Eastern Conference Power Rankings: Early-February Edition

1. Milwaukee Bucks (32-21) — prev. rank #1

It does feel weird to have to a team that recently got walloped by 36 points at home as the #1 team in the power rankings, but the defending champion Bucks feel like the safest pick here. Milwaukee has also won 5 out of 7 games, has a top-10 offense and top-10 defense and still has a very good record of 20-5 when Giannis, Middleton and Holiday all play.

As is always the case with him, Giannis is putting up stats this season that are pretty much right on part with his two MVP seasons. Now, the Bucks don’t have the best record in the league like those years, but Coach Bud, Giannis and the Bucks know that to fully flourish in the playoffs, you have to do a little bit of coasting and experimenting in the regular season.
When the Bucks had their January slide, losing 4 out of 5 games, Jrue Holiday was out of the lineup dealing with an ankle injury. And when Holiday returned? That’s precisely when the Bucks winning ways commenced once again.
T-SHIRT All-Star Bobby Portis has cemented himself as one of the Bucks most important players. In the 19 games this season that Portis has made two or more 3-pointers, the Bucks are 17-2.

The Bucks next game, after three days off, is Saturday night in Portland which is the first of a four-game road trip that concludes @Clippers, @Lakers and @Phoenix before returning home for a six-game homestand: Blazers, Pacers, Sixers, Nets, Hornets and Heat. Milwaukee is 19-9 at Fiserv Forum.

2. Miami Heat (32-20) — prev. rank #4

The Heat finished with a 9-6 record in January which is a lot more impressive given the fact that Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry and Bam Adebayo missed a combined 19 games. And those 9 wins all came within an 11-game stretch from Jan. 5 to Jan. 28. The latest, however, is a current 3-game losing streak, with two of those coming at the hands of the Raptors.

Despite all of the missed games, Jimmy Butler should be named to the East All-Star Team tonight. He’s just too good to be left off, averaging 21.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.9 steals. He’s still not taking or making 3s: 21.9 percent on 1.9 attempts. The Jimmy Beans way.
Kyle Lowry has not played in a game since Jan. 15, missing nine straight games for personal reasons. In terms of reliability and consistent production, you could argue that Tyler Herro has been the MVP for the Heat so far. Herro still seems like the frontrunner for 6th Man of the Year, but he has started 10 games now, the same number of games started as Omer Yurtseven who helped fill in for Bam.
Speaking of Bam Bam, he just had his best game of the season since coming back from thumb surgery, scoring 32 points and grabbing 11 boards against the Raptors.

Four more games on the Heat’s current six-game road trip: @San Antonio, @Charlotte, @Washington and @New Orleans. Then it’s back to South Beach to face two hopeful contenders in the Nets and Mavs. The Heat are currently 18-6 at home and 14-14 on the road.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers (31-21) — prev. rank #5

The injuries have kept coming, and the Cavs have kept winning, a sparkling 11-4 in January and 9 of the last 12 games, even taking down the Pelicans on Monday night without soon-to-be All-Star (and T-Shirt All-Star!) Darius Garland. They did not quite have the same fortune without Garland last night against the Rockets.

Garland has missed the last two games with lower back soreness and is considered day-to-day, but when on the court this season, Garland has been absolutely sensational, leading the Cavs in points, assists, 3s and free throw shooting at 90.7 percent, which is third best in the league among players who have attempted at least 100 free throws. (Behind only Jordan Poole and Steph Curry.)
Jarrett Allen might or might not be joining Garland as an All-Star, getting to play at home in Cleveland, but let the record show that the fro power-dunker and power-blocker averaging 16 points and 10.7 rebounds with 1.4 blocks and constant elite rim protection is an All-Star in our book!
Lauri Markkanen sprained his ankle and has been out since Jan. 25, but at least he’s only expected to miss two weeks and will not be joining Collin Sexton and Ricky Rubio in the out-for-the-season camp.

The Cavs play in Charlotte on Friday night, then it’s back to Cleveland for two against the Pacers and Spurs before hitting the road for four in a row: @Indiana, @Philly, @Atlanta and @Detroit. Cleveland is 16-9 at home and 15-12 on the road.

4. Philadelphia 76ers (31-20) — prev. rank #6

The Sixers finished the month of January with the best record in the East at 12-3. Going back to Dec. 20, Philly is a striking 16-5, but the most recent game is a loss to the Washington Wizards at home. And yet, the win over the red-hot Memphis Grizzlies without Joel Embiid earlier this week might just be their signature win of the season.

