Album of the Week: “Candy Girl,” New Edition (1983)
Is this the end?! For 10 teams, yes. Thanks for playing, Milwaukee, Chicago, New Orleans, Memphis, Dallas, Sacramento, Utah, Brooklyn, Indiana and Washington. It’s Stress Awareness Month, and tanking must be really stressful on an organization.
The Play-In Tournament will eliminate four more teams, and then this weekend, we have eight Game 1s. It’s the true most wonderful time of the year, and Santa Claus would agree, as he’s in his offseason along with the lottery teams.
Now, we have final grades to hand out. Fourth-quarter grades to be exact. Flagrant levels of tanking made for some quite extreme records over each team’s last 20 games:
Every NBA team’s record in the last 20 games of the season
What stands out… pic.twitter.com/h0fmpinSkU
— Law Murray 🪺 (@LawMurrayTheNU) April 13, 2026
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This new edition is the regular-season finale of the Power Rankings project. These grades focus on the last five weeks, with a slight curve toward how teams performed throughout the campaign. Some teams did their work early and got senioritis over the last month. It was a silly season, but we’re about to get serious. Here are the grades from the first, second and third quarters of the season for reference.
Fine print: These Power Rankings won’t just rank every team. We’ll retain the tiers that teams will be promoted into and relegated out of. There will be five tiers each week:
- Top Contenders – Locked at five, these are the class of the league
- In a Good Place – Could be one team, could be seven teams
- The Bubble – Not to be confused with Walt Disney World. The middle of the pack
- Not the Tier to Fear – Not playing the worst ball in the league, but with a lot of work to do
- Basement Floor – Bringing up the rear
What to expect from Power Rankings:
- These are my subjective rankings. I will consider a variety of objective measures, but it’s my final call.
- These rankings are not just a review of the past week — we are projecting forward as well, so it is a balance of the two.
- These are subjective, but not biased. There are no agendas in the Power Rankings, and we strive for an inclusive meritocracy
The one quality that these rankings possess: “Ruthless aggression.” - Enjoy the games, and enjoy the rankings, please!
For Week 26 of The Athletic NBA Power Rankings, we will explore final-quarter grades for each team.
Tier 1: Top Contenders
1. Oklahoma City Thunder (64-18)
Last ranking: 1
In the last week: W at LAL, W at LAC, L at DEN, L vs PHO
Offensive rating: 117.6 (seventh place)
Defensive rating: 106.5 (first place)
First quarter: A
Second quarter: A-
Third quarter: A-
Fourth quarter: A
The Thunder clinched home-court advantage throughout the playoffs and then bubble-wrapped accordingly. No team allowed a lower field goal percentage than the Thunder over the last quarter of the season, with All-Star Chet Holmgren averaging 1.5 blocks since March 8. They also will face no more than one of the San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves as they look to become the first team of the 2020s to repeat.
2. San Antonio Spurs (62-20)
Last ranking: 2
In the last week: W vs PHI, W vs POR, W vs DAL, L vs DEN
Offensive rating: 118.7 (third place)
Defensive rating: 110.4 (third place)
First quarter: B+
Second quarter: B
Third quarter: A
Fourth quarter: A
They’re the 2024 Thunder in terms of how they have leapt to the top of the West after not even qualifying for the postseason in the years prior. The Spurs are a top-three team on both ends of the floor, and while the Victor Wembanyama-anchored defense gets the attention, it is remarkable how well the offense has developed. De’Aaron Fox in particular has done a masterful job being efficient with his touches, while Stephon Castle handled more of the playmaking; the Spurs rarely turn the ball over. But now the tests come, as we will see the Spurs react to postseason scrutiny for the first time together. They’re headed for an epic semifinals against either Denver or Minnesota that will leave a mark on all involved.
