The NBA postseason will start a month from now. With week 21 done, the battle for the ten available spots in each conference has been intense, especially from teams within the 6 to 10 range, as they want to avoid the play-in tournament entirely and secure an outright playoff berth. As a result, the weekly rankings are all over the place due to other NBA teams getting hot at the right time. However, some have stumbled at the worst stretch of the season.
Let’s see which teams have made some serious ground in this week’s NBA power rankings.
Who are the top-ranking NBA teams after week 21?
30. Utah Jazz (30)
It’s official: the Jazz are all in to capture the Flagg.
Losers of nine straight, this team has given all their young guys, including two-way players, some meaningful floor time to assess their talents at this stage of the season.
Utah has never been awarded the first overall pick since the lottery system was implemented in 1985. Could this be their year?
29. Charlotte Hornets (28)
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The Hornets aren’t entirely out of the play-in tournament yet, but it’s safe to say that they won’t magically win all of the 15 games remaining in their schedule with how they’ve performed this season.
Much of their struggles this year is due to the lengthy absence of the promising Brandon Miller, the second overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
28. New Orleans Pelicans (29)
What are the Pelicans doing right now?
It’s fairly obvious that making the postseason was a pipe dream even before the all-star break in February. However, they are still playing CJ McCollum and Zion Williamson quite heavy minutes despite another losing campaign.
Tank for the Flagg, New Orleans.
27. Washington Wizards (27)
The Wizards have won two straight games. Isn’t that surprising?
One of their wins was due to a near-logo game-winner from Jordan Poole to stun the Nuggets at Mile High City. While their rankings have stayed the same, winning two games was still impressive for this struggling NBA franchise.
26. Brooklyn Nets (26)
Going 2-8 in their last 10 games, it certainly looks like the Nets might not have enough gas to push the pedal and reach the play-in tournament at the end of the season.
Their biggest win in week 21 was a stunner against Luka Doncic and the visiting Los Angeles Lakers. Might be better off to tank and improve their chances in the draft lottery.
25. Philadelphia 76ers (24)
We could all say that the Sixers’ path to the play-in tournament is all but lost right now. Joel Embiid is out for the season, Tyrese Maxey isn’t 100 percent, and there are rumors that Paul George might ask for a trade in the offseason.
The only bright spot for them is Quentin Grimes. He’s looking like a future all-star. Dallas truly fumbled another gem in last month’s trade deadline, and the Sixers are benefiting from it.
24. Toronto Raptors (25)
The Raptors aren’t completely out of the play-in picture yet.
Winning six out of ten games, they are four games behind the 10th-place Bulls for the final spot in the play-in tournament.
With 14 games remaining in their schedule, can they make a final push and improve their rankings at the end of the 2024-2025 NBA season?
23. San Antonio Spurs (23)
With Victor Wembanyma and De’Aaron Fox officially out for the rest of the season, the Spurs playoff chances get dimmer with each passing week.
What’s keeping them entertaining to watch, though, is the emergence of rookie Stephon Castle, who has been balling like crazy since the turn of 2025.
He should be a lock to win the Rookie of the Year at the end of the season.
22. Portland Trail Blazers (22)
The Blazers have somewhat cooled off at the wrong time of the season, winning only four out of ten games. Shaedon Sharpe has gone back down to earth after impressing for a couple of weeks.
Arguably, the best player for this team moving forward is the Deni Avidja. The Israel-born forward does have some shade of Luka Doncic in his game every now and then.
He’s not going to be the next Luka, but an all-star nod in the future might not be too far off, either.
21. Miami Heat (18)
While the Warriors are thriving out in the West, the Heat have looked like a lottery team after trading Jimmy Butler away.
Losers of seven straight, Miami has been one of the most disappointing teams in the NBA this season, and their rankings have fluctuated over the past couple of months.
This is the worst time to be struggling, and the Heat are in the midst of it.
20. Dallas Mavericks (20)
The Mavs are in danger of forfeiting games at the end of this month. Seriously, when was the last time that happened?
