Power Rankings, Week 17: Knicks, Celtics and Cavs on the move

James Harden showed out in his debut with the Cavs to help them to a win in Sacramento.

This looked like another dominant season for the Western Conference, and through the first 13 weeks, it was just that. Through Jan. 19, the West was 120-91 (.569) in games against the East, what would have been its second best interconference mark in the last 11 years.

But things have changed in the last 20 days. Since Jan. 20, the East is 48-22 against the West, putting the season-long tally in interconference games at West 142, East 139. That (.495) would be the East’s fourth best record in the last 27 years.

At this point, the seventh-place team in the West (Phoenix) would still be in sixth place in the East. But things are now a lot more even than they were a few weeks ago.

There are six East-West games to be played in the four remaining days before the All-Star break, and the West will have home-court advantage in five of the six. So maybe the East’s run of success stops here. Maybe not.

Plus-Minus Players of the Week

Teams of the Week

• Make It Last Forever: L.A. Lakers (3-0) — Have the Lakers rediscovered their mojo? A back-to-back against the Thunder and Spurs on Monday and Tuesday could tell us a lot.
• Something Just Ain’t Right: Chicago (0-3) — The Bulls have lost seven of their last eight games and now have a roster that makes very little sense.

* * *

East vs. West

• The West is 142-139 (.505) against the East in interconference games, though the East was 14-7 last week.

Schedule strength through Week 16

• Toughest: 1. Sacramento, 2. New Orleans, 3. Indiana
• Easiest: 1. Denver, 2. Detroit, 3. Minnesota
• Schedule strength = cumulative opponent record.

* * *

Movement in the Rankings

• High jump of the week: New York (+4)
• Free falls of the week: Houston, Indiana, LA Clippers, Minnesota (-3)

* * *

Week 17 Team to Watch

• Charlotte — The Hornets will put their nine-game winning streak against the best team in the Eastern Conference when they host the Pistons on Monday. Then they’ll face the Hawks on Wednesday, a huge game in regard to Play-In positioning.

* * *

Previously…

OffRtg: Points scored per 100 possessions (League Rank)
DefRtg: Points allowed per 100 possessions (League Rank)
NetRtg: Point differential per 100 possessions (League Rank)
Pace: Possessions per 48 minutes (League Rank)

The league has averaged 114.6 points scored per 100 possessions and 100.3 possessions (per team) per 48 minutes this season.

NBA.com’s Power Rankings, released every Monday during the season, are just one man’s opinion. If you have an issue with the rankings, or have a question or comment for John Schuhmann, contact him via Bluesky.

#1

Detroit PistonsLast Week:1

Record: 38-13

OffRtg: 116.4 (11) DefRtg: 108.4 (2) NetRtg: +8.1 (2) Pace: 100.6 (17)

The Pistons suffered their worst loss of the season on Thursday, never holding a lead and getting outscored by 27 points (54-27) from 3-point range by the Wizards. But they blew out the Knicks for the second time just 24 hours later and remain the contender that’s playing the best as we head toward the All-Star break.

Three takeaways

• The Pistons have yet to play the Thunder or the Spurs, but with their wins over Denver and New York last week, they’re 7-1 in games played between the top six teams in the league, with the only loss having come in Boston by three points. They were at a rest disadvantage for both of their wins over the Knicks, and they won them both by more than 30 points, holding the league’s third-ranked offense to just 89.9 points per 100 possessions. They’re now 7-0 in rest-disadvantage games.

• Kevin Huerter played just 14 total minutes (only four alongside Cade Cunningham) over his first two games with the Pistons, playing behind Ron Holland, Caris LeVert and Daniss Jenkins. Huerter is having, by a healthy margin, the worst 3-point shooting season (30.8%) of his career, but he does give the Pistons more size on the wing. It will be interesting to see if he gets a real opportunity to rediscover his shot over the final two months of the season.

• The Pistons are now tied in the loss column with the Thunder, who are currently without two of their three best players. So finishing with the best record in the league (for the first time in 20 years) is certainly a possibility, and they have an easier remaining schedule than Oklahoma City, though two head-to-head matchups (Feb. 25 and Mar. 30) could ultimately determine the overall No. 1 seed.

Coming up: The way things are going, the Hornets are looking like a potential first-round opponent for the Pistons, who held Charlotte to its worst offensive game of the season (86 points on 107 possessions) in the first meeting back in December. The second meeting (of three) is on Monday in Charlotte.

Week 17: @ CHA, @ TOR

#2

San Antonio SpursLast Week:3↑

Record: 36-16

OffRtg: 116.5 (10) DefRtg: 111.1 (3) NetRtg: +5.4 (5) Pace: 100.8 (14)

The Spurs matched their win total from last season with a wire-to-wire victory over the shorthanded Thunder on Wednesday, finishing 4-1 against the champs. Then they swept a home-and-home set with the Mavs to climb within three games in the loss column of Oklahoma City.

Three takeaways

• The Spurs have outscored their opponents by 16.8 points per 100 possessions with Champagnie and Victor Wembanyama on the floor together, the third-best non-Thunder two-man mark among combinations that have played at least 500 total minutes. So, even with Devin Vassell back in the starting lineup for the last five games, Champagnie has remained there. Harrison Barnes has come off the bench in three of the last five, and Stephon Castle was a reserve for the first time this season in Dallas on Thursday.

• Castle was back in the starting lineup and had the best game of his career two nights later, recording a 40-point triple-double as the Spurs blew out the Mavs. Castle is still shooting 28.9% from 3-point range, but he’s seen jumps from his rookie season in field goal percentage in the paint, the percentage of his shots that have come in the paint and free throw rate. He’s also seen the fifth biggest jump in assists per 36 minutes (from 5.5 to 8.2) among 310 players who’ve played at least 300 minutes in each of the last two seasons.

• The Spurs have outscored their opponents by 76 points in the restricted area over their four-game winning streak, and now rank fourth in restricted-area differential (plus-6.0 per game) for the season.

Coming up: The Spurs are 0-2 against the Warriors, having lost the two games (both at home) by a total of six points. They’ll be at a rest disadvantage when they close out their pre-break schedule at Golden State on Wednesday.

Week 17: @ LAL, @ GSW

#3

Oklahoma City ThunderLast Week:2↓

Record: 40-13

OffRtg: 117.7 (4) DefRtg: 105.9 (1) NetRtg: +11.8 (1) Pace: 100.9 (13)

The Thunder are now playing without both Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdominal strain suffered on Tuesday) and Jalen Williams. They’ve lost five of their last eight games and are now tied with the Pistons in the loss column.

