Week 17 NBA power rankings: Raptors on the rise, Cavaliers add depth
USA TODAY Sports' NBA power rankings for Week 17 (Sunday, Feb. 12 through Saturday, Feb. 25) of the 2016-17 season.
Note: Week extended due to All-Star break.
► MVP race: Harden, Westbrook continue historic seasons
► ROY race: Saric primary beneficiary of trades, injuries
TEAM (RECORD) MOVEMENT
1. Golden State Warriors (49-9) -
The Warriors already have as many losses as they did all of last season, so another 73-win campaign is pretty much off the table. That said, the Dubs — who beat the Clippers 123-113 on Thursday, their first game after the All-Star break — are on pace to become just the fifth team in NBA history to finish a season with 69 wins.
2. San Antonio Spurs (44-13) -
The Spurs, who sit comfortably in second place in the West, still 4½ games behind the Warriors and 3½ games ahead of the Rockets, clinched the franchise's 20th straight postseason berth with a win over the Pacers (Feb. 14).
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (40-17) +1
While there's no replacing Kevin Love, who underwent knee surgery on Feb. 14 and is expected to be out until late March or early April, the Cavaliers managed to hit the post trade deadline jackpot. Veteran point guard Deron Williams intends to sign with the Cavs for the remainder of the season, which will take a bit of the load off the shoulders of Kyrie Irving and LeBron James as the defending champs gear up for the postseason.
4. Houston Rockets (42-18) -1
After Tuesday's trade with the Lakers for Lou Williams, the top-two bench scorers in the NBA now reside in Houston. Alongside Eric Gordon, Williams adds another threat to the Rockets' second unit, which ranks seventh in the NBA in points per game (38.7). In his Rockets debut, Williams, the 2014-15 Sixth Man of the Year, dropped 27 points and knocked down seven three-pointers.
5. Utah Jazz (36-22) +1
The Jazz, who sit in fourth place in the West, snapped a three-game losing streak before the All-Star break with a 111-88 win over Portland. On Friday, nine days later, they carried that momentum to Milwaukee for a 109-95 win over the Bucks, and are now on the verge of clinching the franchise's first playoff berth in five seasons.
6. Boston Celtics (37-21) -1
Despite being at the heart of the trade talks leading up to the deadline, the Eastern Conference's second-place team decided to stand pat (unlike the Wizards and Raptors, who sit in third and fourth, respectively), which begs the question: With their current roster, do the Celtics have enough for a trip to the Eastern Conference finals, or are they a year — and a lottery pick/free agency scoop — away from becoming a legitimate threat to dethrone the Cavaliers?
7. Los Angeles Clippers (35-23) +1
Though the Clippers suffered back-to-back losses to Western Conference foe Golden State and San Antonio on Thursday and Friday, there was good news on the injury front, as Chris Paul returned to the lineup on Friday after a 14-game absence (hand), scoring 17 points to go along with six assists and five rebounds in the loss.
8. Toronto Raptors (34-24) +2
The Raptors — who traded Jared Sullinger and two second-round picks to the Suns for P.J. Tucker on deadline day — are in a much better spot than they were two weeks ago. Tucker, a veteran forward who can hit the three (career 34.7% three-point shooter) and defend multiple positions, joins Serge Ibaka (whom the Raptors acquired on Feb. 14) as Toronto looks to contend with the Cavaliers, Celtics and Wizards at the top of the Eastern Conference.
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9. Washington Wizards (34-22) -2
The Wizards brought in Brooklyn's Bojan Bogdanovic and Chris McCullough the day before the trade deadline for Marcus Thornton, Andrew Nicholson and a 2017 first-round pick. Not the sexiest move, by any means, but Bogdanovic — who averaged 14.2 points this season in Brooklyn — should provide a much-needed spark to a Wizards bench that ranks 29th in the league in scoring (23.2 points per game).
10. Memphis Grizzlies (34-25) -1
In sixth place in the West, just a ½ game ahead of the Thunder, will the Grizzlies make a push during the final stretch of the season for the franchise's seventh straight postseason appearance? General manager Chris Wallace sure thinks so.
“We listened and were active fielding inquiries (at the trade deadline) but decided to stand pat with our current roster,” Wallace said, per Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal, part of the USA TODAY Network. “We feel great about where we stand with our team entering the stretch run of this season. We truly feel like we made key additions with the return of Brandan Wright from injury and adding Toney Douglas for the remainder of the season. From the front office to coaches and players, we feel very confident in the depth of our roster as we move towards the playoffs.”
