Album of the Week: “My Iron Lung,” Radiohead (1994)
Now that we have some permanent daylight, it’s time to do some grades for the third quarter of the NBA season.
Every team now has no more than 20 games remaining. Here’s a look at every team’s record from games 42 through 62, which is admittedly the most volatile in the league from a roster standpoint due to the trade deadline.
I feel like I need to keep this section short but direct. These grades are for the third quarter! The rankings will not reflect the grades! We rank teams based on consideration for the full season up to this point, while the grades are a snapshot of just the last six or seven weeks. If you trip in the comments, that’s on you.
Fine print: These Power Rankings won’t just rank every team. We’ll retain the tiers that teams will be promoted into and relegated out of. There will be five tiers each week:
Top Contenders – Locked at five, these are the class of the league
In a Good Place – Could be one team, could be seven teams
The Bubble – Not to be confused with Walt Disney World. The middle of the pack
Not the Tier to Fear – Not playing the worst ball in the league, but with a lot of work to do
Basement Floor – Bringing up the rear
What to expect from Power Rankings:
These are my subjective rankings. I will consider a variety of objective measures, but it’s my final call.
These rankings are not just a review of the past week — we are projecting forward as well, so it is a balance of the two.
These are subjective, but not biased. There are no agendas in the Power Rankings, and we strive for an inclusive meritocracy
The one quality that these rankings possess: “Ruthless aggression.”
Enjoy the games, and enjoy the rankings, please!
For Week 21 of The Athletic NBA Power Rankings, we will do third-quarter grades for each team. Win-loss records and other statistical data are through Sunday’s action.
Tier 1: Top Contenders1. San Antonio Spurs (47-17)
Last ranking: 2
In the last week: W at PHI, W vs DET, W vs LAC, W vs HOU
Offensive rating: 117.5 (fifth place)
Defensive rating: 110.2 (third place)
First quarter: B+
Second quarter: B
Third quarter: A
First, the grade: The Spurs have been an absolute problem to deal with in Victor Wembanyama’s minutes. He needs an alternative nickname, and I want to suggest “The Armoire.” It’s French, it’s tall, and it can hold the tools that Wembanyama brings to the table on both ends. For the season, Spurs foes shoot 41.8 percent from the field when Wembanyama is on the floor. Since Jan. 21, that figure is 41.2 percent. And the Spurs use that defense to blow out teams from the jump or to overcome massive deficits, such as the 25-point deficit San Antonio faced against the Clippers. Punctuating the week with a season-best scoring performance against the Houston Rockets sealed that regular-season series as well. They’re the best team in the league, and all they need is to figure out how to sustain it for a maiden playoff run.
2. Oklahoma City Thunder (50-15)
Last ranking: 1
In the last week: W at CHI, W at NY, W vs GS
Offensive rating: 116.8 (eighth place)
Defensive rating: 105.9 (first place)
First quarter: A
Second quarter: A-
Third quarter: A-
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s return was desperately needed. The Thunder offense has slipped to league-average levels over the third quarter of the season, and while the defense is still top five, it’s closer to five these days. But Gilgeous-Alexander is indeed back and scores 20 when he puts on his animal fit, and the Thunder have won the last six games in which the reigning MVP has played.
3. Detroit Pistons (45-18)
Last ranking: 3
In the last week: L at CLE, L at SA, L vs BRK, L at MIA
Offensive rating: 116.0 (11th place)
Defensive rating: 108.9 (second place)
First quarter: A
Second quarter: A
Third quarter: B
The Pistons are leading the Eastern Conference by multiple games, are 6-1 against the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics and split the Cleveland Cavaliers this season. I can’t justify putting an East team ahead of them this week, but this was a disturbing week with no redeeming qualities. Ausar Thompson’s ankle injury makes it worse than simply the team’s third (and longest) losing streak of the season. Thompson averaged 2.5 steals per game in the third quarter of the season; the Pistons were good but not great on both ends of the floor in the third quarter. It was a great week for the doubters of Detroit basketball, so let’s see how the Pistons respond.
4. New York Knicks (41-24)
Last ranking: 4
In the last week: W at TOR, L vs OKC, W at DEN, L at LAL
Offensive rating: 118.1 (third place)
Defensive rating: 111.8 (sixth place)
First quarter: B
Second quarter: B-
Third quarter: A
The Knicks benefited from hosting a Spurs team last Sunday in a matinee game, and one of their biggest wins was a road matinee game in Boston, where they beat an almost fully healthy Celtics squad. New York bounced back from a tough loss against the Thunder by beating Denver. But then the combination of Daylight Saving Time and an early game in Los Angeles resulted in one of New York’s worst 3-point shooting games of the season. New York had the league’s best defense in the third quarter, and All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns has led the defensive rebounding effort.
