NBA Basketball Power Ratings

1. San Antonio Spurs (58-19) – Despite their six game slide, the San Antonio Spurs remain as the top team in the power rankings. The Spurs have just five games remaining and lead the Chicago Bulls by 1.5 games for home court advantage through the entire postseason. The Spurs have been banged up all season long; including losing Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili in recent weeks. The Spurs were able to snap their streak on Sunday when they downed the Phoenix Suns. San Antonio have a game at Atlanta on Tuesday, before playing their final two home games; with Sacramento and Utah; before heading out to Los Angeles (Lakers) and Phoenix to finish the regular season.

2. Los Angeles Lakers (55-21) – The Los Angeles Lakers remain the #2 team in the power rankings. The Lakers have made a push towards San Antonio, but it appears they will fall a bit short. The Lakers had their long winning streak snapped on Sunday when the Nuggets beat them at the Staples Center. Los Angeles is 8th in the league on defense, allowing just 95.1 points per game. The Lakers are seeking their third straight NBA title. Los Angeles will finish the regular season with a home game against Utah; trips to Golden State and Portland; home games with Oklahoma City and San Antonio and a road game at Sacramento.

3. Chicago Bulls (56-20) – The top team out of the Eastern Conference has been the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls moved up from #4 to #3 this week, and are just behind the Spurs for the top record in all of the NBA. The Bulls downed Toronto on Saturday behind 36 points from Derrick Rose, and 10 rebounds from Carlos Boozer. Chicago is the second best rebound team in the league, and also the second best defensive team (allowing 91.4 points per game). The Bulls have a home game with the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, and then will welcome the Boston Celtics to town. Chicago will then play three straight road games; at Cleveland, Orlando and New York (Knicks) before hosting New Jersey on April 13th to finish the regular season.

4. Miami Heat (54-24) – The Miami Heat are set to begin their postseason run, which has been discussed since the signing of LeBron James in the summer. The Heat are battling tooth and nail with the Boston Celtics for the second seed in the Eastern Conference, which would give them home court advantage in the second round over the Celtics. Miami has won three straight games and eight of their last ten. On Sunday the Heat beat New Jersey behind 31 from James. On Wednesday, Miami will host the Milwaukee Bucks, as they are looking for wins in their desperate attempt to get into the playoffs. Miami will then host Charlotte and Boston, before heading out on the road to Atlanta and Toronto.

5. Boston Celtics (53-23) – The Boston Celtics have struggled as of late; but were able to pick up a win on Sunday over Detroit. In the win, the Celtics received 23 points and 8 rebounds from veteran Kevin Garnett. The Celtics have been the top defensive team in the league all season long; allowing just shy of 91 points per game. Boston will host play-off bound Philadelphia on Tuesday, in what could be a preview of the first round battle between the two teams. The Celtics will then head to the United Center in Chicago for a tilt on Thursday. Boston will then host the Washington Wizards on Friday, before heading to Miami and Washington. The Celtics will end the regular season with an April 13th  battle against the New York Knicks.

6. Dallas Mavericks (53-24) – The Dallas Mavericks have fallen off a bit, as they dropped from #3 to #6 in the rankings. Despite that slump, the Mavericks are still the third seed in the Western Conference, and are comfortably sitting there. Dallas has been led by Dirk Nowitzki and his 23 points per game. Dallas has won of the best road records in the NBA; at 27-13. The Mavericks will host Denver, Los Angeles (Clippers) and Phoenix, before a road game at Houston and another home game with New Orleans.

7. Oklahoma City Thunder (50-26) – The Oklahoma City Thunder are the fourth seed in the Western Conference, and will host the red-hot Denver Nuggets in the first round. The Thunder are led by youngsters Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka. Durant is once again at the top of the NBA scoring leaders, as he is pouring in 27.7 points per game. Kendrick Perkins, since coming over from Boston has been the Thunder’s leading rebounding man, with 7.7 per game. The Thunder play at Denver Tuesday night, and then host both the Clippers and Nuggets. The final three games of the season for Oklahoma City are at Los Angeles (Lakers), Sacramento and at home with Milwaukee.

8. Denver Nuggets (47-29) – The Denver Nuggets have won six straight to give their organization a bit of a jolt before the postseason begins. The Nuggets since trading Carmelo Anthony have been one of the hottest teams in the league. Denver still remains the top scoring team in the league; with over 107 per game. Denver hosts Oklahoma City on Tuesday, and then plays games in Dallas and in Oklahoma City. The final three games for the Nuggets will be at home against Minnesota and Golden State, before finishing the season at Utah.

9. Orlando Magic (48-29) – The Orlando Magic dropped one spot from #9 to #8. The Magic suffered a tough loss on Sunday at Toronto. The loss did not mean a whole lot for Orlando, as they sit in the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, and not going to budge either way. The Magic will now get ready to host Atlanta in the first round of the postseason. Orlando has relied on their big man Dwight Howard and his 23.2 points and 14.3 rebounds per game. The Magic play at Charlotte on Wednesday, and then come home to host the Bulls, play at Philadelphia, and then host Indiana.

