The NBA Cup passed the quarterfinal stage this week, and the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks are now on their way to Las Vegas for the semifinals.

And as those teams fight it out for the trophy and some extra cash, the rest of the league is pressing forward with the regular season.

Regardless of how they performed in the in-season tournament, all 30 squads were in action this week, and there was plenty of movement throughout the rankings.

As always, team and individual numbers, championship chances, recent performance and plenty of subjectivity are our guides, and the entire league is sorted by those below.

30. Washington Wizards (3-19)

Previous Ranking: 30

Net Rating: -15.2

Even after a big upset win over the Denver Nuggets on Friday (that led to Jordan Poole's new "drowning in the Poole?" celebration above), the Washington Wizards are on track for one of the absolute worst seasons in NBA history.

Just look at that net rating. Last season, the Charlotte Hornets had the worst mark in the league, and they were at minus-10.6. The year before, the low mark was minus-9.9.

And when you combine point differential with strength of schedule (as Basketball Reference's "simple rating system" does), Washington is on track for the third-worst season on record. Only the 1992-93 Dallas Mavericks (who went 11-71) and the 2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats (7-59) have lower marks in SRS.

If all of this results in the top pick in the draft, and the Wizards emerge with a bona fide franchise player, great. But between now and this summer, things are going to be rough.

29. Utah Jazz (5-18)

Previous Ranking: 29

Net Rating: -9.5

Utah Jazz fans who felt the team wasn't committed enough to tanking over the two seasons prior to this one aren't likely to forget the Victor Wembanyama lottery anytime soon, but they have to be encouraged by the team's trajectory in 2024-25.

The Jazz have a bottom-three record and a bottom-two net rating. Their host of young players are getting tons of minutes. And at least one of those young players is showing All-Defense (and maybe even All-Star) upside.

Since he returned from an injury in mid-November, Walker Kessler has played in eight games and averaged 12.8 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.3 blocks in 32.1 minutes.

And while Utah is losing by 7.8 points per 100 possessions over the entirety of those eight games, it's only minus-0.8 when Kessler is playing.

28. New Orleans Pelicans (5-21)

Previous Ranking: 28

Net Rating: -11.4

Even after Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum, Herbert Jones and Trey Murphy III all made their way back into the New Orleans Pelicans' rotation, it doesn't look like their trajectory will be changing any time soon.

The Pelicans went 0-3 this week and lost Brandon Ingram to an ankle injury. They're still a ways away from getting Zion Williamson back. His next re-examination date is still a week away.

Given the strength of the Western Conference, it's hard to imagine New Orleans getting back into the play-in mix, which means it might be time to really lean into losing and the prospect of adding a top pick in 2025.

27. Portland Trail Blazers (8-16)

Previous Ranking: 27

Net Rating: -9.5

On November 17, the Portland Trail Blazers crept to within two games of a .500 record by beating the Atlanta Hawks, but they're 2-8 since then.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, "teams have begun expressing interest in a group of Portland's veterans—Jerami Grant, Anfernee Simons and Robert Williams III."

With the possible exception of Simons, who's still just 25 years old, Portland should be interested in and motivated to move all of the above (and Deandre Ayton, assuming there's any interest).

The Blazers have a top-one-percent-of-the-league leaper in Shaedon Sharpe.

It's too early to give up on Scoot Henderson. And Donovan Clingan looks like the kind of rim protector who can almost singlehandedly lead a team to a solid defense.

But right now, it's hard to find a ton of confidence in anyone on the roster to be a franchise cornerstone-level talent. That player may be in the 2025 draft, and Portland needs to pile up more losses to improve its chances to land the top pick in that event.

26. Charlotte Hornets (7-17)

Previous Ranking: 26

Net Rating: -5.6

The Charlotte Hornets were already losing sight of the play-in tournament before LaMelo Ball went down with a calf injury, and his absence has certainly accelerated the decline.

Ball's missed Charlotte's past six games, and the Hornets have just one win during that stretch (against the sub-.500 Indiana Pacers).

There is a silver lining, though, and it's trailing 6'9" NBA sophomore Brandon Miller.

When he came into the league, the floor for Miller seemed to be "quality three-and-D wing." But his playmaking and volume as a three-point shooter, especially since Ball went down, are showing he can develop into much more.

During this six-game run, Miller is averaging 27.2 points and a whopping 4.7 threes. For the entire season, he's averaging 3.5 assists.

The experience he's adding as a No. 1 option now will only help him help Ball upon the superstar guard's return.

