It would be difficult to lay out a scenario that would generate more buzz than what the Los Angeles Lakers accomplished over the weekend. First, the Lakers welcomed the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks to town on Friday evening and emerged with a 10-point victory behind masterful work from LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Less than 48 hours later, the Lakers won the latest edition of the “Battle of L.A.” against the Clippers, avenging two losses from earlier in the season and extending an already sizable lead atop the Western Conference.
With that as the backdrop, the Lakers are the No. 1 topic of conversation in NBA circles and, while some of that shine should still be reserved for the Bucks and what they’ve been able to achieve, LeBron and company are earning the attention. After a four-game losing streak in December that took the Lakers off the radar (at least in whatever way the Lakers can be off the radar), the team has been lights out. Los Angeles is 25-6 since then and the team’s only set of back-to-back losses came before and after the team’s Jan. 28 match-up with the Clippers was postponed after the passing of Kobe Bryant.
In the last 12 games, the Lakers are 11-1 and, while their numbers aren’t overwhelming for a team on that kind of tear, the strength of schedule explains why. The Lakers picked up wins over the Nuggets, Celtics, Pelicans (twice), 76ers, Bucks and Clippers during that stretch and, despite that gauntlet, Los Angeles managed to improve its peripheral statistics. The Lakers are still well shy of the Bucks when it comes to a complete statistical profile but, with James and Davis playing the way they are, it is easy to see why many would anoint Los Angeles as title favorites.
Both James and Davis have been fantastic from wire-to-tire but each has raised his play lately. James is enjoying a well-chronicled MVP push, averaging 30.3 points per game on 55 percent shooting in his last nine outings. Statistically, he still falls short of Giannis Antetokounmpo but, in an award that always includes a heavy narrative, James is making his case with vigor. As for Davis, he has been on a tear since missing five games in January, averaging 26.9 points and 9.8 rebounds on 53 percent from the floor, 40 percent from three and 82 percent from the free throw line.
In total, the Lakers have a spotless +10.4 net rating when James and Davis share the court together and, while that isn’t surprising, it is definitely noteworthy. Teams are able to deploy their stars more often when the playoffs arrive and, in short, it would be difficult to find lineups around the league that can keep pace. On the flip side, the Lakers have still been outscored (-0.9 net rating) with James off the floor this season, but he’ll be seeing the floor quite a bit in the coming days, and especially so when it matters in May and June.
The centerpiece of any NBA conversation at the highest level will involve a comparison between the Bucks and Lakers. Inevitably, the Bucks will be discounted, at least by some degree, due to a lack of playoff success, and the team with LeBron on it will be given a vote of confidence. Nothing will be decided until (much) later in the process but, at the moment, it is appropriate to dream of the matchup that could be in the works, even if it would be unwise to bury the Clippers after one game in March.
Where do the Lakers rank this week in our DIME power rankings? Let’s explore.
1. Los Angeles Lakers (49-13, Last week — 2nd)
The Lakers already has things going in a positive direction and Los Angeles has three straight home games to begin this week to continue that upward momentum. Look out.
2. Milwaukee Bucks (53-12, Last week — 1st)
Everything comes down to Giannis Antetokounmpo. I don’t particularly care that the Bucks lost the last two games because, well, the reigning MVP didn’t play. If he’s out for a while, though, Milwaukee could conceivably lose the No. 1 overall placement and home-court advantage in the NBA Finals might matter. The Bucks still have (easily) the best regular season profile, but the timing of this list sends Milwaukee out of the top spot for the first time in a very long while.
3. L.A. Clippers (43-20, Last week — 3rd)
There is no reason to panic about the Clippers, even with all of the nice things that need to be said about the Lakers. Kawhi Leonard and company still hold the lead in the season series and, prior to the loss on Sunday, L.A. was playing some of their best basketball of the season.
4. Toronto Raptors (46-18, Last week — 7th)
The Raptors just won’t fade. After a bit of a swoon, Toronto just won four consecutive road games, capped by a win in Salt Lake City on Monday evening. That was easily the most impressive win of the quartet, but the Raptors continue to impress.
5. Oklahoma City Thunder (40-24, Last week — 11th)
It is insane to consider, but the Thunder are 29-10 in the last 39 games, including a road win in Boston over the weekend. Remember when Oklahoma City was supposed to be a non-playoff team this season?
6. Boston Celtics (42-21, Last week — 6th)
As soon as the Celtics get someone back, another key piece goes down. It isn’t as if Boston has been totally crippled by absences but, when examining back-to-back home losses (to quality teams) this week, that is worth noting. They’re in fine shape overall, though.
7. Denver Nuggets (43-21, Last week — 4th)
Denver’s home win over Milwaukee doesn’t look as great when you see the available roster for the Bucks in that matchup. Alas, the Nuggets still won the game and that should help to erase the sting of a ghastly road loss in Cleveland.
8. Miami Heat (41-23, Last week — 8th)
The Heat undoubtedly benefited from a favorable schedule in the last ten days. Still, Miami won five out of six games, taking care of business when it comes to preserving home-court advantage in the first round.
9. Utah Jazz (41-23, Last week — 9th)
It’s been a good stretch for Utah, even with the caveat that the Jazz fell at home to the Raptors on Monday. There is no great shame in that loss and, prior to that, Utah reeled off five straight wins, including a road victory in Boston. The rest of the schedule wasn’t supremely difficult, but the Jazz will take wins where they can get them.
