March 16, 2026, 5:06 a.m. CT
Only a month remains in the 2025-26 regular season. That means every game matters even more. Teams across the NBA hope to improve their seeding positioning. Nothing is set in stone yet.
This past week was all about NBA history. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finally usurped Wilt Chamberlain for the longest 20-point streak ever. That felt inevitable. And Bam Adebayo scored a jaw-dropping 83 points in a win over the Washington Wizards. That might be one of the most random moments ever.
The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs remain in an arms race for the first seed. Meanwhile, the Detroit Pistons can feel the Boston Celtics
Every week, Thunder Wire will release updated 2025-26 NBA Power Rankings. Here is the Mar. 9-15 edition:
30. Indiana Pacers (15-53)
Previous Rankings: 29
You gotta give the Pacers credit. They’ve pulled off quite the tank job to get to the bottom of the standings. They’ve lost 12 in a row. Ivica Zubac’s debut has proven not to be a difference maker. He had eight points and six rebounds in a loss to the Suns. Indiana has the worst record by itself. They’d like to keep it that way through the final month of the season. A whiplash of seasons for them after they went to the NBA Finals last year.
29. Washington Wizards (16-50)
Previous Rankings: 28
Well, the Wizards hit rock bottom this week. They were on the wrong side of the second-greatest scoring performance in NBA history. Giving up 83 points to Adebayo is the type of stuff that sticks with your team for a while. Hey, maybe this could be Washington’s version of when OKC had a 73-point loss to the Grizzlies all those years ago. Alex Sarr has been nice, but the defense remains a problem for this whole group.
28. Sacramento Kings (18-51)
Previous Rankings: 30
Don’t start getting wins now. The Kings should prioritize losses. That would be the smart thing to do at this point. But a couple of wins this past week could ruffle their lottery odds. Russell Westbrook had a triple-double in a win over the Bulls. Devin Carter had 24 points in a win over the Pacers. They then upset the Clippers. Uh oh. Now, Sacramento no longer owns the league’s worst record. It has some ground to make up if it wants to sit atop the reverse standings.
27. Brooklyn Nets (17-50)
Previous Rankings: 27
That’s all, folks. Egor Demin will miss the rest of the season with plantar fasciitis. He’s dealt with it for a while, now. Brooklyn’s prized prospect had a mixed bag of results in his first year. Sure, it’s nice to see him put up decent outside shooting numbers. But you gotta worry about how he looks when that inevitability regresses. That’s a problem for another day. For now, the Nets only have to stomach one more month of bad basketball.
26. Utah Jazz (20-48)
Previous Rankings: 26
You can basically repeat everything I’ve said about every entry so far on here. The Jazz have been bad all season. They’ve pulled off all types of roster trickery to ensure that. At this point, it’s about seeing who from the end of the bench can take advantage of the reps. Brice Sensabaugh has. He had 29 points and 31 points, respectively, in losses to the Knicks and Trail Blazers. Not bad. Could be a case of Mickey Mouse March, though. We’ll see.
25. Dallas Mavericks (23-45)
Previous Rankings: 25
The Mavericks are another team that’s trotting out a bad roster. At least Cooper Flagg is still playing to make them watchable. He had 25 points in a loss to the Cavaliers. Feels like his odds to win Rookie of the Year are pretty low due to missed time. But Dallas can at least go to bed knowing it has an impending NBA superstar on its roster. The rest of the team will need some figuring out, though. A high lottery pick is a good place to start.
24. New Orleans Pelicans (22-46)
Previous Rankings: 24
I guess torn Achilles are the new torn ACLs in terms of being able to come back quickly from an injury that previously destroyed careers. Dejounte Murray is the latest example. He’s popped off out of nowhere since his return. He had 35 points in a loss to the Rockets and 27 points in a win over the Raptors. Unreal stuff. If he keeps this up for the last month, it makes you wonder what New Orleans could fetch in a trade package.
23. Memphis Grizzlies (23-43)
Previous Rankings: 23
Speaking of making up for lost time, the Grizzlies have done that with seven losses in a row. They’re stealth tanking at this point. Which is the right move to make. At this point, their roster is pretty unrecognizable. Memphis’ best player during this stretch has been Ty Jerome. The rest of the roster are a bunch of dudes who won’t be in the league after this season. At least they extended Taj Gibson’s career.
22. Chicago Bulls (27-40)
Previous Rankings: 22
The Bulls are another team in a transition phase. Most of their roster is filled with guys who won’t be there beyond this month. That happens when you trade away most of your best players. At least Josh Giddey has looked good in this forgettable stretch. He had 27 points and 15 assists in a loss to the Lakers. He’s one of two players Chicago hopes to build around. For now, though, expect some pretty irrelevant hoops.
21. Milwaukee Bucks (28-39)
Previous Rankings: 20
Good try, good effort for the Bucks. They’ve lost four in a row. Think that basically ends their ambitions to make a postseason push. Now you have to wonder how much longer Giannis Antetokounmpo plays. Especially with possible injury scares. Noble effort to go all out, but Milwaukee just doesn’t have a good roster. Now, they have a month to figure out their next chess move. They’ll be at a fork on the road this upcoming summer with the two-time MVP winner’s future.
