NBA Power Rankings: 30 Words for 30 Teams

Welcome to theScore's biweekly NBA power rankings, where you'll find roughly 30 words on all 30 teams every other week through the end of the season.

1. Los Angeles Clippers (13-2)

Fifteen games does not a season make, but the league-leading Clippers have the No. 2 offense, the No. 2 defense, and could be putting together a historic season.

2. Golden State Warriors (12-2)

Golden State's middling defense is probably better than it looks, and its souped-up Death Lineup is by far the best (+30.9 per 100 possessions) among the league's 50 most-used five-man units.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers (10-2)

Here's something for the "LeBron should win MVP every year" bandwagon - The 10-2 Cavaliers, who lost in Indiana without James last week, have a LeBron-less net rating that would best only the Sixers.

4. San Antonio Spurs (11-3)

It must be nice to be 11-3 while your team puts forth pathetic performances.

5. Atlanta Hawks (9-4)

A rejuvenated Dwight Howard has helped Atlanta put together the league's No. 1 defense (95.9 points allowed per 100 poss.) and the East's best net rating (+8.2).

6. Chicago Bulls (9-5)

Like Atlanta, Chicago has faced a cream-puff schedule thus far, but shouldn't be punished for handily taking care of its business.

7. Memphis Grizzlies (9-5)

Road wins over the Clippers, Jazz, and Hornets in the last eight days have reminded everyone how good this team is when healthy.

8. Houston Rockets (9-5)

Considering how poorly these Rockets were supposed to defend, a 20th-ranked defense is actually a pleasant surprise and good enough to keep Houston in the West playoff race.

9. Toronto Raptors (8-6)

Toronto's 23rd-ranked defense is certainly concerning - and its continued futility against Sacramento is perplexing - but 8-6 is nothing to scoff at given the Raptors have faced the toughest schedule.

10. Charlotte Hornets (8-5)

Kemba Walker ranks in the top 10 in Real Plus-Minus, Win Shares per 48 minutes, and Value Over Replacement Player.

11. Boston Celtics (8-6)

The underwhelming Celtics are 4-1 with Al Horford and Jae Crowder in the lineup, and could take advantage of a soft schedule over the next couple weeks.

12. Oklahoma City Thunder (8-6)

Between 1983-84 and 2015-16, nobody had recorded more than two 30-point, 15-assist, 10-rebound performances in one season. Russell Westbrook recorded three in the span of three weeks.

13. Utah Jazz (7-8)

This is supposed to be the season the deeper, healthier Jazz finally break through. A month into the season, they're under .500 and rank second in VORP lost to injuries.

14. Los Angeles Lakers (7-7)

Luke Walton's surprisingly competitive Lakers have been a joy to watch. How they fare in their next 10 games (OKC, GSWx2, ATL, NOP, CHI, TOR, MEM, UTA, HOU) could very well determine their season.

15. Portland Trail Blazers (8-7)

The metrics don't like Portland, which has an NBA-worst defense (108.5), contributing to a bottom-10 net rating (-3.6).

16. Indiana Pacers (7-8)

After a terrible start to his Pacers tenure, Jeff Teague is averaging nearly 19 points, six assists, five rebounds, two steals, and a block on 51-38-89 shooting over his last five games.

17. Miami Heat (4-9)

A recent loss to Philly aside, Miami has been more competitive than its record suggests, with eight of nine losses coming against teams in the top 13 of these rankings.

18. Milwaukee Bucks (6-7)

No one has ever averaged at least 20 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals, and two blocks in a season. Through 13 games, Giannis Antetokounmpo is doing just that.

19. New Orleans Pelicans (4-10)

The Pelicans have won four of six since their 0-9 start, and are 2-0 with Jrue Holiday in the lineup after a back-to-back sweep of Portland and Charlotte.

20. New York Knicks (6-7)

To illustrate how little depth New York has, its starting five has logged 169 minutes together, while its next most-used unit - which still features four starters - has logged all of 23.

21. Detroit Pistons (6-9)

Andre Drummond has been somewhat disappointing, and Reggie Jackson's absence is considered the highest impact injury thus far, according to Man Games Lost.

22. Denver Nuggets (5-8)

No team has experienced more heartbreak this season, with four of Denver's eight losses coming by three points or less, including two in overtime.

23. Sacramento Kings (5-9)

DeMarcus Cousins must look around the Kings' locker room every year and feel the same disappointment he experienced when Kanye West bounced on Sacramento.

24. Minnesota Timberwolves (4-9)

Minnesota should be so much better than this, and still can be, but much of its impressive early-season metrics can be tied to point differential - its four wins have come by an average margin of 28 points.

25. Orlando Magic (6-8)

It's no surprise Orlando's tied for last in offensive rating, as only two of its 10 most-utilized players have effective field goal-percentages of 50-plus.

26. Philadelphia 76ers (4-10)

The 76ers entered Nov. 11 having lost 44 straight October/November games before earning their first pre-December win in three years. Since then, Philly is 4-3 and has an official winning streak for the first time in 108 games.

27. Washington Wizards (4-9)

One of the four teams Philly has beaten, Washington is the only squad beside the Sixers without a road win.

28. Brooklyn Nets (4-9)

Brooklyn's lone win in its last six games came against Phoenix, and the Nets have been outscored by more than 12 points per contest during that time.

29. Phoenix Suns (4-11)

Nothing defines sadness like an 0-3 record against the 76ers over the last two seasons.

30. Dallas Mavericks (2-11)

The Mavs have to go 39-30 the rest of the way to avoid the franchise's first losing season in 17 years.