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SportsTips’ NBA Power Rankings 2021: Week 13 

The NBA power rankings are in for week 13...who is on top this week?

SportsTips’ NBA Power Rankings 2021: Week 13 
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Tue 16th March 2021

Having now returned from the 2021 All-Star break, the second half of the NBA’s regular season is underway! Brooklyn have held onto the No. 1 spot on the SportsTips’ NBA Power Rankings, as Utah’s grip on the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference is beginning to slip. 

Here’s where all 30 NBA teams stand heading into Week 13 of the 2020-21 NBA season:

1. Brooklyn Nets

NBA Championship Odds: +300
Current Record: 26-13
Previous Ranking: 1

The Nets picked up where they left off after the All-Star break, defeating the Celtics by 12 points and the Pistons by five points in their two Week 12 games. Brooklyn have now won 12 of their last 13 games, even with Kevin Durant on the sidelines their past 11 matches.

However even without Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden are more than capable of keeping this Nets team near the top of the East. Irving put up 40 points on 65.2% shooting against Boston, while Harden averaged 23.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 9.0 assists through Brooklyn’s two games last week. The Nets are still just one game behind Philadelphia for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

2. Utah Jazz

NBA Championship Odds: +700
Current Record: 28-10
Previous Ranking: 2

The Jazz returned to the second half of the NBA season with a 14 point win over the lowly Rockets, however closed out Week 12 with a 12 point loss to the Warriors. A 24 point, 28 rebound and four block performance from Rudy Gobert wasn’t enough to get Utah the victory over Golden State, as the Jazz have now lost four of their past six games.

Utah are still 2.5 games clear on top of the Western Conference standings, however critics are now questioning whether the Jazz peaked too early in the NBA regular season.

3. Philadelphia 76ers

NBA Championship Odds: +1500
Current Record: 27-12
Previous Ranking: 4

The 76ers have held onto their one game lead in the East thanks to three resounding victories over the Bulls (22 points), Wizards (26 points) and Spurs (35 points) to close out Week 12 in with a 3-0 record. However all the focus last week was on Joel Embiid, after the MVP favorite hyperextended his knee following a ferocious dunk against the Wizards on Friday.

Although he avoided season ending damage, Embiid will miss at least the next two weeks. With just a one game lead over Brooklyn in the East, it is going to be tough for Philadelphia to hold onto the No. 1 seed without their best player on the floor. 

4. Phoenix Suns

NBA Championship Odds: +2800
Current Record: 25-12
Previous Ranking: 3

The Suns split their two games following the All-Star break, defeating the Blazers on Thursday before snapping their five game winning streak with a loss to the Pacers on Saturday.

Although he did not play in the All-Star game due to a knee injury, Devin Booker didn’t look to have missed a beat in his return game, dropping 35 points and eight assists against Portland. Phoenix holds just a half game lead over the Lakers for the No. 2 seed in the West. 

5. Los Angeles Lakers

NBA Championship Odds: +275
Current Record: 25-13
Previous Ranking: 5

Despite trailing heading into the fourth quarter, the Lakers outscored the Pacers 34-21 in the last 12 minutes to secure a 105-100 victory in their first and only Week 12 game. Kyle Kuzma led the charge against Indiana, scoring 15 of his team high 24 points in the fourth quarter. Kuzma also had 13 rebounds off the bench.

Given the injury sustained by Joel Embiid, Lebron James is once again the favorite to take out the MVP award as Los Angeles prepares for a rare five game week in Week 13. 

6. Milwaukee Bucks

NBA Championship Odds: +750
Current Record: 24-14
Previous Ranking: 7

Giannis Antetokounmpo has continued his under the radar MVP season, as the Bucks continue to stay amongst the top tier teams in the Eastern Conference. Antetokounmpo dropped back to back triple doubles for the first time in his NBA career, as the Bucks won their two Week 12 games to remain just 2.5 games behind the conference leading 76ers.

The Greek Freak averaged 28.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 10.5 assists on 65% shooting last week, while six other Bucks averaged 10+ points. Milwuakee have now won eight of their past nine games. 

7. Los Angeles Clippers

NBA Championship Odds: +500
Current Record: 25-15
Previous Ranking: 6

The Clippers have continued their frustratingly inconsistent season, defeating the Warriors by 26 points in their return from the All-Star break and losing to the Pelicans by 20 points on Sunday, closing out Week 12 with a 1-1 record. With a 2.0 game lead over fifth seeded Denver, Los Angeles are still amongst the top four teams in the Western Conference.

However with a rapidly mounting injury list and just two wins from their past seven games, the Clippers will need to start winning consistently again if they don’t want to be usurped by the Nuggets for the No. 4 seed in the West.

