Power Rankings, Week 23: Pistons, Knicks and Celtics jostle in Top 5

Record: 56-15

OffRtg: 117.1 (7) DefRtg: 106.1 (1) NetRtg: +11.0 (1) Pace: 100.5 (14)

With an 11-game winning streak, the Thunder are holding strong to the league’s best record, three games ahead of the Spurs, who’ve been playing just as well over the last several weeks.

Three takeaways

• The Thunder have the league’s best record (14-1) since the All-Star break, even though they rank just 16th in post-break offense. Their win in Washington on Saturday was their most efficient game (132 points on 101 possessions) since the break, but only five teams have seen bigger post-break drops in points scored per 100 possessions.

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has seen only a small drop in efficiency, and the post-break drop-off has come entirely in his minutes on the floor (-6.4 per 100). Among 166 players with at least 200 field goal attempts before the All-Star break and at least 100 since, Lu Dort (from 52.2% to 39.5%) and Aaron Wiggins (from 54.7% to 43.0%) have seen the fourth and fifth biggest drops in effective field goal percentage.

• Overall (and with Jalen Williams’ absence to blame), the Thunder’s half-court offense hasn’t been as good as it was last season. They rank ninth in half-court efficiency, according to tracking data, down from third last season. And because they haven’t forced quite as many live-ball turnovers, they’ve played in the halfcourt more often. They’ve gone from 17th to 29th in the percentage of their shots that have come in the first six seconds of the shot clock.

Coming up: Williams is set to make his return from a 16-game absence when the Thunder visit the Sixers on Monday. Their longest road trip of the season (which concludes in Boston two nights later) is immediately followed by their longest homestand of the season (five games). They’re 4-1 against the top four teams in the East, set to play the Celtics, Knicks and Pistons in the next eight days.

Week 23: @ PHI, @ BOS, vs. CHI, vs. NYK

Record: 53-18

OffRtg: 118.0 (4) DefRtg: 110.5 (3) NetRtg: +7.5 (4) Pace: 100.8 (12)

The Spurs might not catch the Thunder, but they’re looking good to finish with the league’s second-best record. They’re 21-2 since Feb. 1, with 12 of those 21 wins coming against other teams with winning records.

Three takeaways

• The Spurs ranked seventh offensively at the All-Star break, and they’ve had the league’s fourth-most-improved offense since the break. They’ve scored 124.7 points per 100 possessions over their last 11 games, with eight guys averaging double-figures over that stretch. Not all eight have played in all 11 games, but the offense has continued to roll, even though at least one of Dylan Harper, Stephen Castle or Devin Vassell has missed each of their last five.

• The Spurs came back from 10 points down with less than five minutes left to beat the Suns on Thursday, with Victor Wembanyama draining the game-winning jumper with 1.1 seconds left. San Antonio is one of two teams – the Sixers are the other – with a league-high five wins (they’re 5-11) in games they trailed by double-digits in the fourth. Wembanyama is one of eight players with at least five buckets (he’s 5-for-8) to tie or take the lead in the final minute of the fourth quarter or overtime.

• It’s worth remembering that the Spurs were one of four teams that were worse than average on both ends of the floor in each of the last three seasons. They’re now 10.3 points per 100 possessions better than they were last season (minus-2.8), which would be the eighth biggest season-to-season jump in the 30 seasons for which we have play-by-play data. (The Hornets have seen the second biggest.)

Coming up: The Spurs will play six of their next seven games on the road, but after visiting the Heat on Monday, they’ll play five straight games against teams with losing records. Both Castle and Vassell are listed as questionable for the game in Miami.

Week 23: @ MIA, @ MEM, @ MIL

Record: 51-19

OffRtg: 116.9 (9) DefRtg: 108.8 (2) NetRtg: +8.0 (2) Pace: 100.1 (19)

Cade Cunningham is out for at least two weeks, having suffered a collapsed lung in Washington on Tuesday. But the Pistons still have a five-game lead in the loss column atop the East and are 7-2 without their star after taking care of business against the Wizards and Warriors last week.

Three takeaways

• The wins without Cunningham have come against the Bulls (twice), Sixers, Pacers, Pelicans, Wizards and Warriors (without Stephen Curry), while one of the two losses was against the Nets. Not exactly the best teams in the league, and, as you would expect, success in those games has been about defense. The Pistons have scored just 112.7 points per 100 possessions, but have allowed just 103.0 per 100 over the nine total games without Cunningham.

• Jalen Duren hasn’t needed Cunningham to put up numbers. He scored a career-high 36 points in the game in which Cunningham was injured in the first quarter, and then totaled 47 over the next two. He’s averaged 23.4 points on a true shooting percentage of 69.5% since the All-Star break, with that latter mark being the highest among 31 players who’ve averaged at least 20 points in 10 games or more since the break.

• The Pistons’ turnover rate has been much lower with Cunningham on the floor (13.8 per 100 possessions) than it’s been with him off the floor (16.2 per 100), but they still committed 20 fewer turnovers than Washington and Golden State in the two wins without him last week. They continue to lead the league in shot-opportunity differential by a wide margin, having averaged 4.7 more per game than their opponents.

Coming up: Continuing to win without Cunningham will be tougher going forward, with the Pistons playing eight of their next nine games against teams with winning records. After they host the Lakers on Monday, they’ll begin their second stretch of five games in seven days.

Week 23: vs. LAL, vs. ATL, vs. NOP, @ MIN

Record: 47-25

OffRtg: 118.5 (3) DefRtg: 111.7 (5) NetRtg: +6.9 (5) Pace: 98.4 (23)

The Knicks have taken care of business against their super-soft stretch of schedule, and their six-game winning streak has them just a half game behind the second-place Celtics.

Three takeaways

• The Knicks barely beat the Nets on Friday, but six straight games against teams no better than the Curry-less Warriors have still been good for their point differential. They’re now one of three teams – the Celtics and Spurs are the others – that rank in the top five on both ends of the floor. Two seasons ago (seventh and ninth) was the only time in the previous 29 seasons of play-by-play data that the Knicks ranked in the top 10 on both ends of the floor.

