For the second consecutive week, Miami lost a road game against a conference leader, and the result is that the Heat are no longer the top-ranked team in the league. That left the door open for the last two teams to beat Miami, and both moved up this week, but only one could be #1. Here are the updated rankings, counting all games through Sunday, with gaps between groups of teams representing different levels of performance.
TW. Team (Week) (Overall) Rating (LW)
1. Chicago (3-0) (40-10) -6.88 (2)
2. Miami (3-1) (35-12) -6.19 (1)
3. Oklahoma City (4-1) (37-12) -4.76 (4)
4. Philadelphia (2-2) (27-22) -4.36 (3)
5. San Antonio (4-0) (33-14) -3.98 (5)
6. Indiana (3-1) (28-19) -1.46 (7)
7. LA Lakers (2-3) (30-19) -1.33 (6)
8. New York (3-1) (24-25) -1.15 (11)
9. Orlando (2-2) (31-18) -0.77 (9)
10. Atlanta (5-1) (30-20) -0.51 (10)
11. Memphis (2-3) (26-21) -0.17 (8)
12. Dallas (2-2) (28-22) 0.05 (15)
13. LA Clippers (2-3) (27-21) 0.40 (12)
14. Milwaukee (2-2) (22-26) 0.701 (17)
15. Utah (4-1) (26-23) 0.704 (18)
16. Phoenix (3-2) (25-24) 0.78 (21)
17. Boston (3-1) (26-22) 1.03 (19)
18. Houston (2-2) (26-23) 1.05 (20)
19. Minnesota (2-3) (24-26) 1.23 (16)
20. Denver (1-3) (26-23) 1.47 (13)
21. Portland (2-3) (23-26) 1.53 (14)
22. Golden State (2-3) (20-27) 2.69 (22)
23. Toronto (1-3) (16-33) 4.99 (23)
24. Sacramento (2-2) (17-31) 5.54 (27)
25. New Orleans (1-2) (12-36) 6.11 (25)
26. Detroit (0-4) (16-32) 6.16 (26)
27. Cleveland (1-4) (17-29) 6.21 (24)
28. Washington (1-4) (11-37) 7.77 (29)
29. New Jersey (1-3) (16-34) 8.11 (28)
30. Charlotte (0-3) (7-39) 13.68 (30)
Memphis would have fallen a lot farther without their road win against the Lakers last night, because the three games before were losses against struggling teams, Sacramento, Portland, and the Clippers. The lone win they had previously earned this week was against Washington, and a 5-point win over one of the league's worst teams at home is hardly something to brag about.
Utah's six-game winning streak ended last night in a quadruple-overtime loss to Atlanta, but before that, they had won games against both the Thunder and Lakers as they crept into the Western Conference playoff picture, replacing Denver among the top 8 teams. Their next five games are either against bad teams or struggling teams, so they could strengthen their position heading into April.
Phoenix has lost only 4 times since the All-Star Break, and three of those losses came on the road against top 10 teams, Oklahoma City, Orlando, and Miami. While none of their victories have been against the best teams, the quantity of wins has finally started to elevate them in the standings and the rankings, with the playoffs within reach.
The moment Ricky Rubio went down was the turning point in Minnesota's season, but not in a good way. At that point they were 21-19 and within a game of entering the playoff race, but since that fateful day they have won only 3 of 10 games and have fallen to 11th place in the West. While they are much improved over last year, it looks like this isn't the year they will break their playoff drought.
Predictions
Upset picks are in italics.
Monday
Miami at Indiana - Heat by 2
Detroit at Washington - Wizards by 2
Orlando at Toronto - Magic by 3
Boston at Charlotte - Celtics by 10
Utah at New Jersey - Jazz by 4
Milwaukee at New York - Knicks by 5
Denver at Chicago - Bulls by 12
Sacramento at Houston - Rockets by 8
New Orleans at LA Clippers - Clippers by 9
Tuesday
Cleveland at Philadelphia - 76ers by 14
Atlanta at Milwaukee - Bucks by 2
Minnesota at Memphis - Grizzlies by 5
Houston at Dallas - Mavericks by 4
San Antonio at Phoenix - Spurs by 2
Oklahoma City at Portland - Thunder by 3
LA Lakers at Golden State - Lakers by 1
Wednesday
Detroit at Cleveland - Cavaliers by 3
Orlando at New York - Knicks by 4
Denver at Toronto - Nuggets by 1
Minnesota at Charlotte - Timberwolves by 9
Chicago at Atlanta - Bulls by 3
Utah at Boston - Celtics by 3
Indiana at New Jersey - Pacers by 7
San Antonio at Sacramento - Spurs by 6
Phoenix at LA Clippers - Clippers by 4
New Orleans at Golden State - Warriors by 7
Thursday
Washington at Indiana - Pacers by 12
Dallas at Miami - Heat by 9
New Orleans at Portland - Trail Blazers by 7
Oklahoma City at LA Lakers - Thunder by 1
Friday
Philadelphia at Washington - 76ers by 9
Miami at Toronto - Heat by 8
Denver at Charlotte - Nuggets by 9
New York at Atlanta - Hawks by 2
Milwaukee at Cleveland - Bucks by 2
Detroit at Chicago - Bulls by 16
Memphis at Houston - Rockets by 2
Boston at Minnesota - Timberwolves by 3
Dallas at Orlando - Magic by 4
Sacramento at Utah - Jazz by 8
New Jersey at Golden State - Warriors by 9
Portland at LA Clippers - Clippers by 4
Saturday
New Orleans at LA Lakers - Lakers by 11
Charlotte at Detroit - Pistons by 11
Cleveland at New York - Knicks by 11
Atlanta at Philadelphia - 76ers by 6
Memphis at Milwaukee - Bucks by 2
Indiana at San Antonio - Spurs by 6
New Jersey at Sacramento - Kings by 6
Utah at LA Clippers - Clippers by 4
Sunday
Chicago at Oklahoma City - Thunder by 1
Miami at Boston - Heat by 4
Denver at Orlando - Magic by 5
Washington at Toronto - Raptors by 6
Indiana at Houston - Rockets by 1
New Orleans at Phoenix - Suns by 8
Minnesota at Portland - Trail Blazers by 3
Golden State at LA Lakers - Lakers by 7
Prediction Results
NBA: 45-20 (.692) 311-166 overall (.652)
Upsets: 5-7 (.417) 49-41 overall (.544)
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