Three takeaways

• The Thunder had won their first two games without Gilgeous-Alexander, but those were against the Jazz and Grizzlies. They didn’t have enough without him against the Spurs and Rockets last week, the 11th and 12th times they’ve scored fewer than 110 points per 100 possessions. Overall, they’ve scored just 108.3 per 100 in 937 minutes with the MVP off the floor.

• The Thunder are 16-12 since that 24-1 start, though they still have a strong point differential (plus-6.9 per 100 possessions) over the latter stretch. They’re just 4-8 in games that were within five points in the last five minutes since mid-December and have scored just 27 points on 33 clutch possessions (0.82 per) as they’ve gone 1-5 in clutch games over the last four weeks.

• The Thunder’s first three games of February were wire-to-wire games, where the first team that scored (the Thunder twice, the Spurs on Wednesday) never trailed. But they blew a 15-point lead as they fell to the Rockets on Saturday and have now had double-digit leads in six of their 13 losses. They were 66-5 when leading by double-digits last season.

Coming up: The Thunder have two more games within the top seven in the West before the All-Star break. One of those six losses where they led by double-digits came in Phoenix last month, and they’ll be back at the Mortgage Matchup Center on Wednesday.

Week 17: @ LAL, @ PHX, vs, MIL

#4

New York KnicksLast Week:8↑

Record: 34-19

OffRtg: 118.6 (3) DefRtg: 113.1 (11) NetRtg: +5.5 (4) Pace: 98.5 (25)

The Knicks saw their eight-game winning streak come to an end on Friday, when they got clobbered in Detroit for the second time. But they did the clobbering two days later, beating the Celtics to take back second place in the Eastern Conference.

Three takeaways

• The two losses in Detroit were rest-advantage games, but they were two of the four times the Knicks have scored less than a point per possession. Their 38-point loss on Friday was their worst offensive game of the season (80 points on 95 possessions) by a wide margin. They were without both OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns, but Detroit was without Jalen Duren and (as noted) playing the second game of a back-to-back. The third (and final) meeting will be in New York in both teams’ first game after the All-Star break.

• More important than one ugly offensive performance may be that the Knicks have had the league’s top-ranked defense by a wide margin (100.8 points allowed per 100 possessions) over their last 10 games. Their win on Sunday was the Celtics‘ worst offensive game of the season (89 points on 94 possessions), though that was mostly about Boston shooting 7-for-41 (17%) from 3-point range. With most of the improvement over these 10 games being about how poorly (28.2%) the opponents have shot from beyond the arc, it may not be sustainable.

• Jose Alvarado made his Knicks debut on Sunday, registering 12 points, two assists, two steals and a block in 25 minutes in the win in Boston. More than half of those minutes came alongside Jalen Brunson, who was the beneficiary of both of Alvarado’s assists.

Coming up: The Nuyoricans at Madison Square Garden will get to welcome Alvarado home on Tuesday. The Knicks will then be at a rest disadvantage when they visit the sixth-place Sixers (who are only three games behind them in the loss column) the following night.

Week 17: vs. IND, @ PHI

#5

Denver NuggetsLast Week:5

Record: 34-19

OffRtg: 121.0 (1) DefRtg: 116.8 (24) NetRtg: +4.2 (7) Pace: 98.4 (26)

The Nuggets got Cam Johnson back from a 22-game absence over the weekend, but not before they lost Peyton Watson (hamstring strain) for at least four weeks. Jamal Murray also left their win in Chicago on Saturday after suffering a hip injury in the fourth quarter.

Three takeaways

• Before the last three weeks, the Nuggets were 13-6 (second best) in games played between the 16 teams currently over .500. But they’ve now lost their last five games within that group, having allowed more than 121 points per 100 possessions over those five games.

• Nikola Jokić was 0-for-7 on clutch 3s at Madison Square Garden, playing the entirety of the two overtimes and blowing past his minutes restriction. He logged 77 1/2 minutes over the back-to-back and, over their five games since his return, the Nuggets have been 24.9 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor (plus-10.4) than they’ve been with him off the floor (minus-14.5).

Coming up: The Nuggets will have one more game against a winning team before the break, hosting the Cavs on Monday, with Murray listed as questionable in the morning. They lost the first meeting (in Cleveland and without Jokić) in early January after blowing an 11-point, second-half lead.

Week 17: vs. CLE, vs. MEM

#6

Boston CelticsLast Week:9↑

Record: 34-19

OffRtg: 120.0 (2) DefRtg: 112.7 (9) NetRtg: +7.3 (3) Pace: 95.7 (30)

The Celtics had a five-game winning streak that included a rest-disadvantage victory without Jaylen Brown in Houston on Wednesday. But the streak ended on Sunday afternoon, when they got blown out by the Knicks over the final 18 minutes. That has them back in third place in the East, because New York holds the head-to-head tiebreaker for now.

Three takeaways

• Like the Knicks’ longer streak, the Celtics’ winning streak was about defensive improvement (100.9 points allowed per 100 possessions), and they’re now the only Eastern Conference team that ranks in the top 10 on both ends of the floor. Like New York, the Celtics benefitted from poor opponent 3-point shooting (31.7%) over their winning streak. But the opponents also shot just 47.6% in the paint over the five games.

• The Celtics saved a ton of money and seemingly addressed a need by swapping Anfernee Simons for Nikola Vučević at the deadline. Vučević doesn’t provide much rim protection, but he’s now the best defensive rebounder on the roster and should fit in offensively with the team that leads the league in the percentage of their shots (60%) that have come from outside the paint.

• Payton Pritchard moved to the bench with Simons’ departure, and he averaged 25.7 in his first three games (back) as a reserve before struggling (2-for-9) in the loss to the Knicks on Sunday. Pritchard hasn’t been replaced in the starting lineup with either Vučević or another guard/wing. Instead, Luka Garza has started the last three games alongside Neemias Queta. The two bigs have still played just 49 total minutes together, with the Celtics outscoring their opponents by a point (7.9 per 100 possessions) in those minutes.

Coming up: The Celtics have two days off before completing their pre-break schedule with a visit from Simons and the Bulls on Wednesday. The home team has won the first two meetings, with the Bulls winning the most recent one with a Kevin Huerter 3-pointer with less than a second to go.

Week 17: vs. CHI

#7

Houston RocketsLast Week:4↓

Record: 32-19

OffRtg: 117.3 (5) DefRtg: 112.2 (6) NetRtg: +5.1 (6) Pace: 96.7 (27)

The Rockets were one of only three teams that didn’t make a trade in the week before the deadline, even though their offense has been struggling for a month.