Injuries have ravaged this team this season. In under 10 months, they went from the NBA Finals to a lottery-bound team. They are in a very weird situation right now. Dallas has won enough games at the start of the season to provide themselves some cushion in the standings.
With their championship window thrown out after the Luka trade, they are still holding at the last play-in spot in the West, even with the clear intention to tank and praying for the lottery balls to fall in their favor.
19. Chicago Bulls (21)
Sorry, Josh Giddey. We doubted you too early.
While he’s not going to be scoring 30 or 40 points on a nightly basis, what he could give to the city of Chicago is his all-around play and the possibility to average a triple-double in the very near future.
As of week 21, the Bulls are comfortably sitting at the 10th and final play-in spot in the East.
18. Phoenix Suns (19)
Being six games under .500 isn’t even the worst thing that’s happened to the Suns right now.
Their biggest problem is the constant bickering of Coach Budenholzer and Kevin Durant during timeouts.
Despite the sideline dysfunction, the Suns’ odds of making the play-in are still high due to the Mavericks’ recent struggles post-Luka Doncic era. Honestly, it’s their spot to lose.
17. Orlando Magic (17)
Kudos to the Magic for halting Cleveland’s legendary 16-game winning streak. But the reality is that they are still in the midst of a play-in spot, with the playoffs starting a month away from now.
They went 3-7 in their last 10 games, and the rankings in the NBA this week have remained the same.
16. Sacramento Kings (15)
With each week passing by, it’s getting clearer that Malik Monk is better suited for a sixth-man role rather than the lead guard for the Kings.
Losers of three straight, Sacramento is in danger of losing a play-in spot at the end of the season. This team has peaked despite the additions of Zach LaVine and Jonas Valanciunas.
They really need Domantas Sabonis services right now.
15. Atlanta Hawks (16)
The Hawks only went 5-5 in their last 10 games and now have lost two straight games. To be fair, nobody is expecting Atlanta to be a serious threat in the playoffs, right?
But for the first time in a while, it looks like the Hawks have finally found the right backcourt mate for their star, Trae Young.
It’s none other than the pesky Dyson Daniels, who leads the league in steals per game.
14. Indiana Pacers (14)
Despite sitting comfortably in the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference for the past couple of weeks, this Pacers team is still far from replicating the magic they displayed last season.
If we are ranking them solely in their conference and how they would perform in the NBA playoffs, they might not even get out in the first round this year.
13. Detroit Pistons (12)
The Pistons have lost a bit of steam lately, only going 5-5 in their last 10 games. To add more fire to their recent struggles, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has berated the team’s efforts in recent weeks, saying that they are ‘boring’ and not worth his time.
That’s quite an unfair assessment from O’Neal if we are being honest here. There’s no reason to hold any grudges against the Pistons after losing to them in the NBA Finals more than 20 years ago as a member of the Lakers.
Or Shaq’s really a petty human being or just trolling. You’d be the judge on this one.
12. Los Angeles Clippers (13)
The Clippers have won three straight and are slowly climbing the Western Conference standings. They clearly intend to finish in the top six before the regular season ends a month from now.
James Harden is turning back the clock with vintage performances, and Kawhi Leonard is rounding into all-star form in recent weeks.
Do they still have enough juice to squeeze into the sixth or fifth place in the West?
11. Milwaukee Bucks (8)
My apologies, Giannis, for bumping you and your team outside of the top ten in the weekly NBA rankings.
Even though the Bucks went 6-4 in their last 10 games, many pundits aren’t entirely sold on them as title contenders this season.
They truly missed Bobby Portis’s services. He is currently serving a 25-game suspension after testing positive for a banned substance.
10. Minnesota Timberwolves (11)
The Wolves are just thriving at the right place and at the right time.
Winners of eight straight, it definitely looks like they have finally learned how to utilize Julius Randle within their offensive and defensive schemes. Rudy Gobert’s defensive instincts are back at the top level.
