Western Conference Power Rankings: Early-March Edition
1. Phoenix Suns (50-12) — prev. rank #1
Prior to a recent stretch of losing back-to-back games without Chris Paul to the Pelicans and Jazz, the Suns had another insane stretch of winning 22 out of 24 games. Phoenix has the #2 offense and #3 defense on the season and a point differential of +8.0 — all marks of a bonafide championship favorite.
CP3’s broken hand is undoubtedly precarious, but it’s better to have an injury happen now than during the playoffs. Chris Paul’s absence also forces others to step up and find a way to get by. How many games this season has Paul led the Suns in scoring? Only three. But how many times has he led the team in assists? 51!
Devin Booker has to shoulder more of the load and he’s already had some of his biggest assist games of the season since CP3 went down. Cameron Payne’s return to the lineup will help Book and the Suns out, just as he and Aaron Holiday did last night against the Blazers without CP or Book. Payne had been out since January 22nd, but he and Holiday combined for 17 assists last night.
Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson (t-shirt All-Star!) are also both capable of handling a heavier duty role than what they are normally asked to do. This is what true contending teams do. They have role players who step up when called upon.
The Suns still have a sizable 7-game cushion atop the Western Conference Standings with a remaining schedule that is not particularly grueling. March opponents include the Knicks, Magic, Rockets and Kings. But there are some big road games this month as well: @Milwaukee, @Miami, @Denver and @Golden State. Phoenix has by far the best road record in the league at a pristine 23-5.
2. Memphis Grizzlies (43-20) — prev. rank #3
The Memphis Grizzlies have won 11 of the last 14 games and are just a half-game back of the Warriors for the #2 seed. The Grizz have a top-5 offense and top-10 defense for the season, joining the Suns, Jazz, Heat and Sixers as the only teams who can claim that on the ole resume.
What can be said about Ja Morant that hasn’t been said already? The dude is a spring-loaded wizard. (Ain’t talking about no Washington Wizards.) He somehow continues to outdo himself. Scoring 44, 46 and 52 points in a four-game span is absolutely ridiculous. Preposterous! We have said that the legend of Ja Morant grows every day — well, the legend of Ja Morant grows every quarter.
The frontcourt fit between Jaren Jackson Jr. and Steven Adams was a little wonky at first, but it has been more than ironed out. Steve-O is averaging a career-high in both rebounds and assists per game this season while JJJ is averaging a career-high in both rebounds and blocks per game.
It’s worth a reminder that the Grizzlies have been without Dillon Brooks since January 8th. Brooks has only played 21 games this season, but he should return sometime this month.
According to Tankathon, the Grizzlies have the 2nd easiest remaining schedule which includes March opponents of the Magic, Rockets twice, Knicks, Thunder, Pacers twice and the Spurs. It works out in the Grizzlies favor that their last five games in April are against playoff-caliber competition (Suns, Jazz, Nuggets, Pelicans and Celtics) to get ready for the postseason after all those March cupcakes.
3. Golden State Warriors (43-19) — prev. rank #2
The Warriors have not looked like the Warriors. Their 9-game winning streak that overlapped January into February has been followed up with losing 6 out of the last 8 games, including 4 of the last 5. The Warriors still have the #1 defense in the league by a slim margin over the Celtics, but both the defense and offense have been extremely average over the last two weeks.
The good news is that Steph has picked up his pace after that significant slump. February was his best field goal percentage month of the season. He’s been much better on 2s lately.
The bad news is that Andrew Wiggins has not scored 20 points in a game since January. And Jordan Poole has also been out of sorts for weeks. Klay missed a couple of games with an illness, so that didn’t help either.
Draymond, who automatically solves a lot of the Warriors problems, is still weeks away. But it sounds like James Wiseman’s return could be really soon. That will aid the Warriors who have not had a backup center behind Kevon Looney. Jonathan Kuminga has had some good games, however, he is no match for the KAT’s of the world.
The Dubs have three more on their current road trip: @Dallas, @Lakers and @Denver. Then it’s back home for the Clippers, a one-off to Denver again, and then back home for the Bucks. The Warriors only have a half-game lead over the Grizzlies for 2nd place in the West while the difference between being #2 and playing the 7-seed from the play-in vs. being #3 and playing the Mavs or Nuggets in the 1st Round is quite significant.
4. Utah Jazz (39-22) — prev. rank #6
The Jazz have won 9 out of the last 10 games and boast the #1 offense in the entire NBA for the season. That’s probably flying too much under the radar, but then again, it’s the Jazz and everyone still has a prominent “wake us up when it’s the playoffs” attitude towards Utah.