10. Portland Trailblazers (45-32) – Portland won their second straight game on Sunday over the Mavericks. Currently, Portland is the sixth seed, but could fall as low as 8th if they do not finish the regular season strong. LaMarcus Aldridge has been the man for the Trailblazers, scoring 22 points per game. Portland is the sixth best defensive team in the league; as they are allowing just 94.7 points per game. The Trailblazers host the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night, and then head to Utah on Thursday. The final two home games for Portland will be against the Lakers and Grizzlies, before finishing on April 13th at Golden State.

11. New Orleans Hornets (44-33) – The New Orleans Hornets are just a win away from sealing the deal on a postseason berth. The Hornets picked up a win over Indiana on Sunday behind 17 rebounds from Emeka Okafor. The Hornets are enjoying success from Okafor, along with David West, to carry the load for point guard Chris Paul. The Hornets won just 37 games last season, so they have been much improved. New Orleans will host Houston on Wednesday and Phoenix on Friday, before heading to Memphis, and then coming back home to host Utah, and then finishing the regular season at Dallas.

12. Memphis Grizzlies (44-34) – The Memphis Grizzlies took a tough loss on Tuesday to the Los Angeles Clippers. With the loss, the Grizzlies were unable to wrap up a postseason spot out west. The Grizzlies are just ½ game behind New Orleans for the 7th seed in the West. Zach Randolph has been the key offensive catalyst, scoring 20 points and grabbing 12.2 rebounds per game. Memphis won 40 games last season, and just 68 in the three previous seasons combined. The Grizzlies will host Sacramento on Friday and New Orleans on Sunday. Following that, Memphis will play games at Portland and Los Angeles (Clippers).

13. Atlanta Hawks (44-34) – The Atlanta Hawks took a seven point loss to San Antonio on Tuesday to drop to 10 games above .500. The Hawks, despite the loss will still be the fifth seed out of the Eastern Conference. Atlanta will have to beat Orlando, who they just previously beat. Atlanta looks to improve on their offense, which ranks 25th in the league, scoring just 95.3 points per game. Atlanta will finish the season with a game Friday at Indiana, Saturday at Washington, followed by a home game with Miami, and a road game at Charlotte on April 13th.

14. Houston Rockets (41-36) – The Houston Rockets are the third highest scoring team in the league, but appear to be falling short of the postseason. Houston fell on Tuesday to the Kings on Tuesday. Kevin Martin is the leading scorer for the Rockets, averaging 23.5 points per game. Houston wraps up the season on Wednesday at New Orleans, followed by home games with Los Angeles (Clippers) and Dallas, before going on the road to Minnesota.

15. Philadelphia 76ers (40-37) – The 76ers are in a dog fight with the New York Knicks for the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. Coming into Thursday’s head to head matchup with the Knicks, the 76ers were ½ game ahead of the Knicks. Philadelphia is coming off a tough loss on Tuesday to Boston, despite Evan Turner pouring in 21 points. The 76ers, after playing the Knicks on Wednesday, will host Toronto on Friday, Orlando on April 11th and Detroit on April 13th.

16. New York  Knicks (38-38) – The Knicks are looking to improve, after their sluggish March, following the acquisition of Carmelo Anthony. New York has played better, and still is the second highest scoring team in the league. New York, following their trip to Philadelphia will look to find more wins when they play at New Jersey, at Indiana and then at home against Chicago, before finishing the season at Boston. The Knicks will be making their first trip to the postseason in a decade.

17. Phoenix Suns (37-39) – The Phoenix Suns took a late tumble to fall out of the playoff chase. Phoenix lost three straight games, including one at Chicago on Tuesday night. The Suns have had trouble stopping teams on defense, as they are allowing 105.6 points per game. The offense for the Suns has been solid; ranking fourth in the league with 104.9 points per game. Jason Richardson is the leading scorer, as he is pouring in just under 20 points per game. The Suns play at Minnesota Wednesday, at New Orleans Friday, at Dallas Sunday, and then home games with Minnesota and San Antonio.

18. Utah Jazz (36-41) – Another team that collapsed late in the season are the Utah Jazz. After losing Jerry Sloan, and then Deron Williams, Utah could not find ways to win. Also hampering the Jazz was injuries to several key guys. The Jazz did snap their losing streak this week, picking up a win over the Los Angeles Lakers. The Jazz will need to win their final four games to end the season at .500. Utah sees Portland, San Antonio, New Orleans and Denver to complete the season.

19. Golden State Warriors (33-44) – The Golden State Warriors, despite not making the postseason can be pleased with their improvement from a season ago. The Warriors won just 55 games the past two seasons combined. Golden State beat Portland on Tuesday night, and will look to keep the winning going as they host the Lakers on Wednesday night. Following that, the Warriors will finish the season with a home game against the Kings, a road game at Denver, and then a home game with the Trailblazers.

20. Indiana Pacers (35-43) – The final team in the Eastern Conference postseason picture is the Indiana Pacers. Indiana can clinch their postseason spot on Wednesday with a win over the Wizards. Their reward now will be divisional foe Chicago in the first round of the playoffs. The Pacers have not been that bad against Chicago, beating them at the start of the new year. Indiana will finish the regular season against Atlanta, New York (Knicks) and then at Orlando.

