It was a tough decision to say the least when considering who should get the No. 1 spot for the Week 8 NBA Power Rankings. The Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks are far-and-away the two best teams in the NBA. The Lakers have a slight edge at 21-3 compared to the Bucks at 20-3, but forget records. Again, I tend to use Bill Simmons’ line of thinking: Who would win in a 7-game series? I’m almost always going to lean LeBron James — especially now that he has Anthony Davis. Nothing against Giannis Antetokounmpo, who likely wins MVP again this season, but I think if both teams were operating at 100%, the Lakers win Game 7.
Well now that the top is out of the way, the rest of the rankings weren’t easy. The Mavericks and Celtics both made cases to be in the 3-spot, but I still think Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and the Los Angeles Clippers are better. Record may not reflect that but record isn’t everything. Luka Doncic has the Mavs near the top of the West and the Celtics have shown a lot of resilience with so many injuries. The Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers all dropped down. The Nuggets and Sixers I’m concerned about a bit. The Raptors I think are still a top 5 team, but need to get Kyle Lowry back to full speed.
Honestly the bottom of the NBA is pretty intriguing right now. The Golden State Warriors can only really beat the Chicago Bulls. The Dubs are a little bit more healthy with D’Angelo Russell back, but aren’t meshing at all like a real team. The New York Knicks finally axed coach David Fizdale and Mike Miller will take over in the interim. Owner James Dolan is supposed to find a more stable hire at head coach, but that’s still to be seen. For now, the Knicks and Warriors are in the basement still and it doesn’t look like they’ll get out anytime soon. Let’s take a look at the rankings, shall we?
NBA Power Rankings, Week 8
Team | Record | Schedule | Trending | Team | Trending |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | Record | Schedule | Trending | Team | Trending |
Los Angeles Lakers | 21-3 | @ ORL, @ MIA, @ ATL | -- | ||
Milwaukee Bucks | 20-3 | vs. ORL, vs. NOP, @ MEM, vs. CLE | -- | ||
Los Angeles Clippers | 17-7 | @ IND, @ TOR, @ MIN, @ CHI | Up 2 | ||
Dallas Mavericks | 16-7 | @ DET, vs. MIA | Up 6 | ||
Boston Celtics | 16-5 | vs. CLE, @ IND, vs. PHI | Up 4 | ||
Toronto Raptors | 15-7 | @ CHI, vs. LAC, vs. BKN | Down 2 | ||
Miami Heat | 17-6 | vs. ATL, vs. LAL, @ DAL | -- | ||
Denver Nuggets | 14-7 | @ PHI, vs. POR, vs. OKC, vs. NYK | Down 5 | ||
Houston Rockets | 15-7 | vs. SAC, @ CLE, @ ORL, vs. DET | Down 1 | ||
Philadelphia 76ers | 17-7 | vs. DEN, @ BOS, vs. NOP, @ BKN | Down 4 | ||
Indiana Pacers | 15-8 | vs. LAC, vs. BOS, @ ATL, vs. CHA | -- | ||
Utah Jazz | 13-10 | vs. OKC, @ MIN, vs. GSW | -- | ||
Orlando Magic | 11-11 | @ MIL, vs. LAL, vs. HOU, @ NOP | Up 4 | ||
Brooklyn Nets | 13-10 | vs. CHA, @ TOR, vs. PHI | Down 1 | ||
Oklahoma City Thunder | 10-12 | @ UTA, @ SAC, @ DEN | Up 4 | ||
Minnesota Timberwolves | 10-12 | @ PHX, vs. UTA, vs. LAC | Down 2 | ||
Phoenix Suns | 10-12 | vs. MIN, vs. MEM, vs. SAS | Down 1 | ||
San Antonio Spurs | 9-14 | vs. CLE, @ PHX | Up 3 | ||
Detroit Pistons | 9-14 | @ NOP, vs. DAL, @ HOU | Up 5 | ||
Portland Trail Blazers | 9-15 | vs. NYK, @ DEN | Down 5 | ||
Washington Wizards | 7-15 | @ CHA, @ MEM | Down 1 | ||
Sacramento Kings | 9-13 | @ HOU, vs. OKC, vs. NYK, @ GSW | Down 6 | ||
Charlotte Hornets | 9-16 | vs. WAS, @ BKN, @ CHI, @ IND | Down 1 | ||
Chicago Bulls | 8-16 | vs. TOR, vs. ATL, vs. CHA, vs. LAC | Up 1 | ||
Memphis Grizzlies | 6-16 | @ GSW, @ PHX, vs. MIL, vs. WAS | Up 1 | ||
Atlanta Hawks | 6-17 | @ MIA, @ CHI, vs. IND, vs. LAL | Up 4 | ||
New Orleans Pelicans | 6-17 | vs. DET, @ MIL, @ PHI, vs. ORL | Down 4 | ||
Cleveland Cavaliers | 5-17 | @ BOS, vs. HOU, @ SAS, @ MIL | Down 1 | ||
Golden State Warriors | 4-18 | vs. MEM, vs. NYK, @ UTA, vs. SAC | -- | ||
New York Knicks | 4-19 | @ POR, @ GSW, @ SAC, @ DEN | Down 2 |