USA TODAY International Edition
Raptors lurk under radar
The Toronto Raptors can’t be contenders in the NBA Eastern Conference, can they?
They reached their ceiling two seasons ago, when they won a franchisebest 56 games and advanced to the conference finals, right?
Through 37 games this season, the Raptors have proved worthy of the attention, and the respect, of their Eastern counterparts. DeMar DeRozan has earned a spot in the MVP conversation, and the bench — we’re looking at you, Delon Wright — has shown it’s more than capable of carrying the load on a nightly basis.
But as the winter doldrums set in across the NBA, will this continue?
With 2017 in the books, here’s how we view the league’s current power structure. Voters, listed at the end, include NBA reporters from across the USA TODAY Network. (Note: Records and statistics through Sunday’s games.)
1 (last week, 1). Warriors (32-8): Stephen Curry has scored 144 points in four games since returning from the ankle injury that kept him sidelined for 11 consecutive games, which, according to Elias Sports Bureau, is the highest point total for a player in his first four games back after missing 10 consecutive since Chris Webber in 2001.
2 (2). Celtics (33-10): The Celtics, who head to London for Thursday’s matchup with the 76ers riding an NBA-best sixgame winning streak, are on pace to finish with the franchise’s best record since 2007-08.
3 (4). Raptors (27-10): The Raptors, who boast a 14-1 record at home, play eight of their 12 remaining games this month at Air Canada Centre. Two of those games — Jan. 11 and 13 — are against Cleveland and Golden State.
4 (5). Cavaliers (26-13): Cleveland’s bench, anchored by Dwyane Wade and Kyle Korver, ranks third in the NBA in offensive rating, scoring 110 points per 100 possessions.
5 (6). Spurs (27-14): San Antonio suffered another setback in the injury department Friday, with Kawhi Leonard going down with a partial tear in his left shoulder. This time the Spurs don’t expect their perennial MVP candidate to miss an extended period.
6 (3). Rockets (27-11): The Rockets, who just three weeks ago sat atop the NBA at 25-4, have lost seven of their past nine and are just 11⁄2 games ahead of San Antonio for second place in the Western Conference.
7 (7). Timberwolves (25-16): Karl-Anthony Towns is fifth in the NBA with 11.9 rebounds per game, but the Timberwolves are 23rd as a team. “We’ve just got to make a conscious effort to go get them,” Jimmy Butler said after Friday’s loss to Boston in which Towns grabbed 23 of Minnesota’s 43 boards.
8 (8). Wizards (23-17): John Wall averages more blocked shots per game (1.1) than many of the NBA’s starting centers, including Steven Adams, DeAndre Jordan, Nikola Jokic, Tyson Chandler and teammate Marcin Gortat.
9 (10). Thunder (22-18): Paul George has made 118 three-pointers, good for third in the NBA, and leads the league in steals with 87. He’s shooting 43.4% from beyond the arc — a significant increase over his career high of 39.3%.
10 (14). Heat (22-17): The Heat have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA over the past 10 games and find themselves sitting comfortably in the Eastern Conference playoff race, sandwiched a half-game between Washington and Milwaukee for fifth place.
11 (11). Bucks (21-17): The Bucks are on the verge of adding a former No. 2 overall pick and All-Star-caliber talent to their lineup in Jabari Parker, who’s recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee for the second time in three years. Slated to return sometime in February, he says, “The only thing that’s left is conditioning.”
12 (13). Nuggets (21-18): Trey Lyles, whom Utah sent to Denver on draft day for rookie Donovan Mitchell, has been a pleasant surprise for the Nuggets since Paul Millsap went down, averaging 16.5 points and 7.1 rebounds in just 28.5 minutes in his last 15 games.
13 (9). Pistons (21-17): The Pistons, sans Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson, put together a much-needed win over Houston on Saturday, downing yet another one of the top teams in the West. They’ve also beaten Golden State, San Antonio, Oklahoma City and Minnesota (twice) this season.
14 (12). Trail Blazers (21-18): Shabazz Napier has been stellar while filling in as a starter for Damian Lillard, averaging 18.2 points, 5.4 assists, 4.8 rebounds and two steals in five games, four of which were wins.
15 (17). 76ers (19-19): The Sixers boast the NBA’s largest margin of victory (60 total points) over the past four games and are back in the thick of things in the Eastern playoff race.
16 (16). Pacers (20-19) 17 (15). Pelicans (19-19) 18 (19). Clippers (17-21) 19 (18). Knicks (19-21) 20 (20). Jazz (16-24) 21 (25). Hornets (15-23) 22 (24). Suns (16-26) 23 (22). Nets (15-24) 24 (21). Bulls (14-26) 25 (23). Mavericks (13-28) 26 (26). Grizzlies (12-27) 27 (27). Kings (13-25) 28 (30). Lakers (12-27) 29 (28). Magic (12-28) 30 (29). Hawks (10-29)
This week’s power ranking voters: USA TODAY’s Sam Amick, Jeff Zillgitt, Michael Singer and AJ Neuharth-Keusch; Detroit Free Press’ Vince Ellis; The (Bergen County, N.J.) Record’s Steve Popper; The Indianapolis Star’s Clifton Brown; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Matt Velazquez