• Josh Hart has missed three of the six games on the winning streak, but he scored a season-high 33 points as the Knicks finally got a comfortable win over the Pacers on Tuesday. With nine straight makes, he’s now shooting 40.4% from 3-point range, up from 32.2% over the last two seasons. And if that carries over to the playoffs, it obviously makes the Knicks much tougher to defend.

• The Knicks’ schedule now gets tougher. The Pelicans (who they host on Tuesday) have been the most dangerous team in the bottom 10, and then seven of the Knicks’ final nine games will come against teams with winning records. But the Celtics have an even tougher final three weeks (nine of 11 vs. winning teams), and the final head-to-head meeting (April 9) will be in New York.

Coming up: Jalen Brunson shot just 5-for-18 in a three-point loss to the Thunder at Madison Square Garden earlier this month. The Knicks will make their lone (regular-season) visit to Oklahoma City on Sunday, the second game of a four-game trip.

Week 23: vs. NOP, @ CHA, @ OKC

Record: 47-24

OffRtg: 119.3 (2) DefRtg: 111.5 (4) NetRtg: +7.8 (3) Pace: 99.5 (30)

The Celtics might be losing their grip on second place in the East. They had a four-game winning streak, but came up empty against the Wolves on Sunday and have the East’s toughest remaining schedule.

Three takeaways

• The Celtics still rank second offensively overall, but they continue to come up short on that end of the floor against the best teams in the league. Their loss to the Wolves on Sunday came with their second-worst offensive performance (92 points on 101 possessions) of the season. They’re now 8-13 in games played between the top 10 teams in the league, with six of their seven least efficient games included.

• It doesn’t help that Jayson Tatum is still finding his legs. He’s shot 39% (29% from 3-point range) in his eight games and the Celtics’ new starting lineup has scored just 105.4 points per 100 possessions in its 87 minutes.

• The defense and depth are still there. The Celtics’ bench hasn’t been quite as good as it was in the previous two seasons, but it still ranks second for the second straight year. Luka Garza is helping us forget about Nikola Vučević, averaging 13.8 points in 17.9 minutes over the winning streak.

Coming up: The Celtics lost in the final second in Oklahoma City just 11 days ago, and they’ll get another shot at the champs on Wednesday. Then they’ll have some potential playoff previews, with four straight games against the Hawks (twice), Hornets and Heat. The Celtics are 11-5 (5-3 at home) against the 5-10 tier in the East.

Week 23: vs. OKC, vs. ATL, @ CHA

Record: 46-25

OffRtg: 117.0 (8) DefRtg: 115.7 (20) NetRtg: +1.3 (13) Pace: 99.3 (21)

The Lakers continue to roll, sweeping two huge games in Houston and then two in Florida to run their winning streak to nine games and put themselves in good position to finish third in the West.

Three takeaways

• Each of the Lakers’ last five games has been within five points in the last five minutes, and they’ve scored 66 points on 50 clutch offensive possessions (1.32 per) over that stretch. Luka Dončić has led the way with 24 clutch points (hitting some ridiculous shots) and five clutch assists over that stretch, but Deandre Ayton has also had some big buckets and big offensive rebounds, and JJ Redick gets credit for the play design that got Luke Kennard a wide-open 3 for the win in Orlando on Saturday. The Lakers are now tied for the fourth-best clutch record (22-6, .786) in the 30 seasons for which we have clutch data.

• The Lakers were 34-24 through their first 58 games, but had been outscored by 4.9 points per 100 possessions in 238 minutes with Dončić, Austin Reaves and LeBron James on the floor together. As they’ve won 12 of their last 13, they’ve outscored opponents by 18.3 per 100 in the trio’s 216 minutes together, with the bigger difference (109.6 vs. 124.3 scored per 100) coming on offense.

• The Lakers now own the head-to-head tie-breakers with the Rockets (2-1), Nuggets (2-1) and Wolves (3-0). Houston has the slightly easier remaining schedule, but the Lakers also have more games remaining against teams currently below .500 (six) than they have against teams currently above (five).

Coming up: One of the Lakers’ five remaining games against teams with winning records is in Detroit on Monday, when the Pistons will be without Cade Cunningham. He had 27 points and 11 assists as the Pistons won the first meeting by 22.

Week 23: @ DET, @ IND, vs. BKN

Record: 44-28

OffRtg: 120.2 (1) DefRtg: 115.8 (21) NetRtg: +4.4 (6) Pace: 99.3 (20)

The Nuggets seemed to feel the effects of a back-to-back. They played in Memphis less than 24 hours after playing in Denver, losing to the Grizzlies on Wednesday. But they’ve won five of their last seven (the other loss was in overtime), and more importantly, they’re whole again.

Three takeaways

• Peyton Watson returned from a 19-game absence on Sunday, scoring 14 points off the bench in the Nuggets’ win over the Blazers. It was the first time since Nov. 12 (Game 11) that they had their five starters and Watson all available. The starting lineup has now been together for seven of the last nine games, scoring a ridiculous 135.9 points per 100 possessions in its 93 minutes over that stretch.

• The search continues for a lineup to keep the Nuggets afloat when Nikola Jokić is off the floor. Jonas Valančiūnas was DNP’d in their two games over the weekend, with Watson, Aaron Gordon or Spencer Jones manning the five when the three-time Kia MVP rested. Denver has been outscored by 8.6 points per 100 possessions in 456 minutes with Jamal Murray and Valančiūnas on the floor without Jokić, but has been in the plus in a little more than 200 minutes with Murray on the floor without any bigs.

• The Nuggets’ win over the Blazers on Sunday was the seventh time this season that they’ve taken at least half of their shots from 3-point range, something they didn’t do once in either of the previous two seasons. They still rank just 19th in 3-point rate (40.6% of their shots), but have now seen the league’s biggest jump from last season (35.6%, 30th). That’s probably a good thing when you lead the league in 3-point percentage (39.2%).

Coming up: The Nuggets are the only team done playing the opposite conference, finishing 18-12 against the East with their comeback win over Toronto over the weekend. They’ll be the second team done playing back-to-backs, with their final one coming on Tuesday and Wednesday. The second game (vs. Dallas) is the start of a stretch in which they play seven of eight at home.