Three takeaways

• The Rockets rank 27th offensively (110.2 points scored per 100 possessions) over their last 20 games, and they scored just 102.1 per 100 in their Wednesday-Thursday back-to-back, losing (at home) to the Celtics (without Jaylen Brown) and Hornets. The back-to-back was the end of a seven-game stretch in which Reed Sheppard shot 29%, including 9-for-43 (21%) from 3-point range.

• Sheppard shot better (7-for-12) as the Rockets beat the shorthanded Thunder in Oklahoma City on Saturday, improving to 3-6 against the three Western Conference teams ahead of them in the standings. JD Davison has been getting some rotation burn over the last three games and the Rockets have scored 121.5 points per 100 possessions in his 33 minutes on the floor over that stretch. It seems logical that the Rockets would look for a point guard on the buyout market.

• The Rockets remain a terrific offensive rebounding team, but rank 24th in defensive rebounding percentage since Steven Adams was lost for the season. They have also been outscored on second chances in six of their last seven games.

Coming up: The Rockets and Clippers have split their first two meetings, with the home team winning both. It’s one of those weird, four-game series where they got an extra game to fill in during NBA Cup week, and one of the two teams gets three of the four games at home. That team is the Rockets, and the final two meetings are Tuesday and Wednesday in Houston.

Week 17: vs. LAC, vs. LAC

#8

Phoenix SunsLast Week:6↓

Record: 31-22

OffRtg: 114.5 (14) DefRtg: 112.3 (8) NetRtg: +2.2 (11) Pace: 99.0 (22)

The Suns got Devin Booker back from a seven-game absence on Saturday, when Jalen Green also returned and played his sixth game of the season. But they fell to the Sixers, have lost three of their last four games and remain outside the top six in the Western Conference.

Three takeaways

• Though Booker continues to have the worst 3-point shooting season of his career (he was 1-for-7 from beyond the arc in his return on Saturday), he was 10-for-11 from the line against the Sixers and the Suns scored efficiently in his 32 minutes. The problem was that they didn’t stagger his minutes with those of Dillon Brooks and (with Grayson Allen not available) they scored a brutal nine points on 21 offensive possessions with their two leading scorers both on the bench.

• The Suns continue to rank second in 3-point differential (plus-6.7 points per game), and they’ve been outscored from beyond the arc in only 13 of their 43 games. Four of those 13 have come against the Warriors, who beat Phoenix by four points on Thursday, when they set the record for single-game 3-point rate (55 of their 76 shots). The Suns are 4-9 in those 13 games when they’ve been outscored from deep.

• The Suns still have a three-game lead on the eighth-place Warriors and are still tied in the loss column with the sixth-place Wolves (with whom they’ve already won the head-to-head tiebreaker). The Suns are 8-11 in games played between the top eight teams in the West, but the Wolves are the one team that’s been worse (6-11).

Coming up: The Suns have scored just 105.0 points per 100 possessions as they’ve lost their three February home games, set to host the Mavs and Thunder this week.

Week 17: vs. DAL, vs. OKC

#9

Cleveland CavaliersLast Week:10↑

Record: 32-21

OffRtg: 117.2 (6) DefRtg: 113.4 (13) NetRtg: +3.8 (9) Pace: 101.8 (8)

James Harden on the Cavs? OK! The Cavs clearly wanted to maximize their chances of winning this season, and the mostly durable Harden replaces the banged-up Darius Garland. It’s also a talent upgrade, though not an ideal fit on the surface.

Three takeaways

• Harden’s Cavs career seemingly had a soft launch on Saturday, when the Cavs had a rest advantage in Sacramento, with the Kings having lost 11 straight games. But the Cavs needed to erase two double-digit deficits plus a seven-point deficit with less than four minutes left to escape with the victory. Harden and Donovan Mitchell both shot better than 50%, their minutes were staggered so that at least one of the two was always on the floor, and their minutes apart were much better than their minutes together (small sample size warning!).

• The game was closer than it should have been because it was the Cavs’ worst defensive game (126 points allowed on 102 possessions) in their last nine. But they were without both Evan Mobley (who’s missed the last five games) and Dean Wade, so they were playing some four-guard lineups, with Harden or Mitchell sometimes asked to guard Precious Achiuwa. They still have the league’s sixth-ranked defense as they’ve had their best record (15-5) over the last six weeks.

• Jarrett Allen also scored 27 points in Sacramento, six days after he scored a career-high 40 in Portland. He’s looked more aggressive of late, registering a usage rate of 23.9% over Mobley’s five-game absence, up from 17.8% prior. The Cavs are now 14-2 when Allen has scored at least 15 points and he should get more scoring opportunities with Harden running the offense.

Coming up: The Cavs’ five-game trip concludes with an intriguing game in Denver on Monday. They’ll then return home for a game against the Wizards, having won 14 straight against Washington.

Week 17: @ DEN, vs. WAS

#10

Minnesota TimberwolvesLast Week:7↓

Record: 32-22

OffRtg: 116.6 (8) DefRtg: 112.8 (10) NetRtg: +3.9 (8) Pace: 101.4 (10)

The Wolves were the Western Conference contender that made the best win-now move at the deadline, trading Rob Dillingham and a bunch of second-round picks for Ayo Dosunmu. But they’re also the Western Conference contender that’s struggling to beat below-.500 teams, and they’ve dropped three of their last four games.

Three takeaways

• Dosunmu obviously addresses a need for the Wolves, who have gotten very little guard production off the bench. They’ve been 9.8 points per 100 possessions better with Donte DiVincenzo on the floor (plus-7.2) than they’ve been with him off the floor (minus-2.6), a much bigger on-off differential than any of their starters had last season.

• Alas, when Dosunmu made his debut on Sunday afternoon, the Wolves were outscored by 33 points in his 25 1/2 minutes. They trailed by as many as 28 points, and it was just the second time this season that they’ve scored less than a point per possession.

• The other end of the floor has been the bigger issue in these early days of February, with the three games prior to Sunday’s loss being the Wolves’ worst three-game stretch of defense this season (127.8 points allowed per 100 possessions). And those games came against teams – Memphis, Toronto and New Orleans – that rank in the bottom half of the league offensively.

Coming up: The Wolves are two games into a stretch (that spans the All-Star break) of six straight at home. They’ll host the Hawks on Monday, with the first meeting (Dec. 31 in Atlanta) having been one of the Wolves’ worst losses of the season.

Week 17: vs. ATL, vs. POR

#11

Los Angeles LakersLast Week:13↑

Record: 32-19

OffRtg: 116.5 (9) DefRtg: 116.5 (22) NetRtg: +0.0 (16) Pace: 99.5 (20)

Austin Reaves is back and the Lakers have won eight of their last 11 games to remain in the top five in the Western Conference.

