Power Rankings: Bucks, Mavs on rise in Top 10

As of Monday morning, there are 16 teams left in the NCAA tournament, with 24 left in the women’s tournament.
In the NBA, with three weeks left in the season, there are essentially 21 teams still playing for something.
In the Eastern Conference, the 10 teams that will make the playoffs or the SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament are pretty much set, with the 11-place Brooklyn Nets 5 1/2 games out of the Play-In and not playing well enough to be any kind of a threat to the 10-place Atlanta Hawks.
In the West, the 11th-place Houston Rockets have made a serious push and trail the 10th-place Golden State Warriors by just a single game. But the Rockets are the only team the Warriors have to worry about, as the Utah Jazz have gone on a post-trade-deadline swoon for the second straight season.
So, we have 21 teams still worth keeping an eye on every night. Those other nine teams were a combined 3-26 last week, with two of those three wins (Grizzlies over Spurs, Wizards over Raptors) having come against other teams in the bottom nine.
And with their results not mattering much, it’s time to start recapping the season for those bottom nine teams. This week’s notes for those teams will be focused on their offense, and we’ll dig into their defense next week.
Plus-Minus Players of the Week
Teams of the Week
* * *
East vs. West
Schedule strength through Week 22
* * *
Movement in the Rankings
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Week 23 Team to Watch
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Previously…
OffRtg: Points scored per 100 possessions (League Rank)
DefRtg: Points allowed per 100 possessions (League Rank)
NetRtg: Point differential per 100 possessions (League Rank)
Pace: Possessions per 48 minutes (League Rank)
The league has averaged 114.8 points scored per 100 possessions and 99.3 possessions (per team) per 48 minutes this season.

NBA.com’s Power Rankings, released every Monday during the season, are just one man’s opinion. If you have an issue with the rankings, or have a question or comment for John Schuhmann, send him an e-mail or contact him via threads.
Record: 50-21
OffRtg: 117.6 (7) DefRtg: 112.9 (10) NetRtg: +4.7 (5) Pace: 97.3 (27)
The Nuggets are now 14-2 since the All-Star break, and they’re back in first place in the Western Conference.
Three takeaways
Both Jokic and Murray are listed as questionable for the Nuggets’ game against the Grizzlies on Monday, though that seems like another good opportunity to get them some rest. After that, they’ll play two more big games within the top six in the West.
Week 23: vs. MEM, vs. PHX, vs. MIN, vs. CLE
Record: 57-14
OffRtg: 122.5 (1) DefRtg: 110.5 (2) NetRtg: +12.0 (1) Pace: 98.3 (18)
There are still three weeks left in the season, but the Celtics are just one win (or a Milwaukee loss) from clinching the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics are 9-0 since their loss in Denver, and they remain undefeated (23-0) at TD Garden against Eastern Conference opponents, having held on to beat the Bucks (after blowing almost all of a 21-point, fourth-quarter lead) on Wednesday.
Three takeaways
The three games during the streak in which the Celtics have had five of their top six guys are the three that have come against teams — Phoenix (x 2) and Milwaukee — with winning records. They’ll have five more games against that group, with the first coming in New Orleans on Saturday.
Week 23: @ ATL, @ ATL, @ NOP
Record: 46-25
OffRtg: 118.9 (3) DefRtg: 115.3 (16) NetRtg: +3.6 (8) Pace: 101.0 (6)
The Bucks have won four out of their last five games, a stretch that includes wins over the Suns and Thunder. The only loss was by three points in Boston without Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Three takeaways
The Bucks’ third-ranked offense has six games remaining against teams that rank in the top seven defensively. The first of those is in New Orleans on Thursday, with the 141 points on 108 possessions the Bucks scored in the first meeting (one of those three wins by more than 20 points) being the third most efficient performance for any team against the Pelicans this season.
Week 23: vs. LAL, @ NOP, @ ATL
Record: 49-21
OffRtg: 118.6 (5) DefRtg: 111.4 (5) NetRtg: +7.3 (2) Pace: 100.8 (7)
The Thunder are still in a great position, but they’ve slipped back to second place in the West, having gotten clobbered in the second half in Milwaukee on Sunday.
Three takeaways
The Thunder actually have one game remaining against each of the teams currently sitting in fifth-eighth place in the West. They’ll host the sixth-place Suns on Friday, holding a 2-0 series lead.
