With the NBA’s All-Star weekend now officially over, the focus shifts back to the second half of the regular season.
All eyes are definitely going to be on the league’s No. 1 team in the Golden State Warriors, who have only lost four of their first 52 games. But it may be too early to make any bold predictions since there’s still more than enough time for the other 29 teams to hopefully catch up to the defending champions and add more excitement into this season.
[sc:NBA250 ]That being said, let’s now take a quick look at the other nine teams which made it into our weekly NBA power rankings. And while you’re at it, indulge yourself with our top 10 list about the best dunks and moments of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Vince Carter.
[sc:NBAArticles ]NBA Power Rankings: Golden State Still On Top of the Mountain
1. Golden State Warriors (48-4)
Previous Rank: –
There’s no surprise here. The Golden State Warriors are still playing like a team that’s bound to make it two-straight championships. They entered the All-Star break on an 11-game winning streak and are still best scoring team in the league with 115.5 PPG.
Making the Warriors even scarier is that they’ve also beaten their opponents by an average margin of 12.5 points despite allowing more than a hundred points per contest this season.
2. San Antonio Spurs (45-8)
Previous Rank: –
If the Warriors can boast about their high-octane offense, the San Antonio Spurs can boast about their defensive prowess.
[sc:NBA250 ]The Spurs continue to take care of business through their breathtaking defense that’s only allowing 91.8 PPG, the lowest in the NBA today. But besides that, they’ve also destroyed their foes by 13.5 points across 51 games thus far.
As long as they keep up this balanced attack on both sides of the court, San Antonio will remain the biggest threat to the Warriors.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder (40-14)
Previous Rank: –
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. So long as these two continue to play well and rack up the points on a nightly basis, it’s going to be really hard to shut down the Thunder. But heading into the second half of the season, the Thunder will need to be more careful with the rock and ultimately solve their defensive issues if they hope to start considering themselves as a team capable of beating the Warriors or Spurs. Oklahoma City is allowing 101.9 PPG and is turning the ball over 15.5 times this season.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers (38-14)
Previous Rank: –
Cleveland’s current state is still pretty shaky. The team has not completely adjusted under new head coach Tyronn Lue and has struggled to stay healthy. Despite those concerns, the Cavaliers should at least be satisfied at ending the first half of the season with a 38-14 record, which is good for the best in the Eastern Conference.
Now, all the attention will be on LeBron James, who is putting up 25.0 PPG, 7.1 RPG and 6.5 APG, to assert himself even more as a leader and be a better playmaker for the team. A good start for James would be to start knocking down some three-pointers, as he’s only shooting at a career-low of 27.7% from beyond the arc this season.
5. Toronto Raptors (35-17)
Previous Rank: –
Ever since they lost back-to-back games to Chicago and Cleveland, the Toronto Raptors have won 14 of their last 16 games to catapult their way up into the standings. The Raptors are currently just three games behind the Cavaliers for the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference and are also atop of the Atlantic Division.
This on-going success has been mostly thanks to their dynamic backcourt in Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. The two continue to lead the way for the Raptors, scoring 21.0 PPG and 23.4 PPG respectively throughout 52 games. Their next six games, though, will be a good test for them as they’ll be taking on formidable teams like the Bulls, Grizzlies, Cavaliers and Pistons.
6. Los Angeles Clippers (35-18)
Previous Rank: –
No Blake Griffin, no problem. The Clippers have gone 19-5 without their high-flying power forward thanks to Chris Paul’s increased level of play. Paul has been playing spectacular basketball as of late, averaging 23.8 PPG and 8.2 APG while shooting 44 percent from the field in the past five games. But when he struggles on some nights, his teammates in J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford have been stepping up for the team.
So long as the Clippers consistently receive an efficient amount of offensive productions from Paul and co., they should be able to stay where they are or be in an even better position when Griffin returns to the lineup.
7. Boston Celtics (32-23)
Previous Rank: –
With a hard-fought overtime win over the visiting Clippers last Wednesday, the Boston Celtics capped off the first half of the season on a strong note. Their All-Star guard in Isaiah Thomas has been phenomenal in his past 12 games by tallying 20.8 PPG. In that stretch, the Celtics have gone 10-2 and have taken sole possession of the third spot in the Eastern Conference. But it’ll be interesting if Thomas and co. can stay hot when they embark on three-game road trip which will start at Utah on Friday. Boston is 15-13 on the road this season.
8. Memphis Grizzlies (31-22)
Previous Rank: –
Just when things have been clicking for the Memphis Grizzlies on offense, their star center in Marc Gasol goes down with a broken right foot and is expected to be out indefinitely. But that’s the nature of the game and the team has no choice to but to keep moving forward.
Speaking of which, they should feel pretty confident about their final stretch of games in this month of February as they’ll be going head-to-head against below .500 teams like the Lakers, Nuggets and Kings. The Grizzlies will really need to capitalize on those favorable matchups especially if Gasol remains sidelined for quite some time.
9. Atlanta Hawks (31-24)
Previous Rank: –
After back-to-back losses to Orlando, the Hawks relocated their offensive rhythm by beating the Bulls last Wednesday night, 113-90. Leading the way for Atlanta was the pair of Jeff Teague and Al Horford who combined for 33 points.
Paul Millsap and Kyle Korver, meanwhile, made their presence known as well by contributing 15 and 10 points respectively. Their upcoming games will be a very good opportunity for the Hawks to prove to the rest of the league that they’re a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference. They’ll be locking horns with powerhouse teams like the Heat, Warriors and Bulls.
10. Miami Heat (29-24)
Previous Rank: –
Defense wins games, and the Heat have been doing exactly just that. They are only allowing 96.3 points this season, the second-lowest in the league right now. But on offense, the situation has been pretty grim for Miami, as it’s only managing to rack up 96.0 points.
Their All-Star duo of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh has done a good job in leading their attack, averaging almost 20 points per game apiece. The main problem, though, is that the Heat have not been receiving enough productions from the rest of the team. Their bench, in particular, is only garnering 28.6 points this season, which is among the lowest in the NBA today.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra will need to quickly find the answer to this lack of offensive production if they hope to hang around and beat stronger foes. Miami is only 16-16 against teams above .500 this season.
Create a betting account now to start placing wagers on any of these basketball heavyweights as the action heats up even more in the second half of the 2015-16 NBA regular season.
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