25. Toronto Raptors (7-19)

Previous Ranking: 23

Net Rating: -4.8

Right when it looked like the Toronto Raptors might be able to push toward the East's play-in range, they rattled off a four-game losing streak.

And in Monday's defeat to the New York Knicks, they lost their best player, Scottie Barnes, to another injury.

After an awkward collision and landing, the 23-year-old hurt his ankle, and ESPN's Shams Charania reported he will be out for "several weeks."

If the Raptors weren't already headed toward a tank of a season, that stroke of bad luck should probably steer them there.

When Barnes is off the floor, Toronto is minus-5.7 points per 100 possessions. And that's the kind of performance that could land them a top pick in the potentially loaded 2025 draft.

24. Indiana Pacers (10-15)

Previous Ranking: 24

Net Rating: -4.3

The Indiana Pacers have been one of this season's most disappointing and confounding teams.

In 2023-24, they were second in points per 100 possessions and second in effective field-goal percentage.

In terms of roster construction, the only significant differences are the addition of Pascal Siakam (who was picked up in a trade less than a year ago) and bigger roles for Bennedict Mathurin and Jarace Walker.

You'd think that would be enough to overcome long-term absences for Aaron Nesmitih and Andrew Nembhard, but those two may have been more important to the team's success than we realized, especially if Tyrese Haliburton isn't going to rediscover his All-NBA form.

Haliburton is still the team leader in wins over replacement player, but his 17.5 points, 8.4 assists and below-average 52.0 effective field-goal percentage pale in comparison to the 24.4 points, 12.8 assists and 60.4 effective field-goal percentage he posted in his first 31 games of 2023-24.

23. Detroit Pistons (10-16)

Previous Ranking: 22

Net Rating: -3.4

After an encouraging 7-8 start, the Detroit Pistons are sliding back toward the bottom of the standings again.

They're 3-8 in their last 11. And over that stretch, their minus-7.6 net rating is better than only the Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans and Washington Wizards.

It's not all bad for Detroit, though. Even if the Pistons wind up in the lottery again, this is, by far, the best individual campaign of Cade Cunningham's young career.

After Thursday's loss to the Boston Celtics, the 2021 No. 1 overall pick is at 23.6 points, 9.3 assists, 7.3 rebounds and 2.4 threes, with a 38.1 three-point percentage.

The game seems to have slowed down for the 23-year-old, his teammates are a little more reliable after he finds them. And perhaps most importantly, he's knocking down his own jumpers.

If Cunningham keeps this up and one or two other members of the young core start to catch up, the Pistons may still have a shot to get to play-in range.

22. Brooklyn Nets (10-14)

Previous Ranking: 20

Net Rating: -3.5

Reality may be starting to set in for the Brooklyn Nets, who've lost four of their last five (with the lone win coming against the sub-.500 Indiana Pacers).

But that doesn't mean their veterans are necessarily losing any trade value.

Much has been made of who might come after Cameron Johnson and what the return might look like, but he's not the only Net who could help teams interested in hopping from one tier to the next.

On the season, Dennis Schröder is averaging 18.6 points and 6.5 assists. When he's on the floor, Brooklyn is plus-0.5 points per 100 possessions (compared to minus-13.4 when he's off).

21. Chicago Bulls (10-15)

Previous Ranking: 21

Net Rating: -3.7

The Chicago Bulls are in a situation similar to that of the Brooklyn Nets. Both teams are hovering a little closer to .500 than maybe some of the pro-tanking crowd would like, and both teams have some veterans they can potentially unload to expedite the tank.

For Chicago, that's Nikola Vučević and Zach LaVine, both of whom have played well enough to at least tempt some suitors.

Now over a quarter of the way into the season, Vučević is averaging 21.0 points, 9.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists. He's in the 91st percentile in Dunks and Threes' single-season estimated plus-minus.

LaVine, meanwhile, is averaging 22.1 points, 4.2 assists and 3.3 threes, while shooting 43.2 percent from deep. His contract is a little more daunting that Vuč's (he's potentially owed $49 million in 2026-27, when he has a player option), but that's the kind of production that could push a fringe contender closer to the Boston Celtics are Oklahoma City Thunder.

20. Philadelphia 76ers (7-15)

Previous Ranking: 25

Net Rating: -5.0

Simply being in the Eastern Conference is one of the biggest advantages an NBA team can have (and it's been that way for decades).

