Golden State is rising after completing 1 of its best 3-game win streaks since January.
This is a strange season in that it feels like the East is the better conference, with more teams that could possibly win the championship than the West.
But games played between the two conferences are tracked in this very space every week (see below), and since early December, the Western Conference has had the edge. Now, the East’s record this season (182-194, .484) is its third-best mark of the last 23 years, but the West still has the better record for the 22nd time in that span.
Of course, there are a lot of teams beyond the contenders. And the East’s overall winning percentage is hurt by the Detroit Pistons’ 4-22 record against the Western Conference.
But even if we focus at the top, the West is still best. Through Sunday, the top six teams in the West have a 34-23 (.596) record against the top six teams in the East. Only one of those East teams – Milwaukee (5-4) – has a winning record against the top six in the West, and all six have a negative point differential.
The East can help itself quite a bit this week, as we have eight matchups over the next seven days that feature one of the top six teams in the East facing one of the top six in the West. That includes both of ESPN’s games on Monday night: Denver vs. Philadelphia (7:30 p.m. ET) and Milwaukee vs. Utah (10 p.m. ET).
There will be two more (including Boston-Golden State) on Wednesday, three (including Chicago-Phoenix) on Friday, and another (Boston-Denver) on Sunday. Maybe there’s a Finals preview in there somewhere.
Plus-Minus Players of the Week
Teams of the Week
- Make It Last Forever: Toronto (3-0) — This is the good part of the roller coaster.
- Something Just Ain’t Right: Washington (0-3) — The first-six-games-after-the-break Blazers were maybe the worst team in NBA history. And then…
East vs. West
Schedule strength through Week 21
- Toughest: 1. Portland, 2. Houston, 3. Orlando
- Easiest: 1. Phoenix, 2. Philadelphia, 3. L.A. Lakers
- Schedule strength is based on cumulative opponent record, and adjusted for home vs. away and days of rest before a game.
Movement in the Rankings
- High jumps of the week: Golden State (+4), Brooklyn (+3)
- Free falls of the week: Denver (-3), LA Clippers (-3), Oklahoma City (-2), Utah (-2)
Week 22 Team to Watch
- Denver — We’ve got an MVP showdown on the schedule for Monday (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), with Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets visiting Joel Embiid and the Sixers for what would be the first meeting of the two big men since December of 2019. After that, the Nuggets’ three-game trip continues through Washington (Wednesday) and Cleveland (Friday). Then they’ll return home for another fun, interconference matchup against the Celtics (Sunday).
Previous Power Rankings
Pace: Possessions per 48 minutes (League Rank)
OffRtg: Points scored per 100 possessions (League Rank)
DefRtg: Points allowed per 100 possessions (League Rank)
NetRtg: Point differential per 100 possessions (League Rank)
The league has averaged 98.7 possessions (per team) per 48 minutes and 110.6 points scored per 100 possessions this season.
NBA.com’s Power Rankings, released every Monday during the season, are just one man’s opinion. If you have an issue with the rankings, or have a question or comment for John Schuhmann, send him an e-mail or contact him via Twitter.
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