5. Boston Celtics (43-21)
Last ranking: 5
In the last week: W at MIL, L vs CHA, W vs DAL, W at CLE
Offensive rating: 119.8 (second place)
Defensive rating: 111.6 (fifth place)
First quarter: B
Second quarter: A
Third quarter: A
Congratulations to Jayson Tatum for returning from a torn Achilles tendon, just in time to join the Celtics for a pivotal stretch run. Boston had the league’s third-best defense in the third quarter, and center Neemias Queta has helped anchor a unit that is the stingiest in the paint. The Hornets went to Boston and beat the Celtics worse than anyone has handled them all season, a notable blemish on an otherwise great week.
Tier 2: In a Good Place6. Cleveland Cavaliers (39-25)
Last ranking: 8
In the last week: W vs DET, L vs BOS
Offensive rating: 117.2 (sixth place)
Defensive rating: 113.1 (13th place)
First quarter: B-
Second quarter: C-
Third quarter: A
The Cavaliers showed some real teeth in the East in the third quarter, as there wasn’t a team with a better record. Cleveland improved the defense, and it had the second-best offense in the third quarter, helped by power forward Evan Mobley’s 17.1 points on 51.5 percent shooting from the field. The Celtics spoiled Donovan Mitchell’s return from injury, but the Cavaliers earned a regular-season split against the Pistons as well, which would set up an intriguing potential conference semifinals.
7. Minnesota Timberwolves (40-24)
Last ranking: 7
In the last week: W vs MEM, W vs TOR, L vs ORL
Offensive rating: 116.1 (10th place)
Defensive rating: 112.2 (ninth place)
First quarter: B
Second quarter: A
Third quarter: B
The Timberwolves had a good third quarter, led by a top-10 defense. All-Star Anthony Edwards averaged 1.6 steals per game in the third quarter of the season. Minnesota matched the longest win streak of the season at five games, then spent another weekend afternoon getting demolished at home, this time by the visiting Orlando Magic. The Wolves will be on the road this entire week, and all of the games are big ones.
8. Houston Rockets (39-24)
Last ranking: 6
In the last week: W at WAS, L vs GS, W vs POR, L at SA
Offensive rating: 116.8 (seventh place)
Defensive rating: 112.1 (eighth place)
First quarter: A
Second quarter: B-
Third quarter: B
The best thing about the Rockets this season is that they don’t go on losing streaks. They’ve only lost three straight games once, and that was two months ago. Houston’s defense is generally solid, which is the priority when Amen Thompson is the de facto starting point guard. But as mentioned before in this space, Houston lays an egg almost weekly. While the overtime loss to the Warriors was terrible for the psyche (they really have to exorcise their issues with Golden State), the Rockets ended the week getting rocked by San Antonio on national television. They’re not looking inspiring for postseason play at all.
9. Denver Nuggets (39-25)
Last ranking: 9
In the last week: W at UTA, W vs LAL, L vs NY
Offensive rating: 120.0 (first place)
Defensive rating: 116.3 (22nd place)
First quarter: B+
Second quarter: B
Third quarter: C-
The Nuggets had an adventurous win at Utah before surviving the Lakers late. They even got Aaron Gordon back! But Friday’s loss on zero days’ rest to the Knicks was a comprehensive disaster, one that saw their chewable defense get lit up worse than it has all season at home while losing Jamal Murray to an ankle injury. The Nuggets don’t put enough pressure on ballhandlers, and that puts pressure on Murray and fellow All-Star Nikola Jokić to be highly efficient. Denver has a losing record since the season’s midpoint.
10. Orlando Magic (35-28)
Last ranking: 12
In the last week: W vs WAS, W vs DAL, W at MIN, W at MIL
Offensive rating: 114.0 (16th place)
Defensive rating: 112.6 (11th place)
First quarter: B
Second quarter: C
Third quarter: C
Let’s address the grade first. The Magic went 22-20 in the second and third quarters of the season (basically a .500 team), and the optics continue to be off between head coach Jamahl Mosley and a team led by Paolo Banchero. Orlando looks very average more often than not. With that said, the Magic are on their longest win streak of the season and their most games over .500, while Banchero leads the defensive rebounding efforts.