The Philadelphia 76ers started the season 2-12. Just a couple of weeks later, they're just a game and a half back of the play-in tournament and only 4.5 shy of sixth place (and a guaranteed playoff berth).

Yes, the Sixers deserve some credit for going 5-3 in their past eight (and winning four of their past five), but that conference lifeline did its share, too. Now that two of Philadelphia's stars are filtering back into the rotation, it feels like its climb up the standings is just beginning.

Over the last five games, Paul George is averaging 18.3 points, 6.0 assists and 2.3 threes, while shooting 39.1 percent from deep. And on Sunday, Joel Embiid made a somewhat surprising return to action and looked more nimble than he has at any other point this season, finishing with 31 points in a win over the Chicago Bulls.

19. Los Angeles Lakers (13-11)

Previous Ranking: 19

Net Rating: -3.9

The Los Angeles Lakers were in desperate need of a matchup against one of this season's lesser teams, and they got one on Sunday when they beat the Portland Trail Blazers without LeBron James.

But even if that matchup stopped a three-game losing streak, and the Lakers are still above .500, it's hard to uncover many other positives, especially when you factor in L.A.'s perennial title-or-bust expectations.

The Lakers are 3-7 in their last 10 and are allowing 117.3 points per 100 possessions for the entire season. That defensive rating ranks 24th in the league.

18. Phoenix Suns (12-11)

Previous Ranking: 14

Net Rating: -1.0

The Phoenix Suns are putting an awful lot of responsibility on Kevin Durant's 36-year-old shoulders.

He's missed the team's last three games with an ankle injury. It lost all three. Last month, he missed seven games, and the Suns went 1-6 in those.

On the season, Phoenix is plus-3.5 points per 100 possessions when KD plays and minus-4.7 when he doesn't.

And given his age and injury history, it's fair to expect more nagging issues to pop up here and there over the course of this campaign.

If Devin Booker and Bradley Beal aren't able to elevate the team to wins in his absence, the Suns will be in real danger of missing the playoffs. Right now, they're in 10th place in the West (the last play-in spot) and just a half-game clear of the 11th-place San Antonio Spurs.

17. San Antonio Spurs (12-12)

Previous Ranking: 17

Net Rating: -2.1

Victor Wembanyama has understandably and rightfully gotten most of the attention that's gone the San Antonio Spurs' way this season, but they have a rising Rookie of the Year candidate that is starting to look like an almost indispensable piece of the core.

Stephon Castle is up to the second shortest odds for that award, and that shift isn't due entirely to his perimeter defense (though that's probably what eventually made him a staple of the rotation).

Since November 7, Castle has had just one game in which he failed to score at least 10 points. Over that entire strech, he's averaging 15.3 points, 4.8 assists, 1.6 threes and 0.9 steals in 30.8 minutes.

His shooting percentages suggest he still has some work to do in terms of consistency, but that's to be expected for plenty of rookie guards. He's ahead of schedule as a playmaker and defender. And if his shooting catches up, San Antonio will have one of the league's most intriguing young duos.

16. Sacramento Kings (13-13)

Previous Ranking: 18

Net Rating: +3.5

It's been a pretty underwhelming season for the Sacramento Kings, but they may be getting on track with a recent stretch that included a couple of the worst teams in the West (the Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans).

Sometimes, a team just needs an opportunity or two against tanking clubs to find its rhythm, and this stretch may have helped to finally get the Kings' shooters online.

Over the first 21 games of the season, Keegan Murray, Kevin Huerter, Doug McDermott and DeMar DeRozan combined to shoot 28.1 percent from deep. Over the last five, a run in which Sacramento is 4-1, those four are shooting 46.3 percent from three.

15. Atlanta Hawks (14-12)

Previous Ranking: 15

Net Rating: -2.5

After upsetting the New York Knicks (in Madison Square Garden) in the NBA Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday, it's easy to see that something interesting is brewing for the Atlanta Hawks.

Their superstar, Trae Young, is posting the lowest usage percentage of his career while also working on a career-high assist percentage. He's now surrounded with an abundance of size, athleticism and defensive tenacity on the wings and at the other guard spot.

Atlanta has won seven of its past eight. The lone loss in that stretch was a game in which Jalen Johnson and Bogdan Bogdanović were out, and there are some impressive numbers going up during this run.

Over these eight contests, De'Andre Hunter is averaging a team-high 22.4 points while shooting 51.9 percent from deep, Johnson is averaging 19.6 points, 9.4 rebounds and 6.7 assists(!), Young is averaging 12.6 assists, Dyson Daniels is putting up 3.8 assists and 2.9 steals and rookie Zaccharie Risacher is at 11.3 points and 1.4 threes.

