NBA Power Rankings: Miracle Shot Keeps Lakers on Top

There's some serious separation going on right now at the top of the NBA standings. Not only are the Lakers, Celtics, and Magic rolling right now, but they haven't lost in (roughly) forever. L.A.has won nine in a row (thanks to the shot of the year from Kobe Bryant), Boston has won eight straight, and Orlando hasn't lost in their last six. With all of this streaking going on, it's tough to crack the top three. But there's plenty of room for movement in the rest of the rankings -- read on to see where your team ended up this week.

1. Lakers (16-3) | Prev.: 1
The Lakers have won nine in a row, and the victories have come by an average of 15 points per game. In other words, the Lakers are playing pretty well. The Lakers' great start has camouflaged a poor start to the season by Lamar Odom. It's true there should be tougher times ahead. After all, 17 of the Lakers' first 21 games are at home. -- Matt Steinmetz
2. Celtics (17-4) | Prev.: 3
Winners of eight straight, the Celtics seem to have found their stride. Rondo's playing like an All-Star, and Kevin Garnett is shooting 70 percent from the field in December. Most importantly, the team has the ability to turn a tie ballgame with under five minutes left into a complete snoozefest, by shutting the other team down defensively and closing the game on a 12-3 run to seal it. This is how it went down Tuesday night against Milwaukee, and it's not a knock -- if anything, it's a compliment, and a show of how you win games in the playoffs. -- BP
3. Magic (17-4) | Prev.: 2
Dwight Howard celebrated his 24th birthday Tuesday night with a great all-around game (25 points, 11 rebounds, seven blocks, 5 assists) against the Clippers, then autographed his jersey afterward and gave it to actress Penny Marshall, whom he met on a movie set this summer. The Magic have won a franchise record eight consecutive road games. It doesn't look like they miss starting point guard Jameer Nelson, who is recovering from knee surgery. -- Tim Povtak
4. Cavaliers (15-6) | Prev.: 4
Nothing David Stern can say could reject Tim Donaghy's new allegations of institutional superstar favoritism as much as a close Cavalier loss in Memphis could. Cleveland has a road problem: only 7-4 away from the Q, while Boston and Orlando have surged out to impeccable road tallies (9-1 and 10-2 respectively). Perhaps the Shaquille O'Neal acquisition can't be judged until the late postseason. As of right now, Cleveland's interior defense has gotten worse. We'll see. -- Tom Ziller
5. Nuggets (16-6) | Prev.: 7
Roll through the Heat and Spurs, take out Iverson in his return, drop to the Bobcats. The Nuggets have all the makings of a contender, right down to the propensity to completely overlook teams when they assume they can out-talent them. -- Matt Moore
6. Mavericks (15-7) | Prev.: 6
When Mark Cuban isn't busy being put through a table at a wrestling event, he's got himself a pretty solid basketball team to watch. And, they may have just gotten better, as Josh Howard returned on Tuesday after missing 13 games with an ankle injury to contribute 20 points and six rebounds to his team's winning effort over the Suns.-- BP
7. Jazz (12-8) | Prev.: 8
This Carlos Boozer resurgence is very much like when the ex-girlfriend comes back and says she's been to therapy and totally loves you and definitely won't be sleeping with your friends anymore. You know what's coming, but she's too hot to dump. The pain is completely manageable when you look in the mirror above your bed (a win over the Spurs, in this case). Just ignore the fact that "CONTRACT YEAR" is written all over it. -- MM

8. Hawks (14-6) | Prev.: 9
Hawks still haven't regained that early-season mojo. Joe Johnson is taking matters into his own hands, but he needs more help if they are going to challenge the top dogs in the East. They have won just three of their last seven games. Johnson is one of just two NBA players (LeBron James is the other) who average at least 20 points, five rebounds and 4.5 assists. With so many bad teams in the East, they could play .500 ball the rest of the season and still get that No. 4 playoff spot.. -- TP

9. Suns (15-7) | Prev.: 5
Phoenix is the only team in the league unbeaten at home (7-0). But the better news might be the Suns' record on the road. They're plus-.500, and have played more than twice as many games there. It's no secret depth is a problem for the Suns. Then again, their starting unit – Steve Nash, Jason Richardson, Grant Hill, Amar'e Stoudemire and Channing Frye – has been healthy all season. -- MS

10. Blazers (13-9) | Prev.: 10
Oh, hi, Mrs. Lincoln! How was the play? -- MM (And I know we used this picture last week, but it seems even more appropriate this time around.)

