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NBA Power Rankings: Nets and 76ers move past off-court issues, Warriors rise to the top

Chinmay Vaidya updates his NBA power rankings after the third week of the 2021-22 regular season.

Brooklyn Nets v Toronto Raptors
Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets dunks the ball against the Toronto Raptors on November 7, 2021 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Photo by Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images

After three weeks of the 2021-22 NBA season done, we’re starting to see some trends that give us a more clear picture of how teams are performing. There are still some variables which will take time to normalize, although most teams appear to be starting to settle into a rhythm. Here’s some of the notable teams trending up and down through three weeks

The Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets have put aside the off-court drama involving their stars. The 76ers have settled into a nice rotation, with Joel Embiid showing why he was an MVP finalist last season. The Nets have had some early trouble but are now winners of five straight with the Magic, Pelicans and Thunder coming up. The Golden State Warriors are still not at 100 percent with James Wiseman and Klay Thompson out, but that hasn’t stopped this team from looking like the title favorite through the first three weeks. The Cleveland Cavaliers are another team trending up after going on a four-game win streak.

The Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans are struggling to find their form, largely due to injuries. The Lakers have lost two games to the rebuilding Thunder this season, and LeBron James is dealing with a new injury. The Pelicans are down their top two players, and the rest of the roster is still developing. Both teams could have uneven seasons, although the Lakers have a better chance of turning things around once their stars get healthy.

Let’s take a look at Chinmay Vaidya’s power rankings for Week 4 of the NBA season.

NBA Power Rankings: Week 4

Rank Team Previous Rank
Rank Team Previous Rank
1 Golden State Warriors 2
2 Miami Heat 3
3 Philadelphia 76ers 8
4 Brooklyn Nets 5
5 Utah Jazz 1
6 Denver Nuggets 4
7 Chicago Bulls 7
8 New York Knicks 6
9 Milwaukee Bucks 10
10 Washington Wizards 11
11 Los Angeles Lakers 9
12 Phoenix Suns 14
13 Atlanta Hawks 12
14 Dallas Mavericks 16
15 Charlotte Hornets 13
16 Los Angeles Clippers 21
17 Memphis Grizzlies 15
18 Cleveland Cavaliers 25
19 Portland Trail Blazers 20
20 Toronto Raptors 17
21 Boston Celtics 22
22 Sacramento Kings 18
23 Minnesota Timberwolves 19
24 Indiana Pacers 23
25 San Antonio Spurs 24
26 Orlando Magic 30
27 Detroit Pistons 26
28 Houston Rockets 27
29 Oklahoma City Thunder 29
30 New Orleans Pelicans 28