Donovan Mitchell is playing some of his best ball at just the right time. Don Mitch has five 30-point games since February 7th, and he averaged the most made 3s per game in the NBA in February.
NBATwitter was sure hyping up Gobert for locking up Luka down the stretch last Friday night. Gobert is also averaging the most rebounds (14.9) and blocks (2.3) in the NBA, but you don’t hear too much about that.
Mike Conley (t-shirt All-Star!) is having a very underrated season. Soo dependable and reliable, 5 assists per game and 40 percent from 3.
March has some big games for the Jazz, including @Dallas, home for the Bucks and Bulls, and a six-game road trip towards the end of the month: @MSG, @Brooklyn, @Boston, @Charlotte, @Dallas and @Clippers. The Jazz are currently in 4th place in the standings with a 2.5-game lead over the 5th place Mavs.
5. Dallas Mavericks (37-25) — prev. rank #5
Since January 1, the Dallas Mavericks are 20-7 and they have now won 8 out of the last 10 games. The Mavs vaunted defense has softened up a little bit recently while the Mavs offense is picking up steam, top-5 over the last two weeks.
The latest show that The Don put on was a take down of LA in nut-crunch time, calling his own shot against LeBron and using precision to carve up The King. Sometimes the student becomes the master.
Mark Cuban once said that he hoped that Luka and Kristaps Porzingis would play together for 20 years. Just 2.5 years later, Porzingis was traded to the Washington Wizards for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans.
That move was thought to be a Porzingis salary dump in exchange for two smaller contracts, but both Dinwiddie and Bertans have looked good in a Mavs uni so far. We are not too far removed from Dinwiddie averaging 20+ points per game for the fun and spunky 2019-20 Nets. That was the same year that Bertans shot 42.4 percent from 3 on high-volume 8.7 attempts per game. Reaching back for those numbers probably isn’t going to happen, but these guys can still play.
The Mavs next four games are in Dallas, facing the Warriors, Kings, Jazz and Knicks. Then it’s a five-game roadie: @Houston, @Boston, @Brooklyn, @Philly and @Charlotte. Dallas is currently 20-11 at home and 17-14 on the road.
6. Denver Nuggets (36-26) — prev. rank #4
The Nuggets just had their 6-game winning streak snapped at home by the Thunder. However, it was on a night when the Nuggets starters shot a combined 1-for-25 from 3, so it’s going to be difficult to win any game when that happens. Other than last night, both Denver’s offense and defense have been humming over the last couple of weeks, but it’s worth pointing out that the schedule has not been particularly tough (Nets, Knicks, Magic, Kings twice and Blazers.)
Wednesday night’s loss to the Thunder was Boogie’s first loss in a Nuggets uniform. He was 10-0 with the Nuggets before that and he’s certainly provided a boost in his spot minutes.
The silver lining to that OKC loss was the fact that Bones Hyland and Bryn Forbes were both sniping off the bench, drilling five 3s apiece. That kind of spark off the bench is going to be very useful come playoff time.
Speaking of the playoffs, it has been reported that both Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray could be back in time for the postseason, making Denver about 10 times as scary as they already are with the incandescent reigning MVP Jokic at the helm.
Denver has three more at home (Rockets, Pelicans, Warriors) before a one-off to Sacramento, and then it’s back to Ball Arena for two more against the Warriors and Raptors. And then on Monday, March 14th on ESPN, it’s a rumble in the City of Brotherly Love with Embiid and his new bearded running mate.
7. Minnesota Timberwolves (34-29) — prev. rank #8
The T-Wolves are 10-4 in their last 14 games with the #1 offense in the NBA since the calendar turned to 2022. There are some really good recent wins, too. Talking about the Jazz, Nuggets, Grizzlies and Warriors — all teams ahead of the Wolves in the current Western Conference standings.
KAT won the 3-point contest and made sure we all remembered, hitting the game-winning 3 in Cleveland on Monday night. (The same court where he was crowned 3-point champ.) The very next night after that? Towns rang up the Warriors for 39 points on the second night of a back-to-back without Ant-Man. Go KAT, go!
Malik Beasley came up big in that Warriors game, drilling six 3s off the bench. An interesting stat, though, is that in the nine games this season that Beasley has made six or more 3s, Monday night was just the second that resulted in a Wolves win.
Here’s another interesting stat: The Wolves 3-man lineup with the highest net rating this season is Patrick Beverley, D-Lo and Ant-Man at +14.2 in 448 minutes. (The Wolves Big 3 of KAT-Ant-DLo is +9.4 in 858 minutes.)
