NBA Power Rankings: Week 5

Week 5 of the NBA Power Rankings, we are starting to see some teams figure out who they are, but there is still so much time left in the NBA season.

1 - Oklahoma City Thunder

Last: #1

Well the Thunder are 13-1, I mentioned at the beginning of the season that they would beat the Warriors 73-9 record. So far a good start, they aren’t even all the way healthy. They blew out the Lakers the other night as well, ugh.

2 - Denver Nuggets

Last: #2

The Nuggets are doing their best to keep pace with the Thunder, they unfortunately won’t play each other until 2026. These two teams are already the best in the West, are we already looking at the Western Conference Final?

3 - Houston Rockets

Last: #4

The Rockets are over here saying hey don’t forget about us, after starting 0-2, they have gone 9-1 and are a real threat. A big matchup in Houston this week against the Nuggets.

4 - New York Knicks

Last: #6

The Knicks are 8-4 and went 6-1 on their 7 game homestand, taking care of home court. They have a top 3 offense to start the season and already beat a good team in Miami without Jalen Brunson.

5 - Detroit Pistons

Last: #8

The Detroit Pistons have won 10 in a row, and sit atop the Eastern Conference. Yes, some of those teams have been bad, but hey the wins all count the same in the standings.

6 - Cleveland Cavaliers

Last: #5

Well, Darius Garland is already hurt again, he re-injured his toe that we had hurt previously. The offense has taken a step back and they really have not hit their stride this year.

7 - Los Angeles Lakers

Last: #3

The Lakers did not pass their first big test of the season, to be fair they barely got into the classroom for the test. They got blown out by the Thunder last week, but did rebound with back to back wins, Lebron is also on his way back.

8 - San Antonio Spurs

Last: #7

Bad news in San Antonio, Wemby has a calf strain and is out for at least a few weeks. This will be the test for the Spurs, can they keep their head above water in a deep West without Wemby?

9 - Golden State Warriors

Last: #11

Just like a lot of teams, the Warriors got blown out by the Thunder when Curry came back from injury. They did have some nice rebound performances against the Spurs and lowly Pelicans. Anthony Davis is a rumored trade candidate for the Warriors, I wonder how Warrior fans feel about that.

10 - Milwaukee Bucks

Last: #9

The Bucks are 8-6, which is good, but is it good enough for Giannis to stay long term? I still hear rumblings of a trade, Atlanta, Golden State, New York, LA? Or do the Bucks make a move themselves to get better?

11 - Minnesota Timberwolves

Last: #10

The Wolves have been Nugget killers in the playoffs recently, but this year they are 0-2 against their rivals. The Wolves are eating up against bottom feeders, but we need to see some quality wins to think of them as real contenders.

12 - Toronto Raptors

Last: #NR

A new team in the top 15 this week, welcome Toronto to the power rankings! I am sure my power ranking will help you get over the World Series. They are 8-2 in their last 10 and are now 3rd in the Eastern Conference, beating Cleveland twice.

13 - Miami Heat

Last: #12

The Heat are in the play-in tournament currently, what a surprise. I think this team can hang around, but middle of the road offense and middle of the road defense. Not sure how they beat these better teams in the East.

14 - Atlanta Hawks