11. Heat (11-9) | Prev.: 12
They did better than expected by winning two of four on the recent West Coast trip, and it wasn't all Dwyane Wade, for once. Dorell Wright came out of nowhere to play well. It's about time. Both Michael Beasley and Quentin Richardson had 20 points against the Kings, which is encouraging for future balance. -- TP

12. Rockets (11-9) | Prev.: 13
Had the unfortunate honor of being in attendance for Greg Oden's season-ending injury, and then lost that one to the Blazers by just a single point. The good news is that it was their only loss on a four-game road trip, and now they've had four days to prepare for LeBron James and the Cavs, who will come in on the second night of a back-to-back after falling to Memphis in OT. The stars are aligned for Houston to get this one; it'll be interesting to see if they can take advantage. -- BP

13. Thunder (11-9) | Prev.: 14
Above .500, playing great on both sides of the ball, and it's not all Durant. Jeff Green has been a huge part, providing tough finishes, rebounds, and spacing with his perimeter ability. They'd be in the playoffs if they started today. So, you know, just five more months of inspired play in arguably the toughest division in basketball. -- MM

14. Raptors (10-13) | Prev.: 20
Things can change rather quickly in the Association, which is great news for the Raptors. The team was on the verge of implosion a week ago, but has turned it around with three straight victories. Yep, with their players feeling comfortable enough to tie their shoes during live action, things are definitely looking up in Toronto. -- BP

15. Spurs (9-9) | Prev.: 11
Whoa, whoa, whoa. What happened here? Just when we thought the Spurs had figured things out and were beginning to roll, they dropped three straight and are back to .500. Oh, maybe the schedule happened: the team's last three losses were against teams with a combined 45 wins. Their previous five victories before then? They came against teams with only 38 wins between them. -- BP

16. Bobcats (9-11) | Prev.: 17
It was embarrassing to be the first team to lose to New Jersey last week, but the Bobcats aren't all bad. After a horrible start, they have won six of their last eight. They have beaten both Cleveland and Denver. The Gerald Wallace/Stephen Jackson tandem has worth watching. Together, they hammered the Nuggets Tuesday night, bringing a rare smile to the face of coach Larry Brown. -- TP

17. Grizzlies (9-12) | Prev.: 25
What was thought to be a problem early on for Memphis is now becoming the team's strength: lots of guys who can score the basketball. The team has won three straight, with the last two coming against upper echelon teams Dallas and Cleveland. And on this little mini-streak, they've had four players lead or share in the lead in scoring. Combine that with Zach Randolph's willingness to crash the boards (39 rebounds in his last three games) and all of a sudden this team looks to be a little bit dangerous. -- BP

18. Hornets (9-11) | Prev.: 18
Hey, what do you know? Chris Paul returns from injury, and the team wins two straight. You never like to see your star go down for even a single game, but the timing of Paul's absence allowed the new coaching staff to take over without any push-back, and rookies like Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton to get some much-needed playing time. Things may turn out alright for the Hornets this season after all. -- BP

19. Kings (9-11) | Prev.: 16
Everyone agrees Paul Westphal has Sacramento playing well, particularly considering injuries to Kevin Martin and Francisco Garcia. If the Kings are really serious about making this season interesting, they're going to have to start winning some on the road. Their loss to the Hornets on Tuesday makes them 1-8 away from ARCO. On the plus-side, Tyreke Evans has assumed control in the Rookie of the Year race. -- MS

