NBA Power Rankings for 2018-19 - Week 18

NBA Power Rankings on CanadaSportsBetting reflect the week-to-week changes in the association, including recent records, point differentials, injuries and other vital trends. These stats provide insight for fans betting on NBA games, in addition to NBA futures bets. Understanding the context behind single games matchups and long-term wagers vastly increase the odds of turning a profit over the course of a season when wagering through sports betting sites.  

Team Rank Rank Change Power Ranking Rating Change W-L-T
MIL Milwaukee Bucks MIL 1 - 1745 1 41-14 Bet now! Bet now!
GSW Golden State Warriors GSW 2 - 1721 11 39-15 Bet now! Bet now!
TOR Toronto Raptors TOR 3 +1 1719 16 41-16 Bet now! Bet now!
DEN Denver Nuggets DEN 4 -1 1672 -38 37-18 Bet now! Bet now!
IND Indiana Pacers IND 5 +3 1660 26 37-19 Bet now! Bet now!
OKC Oklahoma City Thunder OKC 6 +1 1654 20 36-19 Bet now! Bet now!
PHI Philadelphia 76ers PHI 7 -1 1642 1 36-20 Bet now! Bet now!
BOS Boston Celtics BOS 8 -3 1624 -17 35-21 Bet now! Bet now!
POR Portland Trailblazers POR 9 - 1599 -15 33-22 Bet now! Bet now!
HOU Houston Rockets HOU 10 +1 1581 5 32-23 Bet now! Bet now!
UTA Utah Jazz UTA 11 +1 1571 16 32-24 Bet now! Bet now!
SAS San Antonio Spurs SAS 12 -2 1551 -41 32-26 Bet now! Bet now!
LAC L.A. Clippers LAC 13 - 1543 7 31-26 Bet now! Bet now!
SAC Sacramento Kings SAC 14 - 1535 16 30-26 Bet now! Bet now!
BKN Brooklyn Nets BKN 15 - 1508 -10 29-28 Bet now! Bet now!
LAL L.A. Lakers LAL 16 - 1500 -9 28-28 Bet now! Bet now!
CHA Charlotte Hornets CHA 17 - 1490 -10 27-28 Bet now! Bet now!
DAL Dallas Mavericks DAL 18 +2 1472 11 26-29 Bet now! Bet now!
MIA Miami Heat MIA 19 - 1471 1 25-28 Bet now! Bet now!
DET Detroit Pistons DET 20 +2 1463 32 25-29 Bet now! Bet now!
MIN Minnesota Timberwolves MIN 21 -3 1454 -26 25-30 Bet now! Bet now!
NOP New Orleans Pelicans NOP 22 -1 1438 4 25-32 Bet now! Bet now!
ORL Orlando Magic ORL 23 +1 1428 13 24-32 Bet now! Bet now!
WSH Washington Wizards WSH 24 -1 1428 5 24-32 Bet now! Bet now!
MEM Memphis Grizzlies MEM 25 - 1403 14 23-34 Bet now! Bet now!
ATL Atlanta Hawks ATL 26 - 1327 0 18-37 Bet now! Bet now!
CHI Chicago Bulls CHI 27 - 1232 5 13-43 Bet now! Bet now!
CLE Cleveland Cavaliers CLE 28 - 1196 -12 11-45 Bet now! Bet now!
PHX Phoenix Suns PHX 29 - 1189 -15 11-47 Bet now! Bet now!
NYK New York Knicks NYK 30 - 1182 -11 10-45 Bet now! Bet now!

How it works? We base our Power Ranking model on an improved version of Glicko (Glicko-2) that values ​​the strength of a team week after week, based on a rating, deviation and volatility.

NBA Power Rankings List

Toronto Raptors 

The Toronto Raptors responded to a disappointing loss to the Bucks with five straight wins, suring into third place in the latest update for the 2019 NBA power rankings, only two points behind the second-ranked Warriors.
 
Toronto acquired Marc Gasol for Valanciunas, Wright, Miles and a second-round pick in 2024, emerging among the winners of the trade deadline. A two-week home stretch to finish February will help Gasol adapt to his new teammates relatively quickly.
 
Expect Toronto to surge in the power rankings as coach Nick Nurse discovers the optimal fit for Gasol in the lineup. This trade signals a finals-or-bust mentality from ownership, as GM Masai Ujiri finishes assembling the best lineup in the history of the franchise.