It took some time for the vision to take hold (and there's still plenty of time for things to go awry again), but this "Young surrounded by three-and-D grit" approach is working.

14. Miami Heat (13-10)

Previous Ranking: 16

Net Rating: +3.0

Trade rumors may be swirling about Jimmy Butler, but that clearly isn't affecting the team's on-court rhythm (at least not in a negative way).

After beating the Toronto Raptors on Thursday, Miami has now won four straight and six of its last eight. And during those eight games, they're dominating when Tyler Herro, Butler or Bam Adebayo is on the floor.

Over this stretch, Herro is averaging 25.6 points, 4.8 assists and 4.4 threes, while shooting 43.8 percent from deep. Butler is at 17.0 points and 4.3 assists. And Adebayo is at 15.8 points, 12.4 rebounds and 7.3 assists.

13. Denver Nuggets (12-10)

Previous Ranking: 13

Net Rating: +1.8

On balance, this has undoubtedly been a disappointing season for the Denver Nuggets. That was highlighted this past weekend when they lost to the worst team in the NBA (the Washington Wizards were nursing a 16-game losing streak before bombarding Denver with 11 more threes than the Nuggets made).

But there may still be reason to believe Denver can get back into the title hunt.

First, the Nuggets' underwhelming record has come in the face of several absences from three of the team's four best players. Nikola Jokić missed three for personal reasons, Jamal Murray has missed five, and Aaron Gordon has missed 11.

When all three of those players are on the floor, Denver is plus-12.6 points per 100 possessions.

But of course, the biggest reason we can't count this team out yet, even if it's not living up to its potential now, is the presence of the world's best player on the roster.

After an eye-popping two-game stretch in which he registered 104 points, 30 rebounds, 16 assists and four steals in a span of about 24 hours, Jokić is now averaging 32.3 points, 13.6 rebounds, 10.2 assists and 1.8 steals, with a 64.9 true shooting percentage 7.4 points clear of the league average.

We may be getting numb to this kind of production from the three-time MVP, but those are potentially "best individual season in NBA history" numbers.

12. Orlando Magic (17-10)

Previous Ranking: 6

Net Rating: +4.3

It's hard to imagine the grave sin the Orlando Magic committed against the basketball gods to deserve what's happened to them this season.

Paolo Banchero exploded out of the gates with averages of 29.0 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists in his first five games before being sidelined with a torn oblique.

Then, after Banchero went down, Franz Wagner averaged 26.1 ponits, 6.3 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 1.8 steals over the next 20 games.

But this past week, we learned that he too would be out for an extended period of time with—and it's hard to believe this is true—a torn oblique.

This season, in almost 700 non-garbage time possessions, Orlando is minus-8.3 points per 100 possessions when both stars are off the floor.

But the absences didn't prevent them from being competitive in their NBA Cup quarterfinal matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday, thanks in large part to Jalen Suggs.

With the offense now squarely resting on his shoulders, Suggs had 32 points on 26 shots. He was a positive in the plus-minus column, despite the Magic falling.

All things considered, it was a good sign ahead of what could be a long and painful stretch of basketball. Orlando is likely to lose more games than it wins before Banchero and Wagner return, but its defense and competitiveness should be able to keep it from falling too far down the standings to recover.

11. Los Angeles Clippers (14-11)

Previous Ranking: 11

Net Rating: +1.9

James Harden went 1-of-10 from the field in just under 25 minutes against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday and then missed Sunday's tilt against the Houston Rockets.

To no one's surprise, the Los Angeles Clippers dropped both of those games.

Still, this team is undoubtedly performing better than expected, given their circumstances. When Paul George bolted in free agency and it started to become clear that Kawhi Leonard would miss a lot of time, it would've been easy to count L.A. out of the playoff hunt.

But Norman Powell's shooting (he's averaging 23.6 points and 3.8 threes, while shooting 48.6 percent from three), three-and-D contributions from Derrick Jones Jr. and Amir Coffey and the pick-and-roll game of Harden and Ivica Zubac have kept the Clippers more than afloat.

10. Golden State Warriors (14-10)

Previous Ranking: 8

Net Rating: +4.6

It may be time for the Golden State Warriors to abandon this "play everyone on the roster and a couple ball boys, when necessary" philosophy.