10. Indiana Pacers (39-25, Last week — 10th)
Indiana has won eight of the last ten games. The two losses? Road games against Toronto and Milwaukee. Things could be worse.
11. Dallas Mavericks (39-26, Last week — 13th)
The Mavericks are still playing pretty well on the whole, but they can’t claim an advantage over the Pacers after losing to Indiana at home. Dallas is still 33-19 when Luka Doncic plays and that paints a pretty favorable picture.
12. Philadelphia 76ers (38-26, Last week — 12th)
It would be accurate to describe the situation in Philadelphia as a holding pattern. Philly is 3-5 in the last eight games but, with their two stars still on the shelf, there isn’t all that much to take away. Everything will come down to health, but the Sixers do have a favorable stretch of schedule in the next few weeks. That should help.
13. Houston Rockets (39-24, Last week — 5th)
A lot can change in a week. The Rockets recently won six in a row, garnering all kinds of attention along the way. Since then, Houston is 0-4 with losses to the Knicks, Hornets and Magic. That isn’t great. We’re still searching for the baseline.
14. Memphis Grizzlies (32-32, Last week — 15th)
In contrast to the Rockets, Memphis appeared to be on life support at the end of February, losing five straight with injuries mounting. The Grizzlies responded with a stretch of four wins in five games to stabilize, and they’re trying to hold the line until reinforcements arrive.
15. New Orleans Pelicans (28-36, Last week — 16th)
The next three games are huge for New Orleans. They hit the road to face Sacramento, Utah, and the Clippers in a single week and, well, the Pelicans can’t afford to be swept. In fact, they probably need to win at least two of three considering the four-game deficit to Memphis.
16. Sacramento Kings (28-36, Last week — 14th)
Sacramento and New Orleans are in similar positions. Not only do they face off on Wednesday (in front of an ESPN audience), but the Kings are also in a must-win position. Sacramento has three games in a row at home but, after that, they hit the road for four straight. Neither team has much in the way of margin for error.
17. Orlando Magic (29-35, Last week — 17th)
A glance at FiveThirtyEight’s projections would yield hilarious results as of Tuesday morning. In short, the Magic are projected for 39 wins and, somehow, that gives Orlando a greater than 99 percent chance to make the playoffs. What a world.
18. Phoenix Suns (26-38, Last week — 22nd)
Losing four in a row at home probably doomed any (faint) hope of a playoff push, but the Suns did come back and beat Portland and (short-handed) Milwaukee in succession. They’re frisky, if nothing else.
19. Brooklyn Nets (29-34, Last week — 20th)
The Nets are extremely likely to make the playoffs despite a projected win total in the mid-30’s, a fired head coach and two injured superstars. It’s all weird, but Brooklyn has won three of the last four games.
20. Portland Trail Blazers (28-37, Last week — 19th)
Damian Lillard is back and that gives Portland hope. With that said, the Blazers have lost two in a row, including a bad home loss to Sacramento. They need to make a run with haste.
21. San Antonio Spurs (26-36, Last week — 21st)
Honestly, it is tough to figure out what to say about the Spurs. They are a dismal 6-13 in the last 19 games and that run likely ended any hope of a playoff push. San Antonio is capable of playing with anyone when they have it going, but there are too many nights like what happened in a loss to Cleveland over the weekend.
22. Washington Wizards (23-40, Last week — 18th)
The Wizards are ahead of the Hawks because they beat the Hawks this week. Otherwise, Washington is 3-7 in the last 10 and struggling a bit.
23. Atlanta Hawks (20-46, Last week — 26th)
Along the way, there have been some pretty rough results but, when the Hawks look good, they look good. Atlanta is a respectable 12-14 in the last 26 games and John Collins has been out of his mind during that stretch. Trae Young rightly gets the love in Atlanta, but Collins gives them a legitimate No. 2 building block to go along with their bevy of wings.
24. Cleveland Cavaliers (19-45, Last week — 27th)
Cleveland is 6-5 in the last 11 games. Cleveland also just swept the Nuggets and Spurs on a back-to-back. It’s not as if the Cavs are good now, but they are fighting.
25. New York Knicks (20-44, Last week — 24th)
The Knicks just navigated a five-game homestand with a 3-2 record and a win over the Rockets. That doesn’t change the team’s overall fortunes, but it’s a nice stretch.
26. Charlotte Hornets (22-42, Last week — 23rd)
After beating Houston on Saturday, the Hornets were poised to be a few spots higher. Then, they gave up a million points to the Hawks on Monday and lost despite a career-best night from Terry Rozier. That’s just a reminder that the ceiling is pretty low.
27. Golden State Warriors (15-49, Last week — 30th)
Golden State is 3-2 in the last five games. That is their second-best stretch of the season, so they get a bump.
28. Minnesota Timberwolves (19-44, Last week — 28th)
The Wolves swept a back-to-back last week, including a road win over New Orleans. From a results standpoint, there isn’t a ton to be excited about, but Malik Beasley scoring 20-plus points in four straight games certainly isn’t a bad thing.
29. Chicago Bulls (21-43, Last week — 25th)
There have been some competitive results and the Bulls are as healthy as they’ve been all year. On the flip side, Chicago has lost 13 of 15 games to sink to this position.
30. Detroit Pistons (20-45, Last week — 29th)
The Pistons are truly awful at this stage. Some of that is by design, but Detroit is 9-30 in the last 39 and they lost to the Knicks by double-digits on Sunday. At least the Pistons have Christian Wood.