Heck, even Anthony Edwards is playing extremely well right now. Can this be their year to go all the way?
9. New York Knicks (6)
With Jalen Brunson out longer than expected due to an ankle injury, the Knicks offense has looked mediocre and sometimes out of sync.
They only went 5-5 in their last 10 games, and to no one’s surprise, their rankings this week have taken a hit due to other NBA teams out West playing well right now.
It’s time for Karl-Anthony Towns to become the top option with Brunson out. New York desperately needs it.
8. Golden State Warriors (10)
Whoa. The Warriors have looked like a legitimate contender after trading for Jimmy Butler via the NBA trade deadline last month.
They have now won seven straight games and 9-1 in their last ten. Only a few expected that Butler’s addition would push the Warriors into title contention due to the advancing age of the former all-star.
To everyone’s surprise, the Dubs are back at it again and are now aiming for a top-four finish at the end of the regular season.
7. Memphis Grizzlies (7)
Does the Grizzlies have a legitimate shot at a title?
That seems to be the common question among NBA pundits in recent weeks, despite their rankings going up and down since the start of the season. If you look at their record, they are projected to win 50-plus games in 2025.
However, if we look at their last ten games, they only went 5-5, and that has been the biggest story for them this year. They can get hot and become mediocre with just a flip of the switch.
6. Houston Rockets (9)
Just like that, the Rockets now sit at the second spot in the Western Conference standings after winning six straight games.
However, even with their recent fine play, this team still doesn’t have the respect of its opponents. Are we truly undermining this young squad’s ceiling?
Let’s give Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green a chance to shine in the postseason. While it’s true that they aren’t battle-tested yet in the playoffs, everybody gets the chance to start there, right?
5. Los Angeles Lakers (4)
The Lakers have struggled a bit in week 21 due to the ongoing absence of LeBron James, who remains out with a groin injury.
It was time for Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves to create some chemistry. While it took some time for both guards to mesh, we can safely say that they are now comfortable with each other’s presence.
One good example of this is how they performed against the Suns at the end of week 21. Doncic carried the team in the first half, and Reaves was the main guy in the second half.
4. Denver Nuggets (5)
The Nuggets have no business losing to the lowly Wizards, but somehow, they fumbled that game to end week 21.
Then why did the Nuggets climb a spot in this week’s NBA rankings, you might ask? Well, have you seen them take down the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder in week 21?
As long as Nikola Jokic is healthy, the Nuggets are legitimate title contenders.
3. Boston Celtics (3)
It remains to be seen if the Celtics’ over-reliance on the three-point shot will ultimately pay off on their title defense in this year’s playoffs.
As much as we like the three-point evolution, Boston may have taken it a bit too far. Have you seen Luke Kornet purposely dribbling the ball behind the three-point line and chucking an airball? Before the attempt happened, he was near the basket, being defended by a guard.
Well…despite their love for the three, the Celtics are still the team to beat this year. As long as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown play well for them in the postseason, they’d be all right.
2. Oklahoma City Thunder (2)
OKC went 9-1 in their last 10 games and now have won three straight. At this point of the season, it’s highly likely that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will win the MVP award over Denver’s Nikola Jokic.
However, not everybody is a fan of the light calls that SGA gets from the refs throughout the season. NBA coaches have berated the officials whenever they are facing the Thunder all season long.
The latest example is Detroit’s head coach, J.B. Bickerstaff. He was disgusted with how the officials called their game against OKC, which resulted in a 100K fine from the league.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers (1)
Well…it was fun while it lasted. The 16-game winning streak is finally over. Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic made sure of that at the end of week 21.
But let’s not take away the fact that the Cavs have had two separate 15-game winning streaks in a single season. That’s a rare and impressive feat in the NBA.
While the Thunder may have a case to become the top NBA team in this week’s rankings, let’s just give it to the Cavs for now. After all, both teams boast a similar regular season record, with just 14 games remaining on their schedules.