11. Oklahoma City Thunder (33-25) -
The Thunder, who sit comfortably in seventh place in the West(seven games ahead of the eighth-place Nuggets), were one of the biggest winners at Thursday's trade deadline, nabbing Taj Gibson, Doug McDermott and a 2018 second-round pick from the Bulls for Joffrey Lauvergne, Cameron Payne and Anthony Morrow. McDermott (a career 39.6% three-point shooter) adds another dimension on the perimeter, while Gibson (a gritty, seasoned vet) adds frontcourt depth — particularly defensively — to a Thunder team lacking in that category.
12. Atlanta Hawks (32-26) -
The Hawks have lost three straight games by a combined 52 points and are now two games behind the fourth-place Raptors in the East. They have a tough road ahead, too, with four of their next five games coming against Boston, Cleveland, Indiana and Golden State.
13. Chicago Bulls (30-29) +1
After trading away Taj Gibson — the longest-tenured Bull on the roster — and Doug McDermott — a former No. 11 overall pick — the direction of the Bulls remains in limbo. Right now? They sit in sixth place in the East at 30-29, but are just 1½ games ahead of the eighth-place Pistons.
14. Indiana Pacers (30-29) -1
After a trade deadline dominated by Paul George commotion, the four-time All-Star opted to stay where he's spent his entire career. For now. Paul hits the free agency market in 2018, and if significant changes aren't made before then, he could be headed elsewhere.
"I kind of was on the ropes (on deadline day), just like you guys were, on what was about to happen," George told reporters in Indianapolis. "It was kind of a dark moment of uncertainty. That was the frustrating part. You want me to be your guy here, thought I would have been in the loop a little more on (trade talks)."
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15. Miami Heat (27-32) +2
The Heat picked up right where they left off after the All-Star break, with wins over the Hawks (108-90) on Friday and Pacers (113-95) on Saturday. They're now 13-2 over their last 15 games — a mark that leads the NBA — and will look to continue their success with games against Dallas, Philadelphia and Orlando on tap.
16. Detroit Pistons (28-30) -1
Despite trade talks surrounding Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond leading up to Thursday's deadline, the Pistons held onto their two biggest assets as they look to stay in the playoff picture.
“The idea is be really aggressive in terms of looking for things that can make us better. But at the same time, you don't want to get that deal fever where you just want to make a deal so badly that you end up making a bad one," Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy told reporters Thursday, per Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network. "I think on top of the all the work we do evaluating everybody else in the league and looking at deals, I'd like to think that we do a pretty good job evaluating our own players and placing a proper value on them.”
17. Milwaukee Bucks (25-31) +3
The Bucks sat in seventh place in the East at the turn of the new year with a 16-16 record, the league's ninth-ranked defense (103.9 points allowed per 100 possessions) and playoff hopes alive and well. They're now in 10th, two games behind the eighth-place Pistons, and have the NBA's 28th ranked defense (111.2 points allowed per 100 possessions) since Jan. 1.
18. Denver Nuggets (26-32) -2
The Nuggets, who hold a 1½ game lead over the Kings for eighth-place in the West, rank second in the NBA (behind the Warriors) in assists (27.3 per game) in the last 10 games.
"Everybody is having fun," Nuggets guard Gary Harris told reporters after Friday night's win over the Nets. "Everybody is passing, cutting. Everybody is trying to play great team basketball."
19. Charlotte Hornets (25-33) -
Over the last 15 games, the Hornets (3-12) have been the second-worst team in the NBA (ahead of the Nets), in terms of record. Their most recent loss came on Thursday, when they squandered up an 18-point third quarter lead to fall to the Pistons in overtime.
20. Dallas Mavericks (23-35) +1
In one of the bigger moves on trade deadline day, the Mavericks brought in Nerlens Noel, the No. 6 pick in the 2013 draft, from the 76ers for Justin Anderson, Andrew Bogut and a heavily protected 2017 first-round pick. Noel's presence gives the Mavs a young, defensive-minded big man to build around as Dirk Nowitzki's Hall of Fame career winds down and the franchise looks forward. In addition, veteran Deron Williams was waived two hours after the deadline, a move that will likely put the 23-year-old Cinderella Story, Yogi Ferrell, in the driver's seat at point guard.
21. Portland Trail Blazers (24-33) -3
The Blazers, who are still very much in the hunt for the eighth seed in the West, just 2½ games behind the Nuggets, snapped a three-game losing streak on Thursday with a 112-103 win over the Magic. Damian Lillard, who scored a game-high 33 points (on 12-of-23 shooting), told reporters after the game that he felt "fresh" thanks to the All-Star break.
"I truly believe that break played a part in me being able to come out fresh," said Lillard. "Even though I got into foul trouble early in the game, I still felt good. I didn't feel discouraged about that and I think that played a huge part in that fourth quarter."
