Teams such as the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers have remained on top, the Houston Rockets protested, and the New York Knicks continued their New York ways. We will go through every team on a hot streak, and reveal our newest set of power rankings.
Milwaukee Staying Hot, Lakers and Clippers Own the West
Have the Bucks lost a game yet? For another week, they ran through their competition into another perfect week at 3-0 with an average margin victory of 32. They began their week of perfection with a 44-point victory against the New York Knicks (4-19). They followed up with a 24-point win against the testy Detroit Pistons (9-14), and ended the week with a 28-point drubbing of the Los Angeles Clippers (17-7).
The Los Angeles Lakers (21-3) and Los Angeles Clippers (17-7) are starting to fall into a consistent groove where they both sit atop the Western Conference, as we enter the middle of December. The Lakers wrapped up a 4-0 week that included three straight wins on the road against the Denver Nuggets (14-7), Utah Jazz (13-10), and Portland Trailblazers (9-15). Anthony Davis capped off the undefeated week with a 50-point performance against the Minnesota Timberwolves (10-12) on Sunday night.
Winner’s Circle
Welcome to the Winner’s Circle, where we acknowledge all teams with a winning streak of three or more games.
The Bucks continue to hold the longest win streak in the NBA at 14 games, with the Lakers and Orlando Magic (11-11) in the distance with win streaks of four games. The Boston Celtics (16-5) and Brooklyn Nets (13-10) are forever linked with a pair of three-game win streaks of their own.
The Other Side of The Winner’s Circle
Wins are becoming harder to come by as we enter the end of the year as teams battle injury, early-season fatigue, and difficult travel schedules coupled with increased pace of play. The New York Knicks (4-19) fired head coach David Fizdale and continued their losing streak that has extended to nine games.
Remember how I oozed over the Toronto Raptors (15-7) last week and clamored for them to be respected as NBA Champions? Well, they are currently on a losing streak of three games, as well as the the Memphis Grizzlies (6-16), who are missing Ja Morant. The Minnesota Timberwolves (10-12) are sporting a losing streak of four games, the Cleveland Cavaliers (5-17) are losers of six straight, the New Orleans Pelicans (6-17) have lost eight consecutive games.
The Week Ahead
Can Milwaukee continue to add to their 14-game winning streak? Will the Boston Celtics climb a few spots by the week’s end with the return of Gordon Hayward to the lineup? Can the Raptors and Pelicans bounce back?
Power Rankings 4.0
- Milwaukee Bucks (-)
- Los Angeles Lakers (-)
- Los Angeles Clippers (+4)
- Miami Heat (-1)
- Dallas Mavericks (+4)
- Houston Rockets (-1)
- Philadelphia 76ers (+1)
- Boston Celtics (+2)
- Denver Nuggets (-3)
- Toronto Raptors (-6)
- Indiana Pacers (-)
- Brooklyn Nets (+1)
- Orlando Magic (+4)
- Utah Jazz (-2)
- Oklahoma City Thunder (+5)
- Sacramento Kings (-2)
- Portland Trail Blazers (-2)
- Minnesota Timberwolves (-2)
- Charlotte Hornets (-1)
- Detroit Pistons (+3)
- Phoenix Suns (-)
- San Antonio Spurs (+2)
- Chicago Bulls (+3)
- Washington Wizards (-5)
- Memphis Grizzlies (-)
- Golden State Warriors (+1)
- Cleveland Cavaliers (+1)
- New Orleans Pelicans (-6)
- New York Knicks (-)
- Atlanta Hawks (-)
Photo Credit: Jeff Hanisch – USA TODAY Sports
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