Steve Kerr played 11 different players in a hotly contested NBA Cup quarterfinal on Wednesday. The Warriors have 12 players with at least 300 minutes already (and that doesn't include the injured De'Anthony Melton. No one else in the league has more than 10. And Curry is only playing 30.7 minutes per game (his lowest average ever, when you filter out two seasons cut short by injuries).

All of this may be beneficial to preserve 36-year-old Stephen Curry's legs. It might also be juicing (or at least attempting to juice) the trade values of some young players.

But without another bona fide scoring star on the roster, Golden State probably needs a shorter rotation that includes more minutes for Curry. On the season, the Warriors have a point differential around that of a 64-win team when Curry is on the floor and one around that of a 31-win team when he's off.

9. Minnesota Timberwolves (12-11)

Previous Ranking: 12

Net Rating: +3.6

The Minnesota Timberwolves ended their week with a road loss the Golden State Warriors, but they'd just beaten Stephen Curry and company to cap off a four-game winning streak prior to that.

And after falling two games below .500 in late November, it feels like the team is generally headed in a good direction.

Despite what may look like an underwhelming record, Minnesota is creeping toward the top half of the league in offense and the top five in defense, but the Timberwolves may need to make one more trade to really accelerate their rise.

The offense still feels a little more cramped than it should when Julius Randle is in the game, and the defense definitely suffers in those minutes. On the season, Minnesota is plus-1.6 points per 100 possessions when Randle plays and plus-8.8 when he doesn't.

8. Milwaukee Bucks (13-11)

Previous Ranking: 10

Net Rating: +1.1

From a distance, the Milwaukee Bucks season still looks a little underwhelming. They're only two games above .500 with a net rating that only recently crept over zero.

But it's probably already fair to put them back on the title contender's tier given how they've performed over the past few weeks.

The Bucks are 11-3 over their past 14 games. Khris Middleton is back and already looks a little more spry than most could've predicted after surgeries on both ankles. And Giannis Antetokounmpo is playing like an MVP for the... *checks notes*...seventh straight season.

After going for 37 points in Milwaukee's NBA Cup quarterfinal win on Tuesday, Giannis is averaging a league-best 32.7 points to go with 11.4 rebounds and 6.0 assists. And perhaps most encouraging, shots outside his range have been almost entirely eliminated.

From 2018-19 through 2022-23, Giannis took 3.5 threes per game, shot 28.8 percent from three and had a 62.5 true shooting percentage. Since then, he's taking 1.5 threes (just 0.8 this season) and had a 64.4 true shooting percentage.

7. New York Knicks (15-10)

Previous Ranking: 5

Net Rating: +6.5

The New York Knicks suffered a tough home loss in the quarterfinals of the in-season tournament, but the Atlanta Hawks are one of the hottest teams in the league, the Knicks still have a top-three offense and they're on pace for 49 wins with a defense hovering around the middle of the NBA.

It's that last part that's maybe most surprising. Tom Thibodeau's teams are typically pretty locked in on the defensive end of the floor, but the same hasn't been true of Karl-Anthony Towns.

Prior to Rudy Gobert joining the Minnesota Timberwolves, that team was almost always below average in points allowed per 100 possessions when KAT was on the floor. And the ability to embrace the Towns-Gobert blueprint may still be a ways away. ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Mitchell Robinson may not be back till late January or early February.

That means, at least for now, New York is going to have to keep winning shootouts and hoping Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby can stitch together enough defense to survive.

6. Houston Rockets (17-8)

Previous Ranking: 9

Net Rating: +6.8

After squeaking by the Golden State Warriors in Wednesday's NBA Cup quarterfinal, 91-90, the Houston Rockets are headed to Las Vegas. And they're taking one of the league's toughest defenses with them.

The Rockets are allowing just 105.1 points per 100 possessions. That's the second-best mark in the league, and it can't be chalked up to just one player.

Amen Thompson, Dillon Brooks, Tari Eason, Alperen Şengün and Fred VanVleet are all ranked in the 94th percentile or higher in Dunks and Threes' defensive estimated plus-minus (one of the most trusted catch-all metrics in NBA front offices).

5. Dallas Mavericks (16-9)

Previous Ranking: 4

Net Rating: +6.4

The Dallas Mavericks ran into a buzzsaw in the NBA Cup on Tuesday, losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder (in OKC), 118-104.

The Thunder were in control of that contest for much of the second half, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pretty thoroughly outperformed Luka Dončić. And if you're looking at that one as a Dallas fan, you might be a little concerned about a potential playoff matchup.

