USA TODAY International Edition
Undefeated Spurs, Wizards start strong
The 2017-18 NBA season has tipped off, and though much can’t ever be made of the first week of games, we at USA TODAY Sports rank all 30 teams. (Rankings and statistics through Monday.)
1. Golden State Warriors (record 2-2; preseason ranking, 1): Before you burn your Stephen Curry jerseys, sell your season tickets and jump ship for Houston or San Antonio — take a deep breath. Relax. The defending champs will be just fine. Besides, did you really want another 24-0 or 16-2 start?
2. Houston Rockets (3-1; PR 2): Houston’s opening week was spoiled by Chris Paul’s knee injury, which could keep him out for a month. But sans the All-Star point guard, the Rockets are still one of the most talented groups in the league, and, for the most part, they’ve shown that thus far.
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (2-1; PR 3): Setting aside a 21-point loss to Orlando, Derrick Rose’s ankle injury and Dwyane Wade’s struggles, the Cavs have looked every bit like a team that’s destined for a fourth consecutive trip to the NBA Finals.
4. San Antonio Spurs (3-0; PR 5): No Kawhi Leonard? No problem. We’re kidding, of course, but the Spurs have been able to get by just fine without their franchise cornerstone, beating Minnesota on opening night, Chicago on Saturday and Toronto on Monday behind 24.3-point, 9.3-rebound averages from recently extended big man LaMarcus Aldridge. Coach Gregg Popovich says Leonard (quad) is progressing, but there’s no timetable for his return.
5. Washington Wizards
(3-0; PR 7): A small sample size, but the Wizards are the only undefeated team left in the Eastern Conference. John Wall and Bradley Beal have picked up where they left off, and Otto Porter’s 28-point, nine-rebound outing Friday against the Pistons is an encouraging sign for those who thought he was not worth the $106.5 million contract he signed over the summer.
6. Milwaukee Bucks (3-1;
PR 10): Not only is Giannis Antetokounmpo one of the most entertaining one-man shows in sports, but he’s now also in the MVP conversation. He’s scored 147 points through four games, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (146) for most in franchise history.
7. Toronto Raptors (2-1; PR 9): The Raptors tipped off the season with routs of Chicago and Philadelphia, but their true test — five more games of this six-game Western Conference road trip, which started with a loss to San Antonio on Monday — awaits.
8. Oklahoma City Thunder (1-2; PR 4): Three observations from Oklahoma City’s first three games: 1, Russell Westbrook won’t even come close to leading this team in shot attempts. He’s averaging 15.7, down from an NBA-high 24 per game last season; 2, Carmelo Anthony can still put the ball in the hoop with the best of them. The 33-year-old has scored 20-plus points in all three; 3, with a group this talented, patience is a virtue.
9. Memphis Grizzlies (3-0; PR 16): With a convincing win over New Orleans followed by a 10-point victory over Golden State and an eight-point win over Houston, we have no choice but to put the Grizzlies in the top 10. But are they here to stay?
10. Los Angeles Clippers
(2-0; PR 11): Take this with a grain of salt based on their opponents (Lakers and Suns) and sample size, but the Clippers lead the league with a +27.2 net rating and Blake Griffin (29-point, 10rebound averages) is looking like an early-season MVP candidate.
11. Portland Trail Blazers
(2-1; PR 15): With a 48-point rout of Phoenix followed by an 18-point win over Indiana and a last-minute loss to Milwaukee, early — like, really early — signs indicate the Blazers could surprise some folks this season. 12. Minnesota Timberwolves (2-1; PR 8): Andrew Wiggins, 22, sank a buzzer-beating three-pointer to lift the T’wolves over Oklahoma City on Sunday and has been worth every penny of that five-year, $148 million extension.
13. Utah Jazz (2-1; PR 14): The Jazz have allowed 283 points through three games, third best in the league. This team is built to defend, and defend they shall. 14. Boston Celtics (1-2; PR 6): Boston’s NBA Finals hopes came to a screeching halt when Gordon Hayward went down with a season-ending ankle injury five minutes into his Celtics debut, but there’s plenty of talent left on this team, both on the roster and the coaching staff.
15. Denver Nuggets (1-2; PR 12): Budding superstar Nikola Jokic put his early struggles to bed Monday against Washington, tallying 29 points on 9-for-14 shooting to go along with nine rebounds and five assists.
16. Detroit Pistons (2-2; PR 20): The Pistons have started out the season on a relatively positive note and have looked like one of the league’s most exciting teams in the process.
17. Orlando Magic (2-1; PR 27): The Magic rank second in the league in three-pointers made (14.3 per game) and threepoint percentage (48.3%), won two of their first three games for the first time since 2012 and are enjoying 27.7-point, 10.7-rebound averages from center Nikola Vucevic.
18. Miami Heat (2-1; PR 13): Keep an eye on Hassan Whiteside, the 7-foot center who dropped 26 points and 22 rebounds in Miami’s season-opening loss to Orlando, as he nurses a bone bruise in his left knee.
19. New Orleans Pelicans
(1-2; PR 19): The Pelicans boast the best frontline in basketball, but until a third party steps up, the team can only go so far.
20. Charlotte Hornets (1-2; PR 18): Dwight Howard, back? Could it be? The 31-year-old big man has played well (aside from his 0-for-9 showing at the free throw line Monday) in his first three games with his new team, averaging 12.7 points, 17.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots.
21. Indiana Pacers (1-2; PR 25): The silver lining in this already-lost season for Indiana? Victor Oladipo is leading the team in scoring (22.3 points per game) and Myles Turner was phenomenal in his first game before being sidelined with a concussion.
22. Philadelphia 76ers (1-3; PR 17): Ben Simmons, who became the first player since Shaquille
O’Neal to record double-doubles in each of his first four career games, has been as impressive as advertised. 23. Brooklyn Nets (2-1; PR 28): The loss of Jeremy Lin for the season is devastating, but the Nets have already shown they’re much-improved over last season.
24. Sacramento Kings (1-3; PR 21): If you’re not on the De’Aaron Fox hype train yet, it’s time to punch your ticket. The electric rookie point guard is averaging 15 points, five assists and five rebounds in 27.3 minutes. 25. Atlanta Hawks (1-3; PR 29): The injury bug has already bitten the rebuilding Hawks.
26. Los Angeles Lakers (1-2; PR 23): While Lonzo Ball steals all the headlines, one question looms large in Laker Land: What’s the deal with Julius Randle? The former No. 7 overall pick is “frustrated” with his role off the bench, says coach Luke Walton. 27. New York Knicks (0-2;
PR 24): The Kristaps Porzingis era has officially begun. The 7-3 franchise cornerstone has shined as the No. 1 option on offense, averaging 32 points, 22.5 shots and 2.5 made three-pointers.
28. Dallas Mavericks (0-4; PR 22): Rookie guard Dennis Smith Jr.’s first NBA bucket — an alley-oop finish — were two of his 16 points on opening night, and his 10 assists made him the youngest player in history to record a points-assists double-double in his first game.
29. Chicago Bulls (0-2; PR 30): The Bulls are averaging an NBA-worst 88.5 points per game, are missing their top two power forwards and won’t appear on national TV until Feb. 9. Need we say more?
30. Phoenix Suns (1-3; PR
26): We hate to deem a season doomed after four games, but was there really ever any hope for Phoenix? Head coach Earl Watson was fired, point guard Eric Bledsoe is all but traded, and the team suffered the worst loss (by 48 points) in franchise history on opening night.