Power Rankings, Week 18: Thunder Maintain Lead, Clippers Make Top 10 Debut Post All-Star Weekend

Following a wild trade deadline, the outlook for the top teams in the league has become more unpredictable. The Western Conference especially is filled with uncertainty as the Los Angeles Lakers, currently in fifth place, have added Luka Dončić to their roster, while the 10th-place Golden State Warriors made a bold move by acquiring Jimmy Butler. This shakeup has left fans eagerly anticipating how the rest of the season will unfold.

It might take some time for those players to get in sync with their new teams, but those squads could now have much higher ceilings than they did before. More teams beyond the Lakers and Warriors have reshuffled their rosters, so there are plenty of new lineups and combinations to watch and evaluate over the next few weeks.

Plus-Minus Players of the Week

Right Way: Cade Cunningham (DET) was a plus-61 in two games last week.Wrong Way: Josh Giddey and Coby White (CHI) were both a minus-58 in two games last week.

Teams of the Week

Make It Last Forever: LA Clippers (2-0) — Former Hawks Bogdan Bogdanović and De’Andre Hunter (Cavs) are both undefeated with their new teams.Something Just Ain’t Right: Chicago (0-2) — And the Bulls are still in the Play-In!

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East vs. West

The West is 161-121 (.571) against the East in interconference games after going 4-3 last week.

Schedule strength through Week 17

Toughest: 1. Toronto, 2. Washington, 3. New OrleansEasiest: 1. Cleveland, 2. New York, 3. MilwaukeeSchedule strength is based on cumulative opponent record.

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Movement in the Rankings

High jumps of the week: Brooklyn (+3), Detroit (+3), Golden State (+3)Free fall of the week: Miami (-3)

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Week 18 Team to Watch

Golden State — The Warriors’ next two games could be the most important games left on their schedule. They’ll visit the ninth-place Kings on Friday and host the eighth-place Mavs on Sunday afternoon.

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Previously…

Last week: Celtics, Nuggets take a step forwardThe archive: NBA.com Power Rankings

OffRtg: Points scored per 100 possessions (League Rank)
DefRtg: Points allowed per 100 possessions (League Rank)
NetRtg: Point differential per 100 possessions (League Rank)
Pace: Possessions per 48 minutes (League Rank)

The league has averaged 113.2 points scored per 100 possessions and 99.7 possessions (per team) per 48 minutes this season.

NBA.com’s Power Rankings, released every Monday during the season, are just one man’s opinion. If you have an issue with the rankings, or have a question or comment for John Schuhmann, contact him via Bluesky.