The Toronto Raptors have been without their best player, All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry, since the All-Star break. That’s a tough spot for any NBA team. Even the fully loaded Golden State Warriors have experienced trouble without Kevin Durant in the lineup. From Toronto’s standpoint, it would have been fully excusable to sustain some level of turmoil in the absence of Lowry.
With that said, the shorthanded Raptors have done a phenomenal job in staying afloat. That continued in grand fashion on Tuesday evening. Big man Serge Ibaka was ejected after a jarring scuffle with Robin Lopez and, at that point, Toronto was in a significant hole against a team that gives them great trouble in the Chicago Bulls. That play seemed to awaken the home team, though, and the Raptors were able to send the game to overtime before pulling out an unlikely victory.
That win propelled the Raptors to a 9-5 record after the All-Star break and kept the team in very solid position to claim homecourt advantage in the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs. While Toronto’s performance hasn’t been quite enough to launch the team ahead of the Wizards, Celtics, and Cavaliers in the standings (yet), there was grave concern that the Raptors could succumb to the Hawks or Pacers for the fourth and final homecourt position. That simply hasn’t happened.
It remains to be seen as to just how long Kyle Lowry will be on the shelf and, ultimately, the Raptors need their centerpiece at full health in order to make a real noise in late April and May. Still, the first task ahead of Dwane Casey’s team was simply to keep the train on the tracks while Lowry wears a suit during game action. DeMar DeRozan and company have done just that.
Where do the Raptors land in this week’s NBA power rankings? Let’s find out.
1. Golden State Warriors (57-14, Last week — 2nd)
The Warriors have won five in a row and all is right with the world. It would be (quite) fair to suggest that Golden State’s schedule in recent days hasn’t been a full-blown gauntlet. In the same breath, Stephen Curry and company went into Oklahoma City and throttled the Thunder earlier in the week before following that up with a dominant win in Dallas. There are more questions now than I thought there would be, but this is still the best team in the NBA.
2. San Antonio Spurs (54-16, Last week — 1st)
San Antonio’s fall this week has more to do with the Warriors righting the ship than anything, but the Spurs did lose twice to open the week. Since then, they have stabilized in back-to-back wins and Kawhi Leonard is (still) pretty good at basketball. It’s a bizarre concept, I know.
3. Houston Rockets (49-22, Last week — 3rd)
The Rockets have won five of six, including a quietly impressive back-to-back sweep over the charging Nuggets. Houston’s last “big” win came against Cleveland, and that is the tiebreaker when it comes to seeding. Still, the Rockets have been wildly impressive from wire to wire and this landing spot reflects that.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers (46-23, Last week — 4th)
LeBron, Kyrie, and Kevin missed a game over the weekend and, predictably, the Cavs lost by 30 points in Los Angeles. For the purposes of this ranking, that game means nothing and, as a result, there isn’t a ton of movement here. Cleveland is good and we all know it. Just get healthy and ready to go for mid-April.
5. Boston Celtics (45-26, Last week — 7th)
Losing to the Sixers, regardless of venue, is usually enough to facilitate a big-time drop in this space. However, Boston more than made up for that mishap with a home win over the Wizards and, all told, the Celtics have grabbed four wins over the past five games. Throw in the fact that the lone loss did come without Isaiah Thomas on the floor, and this position makes even more sense.
6. Toronto Raptors (42-29, Last week — 8th)
As noted above, the Raptors have done yeoman’s work in recent days, and they have a real opportunity to catch the Wizards for the No. 3 seed as a result. Very impressive.
7. Utah Jazz (43-28, Last week — 5th)
The Jazz have lost three straight at an inopportune time, but we won’t bury them too much for it. All three defeats (against Cleveland, Chicago, and Indiana) came against reasonable opponents on the road and the Jazz are still in good position. I won’t tell you that it isn’t a concern, though, as that wouldn’t be genuine.
8. Washington Wizards (42-28, Last week — 6th)
Quietly, the Wizards have compiled four losses over a five-game period and Washington has given ground to the Raptors as a result. If asked for a prediction, it would probably come with the Wizards in the No. 3 slot at the end of the regular season but there is a real argument that Toronto is playing better basketball right now. That isn’t ideal given the notable absence of Kyle Lowry.
9. Los Angeles Clippers (43-29, Last week — 10th)
The Clippers could have won the “Battle of L.A.” by 50 points on Tuesday if they wanted to, and this is beginning to resemble the gauntlet of a team that we saw in November. Seeding is particularly important for the Clippers given the way they flounder against the Warriors, but if they can avoid that match-up, look out.
10. Oklahoma City Thunder (40-30, Last week — 9th)
The Thunder were rolling. Oklahoma City won five in a row in impressive fashion before Saturday, and the Russell Westbrook MVP bandwagon was filling up again. Then, the Warriors arrived and the Thunder were unceremoniously hammered in their own building. That was a sharp reminder on a number of levels, one of which is that there is a ceiling on what this team can do, even when Russ is superhuman.
11. Memphis Grizzlies (40-31, Last week — 13th)
Mike Conley, Marc Gasol, and the crew are on a roller coaster right now. First, the Grizz lost five in a row to induce panic. Then, the Grizz won four in a row to provide stability. Finally, Memphis looked good for a half against the Pelicans before the bottom fell out on Tuesday. I don’t know, either.
12. Milwaukee Bucks (35-35, Last week — 14th)
The Bucks are 13-6 without Jabari Parker this season and that is impressive. To an extent, it could also produce some long-term questions for the franchise but Milwaukee’s recent success hasn’t gone unnoticed and, led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks are a team that no one wants to see in round one.