21. Charlotte Bobcats (32-44) – The Bobcats stayed in the postseason race until the final weeks of the season. Charlotte has lost four in a row to make their way out of it. The Bobcats showed signs of quality basketball, but then could never string wins together. The Bobcats really hit rock bottom when they lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday, to all but eliminate them for contention. Charlotte will finish their 2010 – 2011 season with a game at Miami, home game with Detroit, road game at New Jersey and a home game with the Atlanta Hawks.

22. Milwaukee Bucks (31-45) – The Milwaukee Bucks are going to use the offseason to find a way to score more points. Milwaukee was the worst offensive team in the league; barely scoring 90 points per game. Brandon Jennings was the Bucks leading scorer, but even he scored just 16 points per game. Milwaukee will look to knock Miami out of the second seed on Wednesday night. Following that game, the Bucks will wrap up the season with a game at Detroit, followed by two home games: Cleveland and Toronto. The Bucks will end the season on April 13th in Oklahoma City.

23. Los Angeles Clippers (30-47) – Blake Griffin and the Los Angeles Clippers will have one goal in mind for next season: make the playoffs. Often times the laughing stock of the NBA, the Clippers could be a team to deal with next season. Griffin, along with former Indiana star Eric Gordon will be dynamic offensive force. The Clippers showed signs of brilliancy this season, but could never find a way to win on the road. Los Angeles plays at Oklahoma City on Wednesday, and then follows that up with trips to Dallas and Houston, before coming back to the Staples Center on April 13th to play the Grizzlies.

24. Detroit Pistons (26-50) – Another tough season is coming to an end for the Detroit Pistons. Detroit fell on Tuesday night to the Washington Wizards. The loss was the 51st of the season for the Pistons. Detroit will now look to bounce back on Wednesday night, when they host another struggling team, in the New Jersey Nets. Following that, the Pistons will host Milwaukee, travel to Charlotte, host Cleveland, and then finish in Philadelphia.  

25. New Jersey Nets (23-53) – The New Jersey Nets had high hopes for this season, even after the disastrous 2009-2010 season. The Nets fell short of their goal, but did pick up a seasoned point guard in Deron Williams. The Nets hope with some of their young talent, and their ability to draft this off-season, that they can be in the hunt for the playoffs next season. New Jersey wraps up the season Wednesday at Detroit, followed by games against the Knicks, Raptors, Bobcats and Bulls.

26. Toronto Raptors (21-55) – In the first full season without big man Chris Bosh, the Raptors were an absolute train wreck. Toronto was one of the worst rebounding teams, and defensive teams in the league. Both of those aspects were specialties of Bosh. The Raptors gave up 131 points in a loss to the Knicks Tuesday night. The season will end mercifully for Toronto in the next week against: Philadelphia, New Jersey, Milwaukee and Miami.

27. Sacramento Kings (22-54) – The Sacramento Kings picked up a win Tuesday night to all but eliminate Houston from postseason play. While it certainly has not been a great year for the Kings, games like that give them a glimmer of hope. The Kings will need to win two out of their final five games to match their win total from a season ago. One of the Kings bright spots has been Marcus Thornton, who is scoring just under 22 points per game. Sacramento will take on the NBA’s top team in San Antonio on Wednesday, and then follow that up with trips to Memphis and Golden State, before hosting Oklahoma City and Los Angeles (Lakers)

28. Washington Wizards (20-56) – The Washington Wizards hope their first season with point guard John Wall was a learning process. Next year, the Wizards hope to be up with the rest of the Southeast Division, in contending for the postseason. Washington started extremely slow on the road, but got better as the season went along. On Tuesday, the Wizards picked up a 2 point win over Detroit, behind 26 points from Andray Blatche. The Wizards play at Indiana on Wednesday, and then Boston on Friday. The final three games for the Wizards are against: Boston and Cleveland.

29. Minnesota Timberwolves (17-60) – Minnesota has finished the season very poorly, losing 11 straight games. Kevin Love had a fantastic rookie season, but once he went down, things went south quickly for the Timberwolves. Minnesota still claims the top spot for rebounding; with 44.6 per game. Love was the main man for that, as he averaged 15.2 per game, along with 20.2 points per game. Minnesota finishes the season at home with Phoenix, at Denver, at Phoenix and then at home against the Houston Rockets on April 13th.

30. Cleveland Cavaliers (15-61) – The Cleveland Cavaliers would like to put their first full season without King LeBron James to rest. The Cavaliers were dreadful for most of the season, but have shown some signs of life late in the year. Cleveland beat Miami the final week of March, which will serve as the team’s highlight of the season. The Cavaliers also downed Charlotte on Tuesday, to send them out of the playoff picture. Cleveland will finish the season Friday at home with Chicago, Saturday at Milwaukee, April 11th at Detroit, and then a home game with the Washington Wizards. The Cavaliers appear to have the best chance to garner the #1 pick in the draft.