22. Minnesota Timberwolves (23-36) +2
After Saturday night's 142-130 loss to the Rockets, Karl-Anthony Towns — who poured in 37 points (on 16-of-24 shooting) and 22 rebounds — let out his frustration in the weight room.
"Today was one of those days where I was a little extra mad," he told reporters. "I wanted to come out with the W. We didn't, so I took some frustration out on my body to get ready for the next game. There's no time to be pouty and everything. I've got to continue to work. I've got to continue to stick to the plan."
23. Sacramento Kings (25-34) -1
It was an eventful week for the Kings, who traded away superstar center DeMarcus Cousins to the Pelicans shortly after Sunday night's All-Star Game for Buddy Hield, Langston Galloway, Tyreke Evans and two draft picks. But while the trade may be better for the Kings in the long run, there's simply no immediate replacement for a top-10 talent like Cousins, off-the-court issues aside. As USA TODAY Sports' Sam Amick wrote, it was more of a culture move than anything else for the Kings, who are now in the midst of a full rebuild.
24. New Orleans Pelicans (23-36) -1
Through two games of Boogie and The Brow manning the frontcourt — a 129-99 loss to the Rockets and a 96-83 loss to the Mavericks — the Pelicans have the NBA's 30th ranked offense (88.6 points per 100 possessions) and 24th-ranked defense (111.1 points allowed per 100 possessions). A small sample size, for sure, but the Pels are still a ways away from playoff contention, 3 ½ games behind the eighth-place Nuggets.
25. New York Knicks (24-35) -
When asked if he understands the vision that management has for the Knicks after they decided to stand pat at the trade deadline, a candid Carmelo Anthony told it like it is.
"No, not now. No, to be honest with you. No," Anthony said, per Steve Popper of The Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. "I think they were kind of planning on the trade deadline, whether they were trying to make moves, I think that was one plan. Now they’ve got to get back to the drawing board and come up with another plan about the future of this team."
26. Philadelphia 76ers (22-36) -
The past couple of weeks have been tough for Sixers fans, who have had plenty to be excited about this season after three years of suffering. First was Thursday's trade of former No. 6 overall pick Nerlens Noel, for which they got little in return. Then the news that this summer's No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons won't make his NBA debut this season after scans revealed his broken foot hasn't fully healed. The good news? Assuming he's fully healthy, Rookie of the Year frontrunner Joel Embiid is expected to return from his knee injury on March 3, while fellow rookie Dario Saric has been on fire as of late, recording four straight double-doubles while averaging 19.3 points (on 47.9% shooting), 12 rebounds and three assists.
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27. Phoenix Suns (18-40) +2
The Suns went into the All-Star break after putting together one of their best wins of the season — a 137-101 rout of the Lakers. Point guard Eric Bledsoe finished with his third career triple-double — 25 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds. In the first game after the break? They fell to the Bulls, 128-121, after letting up a comfortable nine-point lead late in the fourth quarter.
28. Orlando Magic (22-38) -1
On the surface, Orlando's decision to trade Serge Ibaka to the Raptors for Terrence Ross and a first-round pick is a loss, considering the fact that they dealt Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova and the draft rights to the 2016 No. 11 overall pick Domantas Sabonis for Ibaka back in June. But as was seen in Saturday night's 105-86 win over the Raptors, the trade might be the best move for the future.
"Earlier in the season, we were trying to play too big, and we were too slow at multiple positions and it was costly early on," Magic coach Frank Vogel told reporters after the win. "I like where guys are at right now in terms of their roles."
29. Los Angeles Lakers (19-40) -1
The highlight of the week in Laker Land came off the court, as franchise legend Magic Johnson was named president of basketball operations, while longtime general manager Mitch Kupchak and executive vice president of basketball operations Jim Buss were let go. They're still a ways away from any sort of on-court basketball relevance, but the move certainly got the ball rolling.
30. Brooklyn Nets (9-49) -
The Nets haven't won since Jan. 20 — a 16-game losing streak. The good news? Point guard Jeremy Lin returned to the lineup on Friday after missing 26 games with a hamstring injury.
List of voters: USA TODAY Sports' Jeff Zillgitt, Sam Amick, Kevin Spain, AJ Neuharth-Keusch and Michael Singer; The Arizona Republic's Doug Haller; The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal's Ronald Tillery; Detroit Free Press' Vince Ellis; Indianapolis Star's Nate Taylor; The (Bergen) Record's Steve Popper; HoopsHype.com's Jorge Sierra and Raul Barrigon; USA TODAY Sports Weekly's Howard Megdal.