Week 23: @ PHX, vs. DAL, vs. UTA, vs. GSW

Record: 43-27

OffRtg: 116.5 (10) DefRtg: 112.3 (7) NetRtg: +4.2 (8) Pace: 96.7 (29)

The Rockets lost their two more important games of last week, blowing two late leads (and losing the tie-breaker) to the Lakers. But they ended the Hawks’ 11-game winning streak on Friday and came back from two double-digit deficits to beat the Heat at the buzzer the following night.

Three takeaways

• The Rockets rank lower in clutch defense (25th) than they do in clutch offense (21st), and they certainly struggled to stop Luka Dončić in the fourth quarter on Wednesday. But they also scored just two points on nine possessions down the stretch of the first game against the Lakers, going 0-for-9 from the field, with four turnovers. They’re still tied for the second fewest losses (they’re 24-7) in games that weren’t within five points in the last five minutes, but are still below .500 (19-20) in the clutch after Amen Thompson’s game-winning tip-in against Miami.

• Reed Sheppard replaced Tari Eason in the starting lineup for the last two games, and the Rockets won them both. But the Sheppard lineup was outscored by three points over its 23 total minutes against the Hawks and Heat, and it’s been outscored by 7.5 points per 100 possessions over its 174 minutes for the season.

• The weekend wins were the end of a stretch where the Rockets played eight of 10 games at home. Despite losses to the Lakers earlier in the week, the Rockets have the league’s second-biggest differential between their home record (25-10) and their road record (18-17), with their defense being the difference. Their 12 remaining games are split evenly between home and road, though they’ll now begin a four-game trip.

Coming up: The Rockets have two games remaining within the top six in the West, and they’re both against the sixth-place Wolves, with whom they’re in a virtual tie. The first of the two is in Minnesota on Wednesday, with the Rockets having won the first meeting behind 39 points from Durant.

Week 23: @ CHI, @ MIN, @ MEM, @ NOP

Record: 44-27

OffRtg: 117.7 (6) DefRtg: 113.4 (13) NetRtg: +4.3 (7) Pace: 100.7 (13)

The Cavs have won three straight games (all on the road), though it’s hard to say that they’ve righted the ship. All three were against bottom-10 teams and all three were decided by seven points or fewer.

Three takeaways

• The good news is that the Cavs scored 35 points on 24 clutch possessions over the three games. But they only needed clutch time because they blew double-digit leads in Milwaukee and New Orleans and saw a 29-point lead cut to one in the closing minutes in Chicago. With the three wins, the Cavs are 19-18 in games that were within five points in the last five minutes, a mark that breaks down to 12-4 against teams that are currently below .500 and 7-14 against teams that currently have winning records.

• After scoring 24 points in his season debut, Max Strus has totaled just 11 (on 4-for-16 shooting) over the last three games. But he was on the floor down the stretch of all three and had a couple of clutch buckets last week. Though they’re just 19-18 in clutch games, the Cavs are one of six teams that rank in the top 10 in both clutch offense and clutch defense.

• The win in Chicago came without Donovan Mitchell and with James Harden scoring 36 points, his most in 17 games with the Cavs. Harden’s usage rate with the Cavs (24.2%) is down from his 44 games with the Clippers (30.2%), but he’s been much more efficient, registering a true shooting percentage of 65.3% over those 17 games. That’s a small sample size, but that would be his highest mark since his final season in Oklahoma City.

Coming up: The Cavs have five games remaining within the top 10 in the East, with three of the five being a three-game homestand this week. They’re 2-1 against the Magic and 1-1 against the Heat, with the three wins having come by an average of 14.7 points and the two losses having come by an average of four.

Week 23: vs. ORL, vs, MIA, vs. MIA

Record: 44-28

OffRtg: 116.0 (12) DefRtg: 112.4 (9) NetRtg: +3.6 (10) Pace: 101.5 (9)

Anthony Edwards is out with a knee issue, but the Wolves won three of their four games without him last week. That included their most important win of the season (over Phoenix) and their first win in Boston since 2005.

Three takeaways

• Ayo Dosunmu has moved into the starting lineup, and the new lineup has scored just 103.5 points per 100 possessions in its 66 minutes in Edwards’ absence. But Bones Hyland has averaged 20 points on a true shooting percentage of 70% over the four games, and the Wolves have outscored their opponents by 31.3 points per 100 in his 105 minutes. Hyland has taken less than 30% of his shots in the paint this season, but his field goal percentage in the paint (63%) is a huge leap from his first four seasons in the league (47%).

• Even if Hyland is providing some offense off the bench, the Edwards-less Wolves need to win with defense, and last week was the first time since Christmas that they allowed fewer than 110 points per 100 possessions in four straight games. The four opponents shot a combined 49.0% in the paint, with the Celtics’ 25-for-57 (43.9%) in the paint on Sunday being the second-worst paint-shooting game of the season for the league’s second-ranked offense.

• The good news in regard to Edwards’ absence is that the Wolves are playing only two games this week. They also may be happy to remain in sixth place, from where they beat the third-place Lakers in the first round a year ago. The seventh-place Suns have a slightly easier remaining schedule, so the Wolves still need to find ways to win some games to avoid falling into the Play-In.

Coming up: The Wolves and Pistons will be the last pair of teams that haven’t played each other this season. They’ll play twice in the span of six days, with the first meeting in Minnesota on Saturday.

Week 23: vs. HOU, vs. DET

Record: 37-34

OffRtg: 117.9 (5) DefRtg: 113.8 (15) NetRtg: +4.1 (9) Pace: 98.1 (25)

The Hornets are still in 10th place in the East, but they’ve won five of their last six games, are three games over .500 for the first time, and are only 2 1/2 games behind the fifth-place Raptors.

Three takeaways

• The Heat rank sixth defensively for the season, while the Magic rank eighth defensively since the All-Star break. The Hornets beat them by 30 and 19 points, respectively, on Tuesday and Thursday, scoring an amazing 129.8 points per 100 possessions over the two games. Charlotte has now scored 11.2 more points per 100 possessions than it did last season, which would be the biggest season-to-season jump on offense for any team in the last 21 years.

