We took a week off in these power rankings for a little family holiday vacation, but we are back — and with a new No. 1 for the first time this season after the Thunder have started to look human.
1. Detroit Pistons
(26-9, last week No. 3)
Detroit may be a team on top of these rankings and on top of the East, but it also is a team with a lot of eyes on it headed toward the trade deadline. This is an elite team, but in playoff basketball, where opposing defenses will load up on Cade Cunningham and make his life difficult, who is the secondary shot creator they can trust? Will they look to add someone such as Michael Porter Jr. at the trade deadline to fill that role? The Pistons need more shooting as well if they are going to defeat the Knicks and other top teams in a seven-game series. That shooting will get tested Monday night when the Pistons face the Knicks on Peacock NBA Monday.
2. San Antonio Spurs
(25-10, last week No. 7)
San Antonio is getting up for the big games — beating the Thunder three times, defeating the Knicks — but is letting their guard down against teams like Portland and Utah and racking up losses. That's part of maturing for this team (the Duncan/Popovich era Spurs were the best at pummeling the bottom half of the league). Victor Wembanyama remains day-to-day after hyper-extending his knee, but that is about as lucky as one could hope for with that injury. San Antonio has four of its next five on the road, including a brutal back-to-back next weekend in Boston and then Minnesota the next night.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder
(30-6, last week No. 1)
The Thunder may have looked human going 5-4 in their last nine games, but they have a +8 net rating in those games (second in the league in that stretch), they have just been a bit unlucky (and the Spurs are a matchup issue). Don't sleep on how great this team has been. Oklahoma City became the sixth team in NBA history — and the third franchise — to start a season 30-5. Only the Jordan-era Bulls (twice) and the peak Curry-era Warriors (three times) started a season that fast, and five of those six teams won the title (the one that didn't, the 2015-16 Warriors, had a 3-1 lead in the Finals).
4. Houston Rockets
(21-11, last week No. 6)
The peak Curry-era Warriors could play loose and fast, turn the ball over too much, and get away with it because of Curry/Thompson/Durant. It's less certain the Rockets can do the same. They have the second-best net rating in the league this season, but also turn the ball over on 16.2% of their possessions, the second-highest percentage in the league. They miss the ball security of Fred VanVleet out top, but that is not an easy fix at the trade deadline. Houston just has to take better care of the ball (and keep up the historic offensive rebounding pace it is on). Interesting test against a hot Phoenix team Monday night.
5. Boston Celtics
(22-12, last week No. 8)
Get Jaylen Brown into another Salsa dancing class. The Celtics star was sixth in the first round of 2026 NBA All-Star Game fan voting, just outside the starting five — what are we doing people? Brown should start without question, and he needs to be in the MVP conversation. His dropping 50 on the Clippers last week — and crediting taking a Salsa dancing class — was just the latest and greatest sign of how he has played all season. Give the man his flowers.
6. Minnesota Timberwolves
(23-13, last week No. 5)
Minnesota has been relatively lucky on the health front this season — they have had just four different starting lineups, the fewest in the league (by a fair amount, Boston and San Antonio are next at seven). The bellwether for this team is turnovers: in their wins they cough the ball up an average of 13.4 times, but in their losses that jumps to 15.7 — they are 7-10 in games with 15+ turnovers this season.
7. New York Knicks
(23-12, last week No. 2)
Jalen Brunson isn't just getting a shoutout from hoops fans — he is third in the East in the first round of fan voting and would be an All-Star starter — but also from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who did Brunson's signature 3-point celebration (putting his hand in front of his face) during his inauguration speech. "We expect greatness… from those who stride out onto our Broadway stages and from our starting point guard at Madison Square Garden. Let us demand the same from those who work in government." The Knicks are 5-5 since winning the NBA Cup, with a tough couple of weeks coming up, starting with the Pistons as the first game of a Peacock NBA Monday triple-header.
8. Phoenix Suns
(21-14, last week No. 15)
There is no hotter team in the league right now — the Suns are 6-1 in their last seven with a +9.3 net rating, and on Sunday pulled off an 18-point comeback against the Thunder, capped off by Devin Booker draining the game-winning 3-pointer over Alex Caruso. Booker is shooting just 29.5% from beyond the arc this season on the whole and 27.6% in his last five games. He's never been an elite 3-point shooter, but if that game-winner can get Booker's jumper back on track and closer to his 35.1% career average, Phoenix looks that much more dangerous.
