Western Conference Power Rankings: Early-Feb. 2023 Edition
1. Denver Nuggets (36-16) — prev. rank #1
Nobody had a better month of January than the Denver Nuggets. A 12-4 record with a 9-game winning streak and No. 1 net rating of 8.0 fueled by a top-5 offense and top-5 defense.
The Joker has been more absurd than ever. The Nuggets are 17-0 when he has a triple-double this season, numbers that he is now averaging for the season (!!) at 25-11-10. Insanity.
Over the last 10 games, Jamal Murray is averaging 24-5-7 while shooting 42 percent from beyond the arc. Murray also just had back-to-back games with 30+ points for the first time this season. Blue Arrow is BACK.
The No. 1 3-point shooter in the league? That would be KCP, quite possibly the best off-season pickup by any contender.
The one weak link here is still the backup big position. DeAndre Jordan has not been playing much these days. He will probably stick around for the vibes and culture but expect the Nuggets to hit the buyout market if they don’t make a trade for some help.
2. Sacramento Kings (29-21) — prev. rank #5
Well, would you look at this!! The Kings — OUR Sacramento Kings — are looking like the true Young Surprise Team that was promised. It was against lighter competition, but the Kings have won 9 of the last 12 as many teams have been trending in the opposite direction. Taking care of business and lighting the beam.
Fox has kept his crown as the best crunch-time scorer in the NBA thus far. He’s shooting 60 percent from the field in clutch-time situations, per NBA.com.
The Kings did not end up with two All-Stars as Sabonis is the one averaging 19-12-7. But the Fox and the Ox one-two punch is lethal. (And for the record, PG over Fox was a robbery.)
Keegan Murray is coming off his worst game of the season against the Spurs, but before that, the dude had been crushing it. Even after that 0-for-6 from 3 performance, Murray is still shooting 41 percent from 3 on the season and has 12 games with at least four made 3s. Also shooting above 40 percent from 3? That would be Headband Huerter.
The Kings touted the No. 1 offense in the NBA in the month of January and only the Nuggets are ahead of them in offensive rating for the season. Defensively, Sac has been better as well. No. 16 in January compared to No. 21 on the season. Currently the 6th-best net rating in the NBA!
3. Memphis Grizzlies (32-20) — prev. rank #2
The Grizzlies have followed their 11-game winning streak by losing 7 out of the last 8 games. Add the Grizz to the list of teams that are way, way better at home (21-4) than on the road (11-16).
Ja is averaging the exact same number of points (27.4) as last season while his assists are up (8.3 vs 6.7) and his 3-point shot is down (32.2% vs 34.4%).
Fellow All-Star Jaren Jackson Jr. has to be in any Defensive Player of the Year discussions despite the box score controversy. The Grizzlies’ defensive rating to start the season without JJJ was No. 20 in the NBA at 112.4 as opposed to No. 1 in the NBA at 109.0 with him. No controversy there.
The Steven Adams injury does throw a wrench into what they had going on. Three to five weeks is quite a while. But on the good news front, Danny Green is set to make his season debut very soon.
Checking in on the Grizzlies’ extracurriculars: No. 2 in fast break points and No. 1 in points in the paint. Also, top 5 in second-chance points. Business as usual in Memphis.
4. Los Angeles Clippers (29-26) — prev. rank #6
The Clippers put a late-December/early-January 6-game losing streak behind them by winning 5 in a row and 6 of 7, but they are fresh off blowing a 21-point third-quarter lead to the Bucks on national television on Thursday night.
Paul George is an All-Star? That’s what they say, anyway. He’s been inconsistent and unreliable. But when he’s playing at the top of his game, he is certainly one of the best in the biz. When PG scores 26+ points, the Clippers are 11-3.
Speaking of inconsistent and unreliable and one of the best in the biz when playing at the top of his game, Kawhi has been playing a lot more games recently. When Kawhi scores 30+ points, the Clippers are 7-0. And in the last four games that Kawhi has missed, the Clippers are 0-4 with an average margin of defeat of 17 points.
Sixth-man gunner Norm Powell has sure been heating up. He’s probably worth a sprinkle on his current +1000 Sixth Man of the Year odds, right?
Very similar to the Heat, the Clippers’ bottom-10 offense (112.1) and top-10 defense (112.0) equate to a net rating of… 0.1. According to tankathon.com, the Clippers have the easiest remaining schedule in the NBA.
5. Dallas Mavericks (28-25) — prev. rank #4
Thursday night was a spitting image of this Mavs season. The Mavs had a 31-point lead on the Pelicans, completely destroying them. Then Luka gets hurt and leaves the game and they end up barely holding onto the win.
It goes without saying that hopefully Luka is okay. He is absolutely everything to this team. The Mavs are 0-6 this season without him in the lineup.