• With their three wins last week coming by an average of 24 points, the Hornets are 37-34 with the point differential (plus-4.1 per game, fifth in the East) of a team that’s 46-25. Their 14 wins by at least 20 points trail only the Thunder (21), Knicks (16) and Celtics (15) and are nine more than they had over the last three seasons combined (five).

• Of the six teams in the No. 5-10 tier in the East, the Hornets have the third-toughest remaining schedule in regard to cumulative opponent winning percentage (.526). Eight of their 11 games are against teams that currently have winning records, with five of those against the Knicks (x 2), Celtics (x 2) and Pistons. They’re 1-4 against the top three teams in the East thus far, though the most recent game was a 29-point win in Boston earlier this month.

Coming up: The Hornets’ only remaining game within the No. 5-10 tier in the East is against the Sixers on Saturday. That game will determine the head-to-head tiebreaker. The home team has won both meetings thus far, with the Hornets winning by 37 points in January.

Week 23: vs. SAC, vs. NYK, vs. PHI, vs. BOS

Record: 40-32

OffRtg: 113.9 (18) DefRtg: 112.8 (10) NetRtg: +1.1 (15) Pace: 98.0 (26)

The Suns had some pretty brutal finishes as they lost five straight games for the first time this season. They also avoided clutch time as they ended the losing streak on Sunday, handing the Raptors one of their worst losses of the season.

Three takeaways

• The Suns had fourth-quarter leads of at least seven points in three of the five losses during the streak, but they scored just 25 points on 38 clutch possessions (0.66 per) over the four that were within five in the last five minutes. Devin Booker shot 1-for-9 on clutch shots, also committing five clutch turnovers over the streak. And Rasheer Fleming went 0-for-2 at the line before Victor Wembanyama’s game-winner on Thursday. The Suns are now one of five teams that rank in the bottom 10 in both clutch offense and clutch defense.

• Fleming was shooting clutch free throws because the Suns have been shorthanded, well beyond the absence (for 15 games now) of Dillon Brooks. Mark Williams has missed the last 11 games and the Suns have had some lineups comprised of only guards and small forwards over that stretch. They’ve managed on the glass, ranking 16th in rebounding percentage over the 11 games.

• The Suns aren’t quite locked into the No. 7 seed in the West, but they’re close. They’re done playing the three other teams – the Clippers, Blazers and Warriors – they might face in the West Play-In, having gone 5-6 (2-3 at home, 3-3 on the road) against them.

Coming up: They still have four games remaining against the top six teams in the West, set to host the Nuggets on Tuesday. They’ve allowed 132.2 points per 100 possessions (their worst mark vs. any opponent) as they’ve lost the first two meetings with Denver.

Week 23: vs. DEN, vs. UTA

Record: 39-31

OffRtg: 114.1 (16) DefRtg: 112.3 (8) NetRtg: +1.8 (12) Pace: 99.2 (22)

The Raptors are 1-2 on their five-game trip, and they got clobbered in Phoenix on Sunday. But they’re still holding onto fifth place in the East, and easier games lie ahead.

Three takeaways

• The Raptors scored 122.4 points per 100 possessions over the five games before the loss in Phoenix, their best stretch of offense since (American) Thanksgiving. With some extra pop (including 23 points in Denver on Friday) from Jakob Poeltl, all five of their starters averaged at least 14 points over the five games. For the season, the Raptors rank as the league’s third most-improved offensive team, scoring 4.5 more points per 100 possessions than they did in 2024-25.

• They still need to get stops to get wins. The Raptors are 3-24 when they’ve allowed more than 117 per 100 after allowing the Nuggets and Suns to score efficiently over the weekend. Their opponents have shot 40% or better from 3-point range in nine of their last 13 games.

• The Raptors have the easiest remaining schedule in the No. 5-10 tier in the East, with five of their 12 games against teams in the bottom 10 in the league and only against teams that currently have winning records.

Coming up: Their most important remaining game could be Sunday against the Magic, one of three teams that are just a game behind the Raptors in the loss column. That will be for the head-to-head tie-breaker, with both of the previous meetings having been within five points in the last five minutes.

Week 23: @ UTA, @ LAC, vs. NOP, vs. ORL

Record: 39-32

OffRtg: 114.3 (14) DefRtg: 113.1 (11) NetRtg: +1.2 (14) Pace: 102.8 (2)

The Hawks’ 11-game winning streak ended in Houston on Friday, but they won the following night (against the Warriors). Atlanta is in the top six in the East, thanks to the head-to-head tie-breaker with the seventh-place Sixers.

Three takeaways

• The winning streak started with a weak stretch of schedule, but it also coincided with CJ McCollum replacing Zaccharie Risacher in the starting lineup. The McCollum lineup has now played more than 250 minutes and has outscored opponents by 27.7 points per 100 possessions, which would be the best mark for any lineup that played at least 250 minutes in the 19 seasons for which we have play-by-play data. It’s obviously benefited from the weak schedule, but it was also a plus-22 in a little more than 20 minutes as the Hawks ended the Magic’s seven-game winning streak last Monday.

• Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored a career-high 41 points in the win over Orlando and has averaged 23 ppg in March, with the best true shooting percentage (72.2%) among the 41 players who’ve averaged at least 20 points this month. Alexander-Walker’s jump in per-game numbers is partially about an increase in minutes, but he’s also averaged 22.1 points per 36, up from 13.4 last season, with a huge jump in usage rate and a small jump in efficiency.

• The Hawks’ schedule over the last few weeks hasn’t just been soft in regard to the opponents. It’s also been home-heavy, with 10 of the wins on this 12-1 stretch having come at State Farm Arena. (They were 10-16 at home before the streak.) After they host the Grizzlies on Monday, they’ll play six of their final 10 games on the road and eight of the 10 against teams with winning records.

Coming up: The Hawks are 3-6 against the top four teams in the East, but they haven’t played any of them since Jan. 28, when they won in Boston. They’ve still got six games remaining against the top four (all potential playoff previews), including two each against the Celtics and Cavs. One of the Hawks’ worst losses of the season (27 points) came in December in Detroit, and they’re back at Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday.

Week 23: vs. MEM, @ DET, @ BOS, vs. SAC

Record: 38-32

OffRtg: 114.1 (17) DefRtg: 113.2 (12) NetRtg: +0.9 (16) Pace: 100.1 (18)

The Magic went from winning seven straight games to losing four straight, sliding from fifth to eighth place in the East.