3. Detroit Pistons (60-22)
Last ranking: 3
In the last week: L at ORL, W vs MIL, W at CHA, W at IND
Offensive rating: 117.3 (ninth place)
Defensive rating: 108.9 (second place)
First quarter: A
Second quarter: A
Third quarter: B
Fourth quarter: A
The Pistons have won 104 games in two seasons under J.B. Bickerstaff, including 60 this season, the most in 20 years. During Detroit’s pre-Bickerstaff five-season playoff drought, the Pistons won a total of 94 games. A remarkable turnaround, and it was built on defense. Small forward Ausar Thompson averaged 1.3 blocks per game over the last quarter of the season. Cade Cunningham is back, and this is the deepest team in the Eastern Conference, one that should have no fear of any of their East competitors.
4. Boston Celtics (56-26)
Last ranking: 4
In the last week: W vs CHA, L at NY, W vs NO, W vs ORL
Offensive rating: 120.0 (second place)
Defensive rating: 111.7 (fourth place)
First quarter: B
Second quarter: A
Third quarter: A
Fourth quarter: A-
It’s been a particularly wonderful return for Jayson Tatum. While his offense takes time to get acclimated, Tatum averaged career bests in rebounds (10.0) and steals (1.4) in his 16 games this season. Boston was the best offense in the East while re-establishing a top-five defense, one that now has Tatum rebounding better than ever. The only question mark is what happens in a series with the Knicks, given how last year went and how the regular-season series played out this year, though it’s worth mentioning that Boston never had both Tatum and Jaylen Brown in the same game against New York this season.
5. Denver Nuggets (54-28)
Last ranking: 5
In the last week: W vs POR, W vs MEM, W vs OKC, W at SA
Offensive rating: 121.2 (first place)
Defensive rating: 116.0 (21st place)
First quarter: B+
Second quarter: B
Third quarter: C-
Fourth quarter: A
Denver played its best basketball to end the season, finishing with a 12-game win streak. That’s the longest Nuggets win streak in 13 years; there had never been a 10-game win streak with Nikola Jokić on the team until now. Jokić wound up averaging a triple-double this season while leading the league in both rebounds and assists, and the Nuggets were the NBA’s best offense from start to finish. Jamal Murray averaged 7.0 assists and only 1.9 turnovers per game over the last quarter of the season as well. The win streak allowed the Nuggets to get out of the Oklahoma City side of the playoff bracket.
Tier 2: In a Good Place
6. New York Knicks (53-29)
Last ranking: 9
In the last week: W at ATL, W vs BOS, W vs TOR, L vs CHA
Offensive rating: 118.7 (fourth place)
Defensive rating: 112.3 (seventh place)
First quarter: B
Second quarter: B-
Third quarter: A
Fourth quarter: B
Mike Brown led New York to its best regular-season finish in 13 years while maintaining a top-five offense and establishing a top-10 defense. While the defense slipped in the last quarter, the offense was still good, and the Knicks remained a great offensive rebounding team. Backup center Mitchell Robinson averaged 3.7 offensive rebounds a game over the last quarter of the season. As long as Brown doesn’t slip up as the third seed as he did in 2023 with the Sacramento Kings, the Knicks are on track to have a similar playoff run to last year.
7. Cleveland Cavaliers (52-30)
Last ranking: 7
In the last week: W at MEM, W vs ATL, L at ATL, W vs WAS
Offensive rating: 118.3 (sixth place)
Defensive rating: 114.1 (15th place)
First quarter: B-
Second quarter: C-
Third quarter: A
Fourth quarter: B
The Cavaliers are back to scoring at a high level, and Evan Mobley flourished in the final quarter of the season, scoring 19.6 points on 62.7 percent from the field. If Cleveland can get to the semifinals, then the matchup with the Pistons (and former Cleveland head coach J.B. Bickerstaff) will be fascinating given how the post-trade matchups looked. It’s about time the Cavaliers upset a team in the postseason for once, so we’ll see if this is the year it finally breaks through to the Eastern Conference finals.
