The NBA All-Star break is behind us, and teams return to action with just under two months remaining in the regular season. The fight for the postseason intensifies in both the East and the West, while the battle for first place remains fierce among the league’s top teams. In the East, the Detroit Pistons have regained their “Bad Boys” reputation, especially after their recent encounter with the San Antonio Spurs on Monday. Could this be a preview of the NBA Finals? The Spurs will first have to overcome the challenge of the Western Conference, as they are neck and neck with the current champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have held the top spot for most of the season. However, things could get complicated for the Thunder, who are without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and other stars from their championship roster due to injuries. Here’s the ranking of the 30 NBA teams according to our experts, as we approach the end of the regular season.Note: Team rankings are based on the opinion of our panel members (Anthony Slater, Dave McMenamin, Jamal Collier, Michael C. Wright, Bobby Marks, Tim Bontemps, Tim MacMahon, Vincent Goodwill, and Zach Kram).
Previous Rankings:
- Preseason
- October 29
- November 5
- November 12
- November 19
- November 26
- December 3
- December 10
- December 17
- December 24
- December 31
- January 7
- January 14
- January 21
- January 28
- February 4
- February 11
Team Ranking
1. Oklahoma City ThunderRecord 2024-25: 45-14 Previous ranking: 1 Upcoming games: @ DET (February 25), vs. DEN (February 27), @ DAL (March 1), @ CHI (March 3)Sunday afternoon was, possibly, the Thunder’s most impressive victory in their 45 wins this season. They defeated a streaking Cleveland Cavaliers, despite the absence of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Alex Caruso, and Ajay Mitchell. Their ceiling in the playoffs depends on SGA’s return from an oblique injury and Williams regaining his health, but these types of role-player-led victories boost confidence. Isaiah Joe scored six three-pointers and had five steals, while Cason Wallace achieved 20 points and 10 assists. Chet Holmgren added 17 points, 15 rebounds, and defended the paint. – Anthony Slater
2. San Antonio Spurs
Record 2024-25: 41-16 Previous ranking: 3 Upcoming games: @ TOR (February 25), @ BKN (February 26), @ NYK (March 1), @ PHI (March 3) According to veteran Harrison Barnes, the Spurs began the season with the goal of winning 40 games before suffering 20 losses. Mission accomplished. San Antonio is currently enjoying its longest winning streak of the season (nine games), following a Monday victory in Detroit against a physical Pistons team. Opponents learned early in the season that they could use aggression to destabilize the team’s star, Victor Wembanyama, but the 22-year-old player has found solutions to those tactics. The Spurs have won five games against teams with the best record in the NBA (four against the Thunder and one against the Pistons), according to ESPN Research. – Michael C. Wright3. Detroit PistonsRecord 2024-25: 42-14 Previous ranking: 2 Upcoming games: vs. OKC (February 25), vs. CLE (February 27), @ ORL (March 1), @ CLE (March 3)Is there a category difference between the East and the West, or was it a bad night for the Pistons on Monday when they lost to Wembanyama and the Spurs? Doubts about the Pistons’ playoff ceiling surfaced, as they only scored 19% of their three-pointers in their second loss this month. Center Isaiah Stewart has three more games of suspension (seven games in total), which means he will miss the matchups with other potential postseason rivals: Oklahoma City and Cleveland.
Will Kevin Huerter find playing time? He hasn’t played since the All-Star break and, if he can contribute, the Pistons certainly need more from the three-point line, as they are 22nd in the league in three-point percentage. – Vincent Goodwill4. Boston CelticsRecord 2024-25: 38-19 Previous ranking: 6 Upcoming games: @ DEN (February 25), vs. BKN (February 27), vs. PHI (March 1) Jaylen Brown might believe he deserves more recognition in the NBA MVP race, but the facts say otherwise. In the history of my MVP poll, which dates back to 2017, Brown had only received three votes for fifth place in his career before this season. Last week, he was revealed in sixth place, with five votes for third place. However, he is not in bad company, as he is behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Cade Cunningham, Victor Wembanyama and Luka Doncic, but ahead of Jalen Brunson and Donovan Mitchell. – Tim Bontemps5. New York KnicksRecord 2024-25: 37-22 Previous rating: 4 Upcoming matches: @ MIL (February 27), vs. SA (March 1), @ TOR (March 3) If it wasn’t clear before, it is now. Mike Brown made the obvious statement on Saturday night before their victory against Houston that Jalen Brunson eats first, then Karl-Anthony Towns. Perhaps it was to alleviate the criticism Towns receives for not producing enough. Towns told ESPN later that night: “It’s something different in my career.” In his two wins after a loss against Detroit last Thursday, Towns shot 8 of 12 from the three-point line, a great sign of his career-low three-point percentage. That kind of production will be needed as the Knicks play four games in the next six days starting Friday, including home games against San Antonio and Oklahoma City. – Goodwill6. Cleveland CavaliersRecord 2024-25: 37-22 Previous ranking: 8 Upcoming games: @ MIL (February 25), @ DET (February 27), @ BKN (March 1), vs. DET (March 3) The James Harden era has gotten off to a fantastic start for Cleveland. The Cavs are 6-1 with Harden in the lineup, and Harden’s passing ability has helped unlock Cleveland’s offense. Harden is averaging 18.7 points and 8.7 assists, shooting 50% since joining the Cavs, and the team ranks third in the NBA in offensive efficiency since the trade deadline. A pair of matchups against the Pistons, who are in first place (in Detroit on Friday and in Cleveland on Tuesday), should be a good test of where the Cavs stand against the top teams in the conference. – Jamal Collier7. Denver Nuggets