Week 23: @ NOP, vs. HOU, vs. PHX, @ NYK
Record: 49-22
OffRtg: 114.6 (17) DefRtg: 108.3 (1) NetRtg: +6.3 (3) Pace: 97.9 (22)
The Wolves have won five of their last six games, with the only loss being a three-point loss to the Nuggets on Tuesday, when the Wolves were playing with a rest disadvantage and missing all three of their bigs.
Three takeaways
The Wolves are one of seven teams with only four road games remaining. But two of the four are in Denver, where they were 0-5 last season. The first of those two games is Friday.

Week 23: vs. DET, @ DEN, vs. CHI
Record: 44-27
OffRtg: 117.0 (10) DefRtg: 111.4 (6) NetRtg: +5.6 (4) Pace: 98.9 (16)
After a 3-1 road trip, the Pelicans are 9-2 in March and still in the mix for a top-four seed in the West, though they’ve lost Brandon Ingram to a knee injury for at least two weeks.
Three takeaways
The Pelicans have the league’s fourth toughest remaining schedule regarding cumulative opponent winning percentage (.550), though the two teams – the Suns and Kings — directly behind them in the standings don’t have it any easier. Six of the Pelicans’ next seven games are against the Thunder, Bucks, Celtics, Suns (x 2) and the team — the Magic — they just lost to on the road.
Week 23: vs. OKC, vs. MIL, vs. BOS
Record: 41-29
OffRtg: 117.7 (6) DefRtg: 116.2 (21) NetRtg: +1.5 (15) Pace: 100.8 (9)
The Mavs have won seven of their last eight games, with the only loss having come without Luka Doncic, by single digits, and in Oklahoma City. They seem to be in a three-team race for the final guaranteed playoff spot in the Western Conference, tied in the loss column with both the sixth-place Suns and seventh-place Kings.
Three takeaways
Having just handled the Jazz last week, the Mavs will now begin a five-game trip in Utah, with two huge games in Sacramento on Tuesday and Friday. No Western Conference offense has scored more efficiently against the Dallas defense than that of the Kings, who scored 127 points per 100 possessions as they won the two meetings in Dallas.

Week 23: @ UTA, @ SAC, @ SAC, @ HOU
Record: 42-29
OffRtg: 117.5 (8) DefRtg: 114.4 (13) NetRtg: +3.1 (10) Pace: 99.3 (15)
The Suns have won three straight games for the first time since early February, taking care of business against the Sixers, Hawks and Spurs. That has them back in the top six in the West, though the schedule is about to get much tougher.
Three takeaways
The Suns will play a second game in San Antonio on Monday, and then they’ll face the real gauntlet. Their final 10 games are all against teams that are currently at least 12 games over .500, with six of those 10 against the top four teams in the West. They’re 2-5 against the top four thus far, having allowed 122.8 points per 100 possessions over those seven games. They’ve had all three stars for only one of the seven, but that was a 27-point loss in L.A. in January.
Week 23: @ SAS, @ DEN, @ OKC
Record: 44-26
OffRtg: 118.9 (4) DefRtg: 115.0 (14) NetRtg: +3.8 (7) Pace: 97.8 (23)
The Clippers still haven’t been able to put it together since the All-Star break, going 8-9 (11th in the West) since then and are barely holding on to fourth place.
Three takeaways
Five of the teams in the West’s top eight have pretty tough schedules going forward, with the Clippers one of those five, set to play nine of their 12 remaining games against teams currently at or above .500. Their easiest week of the three remaining is this one, though they’ll begin a four-game trip in Philadelphia on Wednesday.
Week 23: vs. IND, @ PHI, @ ORL, @ CHA
Record: 42-28
OffRtg: 116.4 (13) DefRtg: 112.0 (7) NetRtg: +4.3 (6) Pace: 96.1 (30)
The Knicks had OG Anunoby back in the lineup for only three games, but they were able to go 2-1 with him back on the shelf last week, and they still have a top-four spot in the Eastern Conference.
Three takeaways
The Knicks are one of two undefeated teams (they’re 20-0) against the bottom eight teams in the league (Denver is the other). Three of their four remaining games against that group are this week, and they’ll have a rest advantage against the Pistons on Monday.
Week 23: vs. DET, @ TOR, @ SAS
Record: 39-32
OffRtg: 112.9 (23) DefRtg: 112.1 (8) NetRtg: +0.8 (18) Pace: 96.9 (29)
The Heat’s offense had some wild swings as they went 2-2 last week, scoring less than a point per possession in losses to the Sixers and Pelicans, but scoring 125.3 per 100 in two wins against the Cavs’ fourth-ranked defense.