8. Denver Nuggets

NBA Championship Odds: +2500
Current Record: 22-16
Previous Ranking: 9

Denver defeated Memphis by one point in their first game this week, before closing out Week 12 with a 13 points loss to Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. Nikola Jokic reignited his MVP caliber season following the All-Star break, averaging 27.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 9.0 assists in the Nuggets two games last week.

However, a combined 13 points on 18.5% shooting from Jamal Murray’s two Week 12 games was not the start to the second half of the regular season that Denver needed.

9. Miami Heat

NBA Championship Odds: +3300
Current Record: 21-18
Previous Ranking: 13

Three wins from their three Week 12 games improves the Heat to 21-18 for the season and 10-1 in their past 11 games. Miami defeated Orlando twice and the Bulls once last week, claiming the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference in the process. Jimmy Butler averaged 28 points, 9.3 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 steals in the three victories, while Kelly Olynyk capitalized on the extra minutes at centre with Bam Adebayo on the sidelines.

Olynyk put up 15.7 points and 7.7 rebounds in Week 12. After a rocky start to the year, the Heat now look poised for a strong run into the playoffs in the second half of the season.

10. Boston Celtics

NBA Championship Odds: +3300
Current Record: 20-18
Previous Ranking: 10

Although the Celtics dropped their first game after the All-Star break against the Nets in Brooklyn, Boston returned to the winners list with a 27 point win over the struggling Rockets. Jaylen Brown had a rare blip in his debut All-Star season, shooting just 21.7% from the field against the Nets.

However, the Celtics welcomed back Marcus Smart last week, who will undoubtedly help Boston on both sides of the ball heading into the second half of the regular season. 

11. Portland Trail Blazers

NBA Championship Odds: +6000
Current Record: 22-16
Previous Ranking: 8

Portland started Week 12 as you’d expect for a team in their position, with a six point loss to the Suns and a four point win over the Timberwolves. However, the Blazers closed out their week with an upset two point loss to the Timberwolves in their second game in Minnesota, leaving them with a 22-16 record and seeing them drop to the No. 6 seed in the West.

CJ McCollum is expected to return this week, which will provide some relief for Damian Lillard, who averaged 31 points on 40% three point shooting to go along with 7.3 assists per game last week.

12. Dallas Mavericks

NBA Championship Odds: +4000
Current Record: 20-17
Previous Ranking: 12

After defeating the Thunder by 11 points in their first game last week, Dallas rested Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis for the second night of their back to back, which resulted in the Mavs suffering an eight point loss to the Thunder. However with Doncic and Porzingis back in the lineup, Dallas won their final game of Week 12 against the Nuggets in Denver.

Kristaps Porzingis looked back to his best on both sides of the ball in his two games last week, averaging 26.5 points on 58% three point shooting as well as 10 rebounds per game, while also playing solid defense against Nikola Jokic in Saturday’s win over Denver. 

13. Golden State Warriors

NBA Championship Odds: +7000
Current Record: 20-19
Previous Ranking: 14

After dropping their first game back from the All-Star break against the Clippers, Golden State snapped a four game losing streak with a 12 point victory over the conference leading Jazz. On his 33rd birthday, Steph Curry led the way for the Warriors with 32 points and nine assists.

However 28 points from Andrew Wiggins, 16 points off the bench from James Wiseman and a 11 point, 12 rebound, 12 assist triple double from Draymond Green also helped secure the victory. 

14. San Antonio Spurs

NBA Championship Odds: +6000
Current Record: 19-16
Previous Ranking: 11

San Antonio bookended their week with double digit losses against the Mavericks and 76ers, however the Spurs beat the Magic by 27 points to remain in the No. 7 seed in the West. DeMar DeRozan continued his impressive season with 30 points and 11 assists in Wednesday’s loss to Dallas before he missed the final two games of the week to attend his father’s funeral.

San Antonio’s roster is now at 100% availability after several players were out due to COVID-19, however LaMarcus Aldridge and the Spurs did agree to mutually part ways last week.

15. Charlotte Hornets

NBA Championship Odds: +20000
Current Record: 19-18
Previous Ranking: 16

Now the No. 6 seed in the East, Charlotte are above .500 thanks to two wins from their two Week 12 games against Detroit and Toronto. Defeating the struggling Pistons or the COVID-19 riddled Raptors is certainly no reason for Hornet’s fans to buy playoff tickets, however Charlotte have undeniably been one of the most improved teams in the league this season, largely thanks to LaMelo Ball.

Ball picked up where he left off his Rookie of the Year campaign last week, averaging 15 points on 50% three point shooting, 7.5 assists and 7.0 rebounds in the two games.