Three takeaways

• Reaves has come off the bench in his three games back and Luka Dončić missed their win over the Warriors (who were without Stephen Curry) on Saturday. But with their wins over the Nets and Sixers last week, the Lakers are 7-3 when Dončić, Reaves and LeBron James have all been available, even though they’ve been outscored by 9.6 points per 100 possessions (with sub-par offensive numbers) in 152 minutes with all three on the floor.

• The Lakers have had a top-10 defense (111.3 points allowed per 100 possessions) over this 8-3 stretch, which has been pretty balanced in regard to the opposing offenses. A big drop in opponent 3-point percentage is a big part of that, but the Lakers also rank first by a healthy margin in opponent free throw rate (18.5 attempts per 100 shots from the field) over the last 13 games, up from 10th (25.9 per 100) prior.

• The Lakers lead the league in free-throw differential (plus-4.1 points per game) for what would be the fourth straight season. Reaves was 20-for-24 from the line in his first three games back and has the sixth-highest individual free-throw rate (54 attempts per 100 shots from the field) among 235 players with at least 250 field goal attempts.

Coming up: The Lakers are 2-4 against the four Western Conference teams ahead of them in the standings and are set to host the Thunder and Spurs in a Monday-Tuesday back-to-back. One of those two wins came (at home in early November) against the Spurs, but they’ll be at a rest disadvantage this week.

Week 17: vs. OKC, vs. SAS, vs. DAL

#12

Philadelphia 76ersLast Week:14↑

Record: 30-22

OffRtg: 115.4 (13) DefRtg: 113.8 (14) NetRtg: +1.5 (15) Pace: 99.5 (19)

The Sixers blew a 14-point, second-half lead in L.A. on Thursday, but they’ve won six of their last seven games and remain in the mix for a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference.

Three takeaways

• The Sixers and the Magic (who have a negative point differential) are the only teams with winning records that rank outside the top 10 on both ends of the floor. Philly’s strong stretches on either end have been fleeting, even with Joel Embiid playing in 18 of the last 22 games. The five-game winning streak (their longest of the season) that concluded with their win at Golden State on Tuesday was their best five-game stretch of offense (129.4 points scored per 100 possessions) this season, shooting 5-for-24 from 3-point range as the streak came to an end against the Lakers, and they had some turnover issues in their win in Phoenix on Saturday.

• Only Luka Dončić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have averaged more points than Embiid (30.2) since Christmas. Shooting improvement from his first 12 games has mostly come outside the paint, from 43.6% to 51.6% from mid-range and from 24.1% to 38.2% from 3-point range.

• There were a lot of surprising moves made at the trade deadline, and the Sixers sending Jared McCain to Oklahoma City was near the top of the list. But the second-year guard ranked ninth on the team in minutes per game and 10th in total minutes in the clutch, when the Sixers favored Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes in the backcourt. (They’re also not afraid to have Trendon Watford handle the ball.) They’ve outscored their opponents by 9.4 points per 100 possessions in 436 total minutes with Maxey, Edgecombe and Grimes on the floor together.

Coming up: The sixth-place Sixers trail the second-place Knicks by only three games in the loss column, and they’ve won two of the first three head-to-head meetings. Both of those wins came with rest advantages and the Sixers will have a rest advantage again when the season series concludes in Philadelphia on Wednesday.

Week 17: @ POR, vs. NYK

#13

Toronto RaptorsLast Week:12↓

Record: 32-22

OffRtg: 114.0 (16) DefRtg: 112.1 (5) NetRtg: +1.9 (14) Pace: 99.4 (21)

The Raptors only made minor moves at the deadline, and they slipped out of the top four in the East with another fourth-quarter collapse on Wednesday.

Three takeaways

• The Raptors led by 18 in the third quarter and were still up 12 early in the fourth on Wednesday. But they then saw the Wolves go on a 30-13 run and suffered their fourth loss in a game they led by double-digits in the fourth. That total leads the league, and the Raptors have the league’s 26th-ranked fourth-quarter offense (109.0 points scored per 100 possessions). Jamal Shead missed an open 3 for the lead late in the Minnesota loss and has the worst fourth-quarter effective field goal percentage (36.1%) among 277 players with at least 50 attempts.

• The Raptors are 9-1 since Jan. 1 against teams currently below .500, with the only loss having come to the much-improved Clippers (before they traded two of their three best players). And they recovered from the loss to the Wolves by taking care of business against Chicago and Indiana. They had 11 fewer turnovers than their opponents over the two wins and rank third in turnover differential (1.9 fewer per game) for the season.

• The one minor addition the Raptors made was Trayce Jackson-Davis, who was called into duty on Sunday when Collin Murray-Boyles reaggravated a thumb injury in the first half. Jackson-Davis had eight offensive rebounds in 15 1/2 minutes in the win over Indiana, helping the Raptors outscore the Pacers by 15 points (21-6) on second chances. Jackson-Davis hasn’t been quite as good a defensive rebounder as he was in his first two seasons, but he ranks 20th in offensive rebounding percentage (12.0%) among 343 players who’ve averaged at least 10 minutes per game. Murray-Boyles (10.3%) ranks 30th.

Coming up: The Raptors are 0-6 against the second-place Knicks and third-place Celtics, but they’ve yet to face the first-place Pistons (who are second in turnover differential). The first of three meetings will be on Wednesday in Toronto.

Week 17: vs. DET

#14

LA ClippersLast Week:11↓

Record: 25-27

OffRtg: 115.6 (12) DefRtg: 115.8 (20) NetRtg: -0.3 (17) Pace: 96.7 (28)

The Clippers still have the league’s best record (19-6) since Dec. 20, but they traded two of their three best players at the deadline, seemingly punting on this run up the standings, even though claiming a spot in the top six in the West wouldn’t have been impossible.

Three takeaways

• Defense was another story, but James Harden carried the Clippers’ offense for much of the last two seasons. At the time he played his last game with LA, the Clips had scored 12.3 more points per 100 possessions with Harden on the floor (118.9) than they had with him off the floor (106.6) this season. Ivica Zubac, of course, was Harden’s favorite pick-and-roll partner, but he’s still just 28 years old, so you could certainly see the Clippers build their future around him and Darius Garland. Alas, the package from the Pacers (featuring two first-round picks) was too good for them to pass up.

• Kawhi Leonard is still here, and he totaled 72 points, 17 rebounds, nine assists and six steals as the Clippers won weekend games in Sacramento and Minnesota. They’ve now outscored their opponents by 11.6 points per 100 possessions (with great defensive numbers) in 319 minutes with Leonard on the floor without Harden or Zubac.

