2026 NBA power rankings: Celtics, Suns keep rising, Clippers, Hornets are figuring it out

In this week’s power rankings, our biggest risers are the Boston Celtics, the Phoenix Suns, the L.A. Clippers, and the Charlotte Hornets. Here’s how the league shakes out from one to thirty.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder (33-7)

Two-sentence summary: Oklahoma City’s version of a midseason slump, which was nothing more than six wins in 12 games, already seems distant: They have the league’s eighth-best offense and fifth-best defense over the past two weeks while winning six of its eight games. It’s still true there are some crevices that have been exposed, but even those, which we explored last week, are more within the Thunder’s control than their opponents’.

2. San Antonio Spurs (27-12)

Two-sentence summary: San Antonio has earned this; the team demolishes its opponents when Victor Wembanyama plays (plus-13.6 net rating) and continues churning out results whenever he isn’t available or playing limited minutes. Julian Champagnie has been the team’s second-most important player, which is a statement more about the guards’ interchangeability, but the Spurs are a serious squad even with some flaws.

3. Detroit Pistons (28-10)

Two-sentence summary: Detroit has been the league’s steadiest juggernaut. I’d still like to see them tested against better opponents, since they’ve faced teams with a top-10 net rating just five times this season, but they’ve won four of them and have tests against Phoenix, Boston, Houston, and Denver coming this month.

4. Boston Celtics (24-14)

Two-sentence summary: Boston’s ascending into the league’s highest echelon of contenders. It’s fascinating how they’ve achieved it, if rather obvious in retrospect: Why shouldn’t a team that takes more jumpers than anyone else in the league crash the offensive glass like banshees?

5. Denver Nuggets (26-13)

Two-sentence summary: Denver continues treading water remarkably well during this injury crisis when you consider how unreal some of these starting lineups have been. Do we believe that these elevated bench performances will help Denver once whole again and scale down to roles that the team needs of them?

6. Minnesota Timberwolves (26-14)

Two-sentence summary: Minnesota’s still an offensive juggernaut led by Anthony Edwards with a one-man defense in Rudy Gobert. Lately, Chris Finch has just accepted that, leaning into high-scoring offensive units in his absence while saving the whole stopping-them thing for the minutes he’s on the court.

7. Phoenix Suns (24-15)

Two-sentence summary: Phoenix shares a lot in common with Boston, which we dove into last week, but a smart formula for success is just that without the players embodying it, too. What’s most interesting, to me, is whether this formula changes somewhat upon Jalen Green’s return or if he wholly embraces it.

8. New York Knicks (25-14)

Two-sentence summary: New York has been stumbling; the team should be fine, but this stretch has done little to instill confidence in the concerns we’ve had for this roster all season. Karl-Anthony Towns’ 3-pointer, in particular, has abandoned him in a worrisome way; while the Knicks still take more 3s than they ever did under Tom Thibodeau, the offense must be better to make up for the two star players’ defensive deficiencies.

9. Houston Rockets (22-14)

Two-sentence summary: Houston has lost three consecutive games for the first time all season, and it’s mostly due to how dreadful the team’s offense has been. Those hot shooting 3-point numbers from the season’s start have begun to normalize, and Houston’s stuck with a clunky unit that still lacks the grease needed in its worst moments to find good shots.

10. Toronto Raptors (24-16)

Two-sentence summary: Toronto remains a highly competent team who earns respect even in its defeats; the team’s absolute ceiling isn’t there, which affects where they land in these power rankings, but perhaps that’s even unfair to the season they’ve had. Jamal Shead has popped off the bench; Gradey Dick does so many interesting things on the court except shoot efficiently; and Collin Murray-Boyles continues to look like a real player, if unpolished.

11. Cleveland Cavaliers (22-18)

Two-sentence summary: I’m still not thrilled with Cleveland’s performances, but the machinery of last season’s success revs up far more often of late. Jaylon Tyson has been heaven-sent for their squad, making up for the good-process-bad-results acquisition of Lonzo Ball last summer.

12. Philadelphia 76ers (21-16)

Two-sentence summary: There are still too many losses that make the 76ers hard to trust, but the moments where it comes together that warrants the team’s rise in these power rankings. I’m still frightened by the minutes Nick Nurse keeps asking of Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe; while Philadelphia has adapted fairly well to the out-and-in-and-out seasons for Joel Embiid and Paul George, they cannot absorb any extended absences from those two.

13. Los Angeles Lakers (23-13)

Two-sentence summary: Los Angeles finally lost without being blown out, which is a strange, backhanded positive for a team that has gotten smoked too often in defeat. But they’re still the league’s only winning team with a negative net rating (minus-12), and LeBron James’ return to All-NBA-level play hasn’t meaningfully changed that.

14. Golden State Warriors (21-19)

Two-sentence summary: Golden State seems nearly certain to shake up this roster again at the trade deadline, and Michael Porter Jr. seems like the foremost choice for them to pursue. Because, right now, the Warriors remain a good team, far from great, that has underperformed but without a high enough ceiling to justify it.

15. Orlando Magic (22-18)

Two-sentence summary: Orlando welcomed back one Wagner, Mo, even though Franz remains out. The team’s still struggling to nail its identity, though, and Anthony Black’s rise as a potential star guard in a different mold than Jalen Suggs adds complications to how Orlando continues building this team in the near future.

16. Los Angeles Clippers (15-23)

Two-sentence summary: Los Angeles has won nine of its past 11 games, and the competency we expected of them to start this season finally has arrived thanks to Kawhi Leonard, the team’s most important player, showing he’s still the superstar this team believed he was. The team’s offense, specifically, has roared back to life thanks to John Collins, Nicolas Batum, and Kobe Sanders finally providing better minutes.