Three takeaways

• After scoring 122.4 points per 100 possessions over the winning streak, the Magic have scored just 109.0 per 100 over the last four games, which have all come against teams – the Hawks, Thunder, Hornets and Lakers – that have been playing well. They’ve shot below 35% from 3-point range in five straight games, dropping into the bottom five from beyond the arc for the season. They lead the league with 43 games of shooting below 35% from deep, they’re 18-25 in those games, and they’re 20-7 when they’ve shot 35% or better.

• The Magic also struggled on the glass against Atlanta, Oklahoma City and Charlotte, grabbing less than 45% of available rebounds over those three games. The overall numbers were better when they lost in the final second on Saturday, but the Lakers’ last four points came on second chances, with a costly Magic turnover in between.

• The Magic have been without Franz Wagner for the last 17 games and without Anthony Black for the last seven. Their current starting lineup (with Tristan da Silva) has outscored opponents by 14.1 points per 100 possessions over that seven-game stretch, though it got off to a rough start against the Lakers on Saturday. Jevon Carter and the reserves got them back in the game and the Orlando bench ranks third since the All-Star break (when Carter was added to the rotation), up from 18th prior.

Coming up: The Magic have one of the easier schedules — in terms of opponent strength — within the No. 5-10 tier in the East, so they have an opportunity to take back one of those final two guaranteed playoff spots. But they have a league-high three rest-disadvantage games left on their schedule, with the first of the three in Cleveland on Tuesday. They’re 6-3 (3-1 on the road) in rest-disadvantage gams thus far.

Week 23: vs. IND, @ CLE, vs. SAC, @ TOR

Record: 38-33

OffRtg: 114.9 (13) DefRtg: 112.1 (6) NetRtg: +2.8 (11) Pace: 104.5 (1)

Just like the Magic, the Heat have followed a seven-game win streak with a four-game losing streak. Their skid has dropped them to ninth place in the East, and they’ve got a relatively tough schedule ahead.

Three takeaways

• The Heat have allowed 125.7 points per 100 possessions over the losing streak, their worst stretch of defense this season. That’s also up from 108.1 allowed per 100 over the winning streak that preceded it. The last three opponents have all shot better than 40% from 3-point range, too. The Heat put the Lakers on the line for 45 free throw attempts on Thursday, and they haven’t been rebounding as well. The Heat are 8-24 when they’ve allowed more points per 100 possessions than the league average (114.5) and 30-9 (with nine straight wins) when they’ve allowed fewer.

• The Heat are 6-3 without Bam Adebayo, but their game in Charlotte without him on Tuesday was their worst loss of the season. They’ve been 11.1 points per 100 possessions better with Adebayo on the floor (plus-7.5) than they’ve been with him off the floor (minus-3.6), easily his biggest on-off differential in his nine seasons in the league.

• Andrew Wiggins has missed the last eight games, a stretch that overlapped with a seven-game absence from Norman Powell. What would seemingly be the Heat’s preferred starting lineup – Davion Mitchell, Tyler Herro, Powell, Wiggins and Adebayo – has played just 98 total minutes over eight games together.

Coming up: Climbing back into the top eight in the East won’t be easy, with eight of the Heat’s 11 remaining games coming against teams with winning records. That includes two games in Cleveland this week, with the Heat and Cavs having split a two-game set in Miami back in November.

Week 23: vs. SAS, @ CLE, @ CLE, @ IND

Record: 35-36

OffRtg: 116.2 (11) DefRtg: 115.7 (19) NetRtg: +0.5 (17) Pace: 97.2 (28)

A four-game losing streak dropped the Clippers back below .500, but they held onto their spot in the top eight in the West with an overtime win in Dallas on Saturday.

Three takeaways

• Two of the four losses came without Kawhi Leonard, who can only miss one more game to remain eligible for All-NBA consideration. The Clippers are now 4-12 without their star and they’ve been 13.0 points per 100 possessions better with Leonard on the floor (plus-6.6) than they’ve been with him off the floor (minus-6.4). That’s his largest on-off differential in his six seasons with LA, though it’s been at least 9.9 per 100 in all six.

• The Clippers have outscored their opponents by 19.5 per 100 in Leonard’s 134 minutes alongside Darius Garland, who scored a season-high 41 points in Dallas on Saturday. Garland has shot 35-for-71 (49%) from 3-point range over his nine games with the Clippers, including 23-for-47 (49%) on pull-up 3s.

• Garland made eight 3s on Saturday after the Clippers (as a team) had made no more than 11 in each of their previous five games. They’ve seen the league’s ninth biggest jump in 3-point rate from last season, but still rank 22nd in 3-point differential, having been outscored by 3.3 points per game from beyond the arc.

Coming up: Two pairs of teams haven’t played each other yet this season, and one is the Clippers and Bucks, who will meet twice this week. After their 1-2 trip through New Orleans and Dallas last week, the Clippers are just 15-9 (8-4 at home) against the bottom 10 teams in the league.

Week 23: vs. MIL, vs. TOR, @ IND, @ MIL

Record: 39-32

OffRtg: 114.1 (15) DefRtg: 114.6 (16) NetRtg: -0.5 (19) Pace: 100.2 (17)

Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid remain out, but the Sixers have managed to win four of their last five games. They are somehow just a half-game behind the fifth-place Raptors.

Three takeaways

• It’s been a soft stretch of schedule, with the four wins coming against the Nets, Blazers, Kings and Jazz. The Sixers have the worst record (13-27) in games played between the 17 teams currently over .500, with six straight losses (by an average of 21.5 points) against that group. But they’ve won their last seven against teams that are currently below .500, scoring 119 points per 100 possessions, despite the absence of Embiid for six of those games and Maxey for five.

• Quentin Grimes and VJ Edgecombe have led the Sixers in scoring over Maxey’s eight-game absence, despite shooting a combined 16-for-77 (21%) from 3-point range. The rest of the team has been only slightly better from beyond the arc, but the Sixers have averaged 61 points in the paint (12.8 more than their opponents) over their last 10 games. Grimes has shot 54-for-79 (68%) in the paint over that stretch.

