NBA Power Rankings: From the tanking teams to the top title contenders
NBA Power Rankings: From the tanking teams to the top title contenders
Ben RohrbachTue, March 3, 2026 at 5:38 PM UTC
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It is time again for the world’s most accurate power rankings, where we set all 30 NBA teams in so perfect an order that you could not possibly complain about their placement on our ledger.
As we reach the regular season’s three-quarter point, the playoff picture is coming into clearer view. In the Eastern Conference, where the Detroit Pistons hold a five-game lead for first place, the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers are vying for home playoff seeds.
The Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers are holding firm to the final two guaranteed playoff spots, and only Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks appear capable of upending a play-in tournament field that currently includes almost the entirety of the East’s Southeast Division.
Out West, the Oklahoma City Thunder are fending off the San Antonio Spurs for the No. 1 seed, holding on to a three-game lead atop the conference, as the Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers vie for the remaining guaranteed playoff seeds. The play-in tournament field is all but set, as a handful of the West’s teams are tanking.
Meanwhile, the NBA’s MVP race is heating up, as the award’s last two winners, Nikola Jokić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who met in a head-to-head battle over the weekend, try to stay ahead of the 65-game rule. Victor Wembanyama and Cade Cunningham lurk as darkhorse candidates. Not far behind them are Jaylen Brown, Donovan Mitchell, Luka Dončić and Anthony Edwards.
It is a loaded field, full of superstars jockeying for position at the top of the standings, each hoping his team’s position can do as much for individual honors as it does for their title hopes.
So, without further ado, our biweekly power rankings …
(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports Illustration)30. Sacramento Kings (14-48)
“I don’t really have words to explain it, to be honest,” Keegan Murray said when his Kings ran their streak to a franchise-record 15 losses. “I don’t know if anyone has words to explain what’s transpired these last 3-4 years, but obviously we’ve got to change something, because this obviously can’t happen. Not many teams in NBA history have gone 15 straight losses in a row.”
29. Brooklyn Nets (15-45)
I love Cam Thomas’ review of Brooklyn in his first interview with the New York media since the Nets cut him in the immediate aftermath of the trade deadline: “That’s just who they are: They don’t believe in nobody.” Sure, they had reason not to believe in Thomas, but he is not entirely wrong. In the history of the franchise, who have the Nets boasted as Someone To Believe In?
28. Washington Wizards (16-44)
When you are a tanking team, and most of your good players are on the injury report, on the bright side, “It’s great opportunities for guys who are there,” said Wizards coach Brian Keefe, “and guys are going to take advantage of them, like they have done for the last couple of years when we’ve been in these types of situations.” You forget how long some teams are in the tank.
27. Utah Jazz (18-43)
We have reached the Jusuf Nurkić needs nasal surgery portion of Utah’s tanking effort. “He’s had a really bad deviated septum,” said Jazz coach Will Hardy. “He’s gotten hit in the face four or five times this year. His recent sickness has pushed that forward. It’s something he’s needed to get done for a while now, so he’s going to get that taken care of.” Breathe easier, Jusuf.
26. Indiana Pacers (15-46)
Meanwhile, in Indiana, Obi Toppin returned from a four-month absence. “We're not having the greatest year this year,” he said, “but to find that rhythm and connectivity with the team. We have standards, we have things that we go by, so going out there and playing the right way for the team, whether that's for this year or next year, we still have a lot of games coming up."
25. Dallas Mavericks (21-39)
Mavs co-GM Matt Riccardi on Cooper Flagg: “We’re all taking him for granted. And by we, I mean the world. … This young man is so talented and so genuine and self-aware to who he is and comfortable in his skin. Just a great teammate, incredibly high IQ. Plays the game the right way. We’re blessed beyond belief to be able to witness this guy on a daily basis.” A lot to like.
24. Memphis Grizzlies (23-36)
What few Grizzlies are left to compete are giving their lottery brethren some run, pounding on Utah, Dallas and Indiana in recent weeks. “We won the possession game, even though we were the smaller team,” coach Tuomas Iisalo said of his Grizzlies, who are without injured Ja Morant. “Great activity. I love the way we’re sharing the ball. I think guys really enjoy playing together.”