Boston Celtics

Boston plummeted three places to number eight in the rankings, falling behind the 76ers. After the Celtics pulled off a stretch of solid basketball, the club dealt with another Kyrie Irving injury and a sudden lack of cohesion, reverting to unimpressive ball.
 
Kyrie Irving’s latest injury isn’t serious, which should prevent a lengthy disruption of the Celtics flow. Big games against the 76ers, Bucks and Raptors will serve as a litmus test for Boston in the near future.

Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee remains on top of the power rankings for week 18, with superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the Bucks to the top of the eastern conference. Coach Mike Budenholzer has moulded this club into the top threat in the east and a potential challenger to the Warriors in the finals.
 
The Bucks landed Nikola Mirotic before the trade deadline, adding valuable perimeter shooting and another big body on defense, giving Giannis the occasional break in the post. Milwaukee now features the depth needed to remain favorites to win the east over the Raptors, Celtics and 76ers.
 
 
Coach Mike Budenholzer has moulded this club into the top threat in the east and a potential challenger to the Warriors in the finals.

Golden State Warriors

Golden State remains in second overall in the power rankings after regaining their grasp on top of the western conference. DeMarcus Cousins has fit in extremely well with the Warriors, adding talent before the trade deadline without the need for a trade.
 
The Warriors will likely climb to first overall in the power rankings, leapfrogging the Bucks while solidifying home advantage throughout the playoffs. At this point, the only team likely to defeat Golden State is themselves.

Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets fell a spot in the rankings, dropping to fourth behind the Raptors. Despite a recent stretch of uninspired ball, Denver’s still a legitimate challenger to the Warriors reign with genius coach Mike Malone running the show.
 
Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray form a deadly duo, creating a flexible post-perimeter game which opponents can’t stop. As long as Millsap, Harris and Barton continue hitting their shots, Denver will remain within striking distance of Golden State and a threat to rise in the power rankings.

Indiana Pacers

It seemed like all was lost when the Pacers watched Vic Oladipo go down with a ruptured quad for the rest of the season, but Indiana have managed to stay afloat without their star scorer. The Pacers have risen three spots, landing in fifth place in the power rankings.
 
Other than an injection of shooting and experience through the signing of Wesley Matthews, Indiana can’t expect any more help before the playoffs start. Despite outstanding coaching from Nate McMillan and superb team cohesion, the Pacers will be unlikely to pose a threat in the post season.

Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers fell to seventh in the power rankings, as the Thunder and the Pacers rose above Philly. A recent romp over the Lakers signals Philly’s eventual return to the top five.
 
Philadelphia didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger during the trade deadline, adding Tobias Harris to an already stacked starting five. Mike Scott will boost the bench a bit, but Philadelphia still doesn’t boast the depth of the Raptors and the Bucks. 
 
However, if Simmons, Butler and Harris mesh well as starters, Philadelphia may surprise the east for the remainder of the schedule.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Are the Thunder emerging as the real threat to unseat the Warriors in the west? Paul George has been picking up the slack during a down season for Russell Westbrook, helping Oklahoma City rise one spot into sixth place. 
 
PG13 will merit MVP and DPOY consideration if he continues performing at this level. If Russ returns to his old self, the Thunder will feature the type of lineup capable of disrupting the Warriors in a playoff setting

Houston Rockets

The Rockets rose back into the top ten of the NBA power rankings after the Spurs briefly occupied the tenth spot. Houston’s won four of their past five as the club regained the health of superstars James Harden and Chris Paul.
 
Houston didn’t land a massive upgrade during the trade deadline, but Iman Shumpert will pitch in solid perimeter shooting and defense. If Harden and Paul remain healthy for the rest of the season, the Rockets will have a chance to challenge the Warriors and regain a top-five spot in the rankings.

Los Angeles Lakers

LeBron can’t be too happy about the lack of a big trade during the deadline, especially after New Orleans teased a trade for Anthony Davis. Instead, the Lakers have remained stagnant in the power rankings due to inconsistency, dropping a stinker against the 76ers after stealing a win against the Celtics in Boston.
 
If King James can’t orchestrate a turnaround with his current teammates, the Lakers will continue to drop in the rankings. How would LeBron respond to missing the playoffs for the first time since 2006?
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