NBA Power Rankings: 1 Month To Go (3/22/23)

With one month to go, the playoff picture is beginning to clear up. The regular season is coming to a close and there is definitely some movement at the top of the board. Let's dive in!

Team (Record, Z-Score, Previous Ranking)

1. Boston Celtics (50-23, .749, 2): Despite being 5-4 since the last ranking, the Celtics bump back up to the top of the power rankings. They are now one standard deviation above the average in the top three statistics in the model (ORTG/3P%/DRTG). They have a relatively tame rest of season schedule, but will have to hit the road to face Milwaukee and Philadelphia before the playoffs begin.

2. Sacramento Kings (43-29, .723, 3): Barring a relative collapse in their last 10 games, the Kings are going to finish with the best ORTG in the league. Just an unbelievable job by coach Mike Brown and staff to take this roster and run the top offense in the NBA, a league dominated by superstars. They sit comfortably in the 3rd seed in the West, 4.5 games up on Phoenix.

3. Philadelphia 76ers (48-23, .719, 4): The 76ers are 8-2 in their last 10 and have officially clinched a spot in the postseason with 11 games left to go. A true turnaround from a scary 12-12 start, the 76ers offense has been clicking since the NBA season was in full swing. They also now rank at the top when it comes to three point percentage, with seven rotation players shooting over 38% from beyond the arc.

4. Denver Nuggets (48-24, .687, 1): The Nuggets are still comfortably in the #1 seed in the Western Conference, but they did hit a rough patch last week. Even with that, they still rank 2nd in both ORTG and 3P%. They have a brutal end of season schedule, having to face the Suns twice, 76ers, Bucks, Warriors and Kings.

5. Cleveland Cavaliers (46-28, .469, 5): Pretty big drop off from 4 to 5 in these rankings, but the Cavs have done a very solid job of steadying the ship after an up and down beginning of season. They have the best DRTG in the league, and will have to lean on that side of the ball come playoff time. They are comfortably in the 4th seed, 3.5 games up on the New York Knicks, which would be a very fun first round matchup.

6. Milwaukee Bucks (51-20, .430, 7)

7. Memphis Grizzlies (44-27, .375, 6)

8. New York Knicks (42-31, .254, 9)

9. Golden State Warriors (37-36, .249, 11): Golden State has seemingly gotten out of their own way the past couple of weeks and look to be on their way to another playoff appearance. They are a half-game up on avoiding the play-in matchup and have an interesting mix of very easy games (Spurs, Timberwolves, Pelicans all at home) and hard ones (@Mavs, 76ers, @Kings).

10. Oklahoma City Thunder (36-36, .228, 10)

11. Phoenix Suns (38-33, .224, 8)

12. Utah Jazz (35-36, .089, 15)

13. Toronto Raptors (35-37, .075, 17)

14. Brooklyn Nets (39-33, .064, 14): The Nets have kinda hung in there post KD and Kyrie trades and sit in the #6 seed in the Eastern Conference. They are a half-game up on avoiding the play-in tournament and have a relatively easy schedule the rest of the way playing only four games against potential playoff teams.

15. New Orleans Pelicans (35-37, .048, 12)

16. Chicago Bulls (34-37, .014, 22): A decent jump from the Bulls coming fresh off of a road win in Philadelphia. The Bulls have found their way into that NBA purgatory area, but if the season ended today, would be in the play-in tournament and have a shot at the playoffs. Billy Donovan still has the Bulls playing very solid defense, and hope to lead them to a potential postseason run.

17. Atlanta Hawks (36-36, .010, 19)

18. Los Angeles Lakers (35-37, -.040, 20)

19. Los Angeles Clippers (38-35, -.056, 21)

20. Portland Trail Blazers (31-40, -.076, 13): 1-6 in their last seven games has Portland losing hope of a playoff berth. After getting off to such a hot start to start the season, the Blazers now only sit above the Rockets and Spurs in the West. They have the fourth-worst defensive rating in the league, behind those same two teams and the Pistons respectively.

21. Dallas Mavericks (36-36, -.080, 18)

22. Minnesota Timberwolves (36-37, -.136, 24)

23. Indiana Pacers (32-40, -.138, 23)

24. Washington Wizards (32-40, -.145, 16): The Wizards drop 8 spots after going 2-6 in their last 8 games. After hanging in there for a while, the Wizards are now below average in each of the top five important statistics that make up the XSM Model.

25. Miami Heat (39-34, -.314, 26)

26. Orlando Magic (30-43, -.394, 25)

27. Detroit Pistons (16-57, -.898, 27)

28. Charlotte Hornets (23-50, -.900, 28)

29. San Antonio Spurs (19-53, -1.09, 30)

30. Houston Rockets (18-54, -1.14, 29): A clear bottom 4 in the NBA has emerged based on the numbers (and honestly the eye test). Surpassingly enough, the Rockets have the second best rebound differential in the NBA with a +4.9 on the glass. However, that shows how bad they are everywhere else to still be ranked in the basement.