Last week saw Cleveland even up their season series with Boston winning Sunday’s home contest. A handful of teams finished last weekend with a perfect record, while the teams at the bottom of the power rankings still haven’t found light at the end of the tunnel. This week features a tough slate for some teams but will allow them to measure up against the league’s best. Here are NBA Team Power Rankings for Week 7.
1. Boston Celtics
Porzingis is back and averaging nearly 20 PPG and 7.5 rebounds. His return is exactly what Boston needs, and they are 1-1 against Cleveland this season. Their next contests against Cleveland come on February 4th and February 28th. These will be must-see games.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
Back-to-back losses against Atlanta, but they tied their season series against Boston with a four-point victory Sunday. Their upcoming games feature three winnable games against Washington, Charlotte, and Miami.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder
Isaiah Hartenstein has been a godsend for this young Thunder team. Well on his way to a career year, a healthy Thunder team, and Hartenstein are positioned to give the league issues all season.
4. Houston Rockets
Houston continues to win close games, and that is a recipe for success. Jabari Smith played well through the team’s first 21 games. Should Houston continue to win close contests, they should continue to rise in the power rankings.
5. Dallas Mavericks
A perfect 4-0 last week, Dallas entered Sunday with Luka Doncic back on the court. When Klay Thompson returns healthy, Dallas should continue building off a fast start, but health will be the key to their season.
6. Golden State Warriors
A tough week for Golden State, but Steph Curry returned on Saturday. 0-3 last week and a four-game week against Denver, Houston, and Minnesota (two games) could see the Warriors drop outside the top ten.
7. Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers split last week 2-2, and while their defense ranks as one of the NBA’s best, they give up the top five highest three-point FG% while shooting a top five highest three-point FG%. Their defense has been solid, but this team will live and die by the three.
8. Memphis Grizzlies
A perfect 4-0 last week, Memphis saw the returns of Ja Morant and Marcus Smart. A healthy squad will continue to lead Memphis to victories.
9. Orlando Magic
Orlando is the surprise team early into the 2024-2025 season. The Magic have gone 12-1 since Paolo Banchero’s injury. Wendell Carter Jr.’s return has been an upgrade for the Magic, and their starting to drain shots with ease. Orlando will be a team to pay attention to as the season progresses.
10. New York Knicks
Winning seven of their last nine, New York is starting to fire on all cylinders. Tom Thibodeau has New York posting the league’s top offense. Mikal Bridges has rebounded from early season shooting struggles, and this week’s schedule features winnable games against Charlotte and Detroit after a tough matchup versus the league’s surprise team – Orland Magic.
11. Denver Nuggets
A tough schedule early into the season, Denver needs to tighten up their defense. Still, they are over .500 but continue to see a tough schedule this week with three of four games against Golden State, Cleveland, and Atlanta.
12. Phoenix Suns
The up-and-down season will continue for Phoenix if their core isn’t on the floor together. Bradley Beal came back for two games before injuring his ankle. The Suns are ranked in the middle of the pack for now, but will they drop as the season progresses and everyone starts to see injuries occur?
13. Los Angeles Lakers
Dalton Knecht continues to be one of the best rookies early in the season. Knecht’s production has alleviated any deficiencies the Lakers have, but should production slow down, who will be the player to step up?
14. San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio continues to turn it up after halftime and gets better each week. Victor Wembanyama is the NBA’s version of Shohei Ohtani and is making a case for MVP through 20 games. If San Antonio continues to outplay their opponents in the second halves of games and win close games, this team will continue flying up power rankings.
15. Milwaukee Bucks
Giannis is single-handedly propelling this team, but will the wear and tear eventually catch up? They’re scoring at a high rate, but the team needs to play defense and get production from other players on the roster.
16. Minnesota Timberwolves
A tough stretch last week and shoddy defense saw Minnesota drop two of three games. This should be the story all season long, even with Anthony Edwards carrying the team on his back. This week will do them no favor as they play both Los Angeles teams, followed by two games against Golden State.
17. Miami Heat
The story of Miami’s season is simple: inconsistent offense and inconsistent defense. They need to fix both, but fixing their defense should be a priority over their offensive struggles. However, they’ve maintained a .500 record.
18. Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks are rebounding after a somewhat slow start, and the emergence of Zaccharie Risacher will only help Atlanta as the season moves along. This week will be a tough test after their first matchup against New Orleans with games against Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, and Denver Nuggets.
19. Brooklyn Nets
Cam Thomas will be out for a month, but Dennis Schroder has been a bright spot since the start of the season. Rebounding has been a struggle for Brooklyn, but a healthy Nic Claxton should help fix the early season rebounding issues. The Nets need a fully healthy squad, but that is asking a lot as one player returns from injury and another goes down.
20. Sacramento Kings
Sacramento’s Achille’s heel has been their inability to win close games. This will eventually even out, and the Kings will start winning close games. However, they cannot afford to fall too far under .500, as playing catchup is never fun.
21. Indiana Pacers
Bench issues and road losses have been the main culprits for Indiana’s early struggles. It doesn’t get easier as this week’s four-game slate features three games on the road. It could be another tough week for Indiana.
22. Chicago Bulls
Chicago plays fast, but opposing teams have outplayed them during their up-tempo games. They’re making a league-best 16.4 threes per game, but they are losing due to their inability to play defense. Defense not only wins championships, but it wins games. Either Chicago starts playing defense or they will be below .500 at the end of the season.
23. Portland Trailblazers
Portland is a mediocre team that has gotten lucky in a handful of games. If they continue to outshoot opponents from deep, they should pull out wins in games they have no business winnings.
24. Detroit Pistons
The young Pistons are starting to win games. The experience is starting to help them in close games, but this week is a tough three-game stretch against Milwaukee, Boston, and New York. What doesn’t kill them will only make this team stronger as the season continues.
25. Toronto Raptors
Toronto continues to be outplayed by opponents. This team lacks bench depth as well as star power. The long season will continue for Toronto as they play themselves into a lottery pick.
26. Philadelphia 76ers
It has been a tough go early on for Philadelphia. Embiid made his debut on 11/12 and played four games before dealing with a knee injury. Add in Paul George playing in nine of the team’s first 28 games, and it is easy to see why Philadelphia has struggled mightily. The longer Embiid’s absence, the longer the 76ers will struggle.
27. Charlotte Hornets
Charlotte continues to be outscored by opponents, and LaMelo Ball is set to miss the next few weeks. A presence down low was a main issue, but the team did get center Nick Richards back. However, Ball’s absence and lack of defense, will not see this team gain traction any time soon.
28. Utah Jazz
Inconsistency and lack of star players on the court simultaneously have been the story of Utah’s season. A fully healthy rotation will help Utah rebound, but when will everyone be healthy?
29. New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans saw the returns of CJ McCollum and Dejounte Murray from extended absences but remain without Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and Herb Jones. The Pelicans will continue to be one of the league’s worst teams without a starting lineup that features the above five players.
30. Washington Wizards
Washington isn’t a good team, and Kyle Kuzma missing time isn’t doing them any favors. Jonas Valanciunas has played admirably, but it is hard to imagine a motivated Wizards team. At this point, it is hard to imagine this team winning 10 games.
