NBA Power Rankings: Thunder move up as playoffs near; what’s next for each team? (2024)

First-quarter grade: A | Ranked second

Second-quarter grade: A+ | Ranked first

Third-quarter grade: A++ | Ranked first

Final grade: A++

What’s next? The Celtics must wait to find out if their opponent will be Philadelphia, Miami, Chicago or Atlanta, but the focus is the same. They finished the season with the best offensive rating in NBA history and were second in the NBA in defensive rating. The pathway to an NBA Finals return is there. And there are no clear-cut challengers. Let’s see what Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and company have cooked up for this East playoff run.

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First-quarter grade: B | Ranked fourth

Second-quarter grade: A- | Ranked third

Third-quarter grade: A- | Ranked second

Final grade: A

What's next? Defend the title. They’re going to face the winner of the Lakers-Pelicans Play-In game, which could mean a rematch with the Lakers. That caused a lot of trash talk from May through October from both sides, and the Lakers will be dying to prove last year’s sweep was a fluke. The Nuggets will be ready to show them it wasn’t. Slippage against the Spurs kept them from being the No. 1 seed, but we know, at this point, the Nuggets aren’t afraid to go to any building and tear it down.

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First-quarter grade: A | Ranked fifth

Second-quarter grade: A+ | Ranked second

Third-quarter grade: A+ | Ranked fourth

Final grade: A

What's next? OKC went from an exciting young team that won just 40 games and missed the playoffs to an exciting young team that took the No. 1 seed in the vaunted West. That’s an incredible accomplishment for coach Mark Daigneault, MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the rest of a talented squad. The Thunder still have some issues to work out with rebounding and interior size in this postseason run, but they have such a unique attack that they’re prepared to cause more problems than they need to solve. We’ll see if they face the Lakers, Pelicans, Kings or Warriors. Either way, SGA gets to prove himself at another high level.

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First-quarter grade: A+ | Ranked first

Second-quarter grade: A | Ranked sixth

Third-quarter grade: A | Ranked third

Final grade: A

What's next? The Wolves slipped up twice this week, and it cost them the No. 1 seed. Instead of making everybody go through the Target Center, the Wolves now have to take down the Suns in the first-round. Even with this flawed Phoenix team, stopping Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal will be a challenge for the No. 1 defense. The Wolves lost all three games to the Suns by double digits this season. But Anthony Edwards looks primed for another leap. And we’ll see if it’s the same old Wolves or if Minnesota can start rewriting its playoff narrative.

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First-quarter grade: B+ | Ranked 10th

Second-quarter grade: B | Ranked 15th

Third-quarter grade: B+ | Ranked ninth

Final grade: A-

What's next? The Mavericks secured the No. 5 seed in the West and made sure their guys got extra rest in the final couple games of the season. Now, they face the Clippers in the first round for the third time in five years.. The previous two times, the Mavericks lost out in contentious showdowns with LA. But this Mavericks team is different. Luka Dončić is on another couple of levels. Kyrie Irving has been stellar. And the additions of Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington made this team into a top defense in the final quarter of the season. Is that enough to make a deep run and challenge for a return to the conference finals?

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First-quarter grade: B+ | Ranked 11th

Second-quarter grade: A- | Ranked eighth

Third-quarter grade: B+ | Ranked 13th

Final grade: A-

What's next? There is something special about this Knicks team, which effectively demanded the No. 2 seed during this final stretch of the regular season. While Milwaukee and Cleveland were actively avoiding it on the final day, the Knicks decided to claim it. Jalen Brunson is a superstar, and this team looks pretty dangerous – even without Julius Randle. A problem for Tom Thibodeau teams in the past is playing at top gear in the season and not finding an extra gear for the playoffs. We’ll see if these Knicks have the same issue.

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First-quarter grade: C+ | Ranked 16th

Second-quarter grade: A | Ranked fourth

Third-quarter grade: A- | Ranked sixth

Final grade: B+

What's next? The Clippers are back and ready to wreck the Mavericks in the first round. They beat them in the first round in 2020 and 2021. And now they boast the Los Angeles group of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, James Harden and Russell Westbrook. This is arguably the deepest Clippers team we’ve seen, and they need to prove the other shoe is not going to drop this time. There is a good path set up for them to return to the conference finals, and hopefully do it with full health. In 2019, they set themselves up with a destiny to compete for titles, and it hasn’t happened yet. Perfect way to leave downtown LA for Inglewood next season.