Fresh off being named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month, Joel Embiid is now right at the top of the league in points per game at 29.1 and he’s a big part of every MVP conversation. Something that’s not talked about enough is the fact that Embiid is averaging a career-high in assists at 4.4 dimes a night.
Daryl Morey should wake up every day and thank the basketball gods for Tyrese Maxey who has without a doubt made the Ben Simmons situation much easier to stomach for Sixers fans. Maxey is not only having an outstanding sophomore season (he should at least be mentioned in every Most Improved Player conversation), but he’s also a stand-up dude, going so far as to end his immediate on-court post-game interview by saying, “Hope y’all have a good night.”
Tobias Harris has been floated in the trade rumors. Given his erroneous contract, it’s understandable to want to move on from that. But at the same time, you better make sure you get some scoring back. Harris can stink up the joint, sure, but he’s averaging 18.9 points per game which is still positive production.

Two big games on the road @Dallas and @Chicago are followed by four games back at Wells Fargo: Suns, Thunder, Cavs and Celtics. Opposite of their usual calling card, the Sixers have been actually better on the road (17-9) than at home (14-10) this season.

5. Chicago Bulls (32-18) — prev. rank #2

Completely ravaged by injuries, the Bulls had lost 6 out of 7 games and it looked like things might be unraveling. But the Bulls have since rebounded to win 4 out of the last 5 games, doing what they do best: overcoming all preconceived notions and expectations.

The Bulls defense did slip to 25th in the NBA in the month of January, but that’s what happens when you are missing your three best defensive players in Pat Williams, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso, all out with injuries.
When LaVine was out for a five-game stretch, there just wasn’t enough juice to help DeRozan out. But those two are back to their devastating one-two punch, averaging 51.4 combined points a night.
We have long been singing the praises of one of our favorite rookies, Ayo Dosunmu, but it’s crazy just how much better the kid keeps getting! He’s fearless, smart and headed to the Rising Stars Game.

The Bulls have the next two on the road, up to Toronto tonight and back down to Indiana, then it’s home for two against the Sixers and Suns before hitting the road to Charlotte for just one. A long six-game homestand awaits after that: T-Wolves, Thunder, Spurs, Kings, Hawks and Grizzlies. The Bulls are 19-6 at home and 13-12 on the road.

6. Brooklyn Nets (29-22) — prev. rank #3

Even though Kyrie has been halfway back, the Nets have lost their way without KD, a record of 2-7 since Durant went out with that sprained knee and a current 6-game losing streak, most recently to the Sacramento Kings. The Nets offense was top-5 in January, but the defense was bottom-5 and resulted in a negative net rating for the month. Over the last two weeks, the Nets defense is 29th.

James Harden just had his worst game in a long, long time. Only four points with six turnovers. Yep, he had more turnovers than points. Even worse, the body language and effort-level is brutal.
Kyrie was supposed to save Brooklyn, but the Nets record with Kyrie in the lineup is 4-6. His added scoring is definitely helpful, but it only goes so far if teams are going to hang 120+ points on them every night.
Losing KD was of course the biggest blow possible, but Joe Harris having a setback sure isn’t helping things. Harris was supposed to be back from his ankle surgery, but his return has been pushed back to after the All-Star break.

The Nets finish up a current road trip at Utah and at Denver, then return to Brooklyn for just one against the Celtics. Then it’s back on the road to D.C. and Miami, making four of the next five opponents in the playoff picture. (And the Wizards can be no slouch, just ask Philly.)

7. Boston Celtics (28-25) — prev. rank #8

For all of Boston’s rockiness this season, the Celtics are trending upward, having won 5 of the last 6 games and 10 of the last 14. And in the 25th hour, the Celtics snuck past the Mavs to finish as the top defense in January.

The Celtics also hold the distinction of having the best five-man lineup in the NBA in the month of January in Tatum-Brown-Smart-Horford-TLord:
- Off. rating: 122.8 / Def. rating: 89.9
- 32.9 net rating in 122 mins
The J-Team — Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown — seem to be playing better together. Tatum’s 51 points on the Wizards was the catalyst for Celtics first wire-to-wire victory of the season, and they have since pulled that off two more times, against the Kings and Heat. You might recall they obliterated the Kings by 53.
This is one of many teams with trade rumors swirling, but it is ironic that the names talked about most, Horford, Richardson and Schroder, are all players that first year GM Brad Stevens just brought in…

The Celtics pack their bags for a three-game road trip: @Detroit, @Orlando and @Brooklyn. Then it’s back home for two big ones, the Nuggets and Hawks. And then a trip to the city of brotherly love to take on the Sixers on a Tuesday night on TNT.

8. Charlotte Hornets (28-24) — prev. rank #7

The Hornets were really buzzing, winners of 7 out of 8, before laying an egg two Sundays in a row against the Hawks and Clippers (both at home) and north of the border against the Raptors. But there was the franchise-record 158 points they hung on the Pacers and the narrow Lakers escape. The Hornets defense still needs some work, but it’s improved a lot from the beginning of the season.

