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The 2024-25 regular season only has three weeks left. Races for playoff seeding and lottery odds have heated up. Besides the Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers owning the top spots, the rest of the postseason bracket is unknown.
The Thunder officially clinched the first seed before anybody else in the West clinched a playoff spot. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers caused a mini-panic with a four-game losing streak.
Injuries also continue to factor into the playoff picture. Nikola Jokic has missed four games with ankle and elbow ailments. The Denver Nuggets have slid down the standings because of his absence. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers saw LeBron James finally return from a groin injury.
Throughout the 2024-25 season, Thunder Wire will conduct weekly NBA power rankings. Here is the latest edition for the Mar. 17-23 week:
30. Utah Jazz (16-56)
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Previous Ranking: 30
The Jazz are in a heated race against the Wizards for the NBA's worst record. They collected a rare win over them this past week. That won't help their cause but a front office can only do so much to drop in the standings. Either way, Utah will likely add a top prospect.
29. Washington Wizards (15-55)
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Previous Ranking: 29
The Wizards have lost four in a row. Corey Kispert was ruled out for the season with thumb surgery. It's that time of the year when tanking squads rule out their best players for the final weeks to ensure they collect losses. If they don't get the top pick, at least Washington can be happy that all three of its lottery picks have played well.
28. New Orleans Pelicans (19-53)
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Previous Ranking: 28
The Pelicans handed the Timberwolves an upset. That was enough for Zion Williamson to miss the next meeting between the squads. New Orleans is serious about having top-three lottery odds. Ruling out its best player helps with that.
27. Charlotte Hornets (18-53)
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Previous Ranking: 27
LaMelo Ball scored 25 points in an upset win over the Knicks. Besides that, the Hornets have had plenty of losses. At this point of the season, expect Charlotte to tank the rest of the way. It's business as usual for them with another high lottery pick.
26. Brooklyn Nets (23-48)
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Previous Ranking: 26
The Nets have lost three in a row but they were close contests. There's no perfect way to tank, but close losses against contenders are the best of both worlds. Considering Brooklyn needed to pull every stop to lose, it has built a solid foundation that just needs top talent.
25. Philadelphia 76ers (23-48)
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Previous Ranking: 25
The Sixers have lost seven of their last eight games. To show how serious they are about keeping their top-six protected pick, they sat out their best players against the Thunder's bench lineup. The latter still spanked the former. Philly's embarrassing loss to the Rockets showed their commitment to the tank. Nobody else is better at this stuff.
24. Miami Heat (30-41)
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Previous Ranking: 23
To show how bad the East's depth is, a 10-game losing streak hasn't threatened the Heat at all to drop out of the play-in tournament. They still have a gigantic lead over the Raptors. Miami has collapsed and the only saving grace is that it's in the East. It'll be another year where they need to win in the play-in to make the playoffs.
23. Toronto Raptors (24-47)
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Previous Ranking: 24
The Raptors have lost four in a row. They're in a weird spot where they're stuck. Toronto has no real room to move up or down in the standings. At this point, it'll rely on some lottery luck to get a high draft pick. They've been stuck in the middle of nowhere for a few seasons now.
22. San Antonio Spurs (30-39)
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Previous Ranking: 22
At this point of the season, March basketball highlights role players going off on random nights. Sandro Mamukelashvili did that for the Spurs. He became the first player in NBA history to score 34 points in just 19 minutes or less. That was a fun game that makes otherwise boring basketball stomachable in San Antonio.
21. Portland Trail Blazers (32-40)
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Previous Ranking: 21
The Trail Blazers have played better recently. They've won four of their last five games. Deni Avdija scored 36 points in an upset win over the Nuggets. While a postseason push might be too late, Portland has been one of the surprise squads since the All-Star break. That could lead to a breakout season next year.
20. Chicago Bulls (31-40)
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Previous Ranking: 20
The Bulls took full advantage of their yearly trip to Los Angeles. They became the headliners with a blowout win over the Lakers. Josh Giddey was close to history with an ear quadruple-double. He finished with 12 points, 17 assists, 10 rebounds and eight steals. Chicago has played its best basketball with the play-in tournament right around the corner.
19. Dallas Mavericks (34-37)
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Previous Ranking: 18
With their postseason hopes on life support, Anthony Davis is hurrying to return to the court. The Mavericks have had one of the worst seasons ever and the only slight justification it could make for trading away Luka Doncic is hoping for better playoff success. They can only do that with Davis. Outside of the postseason picture, Dallas could be rejuvenated if he returns.
18. Orlando Magic (33-38)
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Previous Ranking: 19
The Magic enjoyed an easy win over the Wizards. Paolo Banchero had 30 points. Considering how many games separate them from the rest of the East standings, Orlando is set to be in the play-in tournament hoping to get in the playoffs. Perhaps they could give the Cavaliers a scare in a possible first-round series.
17. Phoenix Suns (34-37)
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Previous Ranking: 17
As soon as it looked like their season was dead, the Suns have won three straight to take the 10th spot. It'll be a tight finish against the Mavericks to determine who makes the play-in tournament, but Devin Booker and Kevin Durant hope to make the playoffs in their likely last year together as an All-Star duo.
16. Sacramento Kings (35-35)
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Previous Ranking: 16
If the Kings make the postseason, they must play well without Domantas Sabonis. He continues to miss time with an ankle sprain. Sacramento has survived his absence so far but needs the NBA's top rebounder back to survive the play-in tournament and capture a playoff spot.
