Two weeks down and five and half more months to go. This week has completely flipped the entire league upside as the injury bug has really taken a toll on many NBA teams.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are missing two of their three key players and will be in the mix in the Western Conference. After a dominant first week, the Minnesota Timberwolves will now miss Anthony Edwards for a couple of months. Tyrese Haliburton missed this week with a hamstring injury and the Pacers are currently on a four game losing streak.
Let’s get into some of the positives. After a rough first week, the Golden State Warriors took four straight games in convincing fashion against three playoff contenders. It looks like Steph Curry might have his number two option in Yaxel Lendeborg. The Dallas Mavericks are winning games and giving teams like the Houston Rockets and Thunder their first losses of the season. How about those Memphis Grizzlies? A 6-0 start and possibly can go 8-0, how is that possible? Let’s not forget that the Philadelphia 76ers, the winners of the offseason, are off to a blazing start. Once again, the Southeast might be the weakest division in the NBA.
With that being said, let’s get right into it!
Standings are as of Sunday November 1.
NBA Power Rankings – Week 3
Highest Risers: Warriors (+13), Grizzlies (+10), Mavericks (+8)
Highest Fallers: Timberwolves (-14), Pacers (-8), Thunder (-7)
1. Houston Rockets 6-1 (4)
The offense has been absolutely dominant and efficient. The Rockets rank number one in offensive efficiency, and are top five in points, field goal %, three-point %, and assists. Houston was one bad quarter away from still being undefeated. Also, seven guys are averaging double digit points.
2. Philadelphia 76ers 6-1 (5)
The scary thing about this team is that yes they only lost 1 time, but this team is still gelling offensively. Defensively, it has been a different story. The 76ers are currently ranked number three in defensive efficiency.
3. Detroit Pistons 5-1 (3)
This team has been one of the top teams defensively so far as they rank #1 in defensive efficiency, points allowed, opponent field goal %, and are fourth in total points in the paint. Detroit just needs more help offensively outside of Cade.
4. San Antonio Spurs 4-2 (8)
Well, Victor was able to shake off his slow start which resulted in 4 straight wins for San Antonio which included 79 points in the past two games. Could we be seeing this all season? With OKC dealing with injuries, the West is running through San Antonio.
5. Boston Celtics 5-1 (10)
This was a positive week for the Celtics. Not only have they won five straight games, but Jayson Tatum had a couple of big games which included a 40 point game where he hit the game winner. Boston can make this Eastern Conference interesting.
6. Cleveland Cavaliers 4-2 (11)
The Cavaliers were able to get a couple of big wins this week and blew out the Bucks behind a 48 point 2nd quarter. There wasn’t much to highlight from Cleveland this week other than James Harden’s slow start.
7. Memphis Grizzlies 6-0 (17)
Yes, they have had a pretty easy schedule. But they have beat Portland and Golden State on their own floor. But 6-0 is 6-0! Ty Jerome cooled off a bit, but they are number one in point differential! A 8-0 start is also very possible. They have a big test vs. a banged up Thunder team.
8. Oklahoma City Thunder 4-2 (1)
The injury bug keeps piling on for the Oklahoma City Thunder. First, they lost Cason Wallace and Jalen Williams. Now, they will be missing Chet Holmgren for 8-10 weeks along with Alex Caruso. Expect Shai to take over in the next couple of months and guys like Jared McCain and Ajay Mitchell will need to step up. The West is now up for grabs.
9. Portland Trail Blazers 4-1 (13)
It is so great seeing Damian Lillard back in a Portland uniform and man this team takes a lot of threes. When their shot falls, they can light up the score board. Their only loss came against Memphis which was a night where their shot was falling. Ja Morant was affected by the injury bug sadly. However, Portland still is 1st in their division.
10. Los Angeles Lakers 5-2 (6)
The defense has improved a bit after giving up 136 points to the Blazers on their own floor. Still, the offense went ice cold after Luka’s hot 1st Quarter against Golden State in a 17 point loss. This included not scoring in the 4th until halfway through that quarter. They almost blew a 26 point lead to Toronto to barely win.
11. Toronto Raptors 3-3 (7)
After Scottie Barnes zero-point game against Minnesota, Barnes averaged close to 35 points a game in the past week. Barnes leads his team in all simple stats except for assists. This team continues to be a pest defensively as they rank number two in steals and number one in opponent turnovers.
12. New York Knicks 2-4 (14)
The Knicks were able to get two wins this season to avoid the worst start in NBA history by an NBA champ. However, Jalen Brunson has had an up and down start to the season and what the heck is going on with Mikal Bridges?
13. Dallas Mavericks – 4-2 (21)
This team is starting to become something. In fact, they won three straight games which included giving Oklahoma City and Houston their first losses of the year. Cooper Flagg is starting to look like a superstar and it is awesome to hear Kyrie Irving talk about his mentorship with Flagg. Luka, who?!