LeBron James made nearly half of his field goal attempts in the third quarter of the season. (Isaiah J. Downing / Imagn Images)
11. Los Angeles Lakers (39-25)
Last ranking: 13
In the last week: W vs NO, L at DEN, W vs IND, W vs NY
Offensive rating: 116.4 (ninth place)
Defensive rating: 115.8 (21st place)
First quarter: A
Second quarter: C-
Third quarter: B-
The Lakers stabilized somewhat even before this week, with the defense playing closer to average over the third quarter to go with the 10th-best offense in that stretch as well. No team made a higher percentage of field goals in the third quarter of this season, bolstered by All-Star LeBron James making 49.7 percent of his field goals as part of a 20.1 points per game average. But the Lakers have looked just fine without James after the elder statesman injured his elbow in Denver. Perhaps a blowout win against the Pacers isn’t the best example, but blowing out the Knicks is a whole other thing. The Lakers have been outscored by 47 points when James and Luka Dončić share the floor this season and by 20 points when James and Austin Reaves share the floor. But the Lakers have outscored foes by 96 points this season in the Dončić-Reaves two-man lineups.
Tier 3: The Bubble12. Toronto Raptors (36-27)
Last ranking: 10
In the last week: L vs NY, L at MIN, W vs DAL
Offensive rating: 113.8 (18th place)
Defensive rating: 111.8 (seventh place)
First quarter: A
Second quarter: C
Third quarter: C+
The Raptors went 21-21 in the middle two quarters of this regular season. The strong start to this season continues to keep them out of the Play-In Tournament part of the standings, but the Raptors have been decidedly average for a while now. Toronto does force a lot of turnovers, with All-Star Scottie Barnes leading the way with 1.6 steals in the third quarter of the season. But this week did little to show that Toronto is a real threat to win a playoff series.
13. Miami Heat (36-29)
Last ranking: 15th
In the last week: W vs BRK, W vs BRK, W at CHA, W vs DET
Offensive rating: 114.7 (13th place)
Defensive rating: 111.4 (fourth place)
First quarter: B+
Second quarter: D
Third quarter: B
The Heat bounced back nicely in the third quarter, featuring a top-10 offense and a top-five defense. Center Kel’el Ware even blocked 1.1 shots per game in the third quarter of the season. Miami got the Pistons on zero days’ rest and blew them out. The Heat have now won the last six games that All-Star Norman Powell has missed.
14. Phoenix Suns (37-27)
Last ranking: 11
In the last week: W at SAC, L vs CHI, W vs NO, W vs CHA
Offensive rating: 113.5 (19th place)
Defensive rating: 112.5 (10th place)
First quarter: B
Second quarter: B-
Third quarter: B-
The Suns had an awful time scoring in the third quarter of the season, ranking 26th in offensive efficiency. Phoenix is increasingly “steal or bust,” with reserve ball hawk Jordan Goodwin pitching in 1.6 steals per game in the third quarter of the season. This was a good week for the Suns, and they head out on a six-game road trip having won four of their last five games.
15. Charlotte Hornets (32-33)
Last ranking: 16
In the last week: W vs DAL, W at BOS, L vs MIA, L at PHO
Offensive rating: 117.7 (fourth place)
Defensive rating: 114.2 (16th place)
First quarter: D+
Second quarter: C-
Third quarter: A
Charlotte reached .500 with a win over the Dallas Mavericks, then earned the statement win everyone needed to see by going into Boston on zero days’ rest and unloading on the Celtics. Center Moussa Diabate leads a Hornets team that rebounded on the offensive glass very well during the third quarter of the season. No team has had a better offense since mid-January. As a reminder that the work isn’t done for the Hornets, they lost a key game to division rival Miami to fall back to .500 and have a losing record again after losing in Phoenix.
16. Atlanta Hawks (33-31)
Last ranking: 17
In the last week: W at MIL, W vs PHI
Offensive rating: 114.0 (17th place)
Defensive rating: 113.6 (14th place)
First quarter: B
Second quarter: D
Third quarter: C+
Forget that perennial .500 talk: The hottest team in the league entering this week is in Atlanta! Six straight wins for the Hawks, including key victories this past week against East competition. Now, the Hawks played their typical .500 ball for most of the third quarter of the season, but that was still an improvement. Dyson Daniels has moved to small forward, and he averaged 5.9 assists and 1.1 turnovers per game in the third quarter of the season, helping Atlanta take better care of the basketball.