9. Denver Nuggets
(23-12, last week No. 4)
There is actually, finally, some good injury news in Denver: Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun returned to the court Sunday. The Nuggets went 11-8 with both of them out of the lineup, and with Nikola Jokic out for a few more weeks, their return could not have come at a better time. Denver is 1-2 without Jokic so far. Jamal Murray being 14th in the fan vote so far for Western Conference All-Star is a crime, the man is having the best season of his career and is a lock to be an All-Star (Jokic will get in on the fan vote, whether he will be able to play is another issue).
10. Cleveland Cavaliers
(20-17, last week No. 14)
Have the Cavaliers started to find their footing? The team went 3-1 through a rough gauntlet of games with wins against the Spurs, Suns and Nuggets (the lone loss was to the Pistons). Cleveland did it with their defense — second-best in the NBA over their last five games, and Evan Mobley's return should help that — but the offense continues to stumble. Cleveland's season will be based on their postseason success, not the first 82 games, but they need to get out of the play-in — the Cavaliers sit eighth in the East, just half a game out of the top six and avoiding the play-in. That has to be the goal. Two games against Minnesota this week continue the run of tests for this team.
11. Los Angeles Lakers
(22-11, last week No. 9)
There have been a lot of questions and criticism of the Lakers' defense of late (with good reason), but this team is doing a lot of things right. Luka Doncic is averaging 53.9 points scored or assisted a game, second in the league (to the injured Nikola Jokic). Behind Luka and LeBron James, the Lakers are 11-0 in clutch games. And, when the Lakers get a lead, they hold on to it: the Lakers are 13-0 when leading at the half, and 17-0 when leading after three quarters. When the Lakers lose, they tend to get blown out (they are 4-11 when entering the fourth quarter behind), but they are good frontrunners.
12. Toronto Raptors
(21-15, last week No. 12)
Scottie Barnes has had two triple-doubles in his last four games and is playing his best basketball of the season. In his last five games, he has averaged 18 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 6.6 assists a game. A strong push now makes him more likely to be an All-Star reserve, he is on the bubble after the first round of fan voting where he finished outside the top 20 (Brandon Ingram was 12th).
13. Philadelphia 76ers
(19-14, last week No. 10)
VJ Edgecombe may not win Rookie of the Year (Cooper Flagg and Kon Knuppel are your frontrunners), but he has been the most clutch rookie this season — including a game-winner against Memphis last week. Memphis doubled Tyrese Maxey to get the ball out of his hands and he found Edgecombe open for the 3. "The moment's never too big for me," Edgecombe said postgame. “It's never too big. I was ready, to be honest." Edgecombe is doing well in the non-clutch minutes, too (15.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and four assists a game, shooting 37.4% from 3-point range). Philly's win over the Knicks this weekend was a reminder of why, when fully healthy, this team is a playoff threat in the wide-open East.
14. Miami Heat
(20-16, last week No. 13)
The most unexpected thing in Miami this season: Kel'el Ware, 3-point marksman. He's not exactly a high-volume shooter from deep, 2.8 attempts a game, but he's hitting 47.3% of those this season, which is a higher percentage than Nikola Jokic, Karl-Anthony Towns and other bigs. Teams have to at least respect Ware from deep. Miami just keeps on running — they still start 17.8% of their possessions in transition (second highest in the league) and have the fastest pace in the league.
15. Golden State Warriors
(19-17, last week No. 16)
Throw out the loss to OKC, where Golden State sat all its stars, and this team has won 6-of-7 (and the one loss was in OT). It's a good sign entering 2026. The key to keeping this run going may be getting a little more from Draymond Green — first, keeping him on the court (he's been ejected in two of the last four games he's played at the Chase Center), then getting a little more scoring. Stat of the day: Green has more personal fouls (94) than made baskets (90) this season.
16. Orlando Magic
(20-16, last week No. 11)
Anthony Black was always a high-level defender, but in recent weeks he has made a huge leap offensively. In his last 10 games, Black is averaging 20.6 points a night, shooting 43.3% from 3-point range (on 5.5 attempts a game) and dishing out 4.5 assists. Orlando has been looking for a point guard, maybe Black is ready for that job. Fun random stat: Magic coach Jamahl Mosley has been correct on 82.6% of his coach's challenges this season, the highest percentage in the league.