• Paul George has just one more game on his 25-game suspension and should make his return against the Bulls on Wednesday. At this point, Maxey, George and Embiid have played together in 32 (21%) of a possible 153 games over George’s two seasons in Philly.

Coming up: Seven of the Sixers’ next nine games are against teams with winning records, so they’ll probably need to break that streak of losing to the good teams if they want to remain in the top eight in the East. Maxey and Embiid remain out for their game against the Thunder on Monday.

Week 23: vs. OKC, vs. CHI, @ CHA

Record: 35-37

OffRtg: 112.5 (23) DefRtg: 114.8 (17) NetRtg: -2.2 (20) Pace: 101.9 (7)

A three-game winning streak had the Blazers within a game of .500, but their five-game trip ended with a wire-to-wire defeat in Denver on Sunday.

Three takeaways

• Before last Monday, the Blazers were one of two teams without a wire-to-wire win, in part because they’ve been at their worst (especially defensively) in the first quarters of games. But they never trailed in their wins in Brooklyn and Indiana on Monday and Wednesday and they’ve scored 145 points on 102 possessions (142.2 per 100) over their last four first quarters.

• Donovan Clingan has scored a team-high 38 points in 34 minutes over those four first quarters and has been making an impact on the other end of the floor as well. Even with the Nuggets having some success inside on Sunday, Blazers opponents have shot just 51.0% in the paint over their last seven games. Opponents have shot just 40-for-92 (43.5%) at the rim when Clingan has been there since the All-Star break, down from 56.8% before the break.

• With their wins in Brooklyn and Indiana last week, the Blazers are 15-1 since mid-December against the bottom 10 teams in the league, having scored 120 points per 100 possessions over those 16 games. They’re tied (with Houston) for the most games remaining against the bottom 10, with their six including all four games on a homestand that begins Monday.

Coming up: The Blazers are also tied (with Denver) for the most home-heavy remaining schedule, with seven of their final 10 games at the Moda Center. Their win over the Nets last Monday was just the fourth time this season they’ve allowed less than a point per possession, so they’re probably happy to see the league’s 30th-ranked offense again just a week later.

Week 23: vs. BKN, vs. MIL, vs. DAL, vs. WAS

Record: 33-38

OffRtg: 113.8 (19) DefRtg: 113.6 (14) NetRtg: +0.2 (18) Pace: 100.3 (16)

The Warriors have completed their slide to 10th place in the West (as far as they’re going to go), having lost eight of their last nine games.

Three takeaways

• The Warriors rank 28th offensively (110.5 points scored per 100 possessions) over this 1-8 stretch. Five of the nine games have come against teams that rank in the top 10 defensively, and their loss to the 11th-ranked Hawks on Saturday was the end of a stretch of five games (all on the road) in seven days.

• Kristaps Porziņģis played five times in a stretch of six games and tied his season high with 30 points (going 13-for-14 from the line) in the Warriors’ win in Washington last Monday. (It’s good to be a big man vs. the Wizards.) But a back issue limited him to less than 11 minutes in Detroit on Friday night and Porziņģis has still played just 142 total minutes over a possible 19 games since his arrival. Al Horford has also missed the last five games.

• The Warriors still have a positive point differential (that of a team that’s 36-35) and they still have a winning record (19-15) at home. They’ve scored 6.6 more points per 100 possessions at the Chase Center than they have on the road, the league’s biggest home-road differential on offense. And after their six-game trip concludes in Dallas on Monday, they will have played nine of their last 11 games on the road.

Coming up: After the Dallas game, the Warriors will play seven of their next eight at home. They’re 15-7 against the bottom 10 teams in the league, though just 2-3 since the All-Star break. Games against the Mavs, Nets and Wizards this week are three of their remaining five vs. the bottom 10.

Week 23: @ DAL, vs. BKN, vs. WAS, @ DEN

Record: 25-47

OffRtg: 113.4 (21) DefRtg: 117.0 (24) NetRtg: -3.6 (22) Pace: 101.1 (11)

The Pelicans almost went 3-0 in spoiler games last week, but blew a 15-point, fourth-quarter lead on Saturday, allowing the Cavs to score 33 points on their final 18 possessions.

Three notes on the offense

• The Pelicans still have a bottom-10 offense, but they’ve seen the fifth biggest jump in points scored per 100 possessions from last season (109.7, 25th). They’ve also seen the third biggest jump from before the All-Star break (112.4, 25th) to after the break (117, 11th).

• One reason for the post-break improvement has been the return of Dejounte Murray, and the Pelicans have scored 119.1 points per 100 possessions in Murray’s 276 minutes on the floor. He’s shot 41-for-65 (career-best 63%) in the paint and 11-for-16 (69%) from mid-range.

• The Pelicans have taken 57% of their shots, the league’s highest rate, in the paint. But they rank 29th in field goal percentage in the paint (55.5%). Jeremiah Fears (49.5% in the paint) and Zion Williamson have each had their shots blocked 72 times, a total that’s tied for seventh in the league.

Coming up: The Pelicans’ five post-break wins over teams in playoff or Play-In position have all come at home, and they’ll play seven of their final 10 games on the road. They’re 2-10 in Eastern Conference arenas, set to take a three-game trip through New York, Detroit and Toronto this week.

Week 23: @ NYK, @ DET, @ TOR, vs. HOU

Record: 28-42

OffRtg: 112.3 (25) DefRtg: 116.8 (23) NetRtg: -4.5 (23) Pace: 102.5 (4)

Josh Giddey continues to put up some big numbers (like a career-high 19 assists against Cleveland on Thursday) and the Bulls have a couple of spoiler wins this month. But they’re still just 4-17 since Feb. 1.

Three notes on the offense

• The Bulls have scored 2.2 fewer points per 100 possessions than the league average, their worst differential in Billy Donovan’s six seasons as head coach. They weren’t that far off at the trade deadline, but have seen the league’s second-biggest drop in efficiency since the deadline.

• According to tracking data, the Bulls rank third in shot quality. Only 4.6% of their shots, the lowest rate for any team in the 30 seasons of shot-location data, have come from mid-range (between the paint and the 3-point line). And 82% of their 3-point attempts, the league’s second-highest rate, have come off the catch.