• With double-digit losses to the Sixers and Cavs early last week, the Clippers’ point differential is back in the red. But after starting the season 2-10 in games that were within five points in the last five minutes, they’ve won six straight. They’re still one of three teams – the Lakers and Wizards are the others – that have played fewer than 20 clutch games all season.

Coming up: The Clippers’ win in Minnesota on Sunday began a stretch of seven straight games against teams with winning records, and they’ll go into the break with a back-to-back in Houston. The last meeting (a 20-point win just before Christmas) was the Clippers’ best offensive game of the season (128 points on just 90 possessions).

Week 17: @ HOU, @ HOU

#15

Charlotte HornetsLast Week:18↑

Record: 25-28

OffRtg: 117.1 (7) DefRtg: 114.9 (17) NetRtg: +2.2 (10) Pace: 98.6 (23)

The Hornets’ winning streak is at nine games, they’re now in SoFi Play-In Tournament position in the Eastern Conference, and they drew within a half game of the ninth-place Hawks with a clutch win in Atlanta on Saturday.

Three takeaways

• The streak includes four wins over teams – the Magic, Sixers, Spurs and Rockets – with winning records. The Hornets had a rest advantage in Houston on Thursday, and they won the battle on the glass between the league’s two best rebounding teams. They’ve led the league in rebounding percentage (57.2%) by a wide margin during the winning streak, holding their opponents to six second-chance points or fewer in four of the nine games.

• The Hornets’ starting lineup has eclipsed the 200-minute mark and has outscored opponents by 30.6 points per 100 possessions, which would be the second-best mark for a lineup that played at least 200 minutes in the 19 seasons for which we have lineup data. Charlotte is now 21-7 when LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel have all started.

• The addition of Coby White (who’s out until after the All-Star break) should help the Hornets’ bench, which struggled against the Pelicans last Monday. The Hornets came back from a 22-point deficit in that one and now have as many wins (they’re 7-25) in games they trailed by double-digits as they did all of last season (7-57).

Coming up: The Hornets lost their first four games against the other three teams – Orlando, Miami and Atlanta – in the Eastern Conference Play-In Club, but they’ve since won their last four, with two of those wins coming against the Hawks. The fourth (and final) meeting will be on Wednesday in Charlotte.

Week 17: vs. DET, vs. ATL

#16

Golden State WarriorsLast Week:16

Record: 28-25

OffRtg: 114.3 (15) DefRtg: 112.2 (7) NetRtg: +2.1 (12) Pace: 100.7 (16)

The Warriors could not get the Bucks to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo at the deadline, they’ve lost six of their last nine games, and they’re playing without Stephen Curry, probably until after the All-Star break.

Three takeaways

• The Warriors got a good win (without Curry) in Phoenix on Thursday, coming back from 11 points down with a little more than seven minutes left. They took 55 (72%) of their 76 shots from 3-point range, the highest single-game 3-point rate in the 47 years of the 3-point line. The Warriors have the five highest rates (two in games without Curry) this season, and they have won four of those five games.

• The other side of that coin is that the Warriors attempted just two free throws, the fewest for any team in any game in the last two seasons, in their loss to the Sixers on Tuesday. They’re one of five teams that have a lower free-throw rate than last season, seeing the league’s second-biggest jump in turnover rate and its fourth-biggest drop in offensive rebounding percentage.

• The Warriors’ offense has scored 8.7 more points per 100 possessions at home (118.8, fourth) than they have on the road (110.1, 24th). That’s the league’s biggest home-road differential on either end of the floor.

Coming up: The Warriors have still lost their last three games at home, and they’ll go into the break with visits from the Grizzlies and Spurs.

Week 17: vs. MEM, vs SAS

#17

Miami HeatLast Week:15↓

Record: 28-26

OffRtg: 113.7 (18) DefRtg: 111.7 (4) NetRtg: +2.0 (13) Pace: 104.9 (1)

The Heat were the only Eastern Conference team that didn’t make a trade in the week before the deadline, probably because they’re waiting for a big fish to really become available. In the meantime, they remain floating just above .500, hanging steadily in eighth place in the East.

Three takeaways

• The Heat had a 22-point lead in Boston on Friday, but they blew it and then went scoreless on their final five possessions of a two-point loss. They’re now 1-10 since Thanksgiving against the seven teams ahead of them in the Eastern Conference standings, having scored just 109.5 points per 100 possessions over those 11 games.

• Most of that 22-point lead disappeared late in the third quarter, and the Heat also had some bad bench minutes in their loss to the Hawks three nights earlier. Over the two games, they were outscored by 22 points in Bam Adebayo’s 31 minutes off the floor. But after a slow start in Washington on Sunday, the bench was a big factor in the 35-8 Miami run spanning the first and second quarters, turning an eight-point deficit into a 19-point lead.

• Some of that bench production came from Rookie Kasparas Jakučionis, who scored a career-high 22 points in the win over Washington, shooting 6-for-6 from 3-point range. For the season, he’s shot much better from beyond the arc (30-for-67, 44.8%) than he has inside (11-for-42, 26.2%).

Coming up: Before Sunday, the Heat had played the fewest games (11) against the nine teams that are more than five games below .500. They’re 9-3 against that group after taking care of business against the Wizards, and they’ll face the Jazz and Pelicans this week.

Week 17: vs. UTA, @ NOP

#18

Orlando MagicLast Week:17↓

Record: 27-24

OffRtg: 113.4 (21) DefRtg: 114.1 (15) NetRtg: -0.6 (18) Pace: 100.8 (15)

After beginning February with a tough, 0-2 trip through Oklahoma City and San Antonio, the Magic returned home and took care of business against the Nets and Jazz, improving to 9-1 against the bottom six teams in the league and keeping themselves in contention for a top-six spot in the East.

Three takeaways

• Jalen Suggs recorded his first career triple-double (15, 11 and 11) in the win over Brooklyn, adding three steals and four blocks. He then made multiple big plays down the stretch against Utah, draining a 3-pointer for the tie, stripping Isaiah Collier (leading to Desmond Bane’s free throws for the lead), and deflecting an inbounds pass to help seal the win. The Magic remain at their best (plus-7.0 points per 100 possessions) with Suggs on the floor.

• The Heat have seen the league’s biggest jump in pace from last season by a huge margin. The Magic have seen the second-biggest jump (+4.3 possessions per 48 minutes) and their win over the Jazz on Saturday was the fastest-paced game played in the league this season. The two teams combined for 81 points in transition (44-37 in favor of Orlando), according to Synergy tracking.

• With the Lakers having pushed their season-long differential above zero, the Magic are the only team with a winning record and a negative point differential. They’ve won their last five games that have been within five points in the last five minutes, with their opponents scoring just 41 points (and committing 10 turnovers) on 45 clutch possessions over that stretch.