Record 2024-25: 36-22 Previous rating: 5 Upcoming games: vs. BOS (February 25), @ OKC (February 27), vs. MIN (March 1), @ UTAH (March 2) The Nuggets are 4-6 since Nikola Jokic returned from a month-long absence due to a knee injury, primarily due to uncharacteristic difficulties closing out games. During the stretch of games without Jokic, Denver was 1-5 in clutch games. In clutch games since Jokic’s return on January 30, the Nuggets have been outscored by 19 points in 31 minutes, shooting 37.5% from the field, including 7 of 28 from three-point range. – Tim MacMahon8. Houston Rockets
Record 2024-25: 35-21 Previous ranking: 7 Upcoming games: vs. SAC (February 25), @ ORL (February 26), @ MIA (February 28), @ WAS (March 2) Turnovers have been a problem all season, and if not corrected soon, an early exit from the Rockets in the postseason can be expected. Houston committed nine turnovers, the most in any quarter all season, as the Knicks overcame an 18-point deficit in the final quarter to win on Monday, marking the eleventh time this season that the Rockets have squandered a lead in the final quarter. Fred VanVleet’s season-ending injury before the start of camp could be too much for Houston to overcome. Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard have shown their growth. But time is running out for the young guards to reach the level the Rockets will need in the playoffs. – Wright9. Minnesota TimberwolvesRecord 2024-25: 36-23 Previous ranking: 10 Upcoming games: @ LAC (February 26), @ DEN (March 1), vs. MEM (March 3)No team this season has more inexplicable losses than Minnesota, which had another on Sunday against the 76ers, who were without Joel Embiid and had played the night before in New Orleans. That is simply a game that a team with Minnesota’s ambitions needs to win. Those losses throughout the season are the reason the Wolves are struggling to avoid the play-in instead of fighting for home-court advantage in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. – Bontemps
Entering Tuesday’s game against the Orlando Magic, the Lakers were the only team in the top eight of any conference with a negative point differential on the season. Also concerning: L.A.’s 11-14 record against teams with records above .500. The Lakers’ last five losses to those winning rivals came by an average of 20.2 points. Marcus Smart said there’s still time to improve, however. “We’re hanging in there,” he said. “The goal of this, for everyone in this league, is to peak at the right time.” – Dave McMenamin
10. Toronto RaptorsRecord 2024-25: 34-24 Previous ranking: 11 Upcoming games: vs. SA (February 25), @ WAS (February 28), vs. NYK (March 3) Toronto continues to deliver against teams below .500, with wins against Chicago and Milwaukee after the break. But the Raptors continue to lose games against the best teams in the league, after a loss against the injury-depleted Thunder on Tuesday. Toronto has an 11-17 record against teams with winning records, compared to 23-7 against losing clubs. – Zach Kram12. Phoenix SunsRecord 2024-25: 33-26 Previous ranking: 12 Upcoming games: vs. LAL (February 26), @ SAC (March 3) Phoenix hit a snag just as they finally received a boost from Jalen Green, who had been out for months with a hamstring injury. Green’s buzzer-beating three-pointer to dismiss the Magic in Saturday’s double overtime coincided with Dillon Brooks’s fractured left hand, which will sideline him for four to six weeks. The team also announced that Devin Booker will be out for at least a week with a right hip strain. – McMenamin13. Orlando MagicRecord 2024-25: 31-26 Previous ranking: 14 Upcoming matches: vs. HOU (February 26), vs. DET (March 1), vs. WAS (March 3) The news that Franz Wagner is out indefinitely with a left ankle injury raises the question of whether we will see a healthy starting lineup this season for the Magic. The lineup of Wagner, Jalen Suggs, Desmond Bane, Paolo Banchero, and Wendell Carter Jr. has only started 11 games together this season and has played 5% of total possessions as a unit. If there is anything positive to take from Wagner’s absence, it is the play of third-year point guard Anthony Black. In 36 starts this season, Black is averaging 17.7 points. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Magic have a balance of plus 8.2 points per 100 possessions when Black is on the court with Suggs, Bane, Banchero, and Carter. – Bobby Marks14. Philadelphia 76ersRecord 2024-25: 32-26 Previous ranking: 13 Upcoming matches: vs. MIA (February 26), @ BOS (March 1), vs. SA (March 3)As well as Joel Embiid has played this season, his recent absences due to knee and shin issues are a constant reminder of the tightrope the 76ers are walking this season. With Embiid on the court, Philadelphia has a real chance to make noise in a very open Eastern Conference playoffs. Without him, however, it will be a challenge for the 76ers to get out of the play-in and even reach the postseason, especially with the Heat and Magic closing in on them in the standings. – Bontemps
15. Miami HeatRecord 2024-25: 31-28 Previous ranking: 16 Upcoming games: @ PHI (February 26), vs. HOU (February 28), vs. BKN (March 3) If the Heat aren’t a play-in team for the first time since 2022, it’s likely due to the health and play of Tyler Herro. In his first game since January 15, Herro scored 24 points in just 23 minutes. He scored 14 points the following night in a win against Memphis. Those were only the second pair of consecutive games Herro has played this season. The Heat began a five-game stretch against sub-.500 teams on Tuesday. – Marks16. Golden State WarriorsRecord 2024-25: 30-28 Previous ranking: 15 Upcoming games: @ MEM (February 25), vs. LAL (February 28), vs. LAC (March 2) Brandin Podziemski’s final two months of the season will be decisive for conversations about his extension this summer. Steve Kerr called Podziemski’s third year “up and down”; Podziemski scored 15 points in the final quarter and eight rebounds in a standout victory over the Nuggets on Sunday, but nights of high-impact scoring and playmaking have not been the norm, and the coaching staff has mostly asked Podziemski to tone it down despite his long-term ambitions. “Really, it’s more about finding that sweet spot where he’s making plays but not dominating the ball,” Kerr said. – Slater17. Charlotte Hornets