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First-quarter grade: B | Ranked ninth

Second-quarter grade: B | Ranked 10th

Third-quarter grade: B | Ranked eighth

Final grade: B

What's next? I’ve tried to talk myself into the Suns all season because I’m one of the few people left who loves big threes and super teams. The Suns have been neither for most of this season, although that was the point of putting this group together. They’ll face the Wolves in the first round, which might be the best thing to get them in the right place. Phoenix hammered Minnesota in three regular-season matchups, which is impressive against the top defense in the league. But the Suns can’t keep turning the ball over and being awful in the fourth quarter.

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First-quarter grade: B | Ranked 14th

Second-quarter grade: B+ | Ranked 11th

Third-quarter grade: B+ | Ranked 11th

Final grade: A-

What's next? The Pelicans fell short of finishing in the top six in the West. Now, they have to beat the Lakers to earn a first-round matchup with the defending champion Nuggets. The problem with that is the Lakers have been a bad matchup for the Pelicans all season. Is it possible dropping down to the No. 8 seed is a riskier but better fate for New Orleans? They were just 1-2 against OKC, but the games were closer. The Pelicans feel great about a loss if it means battling Sacramento for the No. 8 seed. Facing the Warriors is far scarier, so it could be best to just win and try to solve Denver.

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First-quarter grade: D+ | Ranked 20th

Second-quarter grade: D | Ranked 22nd

Third-quarter grade: C+ | Ranked 17th

Final grade: B-

What's next? Well, well, well. Here we are again. The Warriors tend to make things harder on themselves than necessary, and this season was no different. However, the Warriors got healthy at the right time and ended the season playing mostly great basketball. They just couldn’t move up the hyper-competitive West standings. Before we can even begin to wonder if they can shock teams, they need to beat the Kings on the road and then beat the loser of Pelicans-Lakers on the road. It’s a good thing they were better on the road than at home this season. If both of those things happen, we can see if their experience can frazzle the Thunder.

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First-quarter grade: B | Ranked eighth

Second-quarter grade: C | Ranked 20th

Third-quarter grade: C+ | Ranked 15th

Final grade: B

What's next? The Lakers closed out the season real strong for the second straight year, but it didn’t get them out of the Play-In Tournament. They were able to take down Minnesota for the Play-In last year and then upset the Grizzlies in the first round. This year, winning the No. 7 seed would mean a rematch with the Nuggets. Denver embarrassed them in the conference finals last year. Do the Lakers have anything extra for them this year? And with Anthony Davis having back spasms in the final game of the regular season, can they even guarantee they survive the Play-In? It’s time for LeBron James to put on the superhero cape again.

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First-quarter grade: B+ | Ranked third

Second-quarter grade: A- | Ranked seventh

Third-quarter grade: B | Ranked fifth

Final grade: B-

What's next? It’s kind of odd to be this down on a team that nearly won 50 games, but the expectations were sky high as the Bucks have massively underperformed. They ousted a coach who was winning but wasn’t someone they believed in. Now, they have Doc Rivers, whom they seem to believe in but has not done the job at the level he’s expected to do it. On top of that, Giannis Antetokounmpo is hurt, and Damian Lillard has been really bad/inefficient by his standards. Everybody seems to be writing off the Bucks, which maybe eliminates the pressure to perform in the playoffs? The Pacers will find out soon enough.

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First-quarter grade: A- | Ranked sixth

Second-quarter grade: A | Ranked fifth

Third-quarter grade: B- | Ranked 16th

Final grade: B-

What's next? A phenomenal end to the season for the Sixers couldn’t keep them out of the Play-In Tournament. Such is life when your MVP superstar doesn’t end up playing in half the season’s games. When Joel Embiid did play, the Sixers went an impressive 31-8. That’s a 65-win pace! But will they be able to wield that this postseason? Can they beat the Heat to set up a first-round series against an incomplete but very good Knicks team? Or will the 76ers find their way to a showdown with Boston again? Whatever happens, they can’t close two Play-In games going into the summer.

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First-quarter grade: B | Ranked 15th

Second-quarter grade: B- | Ranked 14th

Third-quarter grade: B | Ranked 14th

Final grade: B

What's next? Terrible luck for the Kings to finish out their season, so they’re now in the same position as last year, when they had an elimination game at home against the Warriors. Sacramento has to stop Steph Curry from ruining its playoff plans. The Kings lost Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter due to injury, which makes matters even more difficult for them. However, they still have De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. We know how effective they can be. If the Kings can take down the Warriors, will they have enough to beat the Lakers or Pelicans? A showdown with the Thunder in the first round would be a lot of fun.