17. Philadelphia 76ers (34-29)
Last ranking: 14
In the last week: L vs SA, W vs UTA, L at ATL
Offensive rating: 114.3 (14th place)
Defensive rating: 114.6 (17th place)
First quarter: B
Second quarter: B
Third quarter: C
The Sixers continue to sink in these rankings. The defense has really struggled, while the offense is closer to league average. All-Star Tyrese Maxey averaged 6.6 assists and only 2.4 turnovers in the third quarter of the season, but he’s out to begin this week due to a sprain in his shooting hand. Philadelphia has lost eight of its last 13 games.
18. LA Clippers (31-32)
Last ranking: 19
In the last week: W at GS, W vs IND, L at SA, W at MEM
Offensive rating: 115.6 (12th place)
Defensive rating: 115.3 (18th place)
First quarter: F
Second quarter: B
Third quarter: B-
Darius Garland debuted for the Clippers in a comeback win in Golden State, and he was in the starting lineup by the end of the week for another comeback win after a double-digit deficit at Memphis. But the Clippers lost rookie center Yanic Konan Niederhauser to a Lisfranc foot injury, which is not only a season-ending injury but also one that leaves Konan Niederhauser questionable to begin next season on time. LA could have reached .500, but it blew a 25-point lead at San Antonio. Backup shooting guard Bennedict Mathurin has really struggled to finish field goals, but his ability to get to the free-throw line at a high rate allowed the Clippers to be a top-10 offense in the third quarter of the season despite the absence of Garland following the James Harden trade.
19. Golden State Warriors (32-31)
Last ranking: 18
In the last week: L vs LAC, W at HOU, L at OKC
Offensive rating: 114.1 (15th place)
Defensive rating: 112.9 (12th place)
First quarter: C-
Second quarter: C+
Third quarter: C-
Credit where credit is due, as the Warriors did a great job scratching out an overtime win in Houston. But they had a critical loss against the Clippers despite a rest advantage, and they couldn’t score in Oklahoma City. Without Stephen Curry or Jimmy Butler III, the Warriors just don’t have a consistent threat who can get to the free-throw line at will.
Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday has had to do a little bit of everything this season for Portland. (Troy Wayrynen / Imagn Images)
Tier 4: Not the Tier to Fear20. Portland Trail Blazers (31-34)
Last ranking: 20
In the last week: W at MEM, L at HOU, W vs IND
Offensive rating: 112.5 (23rd place)
Defensive rating: 115.5 (19th place)
First quarter: C-
Second quarter: B+
Third quarter: C-
A good week for Portland, in that it won the games it was supposed to while being unable to upset the Rockets. The Trail Blazers weren’t very good in the third quarter of the season, and turnovers were the primary culprit. They’re also in a situation where 35-year-old Jrue Holiday has to do as much as he does. Holiday led the team with 3.2 turnovers per game in the third quarter of the season.
21. Chicago Bulls (26-38)
Last ranking: 21
In the last week: L vs OKC, W at PHO, L at SAC
Offensive rating: 112.1 (25th place)
Defensive rating: 116.7 (23rd place)
First quarter: C-
Second quarter: C
Third quarter: D
The drop-off is severe here, but the Bulls keep doing things like winning in Phoenix. They got back on (off?) track by losing in Sacramento. Chicago’s offense has been terrible, with Josh Giddey racking up 3.7 turnovers per game in the third quarter of the season.
22. Milwaukee Bucks (27-36)
Last ranking: 22
In the last week: L vs BOS, L vs ATL, W vs UTA, L vs ORL
Offensive rating: 112.4 (24th place)
Defensive rating: 117.0 (25th place)
First quarter: D
Second quarter: D
Third quarter: C
The Bucks haven’t been good at any point this season, finishing each of the first three quarters with losing records. Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t saving this team, though I’m here to watch him try. No defense forced a lower percentage of turnovers in the third quarter of the season than the Bucks.
23. Memphis Grizzlies (23-39)
Last ranking: 24
In the last week: L at MIN, L vs POR, L vs LAC
Offensive rating: 113.5 (20th place)
Defensive rating: 115.8 (20th place)
First quarter: D
Second quarter: C
Third quarter: D
The remains of the Grizzlies were in close games all week but lost them all. No team was worse at defensive rebounding in the third quarter of the season than the Grizzlies, a team starting GG Jackson and Olivier-Maxence Prosper up front while deploying only Taylor Hendricks off the bench.