20. Bucks (9-11) | Prev.: 15
Somewhere, the secretive National Association of the Systemic Exploitation of Talented Young Ballers laughs in hysteria, as Brandon Jennings hit the quickest rookie wall in history. Young Money's numbers are down across the board (well, except for turnovers) as Milwaukee meets the meat of its schedule. It becomes more clear with every game that Andrew Bogut is actually the most vital Buck, and it becomes clear Jennings needs backcourt help, whether that's Redd or someone else. -- TZ

21. Pistons (8-12) | Prev.: 26
The Pistons have come alive, just as the first set of injured stars regain their bearings. (Now for the next set.) Will Bynum has fallen off a bit, but Rodney Stuckey has re-exploded, and while John Kuester's rotation is quizzical, Ben Wallace has been so good that it's hard to notice the weirdness of expensive Charlie Villanueva coming off the bench. -- TZ

22. Knicks (7-15) | Prev.: 27
So, somehow it was all Nate Robinson's fault? The team was 0-9 in games Robinson logged 19 or more minutes, and now with him riding the pine, the team is 3-1 over its last four. Something tells me there's more to it than that, but at least for his part, Robinson's staying positive and not making any waves about his recent benching. -- BP

23. Clippers (9-12) | Prev.: 19
All things considered, the Clippers aren't in bad shape at all. They're a touch below .500, and they've played the entire season without Blake Griffin and a fair chunk of it without Eric Gordon. And don't forget, they started out 0-4. Baron Davis' numbers aren't great, but he's doing enough to help keep L.A. a factor when it comes to any postseason ideas. -- MS

24. Wizards (7-12) | Prev.: 24
When Earl Boykins is your second leading scorer with 18 points – like he was in Sunday's loss to Detroit -- you know there are real problems. The Wiz still are making excuses for Gilbert Arenas, and it's obvious now that his return didn't solve their problems. You have to wonder now why so many people thought this team would be good this season. They are bad right now. -- TP

25. Bulls (7-12) | Prev.: 22
If it's any consolation, losing to the Nets at home will probably help Chicagoans forget about The Jarrett Jack Incident. I don't think Vinny Del Negro is contacting his realtor (Bulls management hates to admit mistakes), but in any other town he would be. The Bulls didn't compete in Cleveland, didn't compete against the flailing Raptors and lost to the worst team of the decade. At home. This team has talent, and perhaps it's all their fault. But the team has shown no spirit, and some of the blame must come down on the coach. -- TZ

26. Warriors (6-14) | Prev.: 23
It doesn't really matter who's coaching these days – Don Nelson or Keith Smart – the Warriors are losing with regularity under each. They've dropped four straight, with two coming under Smart and two under Nelson. The 30-win train (maybe) has left the station and is headed down the tracks -- and there's nothing stopping it. The good news is that big men Ronny Turiaf and Andris Biedrins are getting closer to returning. -- MS

27. Pacers (6-12) | Prev.: 21
Any team would suffer from the loss of its best player, as the Pacers will with Danny Granger's torn plantar fascia. But losing Granger makes this team basically unwatchable. T.J. Ford is a ghost of himself this year. Troy Murphy has dropped the White Zach Randolph Without Mental Issues bit, so now he's just Troy Murphy, and that's no fun. Roy Hibbert is something, Mike Dunleavy is the player most likely to score zero or 40 any given night. But ... really? Is that all we have here? -- TZ

28. Sixers (5-16) | Prev.: 28
With the team riding a 10-game losing streak, it was temping to drop them one more spot. But hope counts for something, and you have to think that once Allen Iverson gets himself back into game shape and finds some chemistry with his teammates, things will start to head in the other direction. Maybe. -- BP

29. Timberwolves (3-18) | Prev.: 29
Kevin Love helps so much. He's the difference between losing by 12 to most teams, and losing by 8 to most teams. -- MM

30. Nets (2-19) | Prev.: 30
The good news is that New Jersey is 2-2 since last week's rankings. The bad news is, they're still just 2-19 on the season. -- BP