20. Golden State Warriors (32-35)
Previous Rankings: 18
Injuries have started to ruin the Warriors’ season. They’re pretty beat up. Stephen Curry is still out with a knee injury. Without him, Golden State is basically screwed. No offense to their roster filled with borderline NBA players trying their hardest. But the talent gap is too much. Steve Kerr has pleaded for the regular season to be shortened. I get the sentiment, but you’re seeing what happens when you rely on a bunch of older players. Just not a feasible plan.
19. Portland Trail Blazers (32-36)
Previous Rankings: 21
Don’t give up on Scoot Henderson yet. He had 25 points in a win over the Jazz. The Trail Blazers badly needed his scoring pop. After being out for most of the season with a torn hamstring, he’s starting to play better. Even though they’ve dipped below .500, Portland is still in the postseason picture. That’s all you could really ask for. They’re playing meaningful basketball this late in the season for the first time in years.
18. Philadelphia 76ers (37-31)
Previous Rankings: 17
We’re reaching a doomsday scenario for the Sixers. Tyrese Maxey will miss at least three weeks with a finger injury. He joins Joel Embiid and Paul George on the shelf. Which means Philadelphia will be without its three top players in this stretch run of important games. Yikes. Just a sour way to end a good season. We’ll see how they survive. At worst, they should be in the play-in tournament.
17. Toronto Raptors (38-29)
Previous Rankings: 13
We’re seeing the Raptors hit a low point in the season. Bad timing, too. Some of their competition in the standings have played their best basketball in recent weeks. Brandon Ingram helped Toronto get a much-needed win over the Suns with 36 points. With a month left, I’ve felt the same way about the Raptors. They’re playing above their weight, sure. But a lack of a top scorer will come back to bite them. Even with an elite defense.
16. Phoenix Suns (39-28)
Previous Rankings: 12
It’s March, which means it’s time for Jalen Green to go on a heater. He had back-to-back 30-point outings against the Pacers and Raptors. The Suns have won four of their last five games. It’s been a much-needed hot streak as Phoenix hopes to overcome some absences. He remains their biggest X-factor. After being sidelined with a hamstring injury most of the year, it feels like he’s finally rediscovered his burst as a scorer.
15. Orlando Magic (38-28)
Previous Rankings: 16
I know the Magic have won six in a row, but they’re kinda in among a glut of teams who are on hot streaks. So apologies for the small jump despite being red-hot. Questioned on whether he’s good enough to be Orlando’s best player, Paolo Banchero has silenced his doubters for the moment. He had 25 points in a resume win over the Cavaliers. It’s been a volatile year for them. Some moments, things look over. Other moments, they look like the contender many penciled them in as. Right now, they’re in the latter.
14. Charlotte Hornets (34-34)
Previous Rankings: 12
The Hornets remain one of the NBA’s hottest teams since the New Year. They’ve won eight of their last 11 games. Even though they dropped the game, they showed a valiant fight in a loss to the Spurs. Considering how wide open the East is, it wouldn’t be a shocker to see them make a playoff run. The record might be mediocre in a vacuum, but you could really tear apart Charlotte’s season into two halves.
13. Miami Heat (38-30)
Previous Rankings: 15
The talk of the town. The Heat were pushed into the national spotlight this week. Adebayo made NBA history with 83 points in a win over the Wizards. Of course, he surpassed Kobe Bryant’s mythical 81 points as the second-greatest scoring game ever. Just goes to show how unpredictable the league can get. There was some criticism of the ethics of how he got to that point, but the nuance will be forgotten in time. For the rest of eternity, the Miami center will forever be linked to this game. What critics have to say just doesn’t matter.
12. LA Clippers (34-33)
Previous Rankings: 19
Speaking of NBA history, the Clippers made some. They’re the first team in NBA history to climb back to .500 after being below 15 games or more at any point in a season. A win over the Knicks ensured that. Wow. What a turnaround. You can mostly thank Kawhi Leonard for that. He’s played like an All-NBA player all season. He had 45 points in a win over the Timberwolves. He owns the second-longest 20-point streak in the league right now at 40-plus. LA has been one of the best teams in the league since the New Year. They won’t be your typical lower-seed team come the playoffs. They have a legit chance at a Round 1 upset depending on their opponent.
11. Atlanta Hawks (36-31)
Previous Rankings: 14
Pick apart the Hawks’ cupcake schedule all you want, but nine wins in a row is impressive no matter what. Especially when it felt like they pulled the plug on their season at the trade deadline. Atlanta has figured out a formula to beat up on the bottom half of the league. Jalen Johnson had a 23-point triple-double in a win over the Bucks. Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 29 points in a win over the Mavericks. Atlanta has been one of the weirder teams to get a read on. When it feels like they’re about to fall into irrelevancy, they get randomly hot like they are right now.