17. Miami Heat (20-19)

Two-sentence summary: Miami might have an All-Star in Norm Powell, but the team’s still middling in every sense of the word. Pelle Larson continues to solidify himself as a proper rotation cog, but Miami needs something new to avoid another season as a Play-In team, which is probably what they’ll resign themselves to being again this year.

18. Atlanta Hawks (20-21)

Two-sentence summary: The Hawks have moved on from the Trae Young era with very little to show for it; it’s hard to dispute the decision, though, to re-center this team around Jalen Johnson and the team’s other youngsters. I’m not sure Anthony Davis was the solution they believed, but that’s a choice that has now been taken out of their hands.

19. Charlotte Hornets (14-25)

Two-sentence summary: Charlotte’s better than you think; the team’s record is marred by a 4-12 record in clutch games, but boast a point differential that’s nearly positive. (The Lakers, for example, have won nine more games but have been outscored by just one fewer point than them.) When LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel, and Brandon Miller all share the court, the Hornets have outscored opponents by more than 12 points per 100 possessions.

20. Milwaukee Bucks (17-22)

Two-sentence summary: Milwaukee, for all of this roster’s limitations, still should be better than this; Giannis Antetokounmpo is having an all-time season even by his standards, and the Ryan Rollins emergence has hardly faltered. But it’s just another blah season, sparked only by the rolling news cycle that is Antetokounmpo’s future.

21. Chicago Bulls (18-20)

Two-sentence summary: Chicago’s excellent at mediocrity, Play-In Tournament contention, and a roster that sparks little joy. Ayo Dosunmu has been the team’s main exception to that blandness, which probably means Chicago’s front office is itching to actually make an in-season trade, for once, to offload him. (I’m sorry for being so mean, CHGO fans, but I suspect you folks might be in agreement with me.)

22. Portland Trail Blazers (19-21)

Two-sentence summary: Portland’s lineups have constantly changed throughout the past weeks due to injuries; Jrue Holiday’s return, albeit a quiet one in a defeat to the Knicks this weekend, should help provide some renewed stability. In the meantime, Donovan Clingan’s emergence has stood out but little else from the on-court play.

23. Memphis Grizzlies (17-22)

Two-sentence summary: Memphis is finally ready to trade Ja Morant, and it’s probably a year or two too late. But the Grizzlies are in a strange purgatory with him, and it’s justified to move on from him despite the deep reverence this fanbase has for their beleaguered former superstar.

24. Brooklyn Nets (11-25)

Two-sentence summary: Brooklyn’s December, in which the team went 7-4, suddenly feels like a distant memory as the Nets have lost every game but one in 2026. Michael Porter Jr. might be the league’s second-best shooter after Stephen Curry, which makes it a no-brainer for the team to trade him by the deadline; among players with at least 250 attempted 3s this season, he has outperformed his expected field goal percentage more than anyone else.

25. Utah Jazz (13-25)

Two-sentence summary: This Jazz roster’s still capable of outstanding performances; they took Oklahoma City to overtime last week and then notched an entertaining win against Dallas thanks to Keyonte George, who continues to ascend. (A Lauri Markkanen, Kyle Filipowski, and Kevin Love triple-big lineup is basketball soul food to me.) But Utah’s finally reminding us more often that this team’s still destined for the lottery; losing by 20 points to Portland and 55 points (!) to Charlotte will do that.

26. Dallas Mavericks (14-25)

Two-sentence summary: Anthony Davis’ injury, oddly enough, might work out for Dallas: They have limited chances to build this roster around Cooper Flagg before the team’s draft picks begin drying up. Without Davis, potentially for the rest of the season, Dallas should and will lose games while also maintaining the ability to rehabilitate Davis’ value — if his body allows it, which it genuinely might not — for another team next season as his contract grows closer to its end.

27. Washington Wizards (10-28)

Two-sentence summary: Trae Young’s arrival brings both intrigue and questions about the Wizards’ future, both as a team determined to retain its top-eight protected lottery pick this season and for its youngsters, who had shown some brighter moments over the past weeks. Still, there’s no question that Young’s ball-dominant pick-and-roll attack should create easier shots for players like Bub Carrington and Alex Sarr; I hope Keshawn George and Tre Johnson are still given some room to explore their ceilings.

28. New Orleans Pelicans (9-32)

Two-sentence summary: Among New Orleans’ 20 most frequent lineup duos, only two of them — Trey Murphy III and Jose Alvarado (plus-nine); Herb Jones and Derik Queen (plus-19) — have won their minutes this season. Williamson and Queen, who are recently started alongside each other, have been outscored minus-45 in 176 minutes, a better mark than many of their units but nothing near the competency needed to justify reporting that New Orleans will not be trading any veterans this deadline.

29. Indiana Pacers (8-31)

Two-sentence summary: There are, finally, some signs of life from the Pacers’ brutal season, who have won their past two games. It’s still optimized for this gap year tank, but Johnny Furphy has been spry and fun as a backup big who’s even playing small ball center and T.J. McConnell still has stretches where he’s an unstoppable gnat on both ends.

30. Sacramento Kings (9-30)

Two-sentence summary: The Kings are an abomination. If not for the Mavericks, they would lead the league in points allowed in the paint, something that Maxime Raynaud’s emergence as the team’s starting center has not fixed any more than Domantas Sabonis’ looming return will.