2018 NBA Power Rankings: Week Eight

12/14/2018

2018 NBA Power Rankings: Week Eight

Our rankings are molded after Ric Flair's famous quote "to be the man, you gotta beat the man." The week's ranking are based solely on the week's results so if a lower ranked team defeats a higher ranked team, the two teams automatically swap rankings.

It feels like 2010, because for the first time since that year, the NBA's two most storied franchises, the Celtics and the Lakers, are once again at the top of the basketball world. Both teams have been on a tear recently, with Boston currently enjoying a 7-game winning streak and the Lakers sporting a 7-3 record in their last 10 games. The Hornets and Spurs have also calmed their troubled waters in recent days, and find themselves in the top 5 of this week's rankings. Unfortunately, two teams in the Eastern conference are finding that their hot starts to the season may have been short-lived: the Detroit Pistons and the Orlando Magic. There is still time for these teams to right the ship, but recent returns have not been positive.

Here are the current NBA Power Rankings, as determined by Ric Flair's legendary quote, "To be the man, you gotta beat the man":


1. Boston Celtics +10

(17-10)


2. Los Angeles Lakers +2

(17-10)


3. Charlotte Hornets +21

(14-13)


4. San Antonio Spurs +8

(14-14)


5. New Orleans Pelicans -3

(15-15)


6. Golden State Warriors

(19-10)


7. Brooklyn Nets +20

(11-18)


8. Philadelphia 76ers

(19-10)


9. Oklahoma City Thunder -8

(17-9)


10. Indiana Pacers +18

(18-10)


11. Sacramento Kings +6

(15-12)


12. Denver Nuggets -9

(18-9)


13. Milwaukee Bucks

(18-9)


14. Cleveland Cavaliers +9

(7-21)


15. Houston Rockets +5

(12-14)


16. Miami Heat +5

(11-16)


17. Chicago Bulls +13

(7-21)


18. Dallas Mavericks 

(15-11)


19. Atlanta Hawks

(6-21)


20. Portland Trail Blazers +2

(15-13)


21. Toronto Raptors -14

(23-7)


22. Minnesota Timberwolves -7

(13-15)


23. Washington Wizards -9

(11-17)


24. Memphis Grizzlies -19

(16-11)


25. New York Knicks

(8-21)


26. Phoenix Suns

(4-24)


27. Los Angeles Clippers -11

(17-9)


28. Orlando Magic -18

(12-15) 


29. Detroit Pistons

(13-13)


30. Utah Jazz -21

(14-15)


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