Minnesota travels to OKC for a one-game roadie, then it’s back to Minny for two against the Blazers and another against the Thunder. The Wolves are headed down south after that: @Orlando, @Miami and @San Antonio. The Timberwolves have fared much better at home, currently 19-12 at Target Center and 15-17 away.
8. Los Angeles Clippers (33-31) — prev. rank #7
The Clippers have kept on clippin’, quietly winners of four in a row and 6 of the last 7. Now, three of those wins were against the Rockets, but the Clippers have also taken down the Mavs, Warriors and Lakers in the last couple of weeks.
How exactly are the Clippers pulling this off without Kawhi and Paul George? By playing sound team ball! No seriously. Since January 1, the Clippers have had 12 different leading scorers. TWELVE. The Clippers defense has also remained in the top-10 all season (and is 1st over the last two weeks) while the offense is currently bottom-5.
Reggie Jackson runs the show, leading the Clippers in assists in eight straight games and in 11 of the last 13. Since February 10, Reg-Jax is averaging 8 assists per game.
Norm Powell is on the shelf indefinitely with a fracture in his foot, but the other newly acquired Blazer, Robert Covington, has fit in nicely as yet another big, switchable wing for a team full of ‘em.
Can the Clippers sweep the season series against the Lakers? We’ll find out tonight on TNT. Then the Clips host the Knicks on Sunday night on ESPN, followed by a quick trip up to SF to play the Warriors on Tuesday night on TNT. A lot of upcoming national TV games here!
9. New Orleans Pelicans (26-36) — prev. rank #12
The New Orleans Pelicans, after beginning the season 1-12, have won 8 of the last 12 games and are 1.5 games back of the Lakers for the 9-seed. Over the last two weeks, the Pellies have a top-5 offense and top-5 defense!
Brandon Ingram looks more explosive by the game, deliberate and confident in getting to his spots and going to work. Ingram has nine 30-point games this season, and he’s been a lot better on defense.
It’s gotta be a breath of fresh air for BI to have a professional scorer alongside him now in CJ McCollum, easing the burden and pushing the ceiling higher. Tony Snell has been another welcomed addition. And we haven’t even seen Larry Nance Jr. yet.
Whispers have floated in that Zion is making progress! Wait, we said we weren’t going to believe any more Zion rumors!!
This month has some tough opponents and some softies. The toughies: Jazz, Nuggets, Grizzlies, Suns and Bulls. The softies: Magic, Rockets, Spurs and Blazers. FiveThirtyEight currently gives the Pelicans a 24% chance to make the playoffs compared to just 8% for the Lakers.
10. Los Angeles Lakers (27-34) — prev. rank #9
WELP. At least the Lakers made a comeback against the Mavs after being down by 21 points early. But that Pelicans loss on Sunday night at the Cryp was atrocious. How many times can one team hit rock bottom?
StatMuse has pointed out that since January 9th, LeBron is averaging 29-9-6 on 52 percent shooting. And the Lakers are 6-15 in that span, including losses in 10 of the last 13. It’s been a different year, indeed.
At least DeAndre Jordan is gone! Lakers fans will not miss his Make-a-Wish minutes, but we’ll never forget his full-court pass that sailed to the moon.
DeAndre is out so that D.J. Augustin can be IN. (From one DJ to another!) The Lakers are also signing Wenyen Gabriel to a two-way deal as well. Why not?
The Lakers get another stab at the Clippers tonight on TNT. (The Lakers have lost 6 in a row to the Clips.) Then it’s the Warriors on Saturday night primetime on ABC before the schedule lightens up: @San Antonio, @Houston and back home for the Wizards. After that? A trip to the desert to face the Suns.
11. San Antonio Spurs (24-38) — prev. rank #11
The Spurs cashed in some assets at the trade deadline, but it might surprise you to know that the Spurs are just 2 games out of the play-in! San Antonio’s offense is top-10 over the last two weeks at 6th, but the defense has slipped even more than usual, a lowly 28th.
All-Star Dejounte Murray’s stats keep climbing. He’s up to 20.1 points, 9.4 assists and 8.3 rebounds per game. At the beginning of November, it was impressive that he was putting up 18-8-8. Not only did he keep that up, but he kept on getting better.
Lonnie Walker has really been coming on lately, four games of 20 or more points in the last five. There is a lot of potential there, and the remainder of this season will focus on harnessing it.
Guess who has actually been playing basketball? Zach Collins! That’s right, Collins played in eight games in February, his first game-action since the bubble. He did get yammed on by Bam and also had 5 turnovers in one half… but other than that he’s looked pretty good!