8. Los Angeles Lakers (53-29)
Last ranking: 11
In the last week: L vs OKC, W at GS, W vs PHO, W vs UTA
Offensive rating: 117.0 (10th place)
Defensive rating: 115.5 (20th place)
First quarter: A
Second quarter: C-
Third quarter: B-
Fourth quarter: A-
The Lakers didn’t have a single four-game losing streak all season. The last LeBron James team to do that was the champion Cavaliers 10 years ago, and the last Lakers team to do it in an 82-game season was the champion Lakers in 2010. Of course, the Lakers are now relying on James entering the postseason in a way they haven’t had to all season in the wake of multi-week injuries to scoring champion Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves. The most encouraging factor of the Lakers’ 16-4 finish to the season was a defense that executed quite well, specifically in regards to keeping teams off the free-throw line. The Lakers should be better prepared to compete in the playoffs than they were last season, even with the injuries to the scorers.
9. Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33)
Last ranking: 13
In the last week: W at IND, L at ORL, W at HOU, W vs NO
Offensive rating: 115.5 (13th place)
Defensive rating: 112.4 (eighth place)
First quarter: B
Second quarter: A
Third quarter: B
Fourth quarter: C
The Timberwolves are the sixth seed for the second year in a row after finishing with the same exact record as last season, and they get the Nuggets in the playoffs for the third time in four years. The last quarter of the season was their weakest, as they split their final 20 games and saw the offense play at a bottom-10 level. The good news is that both Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels returned to action, and there’s no reason for the Timberwolves to think that they can’t make another spring run.
10. Houston Rockets (52-30)
Last ranking: 6
In the last week: W at PHO, W vs PHI, L vs MIN, W vs MEM
Offensive rating: 117.5 (eighth place)
Defensive rating: 112.1 (sixth place)
First quarter: A
Second quarter: B-
Third quarter: B
Fourth quarter: B
The Rockets finished with the same record as they did last season, and though they won nine of their last 10 games, their last two losses were both against the Timberwolves. Those losses cost the Rockets home-court advantage in the first round. While 52 wins were enough to be the second seed last year, the Rockets got lapped by another Texas team in the contender standings this time. Even without Steven Adams, the Rockets crashed the offensive glass at a high level to end the season, with Amen Thompson averaging 3.3 offensive rebounds over the final 20 games of the season. Now, the Rockets take their shaky late-game execution into a series with the league’s best clutch-time team, the Lakers.
Dyson Daniels, seen here defending Jalen Brunson, averaged 2.3 steals per game in the final 20 games. (Dale Zanine / Imagn Images)
11. Atlanta Hawks (46-36)
Last ranking: 10
In the last week: L vs NY, L at CLE, W vs CLE, L at MIA
Offensive rating: 115.0 (14th place)
Defensive rating: 112.9 (10th place)
First quarter: B
Second quarter: D
Third quarter: C+
Fourth quarter: A
The Hawks trade Trae Young and don’t need the Play-In for a playoff spot for the first time in five years. Even with a bad final week, the Hawks had one of the more impressive final quarters of the regular season. Like most teams that want to turn things around, the defense shone for Atlanta, as they forced turnovers at a high rate; small forward Dyson Daniels averaged 2.3 steals per game over the last 20 games. They’re going to be a tough out for the Knicks.
12. Toronto Raptors (46-36)
Last ranking: 14
In the last week: W vs MIA, W vs MIA, L at NY, W vs BRK
Offensive rating: 115.0 (15th place)
Defensive rating: 112.1 (fifth place)
First quarter: A
Second quarter: C
Third quarter: C+
Fourth quarter: B
The Raptors put together a very nice season and not only stayed out of the Play-In but stayed away from the Knicks as well. Darko Rajaković is 0-13 against the Knicks as Raptors head coach, but the Raptors swept the Cavaliers this season. The Cavaliers didn’t have Darius Garland for any of those meetings and they traded Garland for James Harden after the last meeting with the Raptors. The ball pressure of Immanuel Quickley (1.9 steals over the final quarter of season) will be important in that series, but he left the regular-season finale because of a hamstring injury.