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First-quarter grade: A+ | Ranked seventh

Second-quarter grade: B | Ranked 17th

Third-quarter grade: A- | Ranked 12th

Final grade: A

What's next? The Magic had an outside chance at the No. 2 seed before they fell on hard times during the final week of the season. But they still managed to keep the No. 5 seed to set up a first-round series with Cleveland. This young Orlando team has been so fun and exciting all season, and a young team winning with defense will always grab attention. The Magic are going to try to make this series with the Cavs as ugly as possible, with two defensive teams squaring up. Paolo Banchero has quickly become a star in this league, and this is a great stage to show off him and his team to potentially attract free-agent guards this summer.

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First-quarter grade: C+ | Ranked 12th

Second-quarter grade: B+ | Ranked ninth

Third-quarter grade: A- | Ranked seventh

Final grade: C+

What's next? The Cavs slipped out of contention for the No. 2 seed but still ended up with home-court advantage in the first round against a very inexperienced Magic team. After flubbing the first round against the Knicks last year, the Cavs are looking for redemption. The key for this will be the health of the backcourt. Will Donovan Mitchell’s knee be OK? Is Darius Garland’s back fine? Will the offense be able to solve this Orlando defense? This is a massive postseason for the organization. The Cavs have to make the second round to prove this roster works.

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First-quarter grade: A- | Ranked 13th

Second-quarter grade: B | Ranked 12th

Third-quarter grade: B | Ranked 18th

Final grade: B

What's next? We know this team can score. It had the second-best offense in NBA history and tied the record for most 150-point games in a season (four). Will Indiana be able to defend enough to continue to frustrate the Bucks, though? And are the Pacers in a position to turn the Bucks’ season into an outright disaster? Indiana went 4-1 against Milwaukee this season and will face a Bucks team possibly missing Giannis for part of it. Or maybe he’ll play all of the series but be hobbled? Or maybe Giannis will be a physical freak again and feel just fine. The Pacers acquired Pascal Siakam to pair with Tyrese Haliburton for something like this.

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First-quarter grade: B | Ranked 17th

Second-quarter grade: B- | Ranked 13th

Third-quarter grade: B+ | Ranked 10th

Final grade: B-

What's next? Here we go again. The Heat have painted themselves into a corner. This time, they’ll need to fight it out with the 76ers on Wednesday to try to set up a first-round series with the Knicks. If they fail to beat Philadelphia, the Heat will then have to beat the winner of Bulls-Hawks to set up yet another showdown with the Celtics. Though Miami has managed to live dangerously and thrive last year at this time, this Heat team doesn’t seem as good and focused as that squad was. Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro have to all play great all the time to even approach last year’s success.

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First-quarter grade: C- | Ranked 23rd

Second-quarter grade: B- | Ranked 18th

Third-quarter grade: C | Ranked 19th

Final grade: C+

What's next? The Bulls find themselves in a pretty good position to at least compete for the No. 8 seed. They have to beat the Hawks on Wednesday or their season is over, as they head into the summer hoping to figure out how to make this team much better. If they do manage to shock the world and reach the No. 8 seed, even getting swept by the Celtics would be an accomplishment for a team missing its second-best player most of the season. It’s just hard to know what the Bulls’ plan is moving forward regardless.

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First-quarter grade: C- | Ranked 21st

Second-quarter grade: C | Ranked 21st

Third-quarter grade: D+ | Ranked 22nd

Final grade: C-

What's next? Trae Young made it back just in time for the Hawks to have another terrible finish to wrap another disappointing season. Maybe they beat the Bulls and play for the No. 8 seed. Maybe they upset the loser of the Sixers-Heat matchup and find their way into first-round destruction by the Celtics. Regardless, the Hawks have to be very honest with themselves this summer that this group doesn’t work. It didn’t work when it was healthy, and it’s not going to work moving forward. They have to make some significant changes if they’re going to build a winner with Young.

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First-quarter grade: A- | Ranked 18th

Second-quarter grade: B | Ranked 19th

Third-quarter grade: C | Ranked 20th

Final grade: B+

What's next? A very exciting summer is here for the Rockets. They went from an atrocious team with no direction a year ago to a .500 team that has all the promise in the world. Alperen Şengün is a star. And, if Jalen Green continues the way he finished the season, he’s a star too. Jabari Smith Jr. had a great season, and the mix of veterans and youth is stellar. We’ll see if the Rockets get aggressive and continue to try to acquire another star to turn this team into a definite playoff squad in the West. Or maybe they stay the course with this group, similar to what OKC did.

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First-quarter grade: B+ | Ranked 19th

Second-quarter grade: C+ | Ranked 23rd

Third-quarter grade: D | Ranked 21st

Final grade: D

What's next? It’s a great question. The Nets don’t have a draft selection in this upcoming draft, so their failure this season doesn’t benefit them at all. It looks like Kings assistant Jordi Fernandez will be the new coach. How does he change the culture from this past season? This team needs a lot more talent and connection on the court.