• They lead the league in ball movement (387 passes per 24 minutes of possession) and rank third in player movement (11.7 miles traveled per 24 minutes of possession). This is the second straight season that they’ve ranked in the top five in both.

Coming up: The Bulls also have their worst road record (11-22) in their six seasons under Donovan, and, after hosting the Rockets on Monday, they’ll play eight of their final 11 games on the road.

Week 23: vs. HOU, @ PHI, @ OKC, @ MEM

Record: 29-41

OffRtg: 112.4 (24) DefRtg: 117.6 (25) NetRtg: -5.1 (25) Pace: 98.3 (24)

The Bucks played spoiler on Saturday, coming back from an early, double-digit deficit in Phoenix. Ryan Rollins led the way with 26 points and Milwaukee improved to 12-22 without Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Three notes on the offense

• This will be the first time in the last 10 seasons that the Bucks have had a worse-than-average offense. They had ranked in the top 10 offensively in seven of the last eight seasons.

• They’ve actually scored more efficiently in Antetokounmpo’s minutes on the floor (119.4 points scored per 100 possessions) and in his minutes off the floor (108.4 per 100) than they did last season (118.9 and 107.9). But he went from playing 58% of the team’s minutes in 2024-25 to just 31% in ’25-26 (to date). And that on-off differential of 11.0 per 100 is the fifth biggest on offense among players who’ve played at least 1,000 minutes for a single team.

• The Bucks have gotten only 21.2% of their points, the league’s lowest rate, from fast breaks (11%, third lowest) or second chances (10.2%, lowest). They rank last in both pass-ahead passes per 100 possessions (11.7) and offensive rebounding percentage (25.7%).

Coming up: The Bucks are 9-14 against the Western Conference and have a league-high seven interconference games left to play. That includes both of their meetings with the Clippers, with the first at the Intuit Dome on Monday.

Week 23: @ LAC, @ POR, vs. SAS, vs. LAC

Record: 23-48

OffRtg: 110.0 (27) DefRtg: 115.0 (18) NetRtg: -5.0 (24) Pace: 102.4 (5)

The Mavs almost beat the Clippers on Saturday, but they’ve won just two of their last 14 games, with their defense having seen a big drop-off since the All-Star break.

Three notes on the offense

• According to tracking data, the Mavs rank last in shot quality. They’ve taken just 62% of their *road shots in the restricted area or from 3-point range, the league’s second lowest rate (higher than only that of the Kings) and down from 74% (third highest) last season.

* Measuring only shots on the road to account for shot-tracking discrepancies from arena to arena.

• The Mavs have an effective field goal percentage of 64.6% (third best) in the first six seconds of the shot clock, but just 52.9% (25th) thereafter. That’s the league’s biggest drop-off, and they also have its second biggest differential between their field goal percentage in the paint (57.1%, 17th) and their effective field goal percentage on shots from outside the paint (48.2%, 29th).

• Cooper Flagg (11.2) is the first rookie in the last seven years to average at least 10 points in the paint per game, though his 56.6% shooting in the paint ranks just ninth among the 15 rookies with at least 200 attempts. His true shooting percentage of 54.4% ranks last among the 38 players who’ve averaged at least 20 points in 40 games or more.

Coming up: The Mavs are just 7-21 (with 10 straight losses) against the 10 Western Conference teams in playoff or Play-In position, with the last win (Jan. 22) having come at home against the Warriors. They’ll host Golden State again on Monday, the second of five straight games against the West’s top 10.

Week 23: vs. GSW, @ DEN, @ POR

Record: 19-53

OffRtg: 110.2 (26) DefRtg: 119.8 (28) NetRtg: -9.6 (29) Pace: 100.4 (16)

The Kings are 6-1 within the bottom 10 in the league since the All-Star break, and their win over the Nets on Sunday came with their second-most-efficient offensive performance of the season (126 points on only 94 possessions).

Three notes on the offense

• It might be hard to remember, but the Kings had the league’s seventh-ranked offense last season. They’ve scored 5.7 fewer points per 100 possessions this year, with only the Pacers having seen a bigger drop-off.

• The drop-off was even bigger in the (limited) minutes with Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis playing together, from 116.1 scored per 100 (in 556 minutes) last season to 106.3 (276 minutes) this season.

• Their 10.2 3-pointers per game would be the fewest for any team in the last five seasons. The Kings rank last in 3-point rate (33.6% of their shots) and 29th in 3-point percentage (33.9%), the lowest rate for any team in the last three seasons, from 3-point range.

Coming up: Having played nine of their last 10 games at home, the Kings will now head East for a five-game trip. They’ll be at a rest disadvantage when they face the Nets for a second straight Sunday.

Week 23: @ CHA, @ ORL, @ ATL, @ BKN

Record: 21-50

OffRtg: 113.3 (22) DefRtg: 120.4 (29) NetRtg: -7.1 (26) Pace: 102.7 (3)

The Jazz got their most lopsided win of the season on Thursday, beating the Bucks by 32 points. Ace Bailey scored a career-high 33 and it was just the second time this season that they’ve allowed less than a point per possession.

Three notes on the offense

• This is set to be the Jazz’s second-worst offensive season (they’ve scored 1.2 fewer points per 100 possessions than the league average) in the last 12 seasons, but they have scored 3.0 more per 100 than they did last season. That’s been the league’s eighth biggest jump, and it’s come with the league’s biggest drop in turnover rate.

• The offense was better than average (117 points scored per 100 possessions) in 891 minutes with Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen on the floor together. Among the 38 players who’ve averaged at least 20 points in 40 games or more, George (60.9%) and Markkanen (60.8%) rank 15th and 16th, respectively, in true shooting percentage. They’re two of the six players who’ve shot 88% or better on at least six free throw attempts per game.

• Cody Williams has an effective field goal percentage of 52%, still well below the league average (54.4%), but up from 41.9% last season. That’s the biggest jump among 252 players with at least 200 field goal attempts in each of the last two seasons.

Coming up: The Jazz have won five of their last six meetings with the Wizards, having had one of their most efficient games of the season (122 points on just 94 possessions) in Washington earlier this month. They’ll meet again on Wednesday, the first of Utah’s three remaining games within the bottom 10 in the league.