Tier 3: The Bubble
13. Charlotte Hornets (44-38)
Last ranking: 8
In the last week: L at BOS, L vs DET, W at NY
Offensive rating: 118.4 (fifth place)
Defensive rating: 113.5 (11th place)
First quarter: D+
Second quarter: C-
Third quarter: A
Fourth quarter: B-
Overall, a triumphant run for the Hornets. And they were great defensively, performing at a top level while defending without fouling. But Charlotte had some tough losses that locked it into a 9-10 game. The Hornets need a strong week to snap the longest playoff drought of any East team.
14. Portland Trail Blazers (42-40)
Last ranking: 18
In the last week: L at DEN, L at SA, W vs LAC, W vs SAC
Offensive rating: 113.1 (21st place)
Defensive rating: 113.5 (12th place)
First quarter: C-
Second quarter: B+
Third quarter: C-
Fourth quarter: B
The best defense in the NBA over the last quarter of the season was in Portland, and it was anchored by sophomore center Donovan Clingan (2.4 blocks per game since March 8). Portland won the big games it needed to secure two chances to end a four-year playoff drought. Portland is also getting healthier, with Jerami Grant the only player left to return following recent appearances from Shaedon Sharpe and Vit Krejci.
15. Orlando Magic (45-37)
Last ranking: 15
In the last week: W vs DET, W vs MIN, W at CHI, L at BOS
Offensive rating: 114.2 (18th place)
Defensive rating: 113.6 (13th place)
First quarter: B
Second quarter: C
Third quarter: C
Fourth quarter: C+
It’s been a turbulent season in Orlando, but the Magic at least have two chances to clinch a playoff spot. They are rounding into full strength as well, with Franz Wagner, Anthony Black and Jonathan Isaac all returning. Orlando has been painfully average on both ends of the floor, but no team won more clutch-time games (27) this season.
16. LA Clippers (42-40)
Last ranking: 19
In the last week: W vs DAL, L vs OKC, L at POR, W vs GS
Offensive rating: 116.3 (11th place)
Defensive rating: 115.2 (18th place)
First quarter: F
Second quarter: B
Third quarter: B-
Fourth quarter: B-
When the Clippers were beaten for the second time in 11 days by the Trail Blazers, coach Tyronn Lue said that the hard way is the Clipper Way. Indeed it is. You’ve never seen a team make it back over .500 after falling 15 games under .500, but that’s what the Clippers did this season. They are also outside of the top eight in the West at the end of the regular season for the first time in eight years. And that was with a relative gift from scheduling, as the Clippers only had to face Oklahoma City, San Antonio and Denver three times each; the Clippers went 1-8 against those teams. We’ll see how Kawhi Leonard handles his first Play-In Tournament.
17. Phoenix Suns (45-37)
Last ranking: 17
In the last week: L vs HOU, W vs DAL, L at LAL, W at OKC
Offensive rating: 114.2 (17th place)
Defensive rating: 112.9 (ninth place)
First quarter: B
Second quarter: B-
Third quarter: B-
Fourth quarter: C
The Suns exceeded all reasonable expectations, and they’ve held seventh place every day since Jan. 23. Now, they have to show that their offense can come through against the Trail Blazers to earn a meeting with the Spurs. The Suns split their final 20 games but finished with a top-10 defense that featured the kind of ballhawking that would be critical against Portland in particular.
18. Miami Heat (43-39)
Last ranking: 16
In the last week: L at TOR, L at TOR, W at WAS, W vs ATL
Offensive rating: 115.8 (12th place)
Defensive rating: 113.6 (14th place)
First quarter: B+
Second quarter: D
Third quarter: B
Fourth quarter: C
Here are the ranks of the Heat defense over the quarters of the season: fourth, 14th, fifth, 26th. While the Heat finished with a winning record and led the league in pace, they struggled mightily to maintain that advantage for themselves. Miami survived the Play-In as the 10th seed last year, but it played two teams that also had losing records. The Heat split their final 20 games, the only East Play-In team that didn’t win more than half of their final 20 games.
19. Philadelphia 76ers (45-37)
Last ranking: 12
In the last week: L at SA, L at HOU, W at IND, W vs MIL
Offensive rating: 114.3 (16th place)
Defensive rating: 114.4 (17th place)
First quarter: B
Second quarter: B
Third quarter: C
Fourth quarter: B-
Joel Embiid was trending toward being healthy and available for the playoffs, and then he lost his appendix. A 76ers team that was outscored on the season now might not see Embiid again this spring. At least they have two home games to lock up a playoff spot.
