Is this the apex of mid-December NBA basketball? The NBA Cup is in full swing, with four excellent games sending the Milwaukee Bucks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets to Las Vegas for this weekend's semifinals. Trade rumors are percolating, as Jimmy Butler becomes the latest star to have his name thrown into the mix. And now, perhaps most importantly of all, we have a new No. 1 in the NBA Power Rankings.
After a long reign, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been usurped by the Thunder, whose statement win over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday was just the icing on top of what's been a decadent early-season cake. With the win, OKC now has the league's best net rating, by far, at plus-12. That's pretty remarkable considering their offense clocks in at No. 8, which tells you how utterly dominant they've been defensively. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is currently Nikola Jokic's biggest MVP challenger, Jalen Williams is a bourgeoning star and they've done much of their damage without the services of Chet Holmgren. There's no denying that the Thunder have earned their top ranking this week.
Another team on the rise is the Memphis Grizzlies, who enter the top five this week behind a landmark win in Boston (which probably kept the Celtics from leapfrogging the Cavs this week). Their hot streak has been marked by contributions from up and down the roster, which has kind of been Taylor Jenkins' M.O. this season. Also steadily improving is the week's biggest riser, the Bucks, who are climbing the Eastern Conference standings one rung at a time behind brilliant play from Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.
Not having such a great week are the Phoenix Suns, who have immediately dropped three straight games -- including one to the lowly Pelicans -- with Kevin Durant out of the lineup.
As you prepare for this weekend's NBA Cup festivities, take a look at our latest set of NBA Power Rankings.
Biggest Movers
3 Bucks
6 Suns
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Early December may be too soon for a statement win, but OKC certainly put the league on notice (well, even more notice) with its thorough dismantling of Luka Doncic and the Mavs in Tuesday's NBA Cup quarterfinal. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander may have propelled himself to the top of the MVP race with a brilliant 39-point, eight-rebound, five-assist performance on 5 of 9 3-point shooting. They're the best team in the NBA right now, and they don't even have Chet Holmgren. | 2 | 19-5 |
| 2 |  | Well, it had to happen some time, but there's no shame in losing the No. 1 spot if you're the Cavs. They're still second in the NBA in net rating -- first in offense and ninth in defense -- and they have Max Strus set to make his season debut on Friday. It would be absolutely no shock if they end up back at the top of the Power Rankings sooner rather than later. | 1 | 21-4 |
| 3 |  | All the talk will be about how Boston was "exposed" by Memphis' decision to allow Jrue Holiday to shoot wide-open 3s to his heart's content in Saturday's loss (he went 4 for 17, nearly double his previous high for 3-point attempts in a game this season). It will be worth watching, but something tells me it's being a bit overblown. Perhaps more important was that Al Horford was missing, and Jaren Jackson Jr. ran wild with 27 points and nine rebounds. We'll see. | 1 | 19-5 |
| 4 |  | Winners of 10 of their last 12 games, the Grizzlies punctuated their strong run by beating the Celtics in Boston for the first time in over a decade. Ja Morant isn't dunking anymore (wink, wink), but he was simply brilliant in the win over Boston, putting up 32 points, nine rebounds and nine assists on 4-of-6 3-point shooting. | 2 | 17-8 |
| 5 |  | There's no disguising the offensive troubles, but the Rockets are proving that they can get wins in any way necessary. They absolutely lock down during crunch time, as evidenced by Golden State scoring ZERO points in the final three minutes of Wednesday's NBA Cup quarterfinal. | 1 | 17-8 |
| 6 |  | If Tuesday's NBA Cup quarterfinal was a playoff preview, the Mavs should be slightly concerned. Luka Doncic was kept under wraps and they simply couldn't get anything going against a lockdown Thunder defense. Dallas was playing well before the loss and there's no reason to think that won't continue, but they're likely going to have that next Jan.17 matchup with OKC circled on the calendar. | 1 | 16-9 |