14. Golden State Warriors 4-3 (27)
What do you know? The Warriors are back! After a brutal first week, the Warriors managed to rally off four straight wins. And those three wins were against Western Conference contenders. One of those wins were against the Lakers where they were down 25 and won by 17. Maybe these Warriors will be okay.
15. Denver Nuggets 3-2 (12)
From a scoring standpoint, Jokic has gotten off to a slow start, but Jamal Murray has been able to have a couple of big games to keep them above .500. The biggest highlight was getting booed by fans after their home loss to the Warriors.
16. Minnesota Timberwolves 4-3 (2)
The injury to Anthony Edwards led to a 1-2 week and their only win coming against the Clippers. This will be a big test for LaMelo Ball. The team will still be fun and entertaining but can they tread water until Edwards comes back?
17. Atlanta Hawks 3-4 (9)
Well, remember when I said this team does everything well last week? May have spoken too soon. After this past week from a couple of bad losses, this team screams mid across the board in most metrics. Also, is it safe to say Jalen Johnson regressed or is it just a slow start?
18. Washington Wizards 3-3 (16)
AJ Dybantsa has made his NBA debut and he looked pretty solid averaging 18 points on 57% shooting. They have a couple of tough road games ahead vs. Oklahoma CIty, Atlanta, and Orlando. Fun fact, this team has the worst differential in offensive rebounds. Probably means a lot of standing around.
19. Miami Heat 2-4 (26)
Good news, the Heat got in the win column despite one of those wins being against a Pacers team without Halliburton and another game needing a vintage Klay Thompson performance. Giannis has looked his usual self and Bam has played a little better despite a slow start.
20. New Orleans Pelicans 2-4 (24)
Not only one win, but two for the Pelicans. Their biggest win was a 22 point blowout against the Hawks. This team has done a couple things really well to start the year which are steals where they lead all teams in steals. Also, New Orleans’ bench is deep which is currently 2nd in total bench points. Maybe, they could be a play-in team.
21. Charlotte Hornets 3-4 (18)
This team is currently the only team that has an offensive efficiency under 100 and is dead last. Brandon Miller is currently taking a larger role in the offense but is shooting 37%. Weird story was Naz Reid’s benching due to not meeting team standards vs. Detroit.
22. Orlando Magic 2-3 (19)
What has been a part of this team’s identity which was defense has so far regressed. For example, Orlando was ranked 11th in opponent three point % last year, now they are 22nd. Orlando is currently ranked 23rd in total defensive efficiency and they were ranked number two just a couple seasons ago. The Magic will start a 4 game West Coast road trip Thursday.
23. Indiana Pacers 2-5 (15)
Tyrese Halliburton could really be the NBA’s true most valuable player. When he played, the team was 8th in offensive efficiency. Since his hamstring injury, they have fallen to 17th and the Pacers have given the Bucks and Nets their first win of the season.
24. Phoenix Suns 1-3 (20)
It’s only been 4 games but still the Suns are the worst team in the NBA of defensive efficiency. The two areas where it’s been glaring are they are dead last in points off second chance and three point percentage. There is a lot of work that needs to be done.
25. Brooklyn Nets 1-5 (28)
The Nets got a win and they were only seconds away from having another win against the Celtics in Boston. This team takes a lot of threes and they are ranked in the top 10 for three point percentage. Also, who is Nolan Traore? He has had a couple of solid games averaging 13 points on 45% shooting. Could we be seeing more of his stuff this season?
26. Utah Jazz 1-5 (22)
No doubt they have been one of the most disappointing teams in the NBA. If it weren’t for a go ahead winner by Darryn Peterson, Utah would be winless through 2 weeks. It doesn’t help that the Jazz are still a bottom five defensively and Jaren Jackson Jr will be out 6-8 weeks with a torn MCL.
27. Los Angeles Clippers 1-5 (23)
A bit of a brutal week after a pretty good first week. Two brutal losses by teams they were expected to lose by. The big takeaway has been that the Clippers are turnover prone. They lead the league in turnovers and have three more turnovers a game then the team with second highest turnovers per game. Darius Garland leads the league with almost 6 a game. Clean it up!
28. Chicago Bulls 1-5 (25)
Pretty bad week for the Windy City which included two blowout losses in Boston. They almost beat New York, but the Bulls have been the worst team in the first quarter and the worst three point shooting team. Their schedule this week could result in an extension of their losing streak by playing Philly twice and back in the Garden.
29. Milwaukee Bucks 1-5 (29)
The good news is that the Bucks got a win this season and they are actually ranked number three in total rebounds and number seven in rebound differential. Bad news, they are still 1-5 and had a couple of blow out losses since their sole win against the Pacers.
30. Sacramento Kings 0-6 (30)
This week’s stat is absolutely crazy. Darius Acuff has the most shot attempts as a rookie for the first three games since Kevin Durant back in 2008. Currently, the rookies leads the league in shot attempts and TIm Hardway Sr is currently shaking his head. Acuff did have a couple of his best games which were a couple of 30 point games. Now let’s get a win.
Main Image: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