17. Milwaukee Bucks
(16-20, last week No. 22)
The Bucks are 4-1 since Giannis Antetokounmpo re-entered the lineup, and we're just going to ignore that it came against a soft part of the schedule because Milwaukee needs the good news. The key to keeping that going is two-fold: 1) Keeping Antetokounmpo on the court (the most consecutive games he has played this season is six); 2) Getting some wins on the road against good teams. That can start this week at the Warriors, at the Lakers and at the shorthanded Nuggets.
18. Chicago Bulls
(17-18, last week No. 18)
If you're looking for a silver lining to a disappointing season in the Windy City, the team has a league-leading 10 wins coming back from 10+ down. Chicago has gone a respectable 2-1 with Josh Giddey and Coby White missing time with injuries (White could return later this week, but Giddey is going to miss more time). Giddey finished 14th in the first round of East All-Star fan voting, but he stands a chance of making it as a coaches' selection as a reserve; he is on the bubble.
19. Los Angeles Clippers
(12-22, last week No. 27)
While Boston ended the Clippers' six-game win streak, the run was still impressive — every win by double-digits with an average spread of 20.3 points a game. They were blowing teams out. That run was thanks to one of the best regular-season stretches of Kawhi Leonard's career, including dropping 45 on the Jazz. The streak was bound to end, the Clippers had been unsustainably hot from 3-point range (41.2% from beyond the arc on increased volume in the six wins, while their opponents have gone cold from deep in that same stretch). Ivica Zubac is back, but rookie Yanic Konan Niederhäuser stepped up with him out and earned minutes even with Zubac back. You can see what the Clippers are doing right on Peacock NBA Monday when they take onthe Golden State Warriors.
20. Atlanta Hawks
(17-20, last week No. 19)
For all the focus on how the team is 2-8 in games when Trae Young plays, and they are more than 9 points per 100 possessions worse with him on the court, that ignores the other big factor for the Hawks this season: Kristaps Porzingis. He returned in a win against Minnesota and had 16 points off the bench, and it was a reminder of how the construction of this team was based around him — the Hawks have a +5.5 net rating when he is on the court this season. His availability is an issue, which is why the Hawks are looking into a trade for Anthony Davis (he has his own injury/availability issues). The Hawks have been one of the most active teams as we move toward the trade deadline, and the headline is they are willing — maybe even eager — to get out of the Trae Young business, according to multiple reports. The problem is that there is not much of a market for his services, league sources have told NBC Sports. Look for Young to be traded in the offseason and for a lot of people to say, “That's all the Hawks got for him?"
21. Memphis Grizzlies
(15-20, last week No. 17)
Memphis has dropped four in a row, all clutch losses at that. The Grizzies have played the sixth-most clutch games (within five points in the final five minutes) in the league this season and are 8-13 in those games, with a -7.9 net rating in clutch minutes. Make that games within three points in the final three minutes and the Grizzlies have a -11.2 net rating. Things are not going to get easier as Memphis has a brutal January schedule, and this week that includes the Spurs, red-hot Suns, and Thunder (but all at the FedEx Forum, at least).
22. Portland Trail Blazers
(16-20, last week No. 20)
The Trail Blazers are 4-1 in their last five games, doing so mostly thanks to a top-10 defense in the league during that stretch (against some good offenses). It's hard not to wonder what this team would look like if its guards were healthy: Jrue Holiday has been out since mid-November with a calf strain, Scoot Henderson hasn't played yet this season due to a torn left hamstring suffered in training camp, and don't forget that Damian Lillard has taken the season off to rehab his Achilles. There are good reasons to be positive in Portland.
23. Charlotte Hornets
(12-23, last week No. 23)
We all need more Kon Knueppel: His 3.6 made 3-pointers per game is the most ever by an NBA rookie (besting the other guys on the list, such as Stephen Curry and Tyrese Haliburton, by more than one made 3 per game). This offseason, expect to see a big pivot in Charlotte to start building around Knueppel (which is the smart thing to do). The Hornets have been one of the least lucky teams in the league this season, they have the net rating of a team that should be 15-20 (which still is outside the play-in).