10. Minnesota Timberwolves (41-27)
Previous Rankings: 5
For the Timberwolves, the highs are high and the lows are low. You saw that over the last handful of games. They won five in a row. And then dropped three straight. Anthony Edwards needed to score 42 points to barely beat the short-handed Warriors. This is what Minnesota is. When it looks like they figured things out as a certified contender, they have a random slump. It makes for quite the adventurous season. But tough to trust such an inconsistent squad. Even with their recent playoff success.
9. Denver Nuggets (41-27)
Previous Rankings: 9
It was a jam-packed week for the Nuggets. They faced arguably the four other best teams in the West. They dropped a heartbreaker to the Thunder as Gilgeous-Alexander hit a game-winner. But they bounced back with wins over the Rockets and Spurs. Nikola Jokic is back to playing like an MVP candidate. He had 31 points, 20 rebounds and 12 assists in a comeback win over San Antonio. Well, tough to take much away from this stretch. Guess whatever you felt about Denver before this week should mainly stay the same.
8. Houston Rockets (41-25)
Previous Rankings: 10
The vibes are pretty bad on the Rockets. The Spurs blew them out and allowed 145 points in regulation. The Nuggets blew them out and only scored 93 points. A close win over the Pelicans didn’t help anybody feel better. Kevin Durant has been awesome. He had 32 points against New Orleans. But the rest of the squad has been forgettable. Such a headache case for a team where things are going in the wrong direction for the last month.
7. Cleveland Cavaliers (41-27)
Previous Rankings: 7
Since they added a couple of new faces, the Cavaliers have looked rejuvenated. You saw that in their win over the Sixers. James Harden crossed off another bucket list item. He joined the 29K point club. Keon Ellis had 19 points off the bench. Cleveland has been a popular pick as an East contender. Hard to blame folks, either. They have plenty of household names to hold out hope for some better playoff luck this year.
6. New York Knicks (44-25)
Previous Rankings: 6
The Knicks picked up a few stress-free wins over the Jazz and Pacers. Jalen Brunson had 29 points against the latter. Not much can be taken away from their recent play. We know New York can beat up on the bottom of the league. But how much square up against the league’s best teams is the biggest question. Especially against the West when the results have been underwhelming. Oh well. They’ll cross that bridge when they get there. They at least have a decent shot in the East. The top-heavy roster needs to sync together.
5. Los Angeles Lakers (41-25)
Previous Rankings: 8
Say what you want about their playoff odds, but the Lakers have gotten hot. They’ve won eight of their last nine games. Luka Doncic is balling out. He had 51 points in a win over the Bulls. He then hit a game-winner over the Nuggets. He’s received a lot of criticism this year and has been blamed for Los Angeles’ struggles, but he has a real chance to finish top three in MVP voting and grab a scoring title. Also, it helps that the Lakers find themselves in competition to get the third seed. That would go a long way for them.
4. Boston Celtics (43-23)
Previous Rankings: 4
It was a big week for the Celtics to see how they stack up against the NBA’s top two teams. They had mixed results. They dropped both games to the Spurs and Thunder. But there’s at least some context behind it. Against the former, Jaylen Brown was ejected. Against the latter, Jayson Tatum and Derrick White were in street clothes. So not a lot was really learned. But at least Boston put up fights in both. You could argue that the healthy version of them could make it to the NBA Finals. Beyond that, though, they likely won’t be the favorite. That’s a rich-person problem, though.
3. Detroit Pistons (48-18)
Previous Rankings: 3
After a rocky week, the Pistons are back to business as usual. Helps that they’ve played some NBA cupcakes, too. Jalen Duren had 30 points and 13 rebounds in a win over the Grizzlies. They’ve won three of their last four games. While most folks have cooled off on Detroit’s title hopes, it should still be one of the favorites to make the NBA Finals. They have a comfortable lead for the first seed. They’re going to need the leg-up once the playoffs roll around with how inexperienced this group is.
2. San Antonio Spurs (49-18)
Previous Rankings: 2
The Spurs just don’t lose anymore. Especially when Victor Wembanyama plays. He had 39 points and 11 rebounds in a win over the Celtics. A five-game win streak was snapped as he missed his first game in forever against the Nuggets. But San Antonio has shown it’s become a win machine. Everybody is clicking together right now. A bunch of starters and role players are having career seasons. No real complaints to have about this squad. They’ve been the biggest surprise of the year as they skipped steps to get into title contention.
1. Oklahoma City Thunder (52-15)
Previous Rankings: 1
Well, the MVP debate is over. If it wasn’t already. What a week for Gilgeous-Alexander. He hit a game-winner against the Nuggets to tie Chamberlain’s mythical record. He then beat the Celtics on his way to the longest 20-point streak in league history. Even his biggest haters have run out of material to discredit what he’s done this season. There’s a reason why OKC remains the title favorite despite several injuries this season. The reigning MVP is a walking 60 wins by himself. You saw that showcased with some of their recent wins over fellow contenders despite being short-handed.