The Spurs have one of the ten easiest schedules remaining, including games against the Rockets, Thunder, Pacers, Kings and three games against the Blazers. Although it wouldn’t be smart to sabotage their chances at a high draft pick, if they somehow snuck into the play-in, it would sure be admirable.
12. Portland Trail Blazers (25-37) — prev. rank #10
The Blazers traded CJ at long last and were supposed to tank it out. But then they won four games in a row, including wins over the Lakers, Bucks and Grizzlies. And we couldn’t help but wonder if this team had stumbled upon some post-trade deadline magic. Then Nurkic went out with “plantar fasciitis” and the tank was back ON, baby.
Don’t tell that to Anfernee Simons, who is going to keep balling like the Dame protege that he is. In his first three seasons in the league, Simons had five games of scoring 20 points or more. Since January 1, Simons already has 18 games of 20 points or more and that’s only going to keep increasing with 20 games left.
Josh Hart is already a fan favorite, averaging 18 points per game in a Blazers uniform. Hart has been a beloved teammate everywhere he’s played, and we’ll never forget him sitting courtside in NOLA wearing a Brandon Ingram jersey after the Pelicans traded him.
Sent to Portland in the Norm Powell trade, the forgotten Justise Winslow has been playing some of the best ball of his career. But he’s also currently dealing with a sore Achilles. So there’s that.
Portland is just one game back of New Orleans for the 10-seed and final play-in spot. The Blazers have the easiest remaining schedule, including the Wizards, Knicks, Pacers, Pistons, Rockets twice, Spurs three times, and Thunder twice. They are probably going to have to shut down Simons to fully embrace this tank.
13. Sacramento Kings (23-41) — prev. rank #13
The Kings have lost 5 of the last 6 games and now sit 4 games back from the play-in. Barring some unforeseen miracle, it ain’t happening and the record for most consecutive seasons without making the playoffs will belong to the one and only Sacramento Kings.
Fox has at least improved every month this season. For as much as we did not like “Fox and the Ox” the first time we heard it, it’s admittedly starting to grow on us. Sabonis has cooled since his torrid start in the Sac.
We still cannot get over the fact that Donte DiVincenzo is wearing Haliburton’s #0. Shit ain’t right, yo. (Jesse from Breaking Bad voice.)
A couple of weird plus-minus stats: In the 17 games this season that Harrison Barnes has posted a +5 or greater, the Kings are 15-2. In the 25 games this season that Fox has posted a negative plus-minus, the Kings are 0-25.
The schedule the rest of the way is actually pretty favorable for the Kings, featuring the Spurs, Knicks, Pacers, Magic and Rockets twice. But no, we are not saying that there is a chance.
14. Oklahoma City Thunder (20-42) — prev. rank #15
Considering that the Thunder are 3-3 in their last 6 games and are currently 5 games behind the Rockets and Pistons for third-worst record in the league, it’s pretty safe to say that Sam Presti is not currently sleeping so well at night.
We have shouted it from the mountain tops before and we’ll shout it some more: SGA is so good that you can’t tank with him out there! Since returning to the lineup, SGA has scored 32, 36, 37 and 29 points, including a 4th-quarter takeover of the Nuggets in Denver on Wednesday night.
If he’s not already, Tre Mann needs to be on your radar. Mann rang up 30 points at MSG on the Knicks back on Valentine’s Day, and he had four games of 20+ points in February.
You know who has been getting some run and has been looking decent enough? Aleksej Pokusevski — Pokumania lives on!
The good news for Presti is that OKC has a plethora of playoff-level opponents coming up: T-Wolves, Jazz, Bucks, T-Wolves again, Grizzlies and Hornets. Hopefully he doesn’t shut SGA down again. He’s too much fun to watch.
15. Houston Rockets (15-47) — prev. rank #14
The Rockets have lost 11 games in a row and 15 of the last 16 games. That’s what we call a tanker’s paradise. And yet, the Rockets are currently a half-game back of the Magic for the worst record in the NBA. But they have a 5-game lead on the 4th-worst Thunder.
The Rockets have had some recent competitive games! Just last night, they pushed the Jazz to OT behind Christian Wood’s regulation buzzer beating 3. Last Sunday night, they only lost to the Clippers by 1.
Jalen Green has led the Rockets in scoring in 4 of the last 5 games, something he had not accomplished since January 1. (It is still recommended to avoid looking at his plus-minus, however.)
KPJ’s hair is severely missed already. He still looks good, but we always prefer the hair.
Houston’s next two weeks are pretty brutal: Nuggets, Grizzlies, Heat, Lakers, Mavs and Suns. This current losing streak might continue for a bit longer.
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