24. Brooklyn Nets
(11-22, last week No. 26)
The Nets are now 0-6 in games Michael Porter Jr. has missed, the latest being a loss to the Wizards when Porter had an illness. He could be missing a lot more Nets games in the future as he is the hottest name on the trade market right now, with a number of teams — Milwaukee and Golden State are at the front of the line, and a lot of people around the league are watching Detroit — interested in the wing with a ring. Porter is having the best season of his career (having a full-time green light as the primary scorer helps), averaging 25.8 points and 7.5 rebounds a game while shooting 41% from 3-point range.
25. Dallas Mavericks
(13-23, last week No. 21)
Dallas went 0-2 when Anthony Davis went out with an adductor strain, and has split the two games since his return. The Mavericks are on the road for three games this week, which his worth watching because this team is clearly far more comfortable at home, where they are 9-9, but they have dropped seven straight on the road and are 3-13 away from Big D. Fans will show up on the road because they want to see Cooper Flagg, who scored 15+ points in 14 straight game up until that streak ended two games ago (when Davis returned and got some of those touches). Consider this a reminder that Flagg is the youngest player in the NBA this season.
26. Washington Wizards
(9-24, last week No. 28)
Washington has won 4-of-6 and is no longer sitting at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. That will not be the focus for the next month, as Washington should be finding a new home for CJ McCollum — because he could help a playoff team down the stretch (he's averaging 18.6 points a game), because he deserves to be in a better spot, and because the Wizards need to focus on the future.
27. Utah Jazz
(12-22, last week No. 24)
The Jazz are sixth in the league in fourth-quarter scoring, averaging 29.4 points a game in the final frame. The problem is that, because of a porous defense, they are playing teams a little less than even in the fourth quarter rather than pulling away (-0.7 net rating in the fourth). That defense is not just a fourth-quarter issue, Utah has the worst defense in the NBA this season.
28. New Orleans Pelicans
(8-29, last week No. 25)
Zion Williamson is back in the starting lineup and putting up numbers. For the first seven games after his return from an adductor strain Zion came off the bench, but he has started the last four games and put up 30+ points in three of them, his first three 30+ games of the season. However, this has not led to winning, with the Pelicans dropping seven in a row. For people saying it is time to sell high on Zion at the trade deadline, there is no market for him, league sources tell NBC Sports. Not at a fair price, anyway (teams want to talk more about Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III). The challenges are his injury history and the fact that he is guaranteed $87 million over the two seasons after this one. If he gets traded, it will be in the offseason.
29. Sacramento Kings
(8-28, last week No. 29)
Losers of five in a row and 11-of-13, with a bottom-three offense and defense, the focus in Sacramento needs to be on making trades to build for the future. Which is why the return of Zach LaVine to the lineup this week matters, he needs to show teams he's healthy (Domantas Sabonis remains sidelined with a knee injury that likely has hit out until the trade deadline, which is bad because he was drawing the most trade interest of Sacramento's veterans).
30. Indiana Pacers
(6-30, last week No. 30)
Rick Carlisle has 999 career wins and has been stuck on that number for weeks as the Pacers have dropped 12 straight. That losing streak may cost Pascal Siakam an All-Star spot — he deserves it, averaging 23.8 points and 6.7 rebounds a game while shooting 37.2% from 3, but the losses are going to hurt his cause when the coaches select the All-Star reserves.
How to Watch the NBA on NBC and Peacock
Peacock NBA Monday will stream up to three Monday night games each week throughout the regular season. Coast 2 Coast Tuesday presents doubleheaders on Tuesday nights throughout the regular season on NBC and Peacock. On most Tuesdays, an 8 p.m. ET game will be on NBC stations in the Eastern and Central time zones, and an 8 p.m. PT game on NBC stations in the Pacific and often Mountain time zones. Check local listings each week. Both games will stream live nationwide on Peacock. NBC Sports will launch Sunday Night Basketball across NBC and Peacock on Feb. 1, 2026. For a full schedule of the NBA on NBC and Peacock, click here.
Raphielle Johnson
vs. Suns, at Trail Blazers, at Trail Blazers, at Kings 
vs. Lakers, at Hawks, at Wizards, at Magic
vs. Hornets, vs. Jazz, at Grizzlies, vs. Heat, 
at Wizards, at Nets, vs. 76ers, vs. Pelicans
at Clippers, vs. Bucks, vs. Kings, vs. Hawks