23. Chicago Bulls (25-36)
The Bulls snapped an 11-game tanking losing streak, and, “Any time you go on a losing streak like that, every game becomes more and more desperate,” said Josh Giddey. “I thought during the losing streak, obviously, wins are what you want, but there were steps in the right direction. I thought we did a lot of good things and tonight it all came together for the first time” in a while.
22. New Orleans Pelicans (19-43)
In New Orleans, where the Pelicans do not own their first-round draft pick, “The goal right now is to win, and DeAndre [Jordan] is moving that needle for us,” said coach James Borrego. “[Derik] Queen is moving that needle for us. … I can’t tell you what we’re going to do next game. We’ve got to figure it out together. I’m just taking it one game at a time with a focus being on winning.”
21. Milwaukee Bucks (26-34)
“Just super frustrating to be honest," Milwaukee’s Bobby Portis Jr. said after a loss to Chicago. "Especially at this part of the season where the playoffs is now for real. Trying to get into the play-in situation or playoff-type situation to extend the season, super disappointing loss.” But Giannis Antetokounmpo’s return came on Monday, giving the 11th-place Bucks one last shot.
20. Portland Trail Blazers (29-33)
It’s March, and, “We’re still trying to find our game out there, the lineups and who plays well with who,” said Blazers coach Tiago Splitter. “You have lineups that are more defensive. You have lineups that crash the boards better. You have lineups that are better offensively. So, we still don’t have a balance. We’ve got to find it.” Only Portland is running out of time to discover itself.
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19. Atlanta Hawks (31-31)
Don’t look now, but the Hawks have won all three of their games with Jonathan Kuminga in the lineup. “I’ve created a little bond with them since I got here,” he said. “Good people, good crew. We all want to win. You know, winning comes with joy. So, as long as we’re all having fun out there and enjoying it, it’ll help us win games. So, I’m just excited to be out there with the guys.”
18. Miami Heat (32-29)
Bam Adebayo weighed in on a season-long debate in Miami — the fluctuating playing time of Kel’el Ware: “I want big fella to be out there. I feel like he listens to me. Sometimes he kind of ignores Spo [coach Erik Spoelstra]. But I’ve banked so much equity with him. Throughout the summer, him getting up with me at 6 a.m. And with all the pickup we’ve played, he listens, he wants to learn.”
17. Golden State Warriors (31-30)
It is now unclear whether Kristaps Porziņģis suffers from postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) or not. Either way, Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who called his decision to discuss the center’s illness a “stupid mistake,” added, “It’s a medical issue way beyond my capabilities of explaining anything. He’s sick. He won’t play, and we’ll keep monitoring him.”
16. Orlando Magic (31-28)
Sounds like trouble for coach Jamahl Mosley in Orlando, where Paolo Banchero conceded, “Teams, a lot of times, adjust at halftime and I think that’s why we struggled a lot in the second half, just because we don’t really adjust to their adjustments. So, that’s when we need to see how they’re playing us and to clearly communicate to each other what it is that we need to do.”
15. Phoenix Suns (34-26)
The Suns know what they have to do. It’s just hard without Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks. “There's not going to be a game without Book, without Dillon, that we cannot win the possession game,” admitted Phoenix coach Jordan Ott.” We have to win it. We have been like that all season. With those guys and without them, we have to win it. So our locker room knows that.”
14. Los Angeles Clippers (29-31)
What does Darius Garland’s return mean for the Clippers? “It’s great,” said Clippers coach Tyronn Lue. “A guy who can push the pace, can run pick-and-roll, can get to where he wants to get to on the floor, can run a lot of different options where he can run off pindowns, he can come off pick-the-picker actions, so we can just use him a lot of different ways.” Watch out for them.
13. Charlotte Hornets (30-31)
“The great thing about our team, what makes us so good, is we have a great defensive mindset while also being able to have an explosive, dynamic offense as well,” said coach Charles Lee, whose Hornets are 21-11 in their last 32 games, owners of the league’s best net rating and, perhaps even more surprisingly, keepers of a top-10 defense in that span. Charlotte is buzzing.
12. Toronto Raptors (35-25)
Raptors center Jakob Poeltl gets to the heart of what plagues Toronto’s playoff hopes: “I think sometimes we almost get in our own way. We’re so used to when we’re playing fast, when we’re getting these steals, the offense comes free. But when we get into half-court, we let other teams be physical with us. We don’t play with the same intensity that we do on defense on offense.”