Stephen Curry looks to drive against the Clippers’ Bennedict Mathurin. (Gary A. Vasquez / Imagn Images)
20. Golden State Warriors (37-45)
Last ranking: 20
In the last week: W vs SAC, L vs LAL, L at SAC, L at LAC
Offensive rating: 113.8 (19th place)
Defensive rating: 114.4 (16th place)
First quarter: C-
Second quarter: C+
Third quarter: C-
Fourth quarter: D
The Warriors shouldn’t even be in this tier, but Steph Curry has had a successful return to play after missing more than two months to manage a knee injury. If the Warriors can get more than 30 minutes out of him this week at Intuit Dome, who knows? Other than that, this was a bad Warriors season pockmarked by age, injury and an offense that isn’t special or organized at all when Golden State doesn’t have a full complement of stars. The Warriors were by far the worst out of the 20 teams that are still kicking.
Tier 4: Not the Tier to Fear
21. Chicago Bulls (31-51)
Last ranking: 23
In the last week: W at WAS, W at WAS, L vs ORL, L at DAL
Offensive rating: 112.1 (25th place)
Defensive rating: 117.4 (22nd place)
First quarter: C-
Second quarter: C
Third quarter: D
Fourth quarter: D
The Bulls are looking for a new front office, and they’re already limiting their search by putting Hall of Fame coach Billy Donovan on a pedestal. Not that the Bulls’ chronic mediocrity is on Donovan, but you need to let your new basketball execs determine the coach. The Bulls were exciting to end the regular season last year despite losing in the Play-In. There’s no such excitement this time around, especially with Matas Buzelis only making 30.4 percent from 3 in the last quarter of the season. No team was worse from 3 over the last 20 games than Chicago.
22. Milwaukee Bucks (32-50)
Last ranking: 21
In the last week: L at BRK, L at DET, W vs BRK, L at PHI
Offensive rating: 112.2 (24th place)
Defensive rating: 118.3 (26th place)
First quarter: D
Second quarter: D
Third quarter: C
Fourth quarter: F
Speaking of end-stage Hall of Fame head coaches … what a complete and total smoldering mess. Doc Rivers stepped down as head coach of the Bucks after only his second 50-loss season. There may be more of those to come in Milwaukee, because this cupboard is bare outside of prime trade candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo. It’s a group that lacks defenders and viable wings with juice. Rivers will take the heat of an underachieving team, but this isn’t his problem anymore. Milwaukee has to get serious about the direction of the roster. At least the Bucks don’t have any reason to use the stretch provision this summer.
23. New Orleans Pelicans (26-56)
Last ranking: 25
In the last week: W vs UTA, L at BOS, L at MIN
Offensive rating: 113.2 (20th place)
Defensive rating: 117.6 (23rd place)
First quarter: F
Second quarter: D+
Third quarter: C
Fourth quarter: D
Jeremiah Fears had three 30-point games this month, and Derik Queen had two triple-doubles this season before adding a 30-point, 22-rebound performance in the season finale. Zion Williamson missed “only” 20 games. And Dejounte Murray returned from a torn Achilles. That just about does it for highlights of another forgettable season of basketball in Louisiana. The most disappointing part for the Pelicans is that they have so many young bigs in addition to Williamson being in his prime, and this was one of the worst defensive rebounding teams in the league. There’s not a whole lot to be excited for going forward.
24. Dallas Mavericks (26-56)
Last ranking: 22
In the last week: L at LAC, L at PHO, L at SA, W vs CHI
Offensive rating: 110.3 (27th place)
Defensive rating: 115.5 (19th place)
First quarter: D-
Second quarter: C
Third quarter: D
Fourth quarter: D-
No team played more clutch-time games than the Mavericks this season. But the Mavericks were also 9-28 in games that weren’t in clutch time. No one should look at Dallas as simply a team that wasn’t healthy. This team was always going to have availability issues. This is a group that surrounded Cooper Flagg with a dearth of good offensive players, or at least players who are good in the year 2026. There’s not a single easy bucket on this roster outside of Flagg until further notice, and this season did little to develop one.