| 7 |  | When the Magic beat the Suns in their first game without Franz Wagner AND Paolo Banchero, we started to think this may just be a team of destiny and the rest of the league should pack it up. But they ran out of gas against the Bucks despite a career-best 32 points from Jalen Suggs. If and when this team has all of its horses, Orlando is going to be a terrifying playoff opponent. | 2 | 17-10 |
| 8 |  | All the alarm bells Knicks fans have been trying to suppress since the beginning of the season came cacophonously pouring into MSG during Wednesday's ugly loss to the Hawks. Despite a great statistical game, Karl-Anthony Towns fell into some familiar big-game bad habits, getting into foul trouble and allowing a parade to the rim for the opponent. Jalen Brunson was relatively locked up by Dyson Daniels and New York had nobody else to consistently create offense. Look, the Knicks are going to play well enough to put together a great regular-season record, but the NBA Cup quarterfinal showcased how far they must go before April hits. | -- | 15-10 |
| 9 |  | No matter how you feel about what Steve Kerr called an "unconscionable" call to decide their loss to the Rockets in Wednesday's NBA Cup quarterfinal, the Warriors simply have not been playing great basketball recently. During their 2-7 slide, they've managed just 105 points per 100 possessions, leading to Jonathan Kuminga's insertion into the starting lineup. He's been good, and we should get a different look with Draymond Green coming off the bench once Andrew Wiggins is healthy. | -- | 14-10 |
| 10 |  | Ladies and gentlemen, at long last, Kawhi Leonard is ... practicing again. Womp, womp. Not the news Clipper fans were hoping to hear, but certainly better than him NOT practicing, right? In his absence, Norm Powell has flourished, averaging 25 points on 50/48/93 splits over his last three games. | 1 | 14-11 |
| 11 |  | The Bucks are certainly better than they were a few weeks ago, but they're not exactly establishing themselves as a contender despite their improved record. The supporting cast no-showed against the Celtics, they were saved by a late comeback against the Nets and then needed until the final whistle to take down a hobbled Orlando Magic squad at home. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard have been incredible, but the defense -- even over this 8-2 stretch -- hasn't been great. | 3 | 13-11 |
| 12 |  | In the words of the great Anthony Edwards, even Julius Randle is "f---ing playing defense" as Minnesota has put together the league's best defensive rating over its last 10 games -- back to the identity it established last season. The offense has been bad, but they'll be in every game as long as they keep guarding at such a high level. | 1 | 12-11 |
| 13 |  | Weird time to be a Heat fan, since the team seems to be playing better (three wins in a row) but also might be falling apart (Jimmy Butler's reported "openness" to a trade). Things will obviously change dramatically if he leaves, as Butler's impact on winning is as strong as ever. | 2 | 12-10 |
| 14 |  | I guess if you HAVE to lose to the Wizards, it goes down a little easier if you score 141 points and blow the doors off the Hawks the very next night? Just when you think Nikola Jokic can't get any more impressive on a basketball court, he follows up a career-high 56 points with a nice 48-14-8 on a back-to-back. If his supporting cast can give him anything close to consistent production (on both ends), the Nuggets are going to be a menace again very soon. | 2 | 12-10 |
| 15 |  | So the Hawks are kind of ... good? Wednesday's win over the Knicks was a great showcase for what this team can be -- tough, athletic, versatile and helmed by a leader so fearless that he rolled dice at halfcourt of MSG as the final seconds ticked away. And if anyone in the world is still sleeping on Jalen Johnson, maybe Atlanta's upcoming trip to Vegas will open their eyes. | 1 | 14-12 |
| 16 |  | Part of the thinking behind getting Bradley Beal was that if Kevin Durant was forced to miss time, they'd have two stars -- along with Devin Booker -- to help navigate the seas. Not a good start on that stormy front, as Phoenix dropped its first three games of KD's latest absence. The offense has actually been OK, but, as we see often when Durant misses time, the defense has suffered considerably. | 6 | 12-11 |
| 17 |  | Well, LeBron isn't going to play 82 games. The good news is the first one he missed was a win for the Lakers, as Anthony Davis, D'Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura picked up the slack with 81 combined points against the Blazers. Overall though, things are still on a downward trajectory after the hot start, going 3-7 in their last 10 games with a paltry 106 offensive rating over that stretch. | -- | 13-11 |