Week 23: vs. TOR, vs. WAS, @ DEN, @ PHX

Record: 24-46

OffRtg: 113.4 (20) DefRtg: 116.7 (22) NetRtg: -3.3 (21) Pace: 101.5 (10)

The Grizzlies ended an eight-game losing streak and played spoiler for the first time since the All-Star break, stunning the Nuggets on Wednesday with a seven-point win. They’re seventh in the upside-down standings, with one more win than the Mavs and one fewer than the Pelicans.

Three notes on the offense

• According to tracking data, the Grizzlies rank 28th in shot quality, having seen the league’s second biggest drop from last season (13th). Part of that stems from a big drop in transition opportunities. According to Synergy tracking, the Grizzlies have seen the league’s biggest drop in the percentage of their possessions that have been in transition, from 24.2% (second) last season to 20.2% (sixth) this season. They’ve also seen the second biggest drop in offensive rebounding percentage, from 33% (third) last season to 31.1% (ninth) this season.

• They don’t lead the league in ball movement like they did last season, but the Grizzlies are still one of seven teams that rank in the top 10 in both ball movement (fifth) and player movement (seventh).

• The offense was worse in Ja Morant’s 569 minutes on the floor (109.5 points scored per 100 possessions) than it has been otherwise. It’s been at its best (122.9 scored per 100) with Ty Jerome on the floor, but he’s played just 315 minutes.

Coming up: After their game in Atlanta on Monday, the Grizzlies will begin their longest homestand of the season (six games over 10 days) with visits from the Spurs and Rockets. With their win over the Nuggets last week, they’re 4-14 against the top six teams in the West.

Week 23: @ ATL, vs. SAS, vs. HOU, vs. CHI

Record: 17-54

OffRtg: 109.0 (30) DefRtg: 118.1 (27) NetRtg: -9.1 (28) Pace: 97.3 (27)

The Nets had a three-point lead with less than four minutes to go against the Knicks on Friday, but they couldn’t hang on, scoring just seven points on 11 clutch possessions. They’ve lost seven straight games and began a four-game trip by allowing the Kings to score 126 points on only 94 possessions on Sunday.

Three notes on the offense

• The Nets have dropped to last in offensive efficiency, having scored an anemic 94.8 points per 100 possessions over the five games before the loss in Sacramento. Those five games gave them 14 (two more than any other team), where they’ve scored fewer than a point per possession.

• Only 43% of the Nets’ 3-point attempts, the league’s lowest rate, have been wide open. Only 10% of Michael Porter Jr.’s 3-point attempts have been wide open, and that’s down from his rate of 25% with Denver last season.

• Porter’s absence for the last six games is one reason for the Nets’ offensive swoon, and he probably won’t play again this season. The Nets have scored 10.3 more points per 100 possessions with Porter on the floor (113.0) than they have with him off the floor (102.7). That’s the league’s eighth biggest on-off differential on offense among players who’ve played at least 1,000 minutes for a single team.

Coming up: The Nets have just four games remaining against teams that currently have winning records, with the first of those against the Lakers on Friday, the end of their four-game trip.

Week 23: @ POR, @ GSW, @ LAL, vs. SAC

Record: 16-55

OffRtg: 109.5 (28) DefRtg: 121.0 (30) NetRtg: -11.5 (30) Pace: 102.2 (6)

The Wizards were somewhat competitive with the Thunder for three quarters on Saturday, but they’ve lost 16 straight games, keeping pace with the Pacers.

Three notes on the offense

• The Wizards have scored 3.7 more points per 100 possessions than they did last season, the league’s sixth biggest jump. Of course, they had nowhere to go but up, having ranked last offensively (by a healthy margin) last year.

• They’ve seen the third biggest jump in 3-point percentage, from 33.5% (29th) last season to 35.9% (15th) this season. Among 124 players with at least 200 3-point attempts both seasons, Kyshawn George (from 32.2% to 38.1%) and Bub Carrington (from 33.9% to 39.2%) have seen the seventh and 10th biggest jumps. Tre Johnson is also one of only three rookies who’ve shot better than the league average (35.8%) on at least 200 3-point attempts.

• This is still the second straight season where the Wizards are the only team that ranks in the bottom 10 in each of the four factors on offense.

Coming up: The Wizards and Jazz have the league’s two worst records over the last three seasons, and the Jazz have won four of the five head-to-head meetings over that time. The Western Conference portion of the Wizards’ five-game trip will begin in Utah on Wednesday.

Week 23: @ UTA, @ GSW, @ POR

Record: 15-56

OffRtg: 109.2 (29) DefRtg: 118.0 (26) NetRtg: -8.8 (27) Pace: 101.6 (8)

Pascal Siakam returned from a six-game absence on Saturday, but he never played alongside Ivica Zubac (who’s done for the season after five games), and the Pacers are running out of opportunities to avoid finishing the year on a 27-game losing streak. They’re 0-16 since the All-Star break and are currently on a stretch of 122 straight game minutes (a little more than 2 1/2 games) without holding a lead.

Three notes on the offense

• The Pacers have seen the league’s biggest drop in efficiency, having scored 6.2 fewer points per 100 possessions than they did last season (115.4, ninth). They’ve seen the biggest drop in field goal percentage in the paint, the third biggest drop in 3-point percentage, and the fourth biggest jump in turnover rate.

• The offense has been better (113.8 scored per 100) with the Pacers’ three returning starters – Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith and Siakam – on the floor together, but that mark is still below the league average (114.5 per 100) and they’ve played together in just 28 (39%) of the team’s 71 games. Among 252 players with at least 200 field goal attempts in each of the last two seasons, Nesmith has seen the third biggest drop in effective field goal percentage, from 65.3% last season to 54.0% this season.

• The Pacers have seen the league’s second-biggest drop in passes per 24 minutes of possession and its biggest drop in assist/turnover ratio. But they still rank in the top five in both ball and player movement for what would be the sixth straight season.

Coming up: The Pacers have just three games remaining against other teams with losing records. The first of those is Friday, when they host the Clippers, to whom they lost by 23 earlier this month.

Week 23: @ ORL, vs. LAL, vs. LAC, vs. MIA