LaMelo is fresh off a career-high 38 points in Wednesday night’s loss to the Celtics in Boston. Will LaMelo be an All-Star? It’s really feeling like he will, and the numbers are there: 19.9 points, 7.7 assists and 7.2 rebounds in his second year is legit.
Miles Bridges would also be deserving. And like LaMelo, he also scored a career-high 38 points recently (at MSG on MLK Day) and he’s averaging an identical 19.9 points and 7.2 rebounds.
Gordon Hayward has missed the last six games that saw the Hornets go 2-4. Hayward had a sore foot and then entered the protocols. It sounds like he should be available for the next game, and his absence did provide an opportunity for rookie James Bouknight to get some run.

The next four games are all in Uptown where the Hornets are 14-8, but some tough Eastern Conference competition awaits in the Cavs, Heat, Raptors and Bulls. Then it’s up to Detroit for a one-off, back home to face the Grizzlies on a Saturday night, and then back up north to Minnesota for another one-game roadie.

9. Atlanta Hawks (24-26) — prev. rank #9

From Dec. 17 to Jan. 15, the Hawks went 3-11, looking like some gnarly road kill, but then Atlanta rattled off 7 straight wins for the second time this season to climb right back into the play-in.

Forever the Hawks engine and maestro, Trae Young leads the NBA this season with 12 games of 30+ points and 10+ assists. Ice Trae did not play in the Hawks most recent game, a loss to the Raptors which snapped that 7-game winning streak.
Getting De'Andre Hunter back from injury, and gaining more clarity in the rotations by trading Cam Reddish, has helped fuel the Hawks latest flipping of the script, looking like the 2nd half of last season Hawks when Hunter returned and Reddish was out with an injury. In the nine games this season that Hunter has posted a positive plus-minus, the Hawks are 8-1.
John Collins and Clint Capela are the first Hawks big-men that come to mind, but Onyeka Okongwu is the one who has been wreaking havoc lately. (Just ask the Lakers.) Okongwu had seven games of scoring double-digit points last season as a rookie. This season, Okongwu already has eight games of 10+ points in the 18 games that he’s played.

The Hawks get the Suns tonight at State Farm on TNT. Then it’s a two-game road trip up to Toronto and down to Dallas before returning home for the Pacers and Spurs. A Sunday matinee on ABC with the Celtics awaits on Super Bowl Sunday.

10. Toronto Raptors (26-23) — prev. rank #11

The Raptors have been streaky: a 6-game winning streak that started on NYE was followed by losing 6 out of 9, but the most recent is a 3-game winning streak sparked by a 3OT thriller in Miami.

Fred VanVleet is an All-Star in our book. He was not only top-10 in both scoring and assists in January, but he was also first in the entire league in made three-pointers for the month.
FVV might be the All-Star, but Gary Trent Jr. has been the man possessed a.k.a. Gary Bubble Trent Jr! Seriously, though, GTJ’s last five games: 32, 32, 33, 31 and 33 points. A Raptors franchise-record with five straight games of 5+ made three-pointers. Yeah, THE MAN POSSESSED!
Pascal Siakam is quietly up to averaging 20 points per game, and Spicy P has been playing some stifling defense of late. Nick Nurse has been unleashing all hell on the league with his no center but humongous everywhere else lineups that attack you relentlessly with aggressive ball-pressure and get up and GO in transition.

Two more games for the Raps at home against the Bulls and Hawks before a 3-game roadie to Charlotte, OKC and Houston. Then it’s back to The 6 for just one game against the Nuggets before a long 5-game road trip to close out February: @New Orleans, @Minnesota, @Charlotte, @Atlanta and @Brooklyn.

11. Washington Wizards (24-26) — prev. rank #10

The Wizards had lost six games in a row until Wednesday night’s huge win in Philly snapped their streak. Save for a 3-game winning streak in January against the Magic twice and the Thunder, the Wiz went 2-9 in the first month of 2022, but at least they took care of some teams they were supposed to.

Without Bradley Beal (currently dealing with an ankle), it was the role players off the bench that stepped up in that win against the Sixers. And it’s sure as hell been Kyle Kuzma! Kuz has led the Wizards in scoring each of the last three games. During a recent mic’ed up game, Kuzma showed pronounced communication that was quite impressive.
There is some potential in the Kuzma-Rui-Deni lineups, providing switchable flexibility and serious length on the perimeter.
Remember when Montrezl Harrell was having that beast of a start to the season? Yeah, that was a long time ago, but Trez has been playing quite well lately, and the Wizards are 10-3 when he scores 16+ points. That hasn’t stopped him from being in trade rumors, along with Spencer Dinwiddie who had a horrendous January.