25. Memphis Grizzlies (25-57)
Last ranking: 24
In the last week: L vs CLE, L at DEN, L at UTA, L at HOU
Offensive rating: 112.4 (23rd place)
Defensive rating: 118.4 (27th place)
First quarter: D
Second quarter: C
Third quarter: D
Fourth quarter: F
Just call them the Memphis 10-day contracts. There wasn’t another team in the league that was more rundown by the last quarter of the season. The result: 21 losses in the last 23 games and the worst defense out of all the tanks to close the season. Just a complete and blatant eyesore that isn’t even worthy of further analysis.
Tier 5: Basement Floor
26. Sacramento Kings (22-60)
Last ranking: 26
In the last week: L at GS, W vs GS, L at POR
Offensive rating: 110.6 (26th place)
Defensive rating: 120.3 (28th place)
First quarter: F
Second quarter: D
Third quarter: F
Fourth quarter: D+
Of all the tanks in the lottery (sorry, New Orleans), I’m most interested to see what happens with the Kings. If there are basketball gods, and I believe that there are, then the Kings shall be rewarded. No tank won more games in the last quarter of the season than the Kings, the better Northern California team over the final 20 games. That being said, it’s wild to think about the fact that only the Warriors and Clippers were older than the Kings this season. Doug Christie will be back, but he needs some defensive energy from his perimeter players.
27. Indiana Pacers (19-63)
Last ranking: 27
In the last week: L vs MIN, W at BRK, L vs PHI, L vs DET
Offensive rating: 110.1 (28th place)
Defensive rating: 117.9 (24th place)
First quarter: F
Second quarter: D
Third quarter: D
Fourth quarter: F
The gap year is over. The Pacers went from Game 7 of the NBA Finals to a franchise record 63 losses. And it might not be worth it if the lottery doesn’t net a top-four pick, as they would turn over the fifth or sixth pick to the Clippers. As Tyrese Haliburton said, this won’t be the norm. But Indiana definitely needs one more blue-chip player after going through a season like this.
28. Utah Jazz (22-60)
Last ranking: 29
In the last week: L at NO, W vs MEM, L at LAL
Offensive rating: 112.7 (22nd place)
Defensive rating: 120.8 (29th place)
First quarter: D+
Second quarter: D-
Third quarter: F
Fourth quarter: D
These last two seasons were the first 60-loss seasons in Jazz history. There’s too much talent to bottom out again next season, so we’ll see how the Jazz add to this group. Utah’s defense was awful, but for the first time in three years, it wasn’t the NBA’s worst.
29. Brooklyn Nets (20-62)
Last ranking: 28
In the last week: W vs MIL, L vs IND, L at MIL, L at TOR
Offensive rating: 108.2 (30th place)
Defensive rating: 118.2 (25th place)
First quarter: D-
Second quarter: D+
Third quarter: F
Fourth quarter: D
The NBA’s worst offense. And by the end of the season, the Nets not only were bricks, but they were also the worst team in the league at getting offensive rebounds. If you thought there was too much offense in the league, then you were satisfied with the Nets this spring.
30. Washington Wizards (17-65)
Last ranking: 30
In the last week: L vs CHI, L vs CHI, L vs MIA, L at CLE
Offensive rating: 109.7 (29th place)
Defensive rating: 121.5 (30th place)
First quarter: F
Second quarter: D+
Third quarter: D
Fourth quarter: F
The Wizards lost 26 of their final 27 games. The lone win was at fellow tank Utah. Their only other wins after the All-Star break were two miniseries games against the Indiana Pacers. One-third of this franchise’s 60-loss seasons have come in the last three years. Trae Young and Anthony Davis on the team (at least in spirit) means the streak should end. But it’s a rough look when you can’t even get five developing players to appear in 60 games.