Getty
: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics talks to Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers
Across the NBA, we are seeing some of the wheat beginning to separate from the chaff. The Celtics have Jayson Tatum back, and though the rust is obvious as he returns from the Achilles tendon injury he suffered in last year’s playoffs, Boston has won both of its games–including an impressive in in Cleveland on Sunday.
In the West, the Spurs and Thunder are both entering the week on winning streaks. Oklahoma City has won five straight games, and San Antonio is keeping pace in the conference with four straight wins of their own. But the Thunder will be tested, beginning with a game against the Nuggets in a playoff rematch on Monday, followed by high-profile games against Boston on Thursday and the Timberwolves on Sunday.
All three of those games have the potential to be playoff previews.
While the Celtics are getting more dangerous, the Pistons are looking like a team with more and more questions mounting. Detroit has now lost four straight games, and its vaunted defense has looked shabby of late, with 115.5 points allowed in those four losses. Boston is now just 2.5 games behind the Pistons.
Buckle up!
NBA Power Rankings: Lakers Right the Ship
Maybe the sky is not falling for the Lakers. There has been ample concern about the ability of this team to fit together down the stretch with its star-heavy lineup being a bit imbalanced against its so-so role players. Marcus Smart has been the player the Lakers thought they were getting, but the team has had trouble finding roles for everyone else (new guy Luke Kennard is fitting in, however).
Despite all that, and despite some obvious flaws, the Lakers have been coming together. They do tend to play better without LeBron James–that is a concern–but L.A. is 5-1 in their last six games, with an average margin of 13.0 points in those games.
- Spurs, 47-17. W4
- Thunder, 50-15.
- Celtics, 43-21.
- Pistons, 45-18.
- Timberwolves, 40-24.
- Knicks, 41-24.
- Rockets, 39-24.
- Lakers, 39-25.
- Nuggets, 39-25.
- Cavaliers, 39-25.
NBA Part II Rankings: Warming Up in Florida
There has been much consternation in Florida about the performance of their two teams, the Magic and the Heat. Neither has been healthy, and there have been questions about whether the struggles this year could lead to roster shake-ups in the summer.
Those questions won’t necessarily go away, but both teams have at least begun a turnaround. The Heat have now won five straight, including impressive wins over the surging Hornets and the top-seeded Pistons. Orlando has won four straight going back to Paolo Banchero’s complaints about coach Jamahl Mosley, and are scoring 122.5 points per game in that run.
- Suns, 37-27. 3-1
- Magic, 35-28.
- Heat, 36-29.
- Raptors, 36-27.
- Sixers, 34-29. 1-2
- Hawks, 33-31
- Hornets, 32-33.
- Clippers, 31-32.
- Warriors, 32-31.
- Trail Blazers, 31-34.
GettyPaolo Banchero #5 of the Orlando Magic
NBA Power Rankings Part III: Tank-a-thon Continues
It’s a race to the bottom for a handful of teams these days, and as much hand-wringing as there has been over tanking–those offended by it and a newly vocal group of tanking apologists–the league is not making much progress on stopping it.
- Bucks, 27-36.
- Bulls, 26-38.
- Pelicans, 21-45.
- Grizzlies, 23-39.
- Mavericks, 21-43.
- Jazz, 19-45.
- Wizards, 16-47.
- Nets, 16-47.
- Pacers, 15-49.
- Kings, 15-50.
Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney
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