The next five games for the Wiz are in D.C., but the first three are stiff competition in the Suns, Heat and Nets. However, the two after that are much softer in the Kings and Pistons.

12. New York Knicks (24-28) — prev. rank #12

Welp, at least the Knicks took care of the Kings at MSG and didn’t lay down against the Grizzlies on Wednesday night. The Knicks defense has actually climbed into the top-half of the league for the season, but the offense is still very much trying to find its way, 28th in offensive rating over the last two weeks.

R.J. Barrett has turned a corner from his early season struggles. The Knicks highlight of the year (outside of Bing Bong) was Barrett’s buzzer-beater against the same Celtics. Fournier had 41 that night. (When Fournier scores 18+ points, the Knicks are 13-5.)
From Most Improved Player and 2020-21 All-Star to grappling with his own fans, it’s been quite a New York fall from grace for Julius Randle. Doris Burke said it best: “Play hard and play well, and they will cheer for you.”
Dear Thibs: please play Cam Reddish!!! Love, everyone.

Perhaps the Knicks can find themselves out West where the next five are: @Lakers, @Utah, @Denver, @Golden State and @Portland. Then it’s back to MSG for a date with the Thunder on Valentine’s Day. The Knicks owe the Thunder from that embarrassment on New Year’s Eve.

13. Indiana Pacers (19-34) — prev. rank #13

From the day after Christmas until Jan. 17, the Pacers had lost 10 out of 11 games. That’s when they beat the Lakers and Warriors out of nowhere on back-to-back nights, both on the road. Since then? The Pacers have lost 5 out of 7, most recently to the bottom of the Eastern Conference Orlando Magic.

Domantas Sabonis was ballin’, four triple-doubles in the month of January, but now he’s been out in the health and safety protocols and in the trade rumors as well.
With Sabonis out, rookie Isaiah Jackson has stepped up to the plate, scoring a career-high 26 points in the Pacers win over the Clippers on Monday night.
Shoutout to Terry Taylor (WHO HE!?) who is fresh off dropping a career-high 24 points and grabbing a career-high 16 rebounds in just his seventh game in the NBA. Terry Taylor is an undrafted rookie from Austin Peay who is currently on a two-way contract. And shoutout to Lance Stephenson who has finally been signed for the rest of the season!

The Pacers play the Bulls on Friday night to seek revenge from DeRozan’s buzzer-beater on New Year’s Eve, then it’s a two-game roadie to Cleveland and Atlanta before returning back to Indy for the Cavs and T-Wolves. The Pacers have been much better at home (13-14) than on the road (6-20).

14. Orlando Magic (12-41) — prev. rank #14

The Magic might currently be at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, but they have the same amount of wins as Detroit, and they recently whooped the Pistons. The Magic have actually won 4 of the last 6! (Although before that they had lost 14 of 15.)

The more time spent watching the Magic, the more it’s realized that this team is versatile with a lot of ball-handlers that can attack you from a lot of directions.
It’s been great to see Jalen Suggs coming along in a big way after his slow start. (That power dunk on top of DeRozan was symbolic.) Fellow rookie Franz Wagner has been playing some incredibly efficient ball lately. Over the last seven games, Franz is shooting a combined 59 percent from the field.
Haven’t heard a single peep about Markelle Fultz or Jonathan Isaac…

The Magic have a tough upcoming schedule: the Grizzlies and Celtics at home, then a four-game road trip @Portland, @Utah, @Phoenix and @Denver.

15. Detroit Pistons (12-38) — prev. rank #15

The Pistons started out the new year with their best stretch of the season, winning 5 out of 8 games. Since then, it’s been the usual, losing 7 out of 9, including squandering a 15-point second-half lead to the Pelicans on Tuesday night and losing by 10 in a 25-point turnaround at home.

The good news for Pistons fans is that Cade Cunningham (aside from leaving that Pelicans game early, that was not good news) has been showing exactly why he was the #1 pick in the draft, scoring with relative ease and putting up a recent triple-double in a win against the Cavs.
Both Jerami Grant and Kelly Olynyk returned to the court on Tuesday night. It was Grant’s first game since Dec. 10 after thumb surgery. He’s been in many a trade rumor with the deadline just a week away. Getting Olynyk back provides another veteran presence who can also help space the floor, two things that should help Cade succeed.
The Pistons offense has actually been a middling 16th over the last two weeks which is drastically better than their normal bottom-feeder ranking. In fact, they have even moved past OKC to 29th in offensive rating for the season, climbing out of last for the first time all year.

Detroit’s next two games will be in Motown, tonight against the T-Wolves and tomorrow night against the Celtics. Then it’s two on the road and two at home x 2: @Minnesota, @Dallas, home vs. the Grizzlies, home vs. the Hornets, @Washington, @Boston, home vs. the Cavs and home vs. the Celtics again.

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