Three takeaways
The Heat have the easiest remaining schedule among the three Eastern Conference teams — Indiana, Miami and Philadelphia — who have 32 losses and are fighting for one guaranteed playoff spot. Five of their 11 remaining games are against teams with losing records, though they lost to the Wizards 16 days ago and will be in Washington on Sunday.
Week 23: vs. GSW, vs. POR, @ WAS
Record: 43-28
OffRtg: 114.5 (18) DefRtg: 111.3 (4) NetRtg: +3.2 (9) Pace: 97.7 (25)
At the All-Star break, the Cavs were in second place, eight games in the loss column ahead of the seventh-place Magic. They’ve only dropped to third since then, but lead the fifth-place Magic by just a game in the loss column, very much in danger of dropping out of the top four in the East.
Three takeaways
Here’s the good news: With three weeks left in the season, two teams have yet to play each other … and it’s the Cavs and the Hornets. The first two of three meetings are a home-and-home set this week, and the Cavs’ schedule will get tougher after that, with a five-game trip beginning in Denver on Sunday.
Week 23: vs. CHA, @ CHA, vs. PHI, @ DEN
Record: 41-29
OffRtg: 116.6 (12) DefRtg: 115.1 (15) NetRtg: +1.5 (14) Pace: 100.0 (12)
The Kings went 2-1 on a trip East, ending a pair of five-game streaks. They suffered a pretty inexplicable loss (though they were at a rest disadvantage) to the Wizards, who had lost five straight. But they bounced back to beat the Magic, who had won five straight.
Three takeaways
The Kings have two games left on their only stretch of five games in seven nights, with the end of that stretch being the first of two big games against the Mavs, with whom they’re tied for seventh place. Teams are 13-19 (7-7 at home) in the fifth game in seven nights this season, though the Kings won’t be at a rest disadvantage on Tuesday, because the Mavs are also playing (in Utah) the night before.
Week 23: vs. PHI, vs. DAL, vs. DAL, vs. UTA
Record: 42-29
OffRtg: 113.0 (21) DefRtg: 110.9 (3) NetRtg: +2.2 (12) Pace: 97.5 (26)
The Magic went 3-1 on the first half of their eight-game homestand, getting a quality win over the Pelicans on Thursday, but suffering (another) tough loss to the Kings two nights later.
Three takeaways
Their loss to the Kings on Saturday was Game 4 of their eight-game homestand and also the second game of seven straight against the Western Conference. The Magic will host the Warriors and Clippers this week, having lost to both on the road.
Week 23: vs. GSW, vs. LAC, vs. MEM
Record: 39-32
OffRtg: 115.5 (15) DefRtg: 115.5 (17) NetRtg: +0.0 (19) Pace: 101.1 (4)
Nine days after a loss to the Warriors dropped them into 10th place, the Lakers are 2 1/2 games ahead of Golden State, having finished their home-heavy stretch with three straight wins.
Three takeaways
Having played 11 of their last 12 games in L.A., the Lakers will play eight of their final 11 on the road, where they’re just 12-20. But five of those eight road games will come against the bottom nine teams in the league, against whom they’re 14-4 (5-2 on the road). A six-game trip will begin in Milwaukee on Tuesday.
Week 23: @ MIL, @ MEM, @ IND, @ BKN
Record: 40-32
OffRtg: 120.0 (2) DefRtg: 117.9 (25) NetRtg: +2.0 (13) Pace: 102.5 (2)
The Pacers are back! Just when you thought they’d lost their high-scoring, run-and-fun mojo, they went and played a 150-145 game in L.A. on Sunday night. Of course, the 150 score wasn’t theirs, but they remain in sixth place in the East, a half game ahead of both the Heat and Sixers.
Three takeaways
The Pacers are the only team with just 10 games remaining. They have five at home, five on the road, five against teams with winning records, and five against teams with losing records. Their five-game trip will conclude in Chicago, with the road team having won all three meetings between them and the Bulls thus far.
Week 23: @ LAC, @ CHI, vs. LAL
Record: 39-32
OffRtg: 116.2 (14) DefRtg: 113.7 (12) NetRtg: +2.4 (11) Pace: 98.3 (19)
The Sixers are aren’t the team they used to be, but they’re not running on empty either. They’re thus far 2-2 on a stretch of seven straight games against teams with winning records.
