NBA Rankings - 14 Dec

TW. (LW) Team (Week) Overall
1. (2) San Antonio (3-2) 18-6

2. (5) LA Clippers (4-0) 16-6
3. (1) Oklahoma City (3-0) 18-4
4. (3) New York (3-1) 17-5

5. (4) Memphis (1-2) 14-5

6. (12) Atlanta (4-1) 14-6
7. (11) Utah (3-0) 13-10
8. (8) Miami (2-1) 14-6
9. (13) Denver (2-2) 11-12
10. (10) Chicago (3-1) 12-9
11. (7) LA Lakers (0-4) 9-14
12. (14) Golden State (4-0) 15-7

13. (15) Minnesota (2-0) 10-9
14. (6) Brooklyn (1-3) 12-9
15. (17) Indiana (1-2) 11-11
16. (16) Boston (2-1) 12-9
17. (20) Dallas (2-1) 11-11
18. (9) Houston (1-3) 10-11
19. (21) Milwaukee (3-0) 11-9

20. (19) Orlando (1-2) 8-13
21. (22) Portland (2-1) 10-12
22. (18) Detroit (1-3) 7-17

23. (28) Sacramento (2-2) 7-14
24. (23) Philadelphia (2-2) 12-10

25. (27) Phoenix (1-2) 8-15
26. (25) New Orleans (0-4) 5-16
27. (30) Washington (1-3) 3-16
28. (26) Cleveland (1-3) 5-18

29. (24) Toronto (0-4) 4-19

30. (29) Charlotte (0-5) 7-15

Atlanta started the season 3-4, then quietly became the hottest team in the NBA, winning going 11-2 over the past month as they moved up in to my top 10. 5 of those 11 wins came against Charlotte and Washington, so they weren't all impressive, which explains why it took so long for them to finally break through that #10 barrier, but this week they beat Memphis and Orlando on the road and only lost when they traveled to Miami. This week they have Golden State and Oklahoma City visiting, and they are both among the hottest teams in the West.

Dallas started the week with a road upset of the Houston Rockets, then finished it off with a close double overtime loss at Boston in a game that wasn't supposed to be that close. Dirk Nowitzki is still working on recovering from surgery, but luckily OJ Mayo has stepped into the void and boosted his scoring average more than any other player in the NBA so far this season.

Memphis, who owned the best record in the league just over a week ago, has now lost three of their last 5 games, including two straight against Atlanta and Phoenix to mark their first losing streak of the season. It's understandable that they lost to the red-hot Hawks, even at home, but the loss to Phoenix ended a 7-game streak of futility for the Suns, so that one is a bit of a head-scratcher.

Brooklyn has fallen back to earth in a bad way, losing 5 straight games, including a complete 4-game homestand. The losing streak started in Miami, as so many do, but then Oklahoma City, Golden State, Milwaukee, and New York all waltzed into town and took home victories of their own, leaving the Nets just above .500 before a merciful visit to Toronto allowed them to taste victory again. They host Detroit tonight, but then they have to face Chicago, Utah, and New York all in a row, so they could be facing some more trouble.

Predictions

Upset picks are in italics.

Dallas at Toronto - Mavericks by 4
LA Lakers at Washington - Lakers by 5
Philadelphia at Indiana - Pacers by 8
Golden State at Orlando - Warriors by 2
Detroit at Brooklyn - Nets by 8
Milwaukee at Cleveland - Bucks by 2
Minnesota at New Orleans - Timberwolves by 4
Boston at Houston - Rockets by 2
Sacramento at Oklahoma City - Thunder by 15
Utah at Phoenix - Jazz by 6
Memphis at Denver - Nuggets by 1

College Basketball

East Tennessee State at Ole Miss - Rebels by 36

Prediction Results

NBA: 2-1 (.667) 219-105 overall (.676)
College Basketball: 3-0 (1.000) 261-54 overall (.829)
Upsets: 2-0 (1.000) 18-22 overall (.450)