Coming up: The Magic have a good opportunity to get that point differential in the black this week, closing their pre-break schedule with a pair of home games (their first two meetings of the season) against the Bucks.

Week 17: vs. MIL, vs. MIL

#19

Atlanta HawksLast Week:20↑

Record: 26-28

OffRtg: 113.8 (17) DefRtg: 114.7 (16) NetRtg: -0.9 (19) Pace: 102.9 (3)

The Hawks somehow got more athletic at the deadline, taking a flyer on Jonathan Kuminga, who won’t be available until after the All-Star break. On the floor, Atlanta has remained competitive, though it lost a big game to the Hornets on Saturday.

Three takeaways

• CJ McCollum continues to come off the bench, but he also continues to close games, usually in place of Zaccharie Risacher. Since his arrival, the Hawks have been at their best (plus-3.9 points per 100 possessions) with McCollum on the floor, and they’ve outscored their opponents by 52 points (26.2 per 100) in 87 minutes with McCollum, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels and Jalen Johnson on the floor together.

• Kuminga has an effective field goal percentage of just 49.5% over the last two seasons, down from 56.7% over his previous three. But he could help a team that ranks 29th in free-throw rate (22.7 attempts per 100 shots from the field) and traded its best foul drawer a month ago. His career free-throw rate (36 attempts per 100 shots from the field) ranks 15th among 135 players 6-foot-8 or shorter with at least 2,000 field goal attempts over the last five years.

• Trae Young and Kristaps Porziņģis seemed like an ideal pick-and-pop combination, especially with the Hawks having other guys who could attack the rim with or without the ball. But Young and Porziņģis played just three games together with Atlanta, and they’ve now both been shipped elsewhere.

Coming up: The Hawks are now 4-3 in games played between the four teams (all from the Southeast Division) in the Eastern Conference Play-In Club. They will go into the All-Star break with another big game against the Hornets, and their first visit to Charlotte was one of their five wire-to-wire losses this season.

Week 17: @ MIN, @ CHA

#20

Portland Trail BlazersLast Week:21↑

Record: 25-28

OffRtg: 113.2 (23) DefRtg: 115.4 (18) NetRtg: -2.2 (20) Pace: 101.8 (7)

Before Friday, the Blazers had a six-game losing streak. But they remain comfortably in the Western Conference Play-In Club, having swept their weekend back-to-back with the 11th-place Grizzlies.

Three takeaways

• There’s not much to take away from the two wins over the Grizzlies, who traded Jaren Jackson Jr. at the deadline and started somebody named Jahmai Mashack on Saturday. But that is the team best positioned to take away the Blazers’ spot in the Play-In and it was some relief for Portland’s defense, which had allowed 129.4 points per 100 possessions over the last three games of the losing streak.

• Deni Avdija has missed the last four (and nine of the last 13) games, but Scoot Henderson made his season debut on Friday, scoring 11 points and dishing out nine assists in 21 minutes off the bench. Henderson obviously hasn’t lived up to the pre-Draft hype over his two-plus seasons, but as the Blazers went 23-18 over their final 41 games last year, they were 7.4 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor (plus-7.2) than they were with him off the floor (minus-0.2).

• The Blazers have seen the league’s third biggest jump in 3-point rate, from 41.8% of their shots (17th highest) last season to 46.4% (fourth) this season. And they’ve taken more than half of their shots from beyond the arc in five of their last nine games. New Blazer Vít Krejčí has taken 15 of his 20 shots from beyond the arc and, while he’s just 5-for-15 on those 3-point attempts, Portland has scored an efficient 124.3 points per 100 possessions in his 63 minutes on the floor.

Coming up: The Blazers’ five-game homestand concludes with a visit from their Sixers on Monday. They’ll then play eight of their next 10 games on the road, closing out their pre-break schedule in Utah on Thursday night. With the two weekend wins over Memphis, the Blazers are 10-3 against the five teams behind them in the West standings.

Week 17: vs. PHI, @ MIN, @ UTA

#21

Chicago BullsLast Week:19↓

Record: 24-29

OffRtg: 113.7 (19) DefRtg: 117.5 (25) NetRtg: -3.8 (24) Pace: 102.3 (5)

The Bulls are this year’s winner of the “Most Motley Crew After the Deadline” award. Ayo Dosunmu, Kevin Huerter, Nikola Vučević and Coby White are gone. They’ve been replaced, mostly, by guys who were discarded by contending teams.

Three takeaways

• On the floor, the Bulls have gone 1-7 since they briefly climbed above .500 at 23-22. They’ve had the league’s worst defense in February, having allowed 131 points per 100 possessions over their current four-game losing streak. Only one of the four opponents (Denver) during the streak currently ranks in the top half of the league offensively.

• The most intriguing of the new Bulls may be Jaden Ivey, who’ll be a restricted free agent in July. The last two months of the season could be a major opportunity for the 23-year-old, who’s seen the eighth biggest drop in usage rate (from 25.6% to 19.4%) among 257 players who’ve played at least 500 minutes in each of the last two seasons. His first two games with Chicago were just his third and fourth starts this season and the first two times that he’s played at least 30 minutes.

• With their loss in Milwaukee last week, the Bulls are just 2-8 against the four teams behind them in the Eastern Conference standings, and one of those two wins (vs. Washington during its 14-game losing streak early in the season) came by a single point.

Coming up: The other win within the East’s bottom five was by 22 points and came against the Nets, who the Bulls will visit on Monday.

Week 17: @ BKN, @ BOS

#22

Dallas MavericksLast Week:22

Record: 19-33

OffRtg: 110.3 (27) DefRtg: 113.2 (12) NetRtg: -2.9 (22) Pace: 102.5 (4)

The Anthony Davis Era in Dallas is over, with the big man having played just 31 (36%) of a possible 86 games with the Mavs. Dallas went 17-14 in those 31 games and took a huge step backward when you combine the two Davis trades (the one that brought him in and the one that sent him out).

Three takeaways

• In between the two Davis trades, the Mavs did get Cooper Flagg, who had four straight games of more than 30 points before having a relatively quiet night in San Antonio on Saturday. Now averaging over 20 per game, he’d be just the second rookie in the last 46 years (since Larry Bird in 1979-80) to average at least 20 points, six rebounds and four assists. The other, of course, was Luka Dončić.

• Despite Flagg’s scoring streak, the Mavs have scored just 109.6 points per 100 possessions over their seven-game losing streak. Their shooters – Max Christie and Klay Thompson – have combined to shoot just 38% (including 32% from 3-point range) over the seven games.

