NBA Power Rankings Week 8: The Rockets Can’t Break Out Of Their Funk


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After a 65-win season and an impressive playoff performance that involved taking the Golden State Warriors to the brink in the Western Conference Finals, virtually everyone expected the Houston Rockets to be a major player in the NBA world during the 2018-19 season. Granted, expectations did vary to some degree on the heels of a summer that wasn’t exactly inspiring but, when the dust settled, the Rockets opened the campaign with James Harden, Chris Paul, Clint Capela, Eric Gordon and P.J. Tucker on board, seemingly providing a (very) high floor.

Then, disaster struck at the outset, as the Rockets stumbled out of the gates to the tune of a 4-7 record. With good reason, those early struggles were met with small sample size caveats and, on cue, Houston rattled off a five-game winning streak to assuage the doubts. However, things have not-so-quietly deteriorated since then for the Rockets, as Mike D’Antoni’s team is just 2-7 in the last nine games and sporting an unsightly 11-14 record after 25 games.

Most advanced projection systems still forecast the Rockets to make the postseason, largely because of their previous work and the presence of a legitimate superstar in Harden. At the same time, the team hasn’t exactly been “unlucky” to this point, having been outscored for the season as a result of porous defense.

The losses of Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute were always supposed to have a negative effect on Houston’s defense and, well, that has come to fruition. With that said, the downturn on that end of the floor is troubling at the very least, and the Rockets have a jarring lack of depth, prompting the entire NBA world to run trade machine simulations (including buzz surrounding J.R. Smith) designed to provide Houston with even a semblance of quality depth.

At least some of Houston’s issues will be muted if and when Chris Paul awakens from an early-season slump but it is at least worth pointing out that the future Hall of Fame point guard is now 33 years old. It is probably safe to assume that he will improve from a shaky opening segment of the campaign but, with the way the Rockets’ supporting pieces are operating, the team has very little margin for error and time is slipping away.

With more than 50 games remaining, the consensus remains that Houston will turn the ship around and it is easy to make that assumption. At the moment, however, the Rockets are living off their previous reputation and the roster, as constructed, is top-heavy and messy.

What’s on tap for Houston when it comes to this week’s DIME power rankings? Let’s explore.

1. Golden State Warriors (19-9, Last week — 3rd)

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The Warriors are riding a four-game winning streak that includes a road win over Milwaukee. It isn’t surprising to anyone that things are better with Stephen Curry involved but, for a bit of perspective, Golden State is now 14-3 when he appears. That paints a pretty vivid picture.

2. Milwaukee Bucks (18-8, Last week — 7th)

There is, of course, no crime in losing (even at home) to the Warriors and Milwaukee followed that up with a wildly impressive road victory over the Raptors. That head-to-head result is the tiebreaker here, and the Bucks even found a way to win without Giannis Antetokounmpo (albeit against the lowly Cavs) on Monday.

3. Toronto Raptors (21-7, Last week — 2nd)

Toronto still holds a two-game lead on the entire NBA field when it comes to win-loss record and that certainly matters. The Raptors have dropped two in a row, however, and one of the losses came to Milwaukee. That explains that.

4. Oklahoma City Thunder (17-8, Last week — 4th)

The Thunder were ready for a big jump in this space. Then, they lost to the Bulls. We’ll get to Chicago (much) later but, even in the midst of a stretch in which Oklahoma City has won five of six, that result feels inexplicable. On the bright side, this squad continues to be the best in the NBA on the defensive end and that provides an impressive baseline.

5. Boston Celtics (16-10, Last week — 9th)

There is life in Boston and it comes in the form of a six-game winning streak. Half of those results (Bulls, Knicks, Cavs) weren’t exciting but the Celtics knocked off some quality opponents (Wolves, Pelicans twice) along the way. In short, this is starting to look like the team we all expected, even if a bit later than presumed.

6. Philadelphia 76ers (19-9, Last week — 5th)

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It would be tough to find a winning spell with less competition but Philly is taking care of business. It is entirely possible that all six victories, over a seven-game span, could end up being against non-playoff teams but the wins all count the same.

7. Denver Nuggets (18-9, Last week — 1st)

Hitting the road isn’t easy and the Nuggets found that out this week. Denver was very short-handed but losses to the Hornets and the Hawks have to be recognized. This remains a very good basketball team but it will be interesting to see how they deal with the absence of Paul Millsap, on top of everything else.

8. Los Angeles Lakers (17-10, Last week — 8th)

LeBron and company are playing their best basketball right now, winning six of the last seven. It is certainly surprising that Los Angeles has a better defense than offense (at least statistically) but some of the unjustified panic from the early going has fully subsided. It helps to have the best player on the planet.

9. Indiana Pacers (17-10, Last week — 13th)

The Pacers have been operating without Victor Oladipo for 11 straight games and that could have spelled disaster. Instead, Indiana has won four straight and Oladipo is seemingly nearing a return. What an impressive stabilization effort.

10. Los Angeles Clippers (17-9, Last week — 6th)

Finally, the Clippers appear to be cooling off. Doc Rivers’ team has lost three of five and, while they were able to eek out a victory on Monday, Los Angeles nearly lost to lowly Phoenix. Regression was always going to come for a roster playing over its head but the question remains where the actual baseline is for this group.
11. Portland Trail Blazers (15-11, Last week — 15th)

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It’s been a spectacularly weird, streaky season for the Blazers. At the moment, they’ve won two in a row. That pretty much explains the jump here, but hold on to your hats.

