixth-year guard Bradley Beal is making a strong case to be selected as an All-Star for the first time, as he’s scored less than 20 points only twice this season. In his last three games, averaging 38 points on 54.5% shooting.
10 (LW 13). Toronto Raptors (5-4): The struggles continue for Kyle Lowry, who was tossed from Sunday’s loss to Washington for arguing with an official. The three-time All-Star point guard is averaging 11.9 points on 37.6% shooting.
11 (LW 14). Orlando Magic (6-4): The Magic entered the weekend leading the league in three-point percentage on offense (44.2%) and defense (28.6%) then proceeded to shoot 16-for-64 from deep in losses to Chicago and Boston.
12 (LW 12). Oklahoma City Thunder (4-5): Despite their slow start as far as the Western Conference standings are concerned, the Thunder rank third in the NBA with a +6.6 net rating and boast the second-best defense (97.6 points allowed per 100 possessions) in the league.
13 (LW 4). Los Angeles Clippers (5-4): Since starting 4-0, the Clippers have lost four of five and rank 27th in defensive rating (110.8 points allowed per 100 possessions) and 22nd in point differential (-5.4) during that span.
14 (LW 23). Philadelphia 76ers (5-4): With his 14-point, 11-rebound, 11-assist outing in a win over Indiana on Friday, Ben Simmons became the second player in NBA history to record two triple-doubles in the first nine games of his career, joining Oscar Robertson.
15 (LW 15). New Orleans Pelicans (5-5): The Pelicans have already won four road games this season (in six tries), something that took them 15 tries last year and 19 the year before.
16 (LW 24). New York Knicks (5-4): The Knicks have won five of their last six games, Kristaps Porzingis is the early front-runner for the league’s Most Improved Player Award (and, dare we say, in the MVP conversation) and Tim Hardaway Jr. has finally found his stroke. How long can this last?
17 (LW 17). Utah Jazz (5-5): Ricky Rubio, known for his skill as a passer and lack of skill as a scorer, has been more aggressive with his shot (attempting a career-high 12.2 shots and 5.2 three-pointers per game) during his first season in Utah, and it’s paying dividends.
18 (LW 19). Charlotte Hornets (5-5): Injured swingman Nicolas Batum could return as early as Nov. 15, as he told Fox Sports Southeast, which will give Charlotte an immediate boost on both ends of the floor. Aside from finishing last season second on the team in scoring, Batum led the Hornets in assists with 5.9 per game.
19 (LW 22). Indiana Pacers (5-5): Domantas Sabonis already has five doubledoubles with the Pacers after recording two during his rookie season with Oklahoma City. The 21-year-old leads the Pacers in rebounds (10.8 per game) and is shooting a team-high 62.8% from the field.
20 (LW 8). Milwaukee Bucks (4-5): The Bucks are letting it fly from beyond the arc, where they rank 10th in the league in three-pointers made (10.7 per game) and third in percentage (39.5%) — a significant increase from their 5.4 makes at 34.5% just two seasons ago. They sank a franchise-best 19 threes during Wednesday’s loss to Charlotte.
21 (LW 18). Denver Nuggets (5-5): Just how “must-see” is Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic? Ask Warriors coach Steve Kerr. “He’s one of my favorite players to watch,” Kerr said before Saturday’s win in Denver. “On off nights, I’ve got League Pass going, I always make sure to turn to Denver a little bit and watch Jokic and his passing and his brilliance.”
22 (LW 25). Los Angeles Lakers (5-5): With starting power forward Larry Nance Jr. expected to miss the next four to six weeks with a hand injury, rookie Kyle Kuzma has stepped up as part of the starting unit, averaging 17 points and 12.5 rebounds and shooting 13-for-20 through two games.
23 (LW 11). Cleveland Cavaliers (4-6): LeBron James’ 57-point outburst — the second-highest total of his career — against Washington on Friday was impressive, but there are still glaring weaknesses in Cleveland, defense chief among them. The Cavs are dead last on that end of the floor, allowing 111.7 points per 100 possessions.
24 (LW 20). Miami Heat (4-5): Following a three-point overtime loss to Minnesota and a one-point loss to Denver, the Heat avoided disaster Sunday against the Clippers after nearly blowing a 25-point second-half lead.
25 (LW 27). Phoenix Suns (4-6): While the Suns, who are 4-3 since firing head coach Earl Watson, continue to pull off surprise victories, Eric Bledsoe continues to sit in basketball limbo, which raises the question: How long will this last?
26 (LW 21). Brooklyn Nets (3-6): Brooklyn’s bench — headlined by Spencer Dinwiddie and Allen Crabbe — leads the NBA in scoring with 48.4 points per game. The last time a second unit averaged 48-plus? Orlando, in the 1999-2000 season.
27 (LW 28). Atlanta Hawks (2-8): Rookie John Collins, whom the Hawks selected with the 19th overall pick in June, leads the team in rebounds (8.3 per game) and blocks (1.3 per game) despite averaging just over 20 minutes. He also leads all qualified rookies in both categories per-36 minutes.
28 (LW 30). Chicago Bulls (2-6): Chicago’s league-worst offense (91.7 points scored per 100 possessions) isn’t just at the bottom of the barrel compared to teams this season — the Bulls are on track to have the lowest offensive rating for a team since the 2002-03 season (Denver, 88.9).
29 (LW 29). Dallas Mavericks (1-10): Good luck to the Mavs, as they have (deep breath) Washington, Cleveland, Oklahoma City (twice), San Antonio (twice), Minnesota, Milwaukee, Boston and Memphis (exhale) on tap for the rest of the month.
30 (LW 26). Sacramento Kings (1-8): The Kings, one of just two one-win teams left in the league, are looking at another sub-35 win season — their 10th consecutive.
This week’s power ranking voters: USA TODAY Sports’ Sam Amick, Jeff Zillgitt, Michael Singer and AJ Neuharth-Keusch; Detroit Free Press’ Vince Ellis; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Matt Velazquez