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First-quarter grade: F-- | Ranked 29th

Second-quarter grade: F- | Ranked 28th

Third-quarter grade: F+ | Ranked 25th

Final grade: D+

What's next? Figure out how to take over the world. Victor Wembanyama is better than advertised, which is saying a lot. Do the Spurs go all-in to try to put talent around him and win now, or do they continue to add bit by bit and build up the youth on this roster around Wemby? He’s one of the rare young stars whom veterans will flock to right away. The Spurs have so many options on how to build this out, so watching their approach in real time will be fascinating.

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First-quarter grade: D | Ranked 24th

Second-quarter grade: D+ | Ranked 24th

Third-quarter grade: D | Ranked 27th

Final grade: D

What's next? This was a throwaway season for the Grizzlies, and they understand that quite well. Things were just not set up for them to succeed, between Ja Morant’s suspension and eventual injury and all the other injuries they had to navigate. Going into next season, the Grizzlies will maybe have to add a big man since Steven Adams is gone. And they could always use more offense for this defensively sound team. Memphis will bounce back, but the Grizzlies have seen how thin the margins are with keeping up in the West.

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First-quarter grade: D- | Ranked 27th

Second-quarter grade: B- | Ranked 16th

Third-quarter grade: C- | Ranked 23rd

Final grade: D-

What's next? There was a lot to be happy about with this Jazz team this season. It was never supposed to compete for the Play-In, so you were just waiting to see what the young guys could do. They can actually play well, and Will Hardy might be too good of a coach to tank hard for a franchise. But this team also had the worst defense in NBA history, and that can’t be overlooked when trying to develop young talent with some quality veterans. How do the Jazz create a more competitive environment consistently without tanking?

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First-quarter grade: C- | Ranked 22nd

Second-quarter grade: D+ | Ranked 25th

Third-quarter grade: D+ | Ranked 24th

Final grade: D-

What's next? Barring some draft lottery shenanigans, the Raptors essentially tanked enough to keep their top-six protected pick. If the lottery goes chalk, the Raptors have to nail the sixth pick for a quality rotation player to justify their tanking. The good news is we have a peek at the core with Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl. That’s not enough, but it’s a really good start. How do the Raptors get another star to put next to Barnes? That’s Masai Ujiri’s challenge, and he needs to show some of that GM magic again.

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First-quarter grade: C- | Ranked 26th

Second-quarter grade: D+ | Ranked 26th

Third-quarter grade: D- | Ranked 26th

Final grade: D

What's next? I still believe in Scoot Henderson, and this team was actually quite competitive when it had its veterans available to help out the young guys. But the Blazers aren’t trying to throw a team out there who is winning games yet. We’ll see a lot of this kind of play sprinkled throughout until after the 2025 draft, which will have stars aplenty. For now, the Blazers need to concentrate on maximizing assets and developing Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, Anfernee Simons and Toumani Camara. Also, whomever else they bring in should help.

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First-quarter grade: D+ | Ranked 25th

Second-quarter grade: D+ | Ranked 27th

Third-quarter grade: D- | Ranked 29th

Final grade: F+

What's next? There is a whole new regime in town! So, what does that mean for this Hornets roster? LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller are here to build around. The Hornets have a couple of solid role players in the mix to develop, but this team needs to overhaul its roster and to find a coach who can make a big difference. No offense to Steve Clifford, but the Hornets need to find their Joe Mazzulla or Will Hardy type of coach for the future.

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First-quarter grade: F- | Ranked 28th

Second-quarter grade: F | Ranked 29th

Third-quarter grade: F-- | Ranked 30th

Final grade: F-

What's next? It feels like this will be a long rebuild for the Wizards, who have just now entered their first offseason in full rebuild mode. Bilal Coulibaly (19 years old) had a nice rookie season, so you want to make sure he’s a part of the focus next season. His development will be key. They have to nail this year’s draft pick in a class that looks underwhelming. And we’ll see what kind of commitment the Wizards try to make to Tyus Jones as he enters free agency. Maybe find a way to make Jordan Poole care as well.

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First-quarter grade: F-- | Ranked 30th

Second-quarter grade: F- | Ranked 30th

Third-quarter grade: F | Ranked 28th

Final grade: F

What's next? The Pistons wanted to be much better this season. They weren’t tanking for some NBA Draft savior to come in. And yet, here we are. Cade Cunningham is their franchise guy, so they’re going to have to put some real players around him to prove that’s the correct decision. Jalen Duren (20 years old), Ausar Thompson (21) and Quentin Grimes (23) are role players to believe in. Everything else on this team is up in the air. Monty Williams and Troy Weaver — and whoever is brought in as head of basketball ops — have a lot of work to do this offseason.

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