15. Atlanta Hawks (35-36)
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Previous Ranking: 15
The Hawks picked up two wins this past week but lost Clint Capela for the rest of the season. That's a decent loss for Atlanta as he's shuffled between the starting lineup and the bench. Atlanta finds itself in a similar spot over the last few years as a play-in tournament team.
14. Detroit Pistons (40-32)
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Previous Ranking: 13
The Pistons have been the biggest surprise this season. After being the worst team last year, they're squarely in the playoff race. Cade Cunningham scored a game-winning 3-pointer against the Heat. After seeing another one of their games picked up on national TV, Detroit has been given its flowers for its breakout year.
13. Minnesota Timberwolves (41-31)
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Previous Ranking: 10
To be a good head coach, you must connect with your team. Chris Finch understands that. He started Joe Ingles in their blowout win over the Pelicans. The locker room veteran has seldom played this season but was given the nod because his son watched him play live for the first time. Just a cool human story that shows being a good coach is about building relationships as much as being a basketball genius.
12. Milwaukee Bucks (40-30)
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Previous Ranking: 11
The Bucks are in the middle of an important West Coast road trip. Wins over the Kings and Lakers have helped their cause to get a top-four seed. Milwaukee is a top-heavy veteran group that's been inconsistent this season. Whatever seed they end up with, their playoff ambitions will fall on Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.
11. Indiana Pacers (41-29)
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Previous Ranking: 14
The Pacers have won four in a row and six of their last seven games. They've taken advantage of a soft schedule. It's a committee approach in Indiana. One night, Pascal Siakam will lead it to a win over the Nets. Another night, it'll be Bennedict Mathurin who helps avoid an upset loss to Brooklyn.
10. LA Clippers (40-31)
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Previous Ranking: 12
The Clippers have caught fire at the right time. James Harden has played like an All-Star and Kawhi Leonard is back to his dominant self. LA has juggled seasons all year but is fully healthy at the right time. It could be a playoff threat that upsets one of the top seeds in the first round.
9. Memphis Grizzlies (43-28)
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Previous Ranking: 8
The Grizzlies have lost three in a row. All three defeats were by double-digit points. They've plummeted down the standings. Right now is not when a hopeful contender should be in a slump. Memphis also lost Brandon Clarke for the rest of the season with a knee injury. It's been a rough week that they quickly need to snap out of with the playoffs around the corner.
8. New York Knicks (44-26)
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Previous Ranking: 7
The Knicks desperately need Jalen Brunson back. His absence has been felt since he went down with an ankle sprain. Bad losses to the Spurs and Hornets showed that. They salvaged a poor week with a blowout win over the Wizards where Karl-Anthony Towns had 31 points.
7. Golden State Warriors (41-30)
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Previous Ranking: 6
It looks like the Warriors dodged a bullet. After Stephen Curry splat on the court, the grotesque noise turned out to just be a pelvis contusion. That's the best-case scenario after it looked like the All-Star might've seriously been hurt. He'll miss time but not to the extent many thought when he first fell. Golden State needs the former MVP healthy to make a deep playoff run.
6. Los Angeles Lakers (43-27)
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Previous Ranking: 9
It was an eventful week for the Lakers. They got lucky against the Nuggets when Jokic was ruled out. Los Angeles blew them out. But then they got unlucky against the Bucks without their three best players. Los Angeles suffered a blowout loss. Finally, James returned from a lengthy absence but was spoiled with another blowout loss to the Bulls.
5. Denver Nuggets (45-27)
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Previous Ranking: 4
The Nuggets have been without Jokic for four games. Jamal Murray has also missed time. They've elected to nurse nagging injuries rather than chase after seeding. Guess when you've already won a championship, you don't necessarily need a homecourt advantage. The week off has hurt Jokic's chase for a fourth MVP award, though. Murray returned to beat the red-hot Rockets on Sunday.
4. Houston Rockets (46-26)
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Previous Ranking: 5
The Rockets have taken advantage of a soft part of their schedule with nine straight wins. The streak ended in a loss to the Nuggets but that shouldn't take away from it. After being bungled with the rest of the West, the lengthy win streak has put them in the second seed with some decent distance. It's a group effort in Houston. Some nights, Fred VanVleet explodes for 37 points while other nights it's Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr. who step up.
3. Boston Celtics (52-19)
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Previous Ranking: 3
The Celtics have won five in a row. They continue to be a winning machine. The reigning NBA champions will enter the playoffs as the East's second seed. Off the court though, a year-long storyline finally concluded. Boston was sold to Bill Chisholm for $6.1 billion. He becomes the Celtics' new owner. An ownership change always invokes change and can be scary. It'll be interesting to see the fallout of that change of power over the next few years.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers (57-14)
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Previous Ranking: 1
Cleveland has faced pure panic for the first time this season. A four-game losing streak has caused people to wonder what happened to the Cavaliers. They finally returned to their winning ways with a get-right game against the Jazz. With the four straight losses, their chances of the NBA's best record took a major hit. Nonetheless, they'll enter the playoffs as the East's first seed.
1. Oklahoma City Thunder (59-12)
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Previous Ranking: 2
The Thunder clinched the West's first seed before anybody else even clinched a playoff spot. Read that again. It's been pure dominance by OKC. All that's left is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to put the finishing touches on his MVP case. Meanwhile, Jalen Williams hopes to return soon. Everything is going well for the Thunder and the real test will begin when the playoffs start.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: NBA Power Rankings: Thunder clinch West's top seed; Cavaliers lose 4
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