Three takeaways
The Sixers’ four-game, Pacific-Division trip wraps in Sacramento on Monday, but they’re only home for one game (playing the Clippers again) before heading back out on the road.
Week 23: @ SAC, vs. LAC, @ CLE, @ TOR
Record: 35-35
OffRtg: 113.7 (20) DefRtg: 112.3 (9) NetRtg: +1.4 (16) Pace: 99.7 (14)
The Rockets continue to roll, and they’ve hit .500 (for the first time since they were 19-19) with an eight-game winning streak, their longest in more than four seasons.
Three takeaways
The Rockets now trail the 10th-place Warriors by just one game. They’ve lost the head-to-head tiebreaker, but have one more meeting (next Thursday in Houston) left on the schedule. Before they get to that, the Rockets will have a few other tough matchups, including games against the Thunder and Mavs this week.
Week 23: vs. POR, @ OKC, @ UTA, vs. DAL
Record: 36-34
OffRtg: 116.9 (11) DefRtg: 115.6 (18) NetRtg: +1.3 (17) Pace: 100.3 (11)
Forget the challenge of making the playoffs out of the No. 10 seed. The Warriors might not make the Play-In, having lost six of their last nine games and standing just a game ahead of the 11th-place Rockets.
Three takeaways
If the Warriors are going to right the ship, they’ll have to do it away from home. Their loss in Minnesota on Sunday began a stretch where they’re playing nine of 11 on the road, and they’ll be at a rest disadvantage when they play in Orlando on Wednesday.
Week 23: @ MIA, @ ORL, @ CHA, @ SAS
Record: 34-37
OffRtg: 113.8 (19) DefRtg: 115.7 (19) NetRtg: -2.0 (21) Pace: 96.9 (28)
The Bulls have been unable to get back to .500, but they still lead the Hawks by 2 1/2 games for home-court advantage in the 9-10 Play-In game.
Three takeaways
This struggling Bulls’ defense has just two games remaining against teams that rank in the top 10 offensively. The first of those is a visit from the second-ranked Pacers, with the Bulls having won two of the first three meetings.
Week 23: vs. WAS, vs. IND, @ BKN, @ MIN
Record: 31-39
OffRtg: 117.2 (9) DefRtg: 118.6 (26) NetRtg: -1.4 (20) Pace: 101.1 (5)
After a 1-4 road trip, the Hawks returned home and took care of business with a 43-point win over the Hornets on Saturday. They remain pretty locked in 10th place in the East with a pretty tough schedule going forward.
Three takeaways
The Celtics will be staying in Atlanta for two games (Monday and Thursday) this week, though the Hawks will play a game in between. Eight of their 12 remaining games are against teams with winning records, with the Hawks 4-3 against that group throughout Young’s absence.

Week 23: vs. BOS, vs. POR, vs. BOS, vs. MIL
Record: 29-42
OffRtg: 115.1 (16) DefRtg: 119.5 (29) NetRtg: -4.3 (23) Pace: 100.6 (10)
The Jazz have lost five straight games and now have the league’s worst record (3-16) since the trade deadline.
Three numbers on the Jazz’s offense
The Jazz are still far from locked in for the ninth-highest Lottery odds, but the closest team to them in the reverse standings (Atlanta) is 2 1/2 games ahead and still looking to win games. They’re not exactly playing like a spoiler team, but they’ll have a lot of opportunities to play spoiler in the final three weeks, with 10 of their final 11 games against teams currently at or above .500.
Week 23: vs. DAL, vs. SAS, vs. HOU, @ SAC
Record: 24-47
OffRtg: 106.9 (30) DefRtg: 113.4 (11) NetRtg: -6.5 (25) Pace: 98.6 (17)
The Grizzlies were officially eliminated with their loss at Golden State on Wednesday, but they put an end to a four-game losing streak two nights later, with the game-winner coming on (probably) their most common action of the last few months, Jaren Jackson Jr. taking his man into the lane and putting up a lefty floater.
Three numbers on the Grizzlies’ offense
With Bane back and with the 29th-ranked Hornets having been worse offensively since the All-Star break, the Grizzlies have a chance to climb out of the basement on that end of the floor. The toughest defense they’ll face the rest of the way is that of the Magic, who they’ll visit on Saturday.