Spencer Dinwiddie has stepped up in Christian Wood’s absence (fractured thumb). It sure still feels like the Mavs could use another ball handler and facilitator like somebody they used to have…
Expect the Mavs to 100 percent be a team making a deal before the deadline. It’s tough given their current assets, but they have to do something.
The Mavs went 6-9 in January with the No. 20 offense and No. 27 defense, the 6th-worst net rating in the league last month. Back in December when everything was clicking, Dallas had the No. 2 offense and No. 9 net rating.
6. Minnesota Timberwolves (28-26) — prev. rank #13
After a December stretch of losing 9 of 12 games, the T-Wolves got their shit together in January, winning 6 of 7 to start 2023 and currently winners of 6 out of the last 8 games.
Ant-Man has found a groove at just the right time to get the Wolves in the right direction. Ant had seven 30-point games in January after having eight over the first 2.5 months of the season.
While Gobert has had some better games, the T-Wolves went 3-1 in the four games that he’s missed over the last two weeks. Naz Reid crushed the Warriors on Wednesday night.
There was a lot of clamoring for the Wolves to trade D-Lo, but he’s been playing a lot better recently. And he’s been reliable, missing just one game since Dec. 18.
The T-Wolves will be tested with a tough four-game West road trip right before All-Star: at Denver, at Utah, at Memphis, and at Dallas.
7. Golden State Warriors (26-26) — prev. rank #7
If there is a sleeping giant in the West, it still has to be the defending champs, right? Well, the Dubs still have a lot to figure out.
Steph has been playing really well since returning from his shoulder injury. And yet, he has not hit Supernova Steph mode in a while. If and when he does turn up, that’s when the Dubs will roll.
All that talk for so long about how Klay wasn’t the same caliber player was silly. Captain Klay’s numbers are nearly identical to his last full season in 2018-19. He’s shooting a little bit worse on 2s, and he’s taken a step back defensively as expected, but he can still erupt for 7+ 3s at any moment.
The Warriors were always going to miss OPJ and GPII. It’s just been magnified so significantly because Kuminga and Moody haven’t been ready for it. This is not a system for young players and that’s probably downplayed too much.
The Warriors will be in the spotlight often over the next three weeks: Saturday night primetime on ABC against the Mavs and Lakers in back-to-back weeks, and then TNT games against the Clippers and Lakers sandwiching the All-Star Break.
8. Phoenix Suns (27-26) — prev. rank #8
From Dec. 20 to Jan. 17, the Suns went 2-12 with the worst offense in the NBA and the No. 23 defense during that span. Since Jan. 18, however, the Suns have turned things around, going 6-2 with the No. 6 defense over the last two weeks. And yet, it’s hard to not think first about that 32-point drubbing the Hawks handed them on national TV on Wednesday night.
Listen, it’s hard as hell to win in the NBA without your best player. It’s long been forgotten now, but Book was in that early, early-season MVP talk and the Suns had the best record in the West on Dec. 1. Book is expected to return sometime next week. He hasn’t played since Christmas.
Un-coincidentally, Cam Johnson’s return coincided with the Suns’ latest winning surge. He’s a winning player and 3-point marksman, shooting 44 percent from 3 on six attempts per game this season.
It’s now or never (till the summer, anyway) for the Suns to cash in their Jae Crowder trade chips. Sure seems like they could use a boost.
The Suns currently have 26 losses which is eight more than they had all of last season. Things change quickly in The Association.
9. Utah Jazz (27-26) — prev. rank #10
More than halfway through the season and the Jazz are still doing this. They would be in the play-in if the season ended today, and they surpassed their preseason win total of 24 games in January (!!).
Markkanen might not be an All-Star starter, but he is confirmed as a hometown All-Star in Salt Lake City in a couple of weeks. When Markkanen scores 18+ points this season, the Jazz are 24-15. In all other games, the Jazz are 3-11.
Walker Kessler has been nothing short of dominant lately. A 17-point, 14-rebound, and 7-block performance against the Raptors on Wednesday night is just nutty. The dude has two quarters this season with at least 5 blocks!
The other rookie the Jazz acquired this offseason, Ochai Agbaji, has started getting some real playing time and he’s had some bright moments for sure. Danny Ainge is a master at his craft.
The Utah Jazz — who everyone thought were going to tank their asses off — have sustained a top-10 net rating all season with the No. 4 offense and No. 26 defense. Very Portland-esque.
10. Portland Trail Blazers (25-26) — prev. rank #9
About a week ago, the Blazers had lost 8 of their last 10 games and the blow-it-up sirens were howling. But now Portland has won 4 of the last 5 and is fresh off a fantastic road win in Memphis on Wednesday night.
Bout that time, eh? Since Jan. 7, no player in the NBA is averaging more points per game than Dame at a whopping 38.0 points a night. Over that stretch, he’s shooting 38.7 percent from 3 on insanely high volume of 11.5 attempts per game.
Gary Payton II has finally made his RIP City debut, instantly adding a defensive spark to a team that needed exactly that.
