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NBA Power Rankings: West Play-In Race Heats Up as Mavericks, Suns, Kings Jockey for Position

NBA Power Rankings: West Play-In Race Heats Up as Mavericks, Suns, Kings Jockey for Position

NBA DraftKings Network NBA Picks Rail

Published:

By: Grant Afseth

With roughly three weeks left in the NBA regular season, the playoff picture continues to sharpen — and so does the fight to stay alive.

The Oklahoma City Thunder, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics have solidified their status atop the league. At the same time, contenders like the Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks and Houston Rockets continue to build momentum. But the tightest race may unfold at the bottom of the Western Conference playoff bracket.

The Sacramento Kings, Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns enter the final stretch in a deadlock for the final two play-in spots. Just one of the three will be left out. The Kings have slid after a four-game skid at home, the Mavericks remain undermanned despite Anthony Davis’ return from injury and the Suns are banking on Kevin Durant’s scoring surge to lift them out of the mess.

Meanwhile, the Eastern Conference remains fluid, with the surprising sixth-seated Detroit Pistons still chasing home-court advantage and the Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic locked in a battle for seventh.

Here’s the list of all 30 NBA teams in the latest power rankings:

  1. Oklahoma City Thunder: 60-12 (+150)
  2. Cleveland Cavaliers: 58-14 (+600)
  3. Boston Celtics: 53-19 (+220)
  4. Houston Rockets: 47-26 (+15000)
  5. Denver Nuggets: 45-28 (+1400)
  6. New York Knicks: 45-26 (+2500)
  7. Los Angeles Lakers: 43-28 (+1800)
  8. Memphis Grizzlies: 44-28 (+7000)
  9. Golden State Warriors: 41-31 (+1700)
  10. Minnesota Timberwolves: 41-32 (+6000)
  11. Indiana Pacers: 42-29 (+10000)
  12. LA Clippers: 40-31 (+5500)
  13. Milwaukee Bucks: 40-31 (+20000)
  14. Detroit Pistons: 41-32 (+50000)
  15. Sacramento Kings: 35-37 (+100000)
  16. Atlanta Hawks: 35-37 (+150000)
  17. Phoenix Suns: 35-37 (+100000)
  18. Orlando Magic: 35-38 (+60000)
  19. Dallas Mavericks: 35-38 (+400000)
  20. Portland Trail Blazers: 32-41 (+400000)
  21. Chicago Bulls: 32-40 (+400000)
  22. San Antonio Spurs: 31-40 (+500000)
  23. Miami Heat: 31-41 (+100000)
  24. Brooklyn Nets: 23-49
  25. Toronto Raptors: 25-47 (+500000)
  26. Philadelphia 76ers: 23-49 (+500000)
  27. New Orleans Pelicans: 20-53 (Eliminated)
  28. Charlotte Hornets: 18-54 (Eliminated)
  29. Utah Jazz: 16-57 (Eliminated)
  30. Washington Wizards: 15-56 (Eliminated)

Grant Afseth

I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is grant-afseth) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.