24. New Orleans Pelicans (21-45)
Last ranking: 23
In the last week: L at LAL, W at SAC, L at PHO, W vs WAS
Offensive rating: 113.1 (22nd place)
Defensive rating: 117.7 (26th place)
First quarter: F
Second quarter: D+
Third quarter: C
The Pelicans picked quite a time to get the roster fully healthy, as they’re now starting Herbert Jones at center next to power forward Zion Williamson, wings Trey Murphy III and Saddiq Bey and returning point guard Dejounte Murray. Despite Williamson and a surplus of reserve bigs, the Pelicans have been a bottom-five defensive rebounding team.
25. Dallas Mavericks (21-43)
Last ranking: 25
In the last week: L at CHA, L at ORL, L at BOS, L at TOR
Offensive rating: 109.5 (29th place)
Defensive rating: 114.0 (15th place)
First quarter: D-
Second quarter: C
Third quarter: D
No team in the West has a longer losing streak than the Mavericks, a stretch that hasn’t been helped even though Cooper Flagg is back to help secure his Rookie of the Year trophy amid stiff competition. The Mavericks continued to have a whale of a time making 3s.
Tier 5: Basement Floor26. Brooklyn Nets (16-47)
Last ranking: 28
In the last week: L at MIA, L at MIA, W at DET
Offensive rating: 109.6 (28th place)
Defensive rating: 118.3 (27th place)
First quarter: D-
Second quarter: D+
Third quarter: F
Huge comeback win for the Nets … to end a 10-game losing streak. Brooklyn had the league’s worst offense in the third quarter of the season, and Michael Porter Jr. made only 42 percent of his shots in that span.
27. Utah Jazz (19-45)
Last ranking: 27
In the last week: L vs DEN, L at PHI, W at WAS, L at MIL
Offensive rating: 113.2 (21st place)
Defensive rating: 120.5 (30th place)
First quarter: D+
Second quarter: D-
Third quarter: F
The Jazz should get some credit, as the defense wasn’t the league’s worst in the third quarter. Low bar to clear, but they cleared it. Unfortunately, the Jazz were quite bad anyway, losing four times as many games as they won in the third quarter. The Jazz were still not good on defense, especially when it came to fouling. The increased physicality resulted in some turnovers, but at the greater expense of being the worst defense in the league.
28. Sacramento Kings (15-50)
Last ranking: 26
In the last week: L vs PHO, L vs NO, W vs CHI
Offensive rating: 109.8 (26th place)
Defensive rating: 120.0 (28th place)
First quarter: F
Second quarter: D
Third quarter: F
It is quite on brand for Russell Westbrook to back up his beef with Sacramento media coverage by having a triple-double and only his second game of the season with no turnovers in a home win where his co-starters are Nique Clifford, Daeqwon Plowden, Precious Achiuwa and Maxime Raynaud. It was a far cry from the expected starters that included Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Keegan Murray. The Kings are awful, and they had the worst defense in the league over the third quarter of the season, in large part because they get roasted from 3. But a win over the Bulls is a win.
29. Washington Wizards (16-47)
Last ranking: 29
In the last week: L vs HOU, L at ORL, L vs UTA, L at NO
Offensive rating: 109.6 (27th place)
Defensive rating: 120.5 (29th place)
First quarter: F
Second quarter: D+
Third quarter: D
Trae Young is really the starting point guard of the Wizards, and they managed to lose at home to the Jazz in his debut. Kyshawn George injured his left elbow, and while the team says that he will be re-evaluated in three weeks, that might be it for him. At least Alex Sarr is finally back from a hamstring injury, as he needs to get up to speed with Young and maybe help a Wizards defense that ranked 29th in defensive rebound percentage in the third quarter of the season.
30. Indiana Pacers (15-49)
Last ranking: 30
In the last week: L at LAC, L at LAL, L at POR
Offensive rating: 108.8 (30th place)
Defensive rating: 117.0 (24th place)
First quarter: F
Second quarter: D
Third quarter: D
The Pacers are the only team in the league without a win since the All-Star break, so they’re comfortably nestled at the bottom of these rankings. Indiana was only regular bad for the third quarter of the season overall, though the interior defense has been slammed like brakes. If they don’t win Tuesday in Sacramento in the Tyrese Haliburton trade bowl, then they’ll have to go and upset a team that is trying to secure wins for the rest of the March schedule.