It is surely becoming more clear that Nurkic is the weak link here, and the Blazers would be in a lot better position for a postseason push to get another big. Reports have just dropped that Nurk will be out until the All-Star break.
In typical Blazers’ fashion, Portland had a top-5 offense in January with a bottom-5 defense, pretty much right on par for their season-long numbers.
11. Los Angeles Lakers (25-28) — prev. rank #11
Honestly, the Lakers probably deserve more credit for staying afloat without AD for five weeks, a .500 record during that time exceeded all expectations. And even in spite of that Boston robbery last Saturday night, they have been pulling out a lot of close games that they would have lost last season, including a 1-point win over the Grizzlies, an OT win at MSG, and on Thursday night in Indiana.
It’s only a matter of time now. LeBron James is the NBA’s all-time scoring leader. We are all witnesses.
It’s lost on people just how good Hachimura was for the Wiz this season. The Wizards were 17-13 with Rui and 7-13 without him. That’s a positive impact player. Japanese Jumpman!
Speaking of positive impact players, when Thomas Bryant scores 18+ points, the Lakers are 8-2 this season. Not every matchup is for TB, and he doesn’t always (or usually) play down the stretch. But he can contribute to winning.
Per usual, the Lakers’ schedule is backloaded with a ton of caliber primetime games, including 7 of their next 8 games on national TV. Get ya popcorn ready.
12. Oklahoma City Thunder (24-27) — prev. rank #12
With the No. 3 offense and a top-10 defense in January, the only team in the NBA to have a better net rating last month than OKC was the Denver Nuggets. And with their last win against the Cavs, the Thunder have already cleared their preseason Vegas win total.
It’s official: SGA is an All-Star as we all knew that he would be. It’s funny that SGA was a no-brainer, but Paul George was a controversial selection. The Thunder still get several first-round draft picks from that deal.
Josh Giddey’s 3-point shot regressed in January compared to his stellar December, but he actually still averaged more points and assists per game.
You know who has been awesome? That would be Philly castaway Isaiah Joe, currently shooting 43.7 percent from 3 on 4.4 attempts per game. He has three games this season with 7 made 3s.
Right now, the Thunder are tied with the Lakers in the 12 spot, just one game behind the Pels and Blazers for the 10 seed and only 2.5 games behind the T-Wolves for the 6 seed. The West is WIDE open.
13. New Orleans Pelicans (26-27) — prev. rank #3
2023 has not been kind to the Pellies, to say the least, free falling in the standings with a 3-13 record in January and a current 10-game losing streak. No team in the NBA has lost more games than the Pels since the calendar turned to 2023.
The Pelicans awful January coincided with Zion’s hamstring injury. He’s been out since Jan. 2 and it’s supposed to be another week before he is reassessed.
Speaking of injuries, Brandon Ingram was out with a toe for two straight months. He has recently finally returned to the lineup, but there has been some expected rust.
Larry Nance Jr. has been playing some fantastic ball over the last seven games, averaging 10 points and 8 boards in 24 minutes off the bench.
The Pelicans had a top-10 offense and top-10 defense in December. But in January they rocked the No. 28 offense and No. 19 defense. With Mardi Gras in February and Ingram back, expect the Pels to turn things around.
14. Houston Rockets (13-38) — prev. rank #15
The Rockets had a 13-game losing streak going, but they have actually won two in a row now and 3 of the last 5. Don’t let the Rockets get hot!
It was Jalen Green’s career-high 42 points against the Wolves that helped end the Rox 13-game losing streak. When JG4 scores 24+ points this season, the Rockets are 10-8. In all other games, the Rockets are 3-29, which includes their current 2-game winning streak that Green has missed with a calf injury.
KPJ has also been out with a foot injury. Alperen Sengun has stepped into more of a facilitating role. Some have called him a Walmart Jokic and it’s pretty easy to see why.
If you ever watch the Rockets, it’s clear that they could use some stability and guidance on offense. They just play too aimlessly, still averaging the most turnovers in the NBA.
Player development is the name of the game. The Rockets did have an upswing after the All-Star break last season.
15. San Antonio Spurs (14-38) — prev. rank #14
Since New Year’s Eve, the Spurs are 2-15. They are currently riding a 7-game losing streak and have the No. 28 offense and the worst defense in the NBA by a rather substantial margin.
The Spurs were bad before, but without Devin Vassell (knee surgery) they have been BAD.
But shoutout to Keldon Johnson, Pop, and the crew for still putting in a solid effort on a nightly basis. They still play sound team ball, too. Top 5 in assist percentage and No. 3 in assists per game. The Spurs are actually also No. 3 in the NBA in points in the paint.
Jakob Poeltl has been swirling in the trade rumors for a while now. He has the best defensive rating on this team by a landslide.
The four teams for the worst record in the Wemby sweepstakes seem locked up between the Pistons, Hornets, Rockets, and Spurs. The lottery is going to be electric.
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New Power Rankings dropping every month.
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