13. Miami Heat (35-36, Last week — 16th)
At some point, this is just real. The Heat are 24-6 over the past 30 games and, if that is indeed their new “normal”, this ranking is actually too low. That is how good Erik Spoelstra’s team has been recently.
14. Indiana Pacers (36-34, Last week — 15th)
Indiana owns a -0.7 net rating to go along with a record that is reasonable given that baseline, and they employ a bunch of competent NBA players led by Paul George, Jeff Teague and Myles Turner. Are they special? No. Are they bad? No. They just are what they are.
15. Atlanta Hawks (37-33, Last week — 12th)
Remember when the Hawks were good on offense? Atlanta deploys a bottom-five group on that end of the floor this season and, as a result, the Hawks rank just 18th in the NBA in net rating (-1.1) right now. Paul Millsap’s recent absence has been significant as Atlanta’s four-game losing streak mounts, but even when he plays, is anyone excited about what this team brings at the moment?
16. Denver Nuggets (33-37, Last week — 11th)
Yes, the Nuggets have lost back-to-back games, but when those losses come at the hands of the Houston Rockets on both occasions, that isn’t really a problem. Denver has pole position when it comes to the race for the No. 8 seed and, all things equal, the Nuggets also happen to be the best team of the bunch right now.
17. New Orleans Pelicans (30-41, Last week — 23rd)
Is there a renaissance happening in Louisiana? The Pelicans have suddenly won three straight and five of six to climb within 3.5 games of the playoffs. That isn’t a realistic goal at this point given the path in front of this team, but New Orleans is playing too well to think about ping-pong balls. That’s both unfortunate long-term and highly intriguing in the present.
18. Charlotte Hornets (31-39, Last week — 22nd)
Of course the Hornets just beat the Wizards and Hawks in back to back games. Of course they did. Granted, Atlanta was without Paul Millsap but it makes too much sense that Charlotte would suddenly play well again after (almost) falling out of the playoff picture.
19. Portland Trail Blazers (32-38, Last week — 19th)
Prior to a close-fought home loss to the surging Bucks, the Blazers reeled off three impressive road victories in a row. It might be a “too little, too late” situation if Denver is able to hold Portland off in the standings, but at least the Blazers are playing like they are supposed to play again.
20. Detroit Pistons (34-37, Last week — 18th)
You just can’t lose to the Nets in the middle of a playoff chase. That is what the Pistons did on Tuesday. That defeat keeps Detroit in the No. 9 spot as of the time of writing, and that remains mesmerizing given how high preseason expectations were for Stan Van Gundy’s crew.
21. Dallas Mavericks (30-40, Last week — 21st)
Our last visual on the Mavericks wasn’t a great one in a 25-home loss to the Warriors. Still, this is a team that remains better than its record for the season thanks to a disastrous start and it is tough to gauge just how good they are as a result.
22. Chicago Bulls (33-38, Last week — 20th)
The Bulls absolutely imploded during a loss to the Raptors on Tuesday, blowing a seemingly insurmountable lead after Robin Lopez and Serge Ibaka were ejected. With that defeat, Chicago has now lost eight of ten at the worst possible time and not even a (very) soft schedule down the stretch can save them if the Bulls don’t perk up in a hurry.
23. Minnesota Timberwolves (28-42, Last week — 17th)
I have been banging the drum for Minnesota in recent days, but the Wolves have now lost five out of six games. Granted, there isn’t a single “bad” loss in the bunch but, in the end, you actually have to win games. On the rosier side, Karl-Anthony Towns remains an absolute delight.
24. Orlando Magic (26-45, Last week — 28th)
The Magic are riding a two-game winning streak! Sure, those wins came against Philadelphia and Phoenix but the Magic are riding a two-game winning streak! Remember when this was supposed to be a playoff contender with a potentially elite defense?
25. Philadelphia 76ers (26-44, Last week — 25th)
Philly has been in the tanking position before, and the Sixers aren’t afraid of it. Still, this is a team that is playing better than it should be given the available talent, and that includes recent wins over the Mavericks and Celtics. Shout-out to Brett Brown.
26. New York Knicks (27-43, Last week — 24th)
There is nothing better in this world than ESPN’s Zach Lowe referring to the Knicks as the “Kazoos,” and it’s something that should stick for everyone. Oh, did I mention that the Knicks lost a home game to the Nets this week? Things aren’t going particularly well.
27. Sacramento Kings (27-43, Last week — 26th)
Over the last 12 contests, the Kings have two wins and they came against the Magic and Suns. With all due respect to Orlando and Phoenix, that isn’t particularly impressive and we knew what this would (probably) look like without DeMarcus Cousins in the middle. There have been bright spots, most notably in the form of Skal Labissiere, but the overall product isn’t fantastic.
28. Phoenix Suns (22-49, Last week — 27th)
Woof. The Suns have dropped five straight and two of those losses came at home to the Kings and Magic. Phoenix is playing shorthanded in the backcourt and that does matter, but the results are quite ugly and they have been all season long.
29. Brooklyn Nets (14-56, Last week — 29th)
Kenny Atkinson’s team still holds the inside track at the worst record in the NBA, but the Nets aren’t playing that bad right now. In fact, Brooklyn knocked off a Detroit team that is still trying to make the playoffs on Tuesday and, with no incentive to tank, the Nets will be playing hard all the way to the end.
30. Los Angeles Lakers (20-51, Last week — 30th)
14 losses in 15 games will get you to the basement … and keep you there. The Lakers are openly tanking with good reason, but that won’t aid in Los Angeles avoiding scorn for the on-court product they are putting forth. Things culminated with a 24-point loss (that wasn’t that close) to the Clippers at Staples Center on Tuesday, but this position was assured long before the two neighbors took the floor in their shared space.