• The Mavs got a pair of first-round picks in the Davis trade, but they’ll both be in the 20s. As is usually the case after a team trades a star, its best asset is its own pick. The Mavs are now seventh in the upside-down standings and their 2026 pick is the only one in the next five years that they control.

Coming up: The Mavs’ loss in San Antonio on Saturday was the start of a stretch (spanning the break) of six straight road games. They’re now 5-14 (with five straight losses) against the top eight teams in the West, set to visit the Suns and Lakers this week.

Week 17: @ PHX, @ LAL

#23

Milwaukee BucksLast Week:25↑

Record: 21-29

OffRtg: 113.0 (24) DefRtg: 116.6 (23) NetRtg: -3.7 (23) Pace: 98.6 (24)

The trade deadline has come and gone, and Giannis Antetokounmpo is still a member of the Bucks. They will certainly do their best to keep him around in the offseason.

Three takeaways

• Before Tuesday, the Bucks were 3-14 without Antetokounmpo, who’s now missed six straight games. But they’ve suddenly won three straight for the first time this season, keeping themselves in the Play-In race in the Eastern Conference. The opponents – Chicago, New Orleans and Indiana – haven’t been good, but it’s certainly progress. It’s been their best three-game stretch of offense (126.5 points scored per 100 possessions) all season.

• The team’s 3-point shooting has still been better (41.8%) with Antetokounmpo on the floor, and he still ranks second with 3.9 assists on 3-pointers per game (the second-highest mark of his career). But the Bucks have shot 57-for-128 (44.5%) from beyond the arc over the winning streak. AJ Green is 15-for-33 (45.5%) over the three games and is one of four players – Kevin Durant, Isaiah Joe and Luke Kennard are the others – who’ve shot 40% or better on at least 100 3-point attempts in each of the last four seasons.

• The Bucks need to shoot well from the perimeter because they don’t get to the line without their star. They have a free-throw rate of just 11.9 attempts per 100 shots from the field (last in the league by a healthy margin) over their last five games, getting outscored by more than 10 points per game at the line over that stretch.

Coming up: After beating the Bulls, Pelicans and Pacers at home, the Bucks will hit the road and take a step up in competition. The only Eastern Conference team they’ve yet to face is the Magic, and they’ll play two games in Orlando before visiting the Thunder on Thursday.

Week 17: @ ORL, @ ORL, @ OKC

#24

New Orleans PelicansLast Week:23↓

Record: 14-40

OffRtg: 112.3 (25) DefRtg: 118.4 (27) NetRtg: -6.1 (25) Pace: 101.1 (12)

The Pelicans only made minor moves at the deadline, holding onto Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III. If there will be any serious roster re-shuffling around Derik Queen and/or Zion Williamson, it will wait until summer.

Three takeaways

• The Pelicans salvaged a four-game trip with a comeback win in Minnesota on Friday, getting 85 combined points from Saddiq Bey (30), Williamson (29) and Murphy (26). With that game, their current starting lineup eclipsed the 100-minute mark and has now outscored opponents by 2.6 points per 100 possessions. The lineup doesn’t have a ball-handling guard, but still has an assist/turnover ratio of 3.95, the second-highest mark among the 51 lineups that have played at least 100 minutes.

• Murphy’s 26 in Minnesota came two nights after he scored a career-high 44 points in the Pelicans’ overtime loss in Milwaukee. His 12 3-pointers on Wednesday are tied for the fifth most for any player in a single game in the 47 seasons of the 3-point line. Four of those 12 3s came off the dribble, though for the season, Murphy is still just 49-for-172 (28.5%) on pull-up 3s, a mark which ranks 35th among 37 players with at least 100 attempts.

• The Pels came back from 18 down in Minnesota, but also blew a 22-point lead earlier in the week in Charlotte. They’re one of three teams with losing records (they’re 10-11) in games they led by double-digits.

Coming up: The Kings and Pelicans have played the toughest and second-toughest schedules (in regard to cumulative opponent winning percentage) to date, in part because they’ve yet to face each other. The first of three meetings between the bottom two teams in the West is on Monday in New Orleans.

Week 17: vs. SAC, vs. MIA

#25

Memphis GrizzliesLast Week:24↓

Record: 20-31

OffRtg: 113.2 (22) DefRtg: 115.4 (19) NetRtg: -2.2 (21) Pace: 101.4 (11)

Ja Morant is still here, mostly because his trade value has sunk like a stone over the last few years. But Jaren Jackson Jr. is gone and the Grizzlies will seemingly rebuild around Cedric Coward, Zach Edey and whomever they get in the next few drafts.

Three takeaways

• The thinking, presumably, was that if Morant wasn’t playing often and playing well, Jackson and Desmond Bane weren’t enough to keep the Grizzlies competitive in a deep Western Conference. And over the last two seasons (2023-24 and ’24-25), the Grizzlies were outscored by 5.4 points per 100 possessions in 1,477 minutes with Bane and Jackson on the floor without Morant.

• The Grizzlies actually won their first two February games, stunning the Wolves (in Jackson’s final game in Memphis) last Monday. But their most important two days regarding competing for a Play-In berth were their weekend back-to-back in Portland, and they lost both games, with some unfamiliar faces in the rotation. They’ve now allowed more than 122 points per 100 possessions over their last nine.

Coming up: The good news is that Scotty Pippen Jr. made his season debut on Friday, and this week could bring the Grizzlies’ first game where both Pippen and Ty Jerome are available.

Week 17: @ GSW, @ DEN

#26

Brooklyn NetsLast Week:28↑

Record: 14-37

OffRtg: 110.5 (26) DefRtg: 118.0 (26) NetRtg: -7.5 (26) Pace: 96.6 (29)

The Nets held onto Michael Porter Jr. at the deadline, a possible indication that they intend to be competitive in the 2026-27 season (with no control of their ’27 first-round pick). They added some second-rounders by helping teams duck the luxury tax and decided that Cam Thomas would be one of the players they waived to create the requisite roster space.

Three takeaways

• Rookie guards Nolan Traore and Egor Dëmin have started the last five games together, combining for almost half (47) of the team’s 98 points in Orlando on Thursday. But the Nets have scored an anemic 98.9 points per 100 possessions in their 137 total minutes on the floor together.

• The Nets’ other three first-round picks have also been in the rotation for the last couple of weeks, with Danny Wolf having one of his best games (16 points, seven rebounds, six assists and zero turnovers) in an easy win over the Wizards on Saturday. Brooklyn now ranks second (behind Charlotte) in the percentage of its minutes (29%) that have come from rookies.