But the more short-term takeaways for the Mavs this week are still undoubtedly positive. They'd won 11 of 12 games prior to Tuesday's matchup with OKC. And that stretch included a road win over the Thunder. P.J. Washington, who might be Dallas' best shot to at least slow SGA down, missed the most recent loss.

And though he had an underwhelming 16 points on 15 shots Tuesday, Dončić does appear to be rounding back into his MVP form recently. In his five games since returning from injury (which includes Tuesday), he's averaging 28.0 points, 10.6 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 4.0 threes and 3.4 steals(!), while shooting 40.0 percent from deep.

4. Memphis Grizzlies (17-8)

Previous Ranking: 7

Net Rating: +8.0

To date, the Memphis Grizzlies have played the easiest schedule in the NBA, but that shouldn't entirely sour you on their 17-8 start.

This week, they beat the Boston Celtics on the road. They have seven players averaging double-figures (and 10 averaging at least eight points per game). And when he's in the lineup, Ja Morant is still one of the league's most electrifying playmakers and finishers.

On the season, Morant is averaging 21.7 points and 8.5 assists, and the effective field-goal percentages of both Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane are significantly better when Morant is on the floor.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers (21-4)

Previous Ranking: 3

Net Rating: +9.7

If my mentions are any indication, Cleveland Cavaliers fans are understandably frustrated by their team's lack of upward mobility in these power rankings.

They've had the best record in the league for most of the season, their net rating has hovered at or near the top throughout, and their big four of Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen looks great.

But they've also played the second-easiest schedule in the league to date (only the Memphis Grizzlies' has been easier), and now may be a good time to remind readers of one of the key factors in this exercise.

Basketball Reference's Playoff Probabilities Report still lists the Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder ahead for chances of winning the finals. And FanDuel still has them fifth in title odds.

There are certainly reasons to disagree with either of those assertions, but it's also reasonable to still think Boston has the better shot at emerging from the East (despite Cleveland being 1-1 against the Celtics this season).

This Boston group has already gone all the way. And fair or not, it's naturally easier to trust the championship chances of those teams and stars that have titles on their resumes.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder (19-5)

Previous Ranking: 2

Net Rating: +12.0

At this point, the Oklahoma City Thunder feel about as juggernaut-like as the Boston Celtics.

They have a double-digit net rating and are on pace for 65 wins in the absolutely loaded Western Conference.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a metronome for MVP-like production. Since the start of the 2022-23 season, he leads the league in 25-point games (at 134) and 25-point, five-assist, two-steal games (at 60).

Isaiah Hartenstein looks like exactly the kind of rebounding, passing and rim-protecting big that the team needed in the 2024 playoffs.

And perhaps most encouraging, Jalen Williams has joined SGA in playing like a top-10 player. Yes, top 10. The catch-all metrics love Williams. He's sixth in Basketball Reference's box plus/minus, sixth in Dunks and Threes' estimated plus-minus and averaging 21.8 points, 5.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 2.0 threes.

Add to all that the fact that Chet Holmgren—another player who can perform like a top 20-25 player—will likely be back from a hip injury before the playoffs, and it's getting pretty tough to imagine anyone else representing the West in the NBA Finals.

1. Boston Celtics (20-5)

Previous Ranking: 1

Net Rating: +10.0

The Boston Celtics have given us plenty of reasons to highlight them throughout these first couple months of the season. And the obvious recipients of the attention have been Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and maybe even Kristaps Porziņģis after his return from injury.

But one of the most important pieces of this title defense might also be the most underappreciated: backup guard Payton Pritchard.

After the 26-year-old put up team highs in points (27) and assists (10) in Thursday's win over the Detroit Pistons, he is now averaging 16.5 and 3.2 for the season. He's shooting 43.2 percent from deep.

And when he's on the floor, Boston is outscoring opponents by 8.0 points per 100 possessions. That's obviously a little lower than the team rating, but when you have a backup beating teams that bad, you know you have a juggernaut of a team.

Stat of the Week

There was a lot of talk this week about TV ratings, ticket prices for the NBA Cup and the league possibly wanting some bigger-market teams for the tournament's finale in Las Vegas.

However, the NBA should embrace the presence of some of its up-and-coming stars who'll be on the national stage there, including Alperen Şengün, Jalen Johnson, Jalen Williams and, of course, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

In Cup games alone, last year's MVP runner-up is averaging 32.2 points, 6.6 assists and 2.2 steals.