16. New York Knicks

NBA Championship Odds: +10000
Current Record: 20-19
Previous Ranking: 15

It was a tail of two games for the Knicks in Week 12. After an embarrassing 33 point loss to Milwaukee early in the week, New York responded with a 22 point victory over Oklahoma City on Saturday. Julius Randle returned from his debut All-Star game with an impressive 26 point, 12 rebound, 12 assist triple double in the Knicks win over the Thunder, while RJ Barrett scored a career high 32 points on the same night.

With one of the toughest schedules in the league in the second half of the regular season, the Knicks will have to play some great basketball down the stretch to remain a top six seed in the East and avoid the play-in tournament.

17. Atlanta Hawks

NBA Championship Odds: +10000
Current Record: 19-20
Previous Ranking: 19

Three wins in Week 12 improves Nate McMillan’s record as the interim head coach to 5-0 since taking over before the All-Star break. Atlanta defeated the Raptors, Kings and Cavaliers last week, which has since propelled them into the No. 8 seed in the East.

What is most impressive about the Hawks win streak is that it has not been heavily reliant on the performances of Trae Young. Young had just 14 points against Cleveland on Sunday, his lowest scoring output since his rookie year. With Gallinari and Bogdanovic back in the lineup, and De’Andre Hunter expected to return soon, Atlanta are building momentum nicely into the second half of the season.

18. Indiana Pacers

NBA Championship Odds: +5000
Current Record: 17-20
Previous Ranking: 20

Indiana kicked off a three game west coast road trip with a five point loss to the No. 3 seed (West) Lakers in Los Angeles. However, the Pacers responded with an 11 point win over  No. 2 seed (west) Suns in Phoenix.

Indiana received a morale and talent boost against the Suns, as they welcomed back / debuted Caris LeVert after he had a cancerous mass removed from his kidney. LeVert had 13 points and seven rebounds in 27 minutes against Phoenix. After returning from his second All-Star game appearance, Domantas Sabonis averaged a near triple-double last week with 21 points, 13.5 rebounds and 9.0 assists in Indiana’s two games

19. New Orleans Pelicans

NBA Championship Odds: +8000
Current Record: 17-22
Previous Ranking: 22

The rollercoaster that is the 2021 New Orleans Pelicans continued in Week 12, as the Pels lost to the then 7-29 Minnesota Timberwolves by 30 points in their return following the All-Star break. However, New Orleans closed out the week with a pair of double digit wins over the Cavaliers (34 points) and most surprisingly the Clippers (20 points).

As all three results last week were ultimately blowouts, many starters, including Zion Williamson, played less minutes than usual in Week 12. However, Williamson still averaged 24.7 points on 69% shooting from the field in the Pelicans three games that followed his All-Star debut. As Pelicans head coach Stan Van Gundy said, “we’re capable of being very, very good, and we’re capable of being very, very bad.”

20. Memphis Grizzlies

NBA Championship Odds: +12500
Current Record: 17-18
Previous Ranking: 18

After returning from the All-Star break with a 15 point win over the Wizards, Memphis dropped their final two games of Week 12 to finish a week below .500 for the first time in over a month. Jonas Valanciunas put up 29 points, 20 rebounds and four blocks in Wednesday’s win over Washington.

The Grizzlies are currently sitting in the No. 10 seed in the West, two games ahead of Sacramento for the final spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament.

21. Toronto Raptors

NBA Championship Odds: +3300
Current Record: 17-22
Previous Ranking: 17

With 60% of their starting lineup ruled out due to COVID-19, the Raptors season has entered a full tailspin after dropping each of their three Week 12 encounters and extending their losing streak to five consecutive games.

Losses to the Hawks, Hornets and Bulls have resulted in Toronto slipping outside of the playoff seeding, as they are now 11th in the East. The Raptors will welcome back Fred Van Vleet, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby this week, as they prepare to try and climb back into the playoff picture in the East. 

22. Chicago Bulls

NBA Championship Odds: +25000
Current Record: 17-20
Previous Ranking: 21

In what was a tough return to the regular season, Chicago dropped their opening two games following the All-Star break, going down to the 76ers and Heat. The Bulls were given a lifeline in their third game of Week 12, taking on the COVID-19 riddled Raptors, whom they defeated by 23 points.

Chicago are currently the No. 10 seed in the East and will need another All-Star level second half of the season from Zach Lavine if they are going to remain in the hunt for a playoff spot   

23. Oklahoma City Thunder

NBA Championship Odds: +25000
Current Record: 17-22
Previous Ranking: 24

Oklahoma bookended Week 12 with victories over the Mavericks and Grizzlies, however a 22 point loss to the Knicks at home robbed them of a 3-0 week. Once again the Thunder’s one loss last week came with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the sidelines.