12. Dallas Mavericks (14-11, Last week — 10th)

The Mavs have won four of five and, after a 3-8 start, Dallas is 11-3. That is wildly impressive for a team largely led by a rookie in Luka Doncic and, even if the peripherals don’t necessarily support a playoff team in the West, the Mavs aren’t fading away by any means.

13. Charlotte Hornets (13-13, Last week — 18th)

It’s been a topsy-turvy season for the Hornets but here they are with a .500 record in mid-December. That may not sound like much but it would be more than enough (on a full-season basis) to secure a playoff spot in the East. It’s the little things.

14. Memphis Grizzlies (15-11, Last week — 14th)

Memphis is 3-6 in their last 9 and, while that probably isn’t representative of where they are as a team, it was probably due to happen after the red-hot start. Now, the real work begins for a team with playoff aspirations.

15. Sacramento Kings (14-12, Last week — 22nd)

At this very moment, the Kings are a half-game out of the playoffs and that is an amazing story. Sacramento ran into a wall in losing five of seven but, to their credit, De’Aaron Fox and company just rattled off four wins in five games.

16. Minnesota Timberwolves (13-14, Last week — 11th)

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After a scorching stretch following the Jimmy Butler trade, the Wolves just dropped two in a row. Both came against playoff-caliber teams but Minnesota’s offense is now the point of contention. That’s a weird phenomenon.

17. San Antonio Spurs (13-14, Last week — 19th)

It seems utterly impossible that the Spurs are 29th in the NBA in defense but that is the reality at the moment. San Antonio would be lower on this list if not for back-to-back wins over the Jazz and Lakers, but the issues remain. This isn’t an overly talented basketball team and they have to defend.

18. New Orleans Pelicans (14-15, Last week — 17th)

The Pelicans are 4th in the NBA in offensive rating. The Pelicans are 24th in the NBA in defensive rating. That is a combination worthy of a record in the .500 range and, simply put, it isn’t going to work when the goal is the playoffs in the West.

19. Miami Heat (11-15, Last week — 24th)

Dwyane Wade couldn’t pull off “the moment” on Monday in a loss to the Lakers but Miami played well again. In fact, the Heat are looking like the playoff-bound team (albeit a relatively unimpressive one) that they were supposed to be before the season.

20. Detroit Pistons (13-12, Last week — 12th)

Context is everything. The Pistons have lost five straight games. That isn’t good. The five losses came to the Sixers (twice), Pelicans, Bucks and Thunder. That kind of explains it, even if it isn’t ideal.

21. Utah Jazz (13-15, Last week — 20th)

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Utah’s struggles are worthy of further examination but there are alarm bells happening. Most notably, the Jazz have been outscored for the season and Quin Snyder’s group sits outside the top 10 of the league on the defensive end. That seemed unthinkable just a few weeks ago but it isn’t necessarily getting better in Salt Lake.

22. Washington Wizards (11-16, Last week — 21st)

After a season-best winning streak of three games, the Wizards just lost to the Cavs and Pacers. Granted, both were on the road but Washington continues to scuffle, at least to some degree. Bradley Beal was rightly honored as Eastern Conference Player of the Week, but he can only do so much.

23. Houston Rockets (11-14, Last week — 16th)

As discussed above, it isn’t going well for the Rockets. Will they improve? Probably. Can they improve? Absolutely… but it’s getting later and later every day.

24. Brooklyn Nets (10-18, Last week — 27th)

After losing eight straight in sometimes ugly fashion, Brooklyn bounced back win pick up two straight wins. Beating the Knicks isn’t terribly noteworthy but a home win over the Raptors turned some heads on both sides of the coin.

25. Orlando Magic (12-15, Last week — 23rd)

It isn’t a surprise to most, but regression is striking in Orlando. The Magic are in the midst of a three-game losing streak and, on Monday evening, they were bludgeoned by the Mavericks in dominant fashion. It would be unfair to say this is a “new normal” for Orlando but their playoff dream may have to wait.

26. New York Knicks (8-20, Last week — 25th)

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Over the last seven games (six losses), the Knicks have felt like the Knicks team that was supposed to “compete” for the league’s basement without Kristaps Porzingis. With the exception of Emmanuel Mudiay’s renaissance, there isn’t much to cheer about and New York’s defense is flat-out brutal.

27. Atlanta Hawks (6-20, Last week — 28th)

The stars really aligned in terms of schedule and roster availability, but the Hawks did knock off the Nuggets on Saturday. That win helps immensely in this space but Atlanta still has a long way to go, particularly when considering Trae Young’s continuing struggles as a shooter in his rookie campaign.

28. Cleveland Cavaliers (6-21, Last week — 26th)

When you remove four games of Kevin Love prior to his injury, the Cavaliers are led in scoring by Jordan Clarkson. Sometimes, that’s all you need to say but, if you’re looking for bright spots. Cleveland executed a smart, future-facing trade this week.

29. Phoenix Suns (4-23, Last week — 29th)

With nine straight losses, the Suns should probably be at No. 30. Phoenix did compete on Monday in a close-fought defeat against the Clippers, though, and this week’s basement dweller really earned the distinction. Make no mistake, the Suns are dreadful.

30. Chicago Bulls (6-22, Last week — 30th)

Over the last two games, the Bulls were annihilated by the Celtics and blasted (at home) by the Kings. Throw in the roller coaster of absurdity at the start of the Jim Boylen era and this isn’t a difficult decision. Chicago is a complete mess.

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