In the span of a week, Anthony Davis somewhat changed the outlook of the Los Angeles Lakers' season. What was erstwhile an underperforming postulation of aging stars is present a blistery squad susceptible of beating the NBA elite, anchored by 1 of the league's champion large men successful Davis. But the Lakers besides got a sensation of what beingness without Davis would beryllium similar successful their 116-102 nonaccomplishment to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The different seasoned squad that underperformed to commencement the season, the Brooklyn Nets, started to physique immoderate momentum acknowledgment to Kevin Durant. Durant led the Nets to a triumph streak against the teams connected their docket they should beat, but didn't bash capable to propulsion disconnected a triumph against the red-hot Boston Celtics successful their astir caller game.
Then again, precise fewer are beating the Celtics close now. Boston inactive owns the champion grounds successful the NBA astatine 20-5, and speech from a fewer upsets to different contenders successful the East, it looks similar the Celtics are the amended squad connected the level astir nights.
As Boston dominates the Eastern Conference, the West seems to get a caller imaginable frontrunner each week. Now the New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies are gaining crushed connected the Phoenix Suns for the apical effect successful the conference.
Note: Throughout the regular season, our sheet (Kendra Andrews, Tim Bontemps, Jamal Collier, Nick Friedell, Andrew Lopez, Tim MacMahon, Dave McMenamin and Ohm Youngmisuk) is ranking each 30 teams from apical to bottom, taking banal of which teams are playing the champion hoops present and which teams are looking astir similar rubric contenders.
Previous rankings: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7
1. Boston Celtics
2022-23 record: 20-5
Previous ranking: 1
After sweeping a roadworthy back-to-back against the Nets and Raptors to statesman a six-game trip, the league's champion squad frankincense acold volition caput West for the archetypal clip this play opening Wednesday successful Phoenix, earlier going connected to Golden State Saturday and past wrapping up with a home-and-home successful Los Angeles to commencement adjacent week. -- Bontemps
2. Milwaukee Bucks
2022-23 record: 17-6
Previous ranking: 2
Giannis Antetokounmpo, who turned 28 Tuesday, has scored astatine slightest 30 points successful 7 consecutive games, the longest streak of his career. He's averaging 36.0 points, 10.1 rebounds and 5.7 assists during that span and is present tied for 2nd successful the NBA (31.9 points) successful scoring with Joel Embiid, down Luka Doncic. -- Collier
3. Phoenix Suns
2022-23 record: 16-8
Previous ranking: 3
After opening their play with a revenge triumph implicit the Mavericks, the Dallas demons reappeared for the Suns with a 130-111 nonaccomplishment successful Dallas connected Monday. Phoenix fell down by 18 heading into the 2nd 4th and ne'er made a crippled of it, bringing to caput that brutal blowout nonaccomplishment to Dallas successful Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals successful the spring. -- McMenamin
4. New Orleans Pelicans
2022-23 record: 15-8
Previous ranking: 7
The Pelicans are connected a four-game winning streak, and Zion Williamson's play connected some sides of the level has been a large portion of that. In the past 4 games, Williamson is averaging 27 points, 9.8 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 2 steals and 1.8 blocks per crippled portion shooting 64.1% from the field. He has astatine slightest 1 bargain and 1 artifact successful 4 consecutive games for the archetypal clip successful his career. -- Lopez
5. Cleveland Cavaliers
2022-23 record: 16-9
Previous ranking: 5
Jarrett Allen returned from a five-game lack due to the fact that of lower-back symptom and wreaked havoc connected the Lakers connected Tuesday. Allen scored a career-best 22 points successful the archetypal fractional (finishing with 24 points, 11 rebounds and 3 steals) and Donovan Mitchell did his harm late, scoring 17 of his 43 points successful the 4th quarter, to pb The Land to victory. -- McMenamin
6. Memphis Grizzlies
2022-23 record: 15-9
Previous ranking: 6
Dillon Brooks is shooting a career-low 39.4% from the floor, but his interaction connected winning has been evident. The Grizzlies person outscored opponents by 100 points with Brooks connected the floor, a plus-minus that ranks down lone Ja Morant and Steven Adams connected the team. Memphis allows lone 106.3 points per 100 possessions with Brooks connected the floor, astir 8 points little than without him. -- MacMahon
7. Denver Nuggets
2022-23 record: 14-10
Previous ranking: 4
Longtime Denver manager Doug Moe erstwhile devised a strategy of subtracting location losses from roadworthy victories to find a team's quality. Even aft Tuesday's last-second decision to Dallas, this year's Nuggets squad ranks 2nd to Boston successful that metric, with 8 roadworthy wins and conscionable 3 location losses truthful acold -- a byproduct, successful part, of playing 15 roadworthy games already, tied with Houston for the NBA lead. -- Bontemps
8. LA Clippers
2022-23 record: 14-11
Previous ranking: 9
Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are yet backmost and conscionable successful time. The Clippers and Ty Lue were blown retired by Sacramento astatine home, 123-96, past Saturday without Leonard, George, Luke Kennard and Norman Powell. Leonard and George showed conscionable however overmuch they mean to the team, combining astatine the extremity to bushed the Hornets with Leonard scoring the last 4 points for the Clippers, including the game-winner connected Monday. Next up are games astatine Orlando and Miami earlier John Wall returns to DC for the archetypal clip with fans successful the building. -- Youngmisuk
9. Sacramento Kings
2022-23 record: 13-9
Previous ranking: 14
The Kings conscionable support connected rolling. What whitethorn person felt similar an early-season fluke with their occurrence has proven to beryllium legitimate. Just ideate if Mike Brown tin insert the antiaircraft prowess helium built astatine Golden State into this Sacramento team. They could enactment unsafe and prolong it. -- Andrews
10. Golden State Warriors
2022-23 record: 13-12
Previous ranking: 10
Each clip it feels similar the Warriors are yet exiting their early-season funk, they endure a setback. Most precocious it was a nonaccomplishment to the Indiana Pacers without Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner, successful which Stephen Curry had his worst crippled of the season. And erstwhile helium was a no-show, nary 1 other was susceptible of stepping up for him. -- Andrews
11. Dallas Mavericks
2022-23 record: 13-11
Previous ranking: 16
Moving into the starting lineup seems to person jump-started Tim Hardaway Jr. He got disconnected to a dilatory start, chipping disconnected rust portion returning from ft country that sidelined him astir of past season, but Hardaway has averaged 24.4 points connected 51.9% shooting (54.5% from 3-point range) successful the past 5 games. -- MacMahon
12. Portland Trail Blazers
2022-23 record: 13-11
Previous ranking: 13
After losing 8-of-10 games, the Blazers steadied themselves a spot with 2 large wins implicit the Jazz and Pacers. Anfernee Simons continues to make into a budding prima with 45 points, including 15-of-25 shooting and 7 made 3's, against the Jazz. Jerami Grant keeps shining arsenic well. Damian Lillard returned and had 21 points successful the triumph implicit the Pacers. -- Youngmisuk
13. Brooklyn Nets
2022-23 record: 13-12
Previous ranking: 17
Brooklyn has gotten backmost connected way acknowledgment to the brilliance of Kevin Durant. The erstwhile MVP averaged 33 points, 7 rebounds and 5.5 assists implicit the past week, earning Eastern Conference subordinate of the week honors. The contented for the Nets is that Durant is averaging 36.9 minutes a crippled -- a immense workload this aboriginal successful the season. -- Friedell
14. Philadelphia 76ers
2022-23 record: 12-12
Previous ranking: 8
A weeks ago, Philadelphia was 3 games implicit .500, had won 7 of 9 games and James Harden's instrumentality was connected the horizon. But aft 3 losses connected that roadworthy travel -- including Monday's nonaccomplishment successful Houston -- Philadelphia has present dropped backmost down to .500 connected the play arsenic they statesman a two-week homestand Friday against the Lakers. -- Bontemps
15. Atlanta Hawks
2022-23 record: 13-11
Previous ranking: 18
Bogdan Bogdanovic made his regular play debut connected Friday nighttime arsenic helium recovered from offseason genu surgery. Hawks fans gave him a rousing ovation erstwhile helium subbed in, but determination was inactive immoderate rust that needed to beryllium knocked off. In Monday's crippled against Oklahoma City, Bogdanovic looked much similar his aged aforesaid with 17 points and 5 3-pointers. -- Lopez
16. Indiana Pacers
2022-23 record: 13-11
Previous ranking: 11
Bennedict Mathurin has gotten astir of the attention, but chap rookie Andrew Nembhard, who was drafted successful the 2nd circular this year, is besides helping the Pacers triumph games. Nembhard scored 31 points with 13 assists and made 5 threes connected 62% shooting successful a triumph against the Warriors connected Monday, the archetypal rookie to bash truthful since Steph Curry successful 2010. -- Collier
17. Utah Jazz
2022-23 record: 14-12
Previous ranking: 20
Rookie halfway Walker Kessler is making a lawsuit for extended minutes, particularly considering that the Jazz fertile 25th successful antiaircraft ratio and 29th successful antiaircraft rebounding rate. Kessler -- the No. 22 wide prime acquired successful the Rudy Gobert commercialized -- is tied for seventh successful the league with 1.7 blocks per crippled contempt averaging lone 15.8 minutes. The Jazz let lone 106.6 points per 100 possessions with Kessler connected the floor, which is stingier than the league's champion defense. -- MacMahon
18. Toronto Raptors
2022-23 record: 12-12
Previous ranking: 12
The Raptors stay astatine .500 arsenic they caput into Wednesday night's crippled against the Lakers, but Pascal Siakam continues to play astatine the highest level of his career. Across 14 games this season, helium is averaging 24.5 points, 8.9 rebounds and 7.1 assists. There is lone 1 different subordinate successful the league averaging 24-8-8 this season: Luka Doncic. -- Bontemps
19. Miami Heat
2022-23 record: 11-14
Previous ranking: 19
Jimmy Butler is yet backmost aft dealing with a lingering genu injury, and helium instantly delivered successful Friday's overtime triumph implicit the Celtics with 25 points, 15 rebounds and large plays down the stretch. Butler should beryllium capable to propulsion the Heat backmost connected way fixed that 5 of their adjacent six games are against teams nether .500. -- Friedell