In his two Week 12 games, SGA averaged 31 points on 46% three point shooting and 5.5 assists per game in the Thunder’s two victories. Currently the No. 12 seed in the West, OKC would be the only team in the league that is content with their current record given the draft picks that they are sitting on. 

24. Sacramento Kings

NBA Championship Odds: +30000
Current Record: 14-23
Previous Ranking: 26

Sacramento returned from the All-Star break with a 20 point victory over the Houston Rockets, before closing out the week with a 15 point loss to the Hawks in Atlanta. De’Aaron Fox had a great week statistically, averaging 31 points and 7.5 assists per game, while Richaun Holmes solidified his position as the Kings starting centre with 20 points and 11.5 rebounds per game.

With just three wins from their past 10 matches, Sacramento are 3.5 games behind Memphis for the No. 10 seed and final spot in the play-in tournament. 

25. Washington Wizards

NBA Championship Odds: +15000
Current Record: 14-23
Previous Ranking: 23

After entering the All-Star break in relatively good form, Washington dropped each of their three Week 12 games to start the second half of the regular season on a sour note. Unfortunately for the Wizards, Bradley Beal missed each of their three losses against  Memphis, Philadelphia and Milwaukee last week.

Due to their early season run in with COVID-19, the Wizards are going to be one of the busiest teams in the NBA for the second half of the season, and they will need to snap this losing streak as soon as possible if they are going to improve out of the No. 12 seed in the East.

26. Minnesota Timberwolves

NBA Championship Odds: +100000
Current Record: 9-30
Previous Ranking: 30

Although they do still possess the worst record in the NBA, the Minnesota Timberwolves added their eighth and ninth wins for the 2020-21 season last week, thanks to a 2-1 record in Week 12. In their first game after the All-Star break Minnesota stunned Zion Williamson and the Pelicans with a 30 point win, before splitting their two game mini series against the Blazers at 1-1.

2020’s No. 1 draft pick Anthony Edwards dropped a career high 34 points in Sunday’s win over Portland, bringing his average for the week up to 27.3 points.

27. Detroit Pistons

NBA Championship Odds: +100000
Current Record: 10-28
Previous Ranking: 27

Although they are sitting at the bottom of their conference, Detroit are certainly not the worst team in the East, as they continued their season long narrative of competing with teams before ultimately losing the game.

The Pistons lost a single possession game to the Hornets, 105-102, in their return from the All-Star break, before going down by five points against the Nets in Brooklyn to close out the week with an 0-2 record. Despite shooting at just 21.4% from the three point line, Jerami Grant continued his stellar offensive season, averaging 27 points per game in Detroit’s two losses.

28. Cleveland Cavaliers

 

NBA Championship Odds: +30000
Current Record: 14-24
Previous Ranking: 25

After being sidelined for 10 weeks, Kevin Love returned to the floor for the Cavaliers in Week 12, however he couldn’t help Cleveland register a win, going down to the Pelicans and Hawks by double digits in their two games last week.

The Cavs scored just 82 points in both of their Week 12 matches, their second lowest total of the season. Love managed just four points and one rebound in his first game back, before he was forced to exit his second game against Atlanta after just two minutes, ending his night prematurely. 

29. Orlando Magic

NBA Championship Odds: +30000
Current Record: 13-26
Previous Ranking: 28

Two losses against the Heat and another against the Spurs extended the Orlando Magic’s losing streak to eight consecutive games after a second winless week. With Evan Fournier missing all three games last week and Terrence Ross missing two of three, Nikola Vucevic was forced to carry this team, as he has done for the majority of the season.

After returning from competing in his second All-Star game, Vucevic averaged 29.3 points, 12.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in Orlando’s three Week 12 losses. With their three Week 13 matches coming against above .500 opponents (two away from home), Orlando will likely be in for more pain early in the second half of the regular season. 

30. Houston Rockets

NBA Championship Odds: +50000
Current Record: 11-26
Previous Ranking: 29 

Not much more can be said about the Rockets, who extended their losing streak to 16 consecutive games after dropping all three of their Week 12 matches. Houston lost to the Kings by 20 points, the Jazz by 15 points and the Celtics by 27 points, as now 13 of their 16 straight losses have come by 10 points or more.

This is now the franchise’s longest losing streak since a 17 game stretch that occurred during the teams debut season in San Diego 33 years ago. The Rockets will welcome four games at home in Week 13, three of which are against below .500 opponents as they look to end this run of losses. 

*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of Bet365. 

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Jesse is and always has been a lover of sports. No matter the league, no matter the game, Jesse is constantly keeping up to date with the latest odds, news, injuries and stats. He has a strong interest in the NBA and the NFL, and he will always strive to keep you up to date with the best news, odds, predictions and picks that the ever engaging sporting world has to offer.

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