| 18 |  | Victor Wembanyama comes back and the Spurs snap their three-game losing streak, would you look at that? The big man put up 25 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks in 26 minutes in his first time on the court since a mini two-game absence. | -- | 12-12 |
| 19 |  | The Kings offense is alive! They dropped 281 combined points in consecutive wins over the Spurs and Jazz, leading Mike Brown to preach consistency by repeating the phrase "possession after possession" 26 straight times during his postgame press conference on Sunday (no, really ... look it up). Malik Monk has become the fourth member of the Big Three, averaging 22 points on 50/47/89 splits over his last seven games. | -- | 12-13 |
| 20 |  | Talk about a signature win. The Pistons rolled into MSG and put a hurting on the Knicks, holding the league's most efficient offense to just 111 points. As if you needed any more proof that Cade Cunningham is a superstar, he put up 29 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds in the win as his All-Star bid continues. | 1 | 10-15 |
| 21 |  | Brooklyn has now lost four of five, being outscored by nearly 11 points per 100 possessions during the skid. The Nets are particularly hurting on the offensive end without Cam Thomas, with Cam Johnson and Dennis Schroder taking the lead in terms of scoring and playmaking. | 1 | 10-14 |
| 22 |  | The Bulls put up a lot of points this week, but in the one game they actually held an opponent under 110 points, they only scored 100. Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic are both averaging over 20 points on near 50-40-90 splits over their last 10 games, but it doesn't really matter if Chicago can't stop anyone on the other end. | -- | 10-15 |
| 23 |  | A win over the Bulls notwithstanding, this has been a ROUGH stretch for the Pacers, who have lost five of six while averaging just under 108 points per 100 possessions -- your weekly reminder that Indiana was second in the league with a 120.5 offensive rating last season. Tyrese Haliburton has two single-digit scoring nights in that stretch, making it six total for the season ... all Pacers losses. | -- | 10-15 |
| 24 |  | Wipe the slate clean! The Sixers are 1-0 when Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George actually finish a game together, and that's all that matters for the franchise right now. Even better news: Embiid looked sharp in his return on Sunday, putting up 31 points and 12 rebounds in 33 minutes. | 2 | 7-15 |
| 25 |  | Charlotte's eight-game losing streak is a thing of the past thanks to a 26-point effort from Brandon Miller in a win over the struggling Pacers. Over his last five games as the offensive focal point, the second-year forward is averaging 29 points on 38% 3-point shooting. | 2 | 7-17 |
| 26 |  | Things go from bad to worse for the 7-18 Raptors, as Scottie Barnes is expected to miss significant time with an ankle injury -- this after he recently returned from an orbital fracture. The offense now goes back into the hands of RJ Barrett, who's averaged 26 points on 54/38/83 splits over his last five games. | 2 | 7-18 |
| 27 |  | Portland has lost four in a row and six of its last seven, allowing a staggering 125 points per 100 possessions over that stretch. During those seven games, the Blazers' defensive rating has ballooned from 119 (bad) to 127 (REALLY bad) with Deandre Ayton on the floor -- not great for your starting center. | 2 | 8-16 |
| 28 |  | Wanna hear something crazy? The Jazz lit up the scoreboard with 141 points in a win over the Blazers on Friday, and then turned around and lost to the Kings two nights later while giving up ... exactly 141 points. *Cue X-Files music* Keyonte George is on a hot streak, averaging 21 points on 52/42/100 splits in the two mirror-image games. | -- | 5-18 |
| 29 |  | Add Brandon Ingram to the growing list of Pelicans forced to miss extended time due to injuries. He may not be in New Orleans much longer anyway, if you believe the rumors, but of course we've heard that song before. Even without him, the Pelicans should start to pick up a few wins here and there once CJ McCollum and Dejounte Murray shake off the shooting rust. | -- | 5-20 |
| 30 |  | Jordan Poole was the hero as the Wizards snapped their 16-game losing streak with a surprisingly thorough beatdown of the Nuggets on Saturday. They started a new losing streak the very next game, but we're not here to be negative. | -- | 3-19 |