20. Minnesota Timberwolves
2022-23 record: 11-12
Previous ranking: 22
The Timberwolves' extent is being tested close now, and it's not precisely acing the test. In their triumph implicit the Grizzlies, Minnesota showed however they could beryllium palmy without Karl-Anthony Towns, who they volition beryllium without for astir a month. But it's not sustainable. They leveraged each of their extent and beauteous overmuch each of their aboriginal to get Rudy Gobert, but they inactive aren't meshing arsenic a unit. -- Andrews
21. Washington Wizards
2022-23 record: 11-13
Previous ranking: 15
The Wizards participate a treacherous information of their docket successful a rut. They've mislaid six of their past 7 games and present play 12 of their adjacent 16 games connected the road. Their 4 location games during that agelong are against the Clippers, Nets, Sixers and Suns. -- Youngmisuk
22. Los Angeles Lakers
2022-23 record: 10-13
Previous ranking: 25
Anthony Davis' blistery streak came to a screeching halt Tuesday successful Cleveland. The Lakers prima large antheral was constricted to conscionable 8 minutes due to the fact that of flu-like symptoms, and the Cavs swept the play bid against LeBron James' team, 2-0, for the archetypal clip of his career. -- McMenamin
23. New York Knicks
2022-23 record: 11-13
Previous ranking: 21
New York managed to drawback a five-game location losing streak with a triumph implicit Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers Sunday, but RJ Barrett remains successful a season-long slump, hitting conscionable 28.2 percent of his attempts from 3-point scope connected implicit 5 attempts per game. It is the worst percent of immoderate of the 53 players who person taken astatine slightest 125 3-point attempts this season. -- Bontemps
24. Oklahoma City Thunder
2022-23 record: 11-13
Previous ranking: 24
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is showing nary signs of slowing down arsenic the NBA play enters December. In a 121-114 triumph against the Hawks connected Monday, Gilgeous-Alexander had 35 points and was 15-of-15 from the line. It was his seventh consecutive 30-point game, the astir by a Thunder subordinate since Russell Westbrook had 8 successful a enactment successful 2016. The lone subordinate successful franchise past with much consecutive 30-point games is Kevin Durant, who had 12 successful a enactment successful 2014 and 9 successful a enactment successful 2010 (spanning the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons). -- Lopez
25. Chicago Bulls
2022-23 record: 9-14
Previous ranking: 23
The Bulls person dropped 3 successful a enactment and 7 of their past 10 games. When DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic are connected the level together, Chicago is -6.3 points per 100 possessions successful 399 minutes this season. -- Collier
26. Charlotte Hornets
2022-23 record: 7-17
Previous ranking: 26
Things proceed to look bleak successful Charlotte. LaMelo Ball's ankle is giving him problems again, and the defence continues to struggle. At slightest Kelly Oubre Jr. continues to gait the Hornets offensively. He's averaging 23.3 points and 5.3 rebounds a crippled implicit the archetypal 3 games of December. -- Friedell
27. Houston Rockets
2022-23 record: 7-17
Previous ranking: 28
No. 3 wide prime Jabari Smith Jr., whose rookie play got disconnected to a dilatory start, has been an interaction subordinate during the Rockets' agelong of 4 wins successful 7 games. The 19-year-old Smith has averaged 13.9 points and 7.3 rebounds during that span portion shooting 47.6% from the floor. His 16-point, 11-rebound show successful Monday's triumph implicit the 76ers was his 4th double-double, matching Orlando's Paolo Banchero for the astir successful the rookie class. --MacMahon
28. Detroit Pistons
2022-23 record: 7-19
Previous ranking: 30
With Cade Cunningham sidelined, the Pistons person tally their discourtesy done Jaden Ivey, giving the young defender a accidental to radiance and neglect during this caller stretch. Ivey is 2nd successful minutes (31.8), 3rd successful scoring (15.9) and archetypal successful assists (4.3) among rookies. -- Collier
29. San Antonio Spurs
2022-23 record: 6-18
Previous ranking: 29
San Antonio has mislaid 11 consecutive games, the second-longest streak successful franchise past (they mislaid 13 consecutive successful 1989). One agleam spot for the Spurs disconnected the seat this play has been the play of backup large Charles Bassey. The 22-year-old Bassey is averaging 5.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per crippled this season, trailing lone Jakob Poeltl for the squad lead. Among players who person played astatine slightest 200 minutes this season, Bassey would beryllium 4th successful the league successful rebounds per 36 minutes (14.2) trailing lone Andre Drummond, Clint Capela and Steven Adams. -- Lopez
30. Orlando Magic
2022-23 record: 5-20
Previous ranking: 27
Orlando has mislaid 9 straight. It's ugly. The bully quality is that Markelle Fultz is yet backmost aft being retired since April with a genu wounded and Jonathan Isaac is starting a rehab duty successful the G-League aft missing much than 2 years with an ACL injury. -- Friedell
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