11. Philadelphia 76ers (33-27)
“It’s March,” Philly’s Tyrese Maxey said after a loss to Boston. “All of these games count. This is the real deal. It’s go time. This was a good game and a good test for us, honestly. … But we’ll get another chance in a couple of days. And San Antonio will be a good test for us. This group does a good job of fighting. We’re fighters. We’re going to keep fighting and staying with it.”
10. Los Angeles Lakers (36-24)
“It goes back to just finding that consistent level of playing the right way on both ends, doing what we’re supposed to be doing, executing at a high level,” coach JJ Redick said of his Lakers and their model of inconsistency. “You saw those trends, we haven’t had it for a sustained, full stretch of a game, really. It’s come in spurts in all four of our games that we played prior to this.”
9. Houston Rockets (38-22)
“It’s just going to get better and better,” Houston’s Alperen Şengün said of his pick-and-roll partnership with Reed Sheppard. “We needed some time. He’s an amazing shooter. I’m always telling him when we know each other, it’s going to be hard to stop us because I can open the game for him a lot, and I know they’re going to double-team me so I can find him anywhere.”
8. New York Knicks (39-22)
Following showcase losses to Detroit and Cleveland, New York found itself again against San Antonio. “They’re a really good team and you know you have to bring your A game,” said an improved Mikal Bridges. “And the thing is that we’re trying to be the best versions of ourselves, and we keep getting better no matter who’s in front of us and trying to do the right things.”
7. Cleveland Cavaliers (38-24)
“Nah,” James Harden said of whether he considered surgery on his fractured right thumb. “Too much time out.” Admirable stance from a 36-year-old playing through injury. Is it wise? “There’s going to be some discomfort,” he conceded, “so just figuring out ways to fight through. … Hopefully get a couple days to let it heal up and go from there but ain’t got no other choice.”
6. Minnesota Timberwolves (38-23)
“What’s it been — seven years and seven different champions?” asked Wolves coach Chris Finch. “Oklahoma City is in many ways still the class of the West, but, ultimately, if you look at history and you look at the numbers, you probably would bet on there being an eighth different champion. It’s just that open.” Minnesota is, for the record, 33-to-1 to win the title right now.
5. Boston Celtics (41-20)
Lost in the hoopla surrounding Jayson Tatum, whose return appears imminent, as conspiracies fly, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla on Neemias Queta (and all of us, really): “You’ve got to put your head down. You’ve got to chip away. You’ve got to have a level of professionalism, work ethic, understanding. He’s brought all that on. I thought he’s had great ownership and responsibility to what it calls for to be a starting center for the Celtics, and he’s got to continue to get better.”
4. Denver Nuggets (38-24)
Sounds like coach David Adelman had to give his Nuggets a wake-up call: “When you’re on an NBA team, guys have to lead, and they can’t just lead by example. They have to use their voice, and we’ve had that throughout the season. When you get to this part of the season, everybody’s tired. It’s just the way it is. So, I’ll keep — just keep reminding them of what the goals are here.”
3. Detroit Pistons (45-14)
Draymond Green on Jalen Duren: “He’s handling the ball more, he’s making plays. I think the biggest difference is: He uses his body now. When you have a body like he has, and you learn to use it, it’s a weapon. And he uses his body now; he plays with physicality now. It wasn’t like you were saying he was soft; you knew he wasn’t soft. He didn’t know how to use his strength.”
2. San Antonio Spurs (43-17)
Victor Wembanyama’s quotes continue to be warnings to the entire NBA: “I know I’m in MVP conversations. Of course, it’s one of my goals. The main argument for that is team success, but I’m also conscious that I need to press the gas a little bit in the last games of the season.” You mean to tell me Wemby has been letting up on the gas all this time? More frightening thoughts.
1. Oklahoma City Thunder (47-15)
Speaking of scary: "I hate watching pressure moments when I'm not in them," said Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, whose minutes restriction kept him from closing the Denver win. "I hate it. I hate it. It's not that I don't have faith in my teammates or anything like that. I just can't stand the pressure when I'm not involved. When I'm involved, I love it. But when I'm not involved, I hate it.”
Source: “AOL Sports”