• The Nets allowed 122.6 points per 100 possessions in Thomas’ 582 minutes. That’s the third-worst on-court mark among 233 players who’ve averaged at least 20 minutes in 20 games or more. He had the fourth-worst mark (120.6 allowed per 100) last season.

Coming up: With their win over the Wizards on Saturday, the Nets are 6-3 (3-0 at home) in games played between the bottom five teams in the East. They host the Bulls and Pacers this week.

Week 17: vs. CHI, vs. IND

#27

Washington WizardsLast Week:27

Record: 14-38

OffRtg: 109.4 (29) DefRtg: 120.2 (29) NetRtg: -10.8 (30) Pace: 101.9 (6)

Four weeks after trading for Trae Young, the Wizards made another big move, dealing for Anthony Davis. In neither deal did they give up one of their five core young players, but it could still be a challenge for all five to continue their development in a rotation that (eventually) includes both Young and Davis.

Three takeaways

• The Pistons may have had an even more interesting week on the floor. They got a wire-to-wire victory in Detroit on Thursday, their first win of the season (they were previously 0-14) against the nine teams that are currently more than 10 games over .500. And they followed that up with a loss in Brooklyn, trailing the Nets by as many as 34 points and sliding back into 14th place in the East.

• Will Riley was not one of the five core young guys noted above, but he was a first-round pick (No. 21) last year and had his two highest scoring games of the season last week. He scored 20 points (adding six rebounds, five assists and two steals) in the win in Detroit and then had 27 two nights later in Brooklyn. He’s got the kind of length every team would love to have on the wing and he’s finished relatively well (55%) in the paint for a rookie.

• With their loss to the Heat on Sunday, the Wizards are still winless (0-9) in the second games of back-to-backs. Only one team in the last 35 years has gone winless without rest over a full season, and that was the Wizards (0-13) two seasons ago.

Coming up: The Wizards’ final game before the All-Star break will be in Cleveland on Wednesday. They’ve lost the last 14 meetings and have had 36 fewer shot opportunities than the Cavs over their two games this season.

Week 17: @ CLE

#28

Utah JazzLast Week:29↑

Record: 16-37

OffRtg: 113.6 (20) DefRtg: 121.7 (30) NetRtg: -8.1 (28) Pace: 102.9 (2)

The Jazz made a move toward relevance at the deadline, trading three first-round picks for Jaren Jackson Jr. Utah’s 2026 pick is still going to the Thunder if it doesn’t land in the top eight, so we’ll likely have to wait until October for Utah to start being competitive again.

Three takeaways

• Jackson made his Jazz debut in Orlando on Saturday, scoring 22 points in 25 minutes. But he was one of four Utah starters who didn’t play in the fourth quarter. Both of the Jazz’s last two games went down to the wire, Lauri Markkanen was on the bench for the final 15 minutes of both. They lost the two games by a total of five points and Utah has now been outscored by 14.6 points per 100 possessions in 1,209 minutes with Markkanen off the floor.

• The Jazz are one win from matching their total from last season (17-65). They rank last defensively by a healthy margin for what would be the third straight season, but they’ve seen the league’s sixth biggest jump in points scored per 100 possessions. They had 24 turnovers in Orlando on Saturday, but have still seen the biggest drop in turnover rate, from 17.0 per 100 possessions (30th) last season to 15.2 per 100 (22nd) this season.

• As things stand (they have the league’s sixth-worst record), the Jazz have a 96% chance of keeping their pick and a 37% chance of it landing in the top four. They have seven games remaining against the five teams below them.

Coming up: Two of those seven games are against the Kings, who the Jazz will host on Wednesday. With their win in Indiana last week, they’re 4-2 against those five teams below them in the combined standings.

Week 17: @ MIA, vs. SAC, vs. POR

#29

Indiana PacersLast Week:26↓

Record: 13-40

OffRtg: 108.5 (30) DefRtg: 116.2 (21) NetRtg: -7.7 (27) Pace: 101.6 (9)

The Pacers aren’t competing for anything but Lottery odds this season, but they made one of the biggest deals at the deadline. By acquiring Ivica Zubac, they’ve set themselves up for contention again in 2027.

Three takeaways

• It may be a while before we see Zubac suit up for his new team, because he’s been dealing with a lingering ankle injury and the Pacers probably have no desire to play him at anything less than 100 percent. He’s taken 98% of his shots in the paint, but he’s had his worst shooting season (61.3%) of the last six years, also seeing a significant drop in rebounding percentage from last season.

• With Jay Huff and Micah Potter continuing to man the middle, the Pacers have been destroyed on the glass in three of their last four games. They rank last in total rebounding percentage (47.7%), in the bottom seven for what would be the fourth straight season.

• Johnny Furphy should be one of the most important players on the Pacers right now, because he’s one of the few that could really use this season to develop into a useful player for when the team is competitive again. The second-year forward has started the last 18 games and has had 12 assists over the last three, but among the 19 players who’ve played at least 100 minutes for the Pacers this season, Furphy has the lowest usage rate (12.5%). He’s scored no more than six points in seven of the last eight games.

Coming up: The last-place Pacers trail the 13th-place Nets by one game in the win column, and they have two more meetings (both in Brooklyn) this season. The first is Wednesday, when the Pacers will be at a rest disadvantage. They sat Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam and T.J. McConnell (against the Jazz) in the second game of their back-to-back last week.

Week 17: @ NYK, @ BKN

#30

Sacramento KingsLast Week:30

Record: 12-42

OffRtg: 110.2 (28) DefRtg: 119.8 (28) NetRtg: -9.6 (29) Pace: 100.0 (18)

Six of the Kings’ last seven games have been within five points in the last five minutes, but they haven’t been able to get the clutch stops needed to put an end to their losing streak, which now stands at 12 games.

Three takeaways

• Over this stretch where six of seven games have been within five in the last five, the Kings have allowed 69 points on 47 clutch defensive possessions (1.47 per). They actually had the league’s fourth-ranked clutch defense (99.4 allowed per 100) prior to that, but clutch success can be fleeting.

• The games have been closer, in part, because the Kings have been better in the possession game. They’ve had more shot opportunities than their opponents in six of their last seven games, averaging 5.0 more over that stretch. They had averaged 2.9 fewer than their opponents prior and have still seen the league’s second biggest drop in shot-opportunity differential from last season.

• The trade deadline has passed and the Kings still have Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis. They’ve been outscored by 10.7 points per 100 possessions in the trio’s 866 total minutes on the floor together over the last two seasons.

Coming up: In addition to losing 12 straight games overall, the Kings have lost 13 straight on the road. But they’ll finish their pre-break schedule with winnable games in New Orleans and Utah.

Week 17: @ NOP, @ UTA