Karl-Anthony Towns and Minnesota have the chance to climb the West standings this week.
We’re down to just three weeks left in the 2021-22 regular season. Twenty days of hoops (no games on April 4) and 161 games left to play.
Amazingly, the playoff picture seems somewhat clear on the edges. In the Eastern Conference, the 10th-place Hawks lead the 11th-place Wizards by 4 1/2 games. And in the West, the 10th-place Lakers lead the 11th-place Spurs by 2 1/2. That’s not a huge lead with 11 games left to play (10 for San Antonio), but let’s just say that neither the Spurs nor the 12th-place Blazers are making strong threats for that final Play-In spot. (The Lakers aren’t exactly holding strong either.)
More interesting right now are the races at the top of the Play-In groups. On Sunday, the Timberwolves tied the Denver Nuggets to move into sixth place in the West. The Raptors, meanwhile, got a big win in Philadelphia to stay just a game behind the sixth-place Cavs in the East. And wouldn’t you know it, we’ll have some big head-to-head battles this week.
Note: For the bottom five teams in each conference (though a couple of them still have small chances of reaching the Play-In), it’s time to start recapping the season. This week’s notes for those teams will be focused on their offense, and we’ll dig into their defense next week.
Plus-Minus Players of the Week
Teams of the Week
- Make It Last Forever: Charlotte (3-0) — The Hornets’ offense is [fire emoji].
- Something Just Ain’t Right: Chicago (0-3) — Losing in Sacramento is not a good way to start a road trip that only gets tougher after that.
East vs. West
Schedule strength through Week 22
- Toughest: 1. Portland, 2. Houston, 3. Detroit
- Easiest: 1. Phoenix, 2. Utah, 3. Memphis
- 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: Milwaukee (+4), Indiana (+3), Charlotte, New Orleans (+2)
- Free falls of the week: Portland (-3), Atlanta, Chicago, Golden State, LA Clippers (-2)
Week 23 Team to Watch
- Minnesota — The Wolves have won 10 of their last 11 games to climb into sixth place in the West, just a game and a half behind the fifth-place Mavs. The two teams will face each other this week, in Dallas on Monday (8:30 p.m. ET, League Pass) and in Minnesota on Friday. The Wolves will also host the first-place Suns on Wednesday and visit the red-hot Celtics on 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 110.8 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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