Week 23: @ DEN, vs. LAL, @ ORL
Record: 26-45
OffRtg: 113.0 (22) DefRtg: 115.8 (20) NetRtg: -2.7 (22) Pace: 97.7 (24)
The Nets’ six-game losing streak is their longest of the season and has come with them scoring a pretty anemic 105.5 points per 100 possessions.
Three numbers on the Nets’ offense
The Nets have lost to the Grizzlies, Pistons, Hornets and Spurs this month, but are still 14-11 (third-best) in games played between the 11 teams that currently have losing records. They have five games remaining within the group, with three of the five in the next five days.
Week 23: @ TOR, @ WAS, vs. CHI, vs. LAL
Record: 23-48
OffRtg: 112.4 (24) DefRtg: 117.3 (24) NetRtg: -4.9 (24) Pace: 99.9 (13)
The Raptors are down to one available starter (Gary Trent Jr.) and they’ve lost 10 straight games, scoring an anemic 99.0 points per 100 possessions over the last six.
Three numbers on the Raptors’ offense
The Raptors’ best chance to end this losing streak is Monday against Brooklyn. After that, they’ll play five straight games against teams with winning records.
Week 23: vs. BKN, vs. NYK, vs. PHI
Record: 15-56
OffRtg: 109.4 (27) DefRtg: 116.8 (22) NetRtg: -7.4 (26) Pace: 101.9 (3)
Victor Wembanyama continues to play well, and the Spurs continue to get clobbered when he’s not on the floor. They’re 1-6 on their eight-game homestand and are almost assuredly going to finish with the worst record in franchise history (the mark is 20-62 from 1996-97).
Three numbers on the Spurs’ offense
The Spurs need five wins in their final 11 games to avoid finishing with the worst record in franchise history. Eight of those 11 are against teams with winning records, with the Spurs currently 7-38 against that group.

Week 23: vs. PHX, @ UTA, vs. NYK, vs. GSW
Record: 19-52
OffRtg: 108.9 (28) DefRtg: 116.9 (23) NetRtg: -8.0 (27) Pace: 97.9 (21)
The Blazers have lost six straight games, though they were competitive against the Nuggets on Saturday, when they were the first team in the last 12 seasons to start five rookies.
Three numbers on the Blazers’ offense
The Blazers are the only team with multiple road trips of at least seven games this season, and the second of the two begins Monday in Houston. Their last win came against the Hawks, who they’ll visit two nights later.
Week 23: @ HOU, @ ATL, @ MIA
Record: 13-58
OffRtg: 110.3 (25) DefRtg: 119.6 (30) NetRtg: -9.3 (29) Pace: 103.1 (1)
The Wizards have won two straight games for the third time, climbing back into 14th place in the Eastern Conference standings.
Three numbers on the Wizards’ offense
The Wizards have opportunities to pick up some more wins this week, visiting Chicago on Monday and then beginning a six-game homestand with games against the Nets and Pistons. With their win over the Raptors on Saturday, they’re 4-2 since late January against other teams with fewer than 30 wins.
Week 23: @ CHI, vs. BKN, vs. DET, vs. MIA
Record: 17-53
OffRtg: 108.0 (29) DefRtg: 118.8 (28) NetRtg: -10.8 (30) Pace: 98.1 (20)
The Hornets were officially eliminated from playoff contention with their 43-point loss in Atlanta on Saturday, extending the league’s longest active playoff drought to eight seasons. That has it tied (with droughts from the Hawks and Wizards) for the longest Eastern Conference drought in NBA history.
Three numbers on the Hornets’ offense
With the teams with the three worst records having the highest Lottery odds, the Hornets have the fourth worst record, having two more wins than the Spurs and two fewer than the Blazers. They’re one of three teams with an eight-game homestand this season, and theirs begins Wednesday with a visit from the Cavs.
Week 23: @ CLE, vs. CLE, vs. GSW, vs. LAC
Record: 12-59
OffRtg: 110.0 (26) DefRtg: 118.7 (27) NetRtg: -8.7 (28) Pace: 100.8 (8)
The Pistons have scored just 101.4 points per 100 possessions over a six-game losing streak, with the nadir being a 10-point first quarter against New Orleans on Sunday.
Three numbers on the Pistons’ offense
The Pistons have a league-high nine road games left on their schedule but have the league’s easiest remaining schedule regarding cumulative opponent winning percentage (.434). Two of their four remaining games against teams with winning records are in New York and Minnesota on Monday and Wednesday.
Week 23: @ NYK, @ MIN, @ WAS