NBA power rankings: Grizzlies vault into the Top 5, but Suns, Warriors remain 1-2
Not good.
Not good at all.
Brooklyn likely will be without Kevin Durant for a considerable amount of time after he suffered a left knee sprain in Saturday’s win over New Orleans when teammate Bruce Brown Jr. fell back into him trying to play transition defense on Herb Jones.
The Nets are still one of the NBA’s top teams, especially when their Big 3 of Kyrie Irving, James Harden and Durant are on the court together.
The Bulls found out last week when Brooklyn ran through them with its Big 3.
So, what should impact The Republic’s latest NBA power rankings more going into Tuesday's games?
The Nets showing how good they can be when healthy or realizing they won't be the same without Durant and having Irving just for road games, as he's still not vaccinated?
1. Phoenix Suns (34-9, Last week 1st)
They’re not the hottest team, but the Suns remain the league’s most consistent one.
Phoenix made more news last week after Devin Booker took issue with the “Raptor” mascot waving behind the basket while he was attempting free throws with 6.5 seconds in Tuesday's 99-95 win in a fan-less Scotiabank Arena.
Booker responded with a 35-point night against the Pacers with 22 coming in the third quarter. After beating San Antonio Monday, the Suns conclude this five-game road trip Thursday at Dallas where they’ll face Luka Doncic for the first time this season.
Doncic missed the first two matchups against them with multiple injuries. The Mavericks have lost eight straight games to the Suns.
The skid has got to end at some point, right?
2. Golden State (31-12, Last week 2nd)
Klay Thompson is finally back after missing two full seasons with multiple injuries.
The Warriors are 2-3 since his return, including a loss to the Bucks in which they trailed by 38 points at halftime. They responded with a resounding 138-96 win in Chicago with Thompson (rest) sitting out the second of a back-to-back.
The Warriors are still trying to figure out how Thompson fits into their mix.
Draymond Green essentially hasn’t played in six straight games with a sore hip and calf tightness, after he just took the court for the opening tip in Thompson's return against Cleveland. He could miss at least the next two weeks with lower back issues.
The Warriors are 2-5 in their last seven games but start a seven-game homestand that includes four games against teams with losing records as well as a game against a Brooklyn Nets team reeling from the loss of Kevin Durant.
3. Memphis Grizzlies (31-15, Last week, Next 5)
The streak had to come to an end sometime.
The Grizzlies fell Friday night to the Mavs after winning 11 in a row, but the loss can’t take away that run as they beat the Suns, Nets, Cavaliers, Warriors and Timberwolves.
They also beat the Lakers twice during that stretch.
Ja Morant has gone from being jeered by his hometown fans in his return to a budding MVP candidate.
What a difference winning makes.
The Grizzlies beat the Bulls on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Playing on that day is always meaningful, especially for Memphis as King was assassinated in the city April 4, 1968.
4. Chicago Bulls (27-15, Last week 3rd)
Yes, they’re 1-5 in their last six games.
The losses to Brooklyn and Golden State at home were bad looks.
They fell to the Nets by 26. Warriors rocked them by 42, but a full body of work can’t be measured by a couple of ugly losses to two of the best teams in the league.
Besides, Zach LaVine suffered a knee injury in the early first quarter of the loss to Golden State and didn’t return. He’s not expected to miss a significant number of games, but won’t be back right away, either. They lost at Boston by two without LaVine.
Can they snap a three-game skid Wednesday against Cleveland?
5. Utah Jazz (29-15, Last week 4th)
Utah needed Rudy Gobert back in the worst way.
The Jazz dropped four straight — including to Detroit and Cleveland — before winning at Denver on Sunday.
Gobert returned against the Nuggets after clearing the league’s health and safety protocols as the Jazz went 1-4 without him.
The Jazz are in the midst of a brutal 11-game stretch in which they play the Suns and Nuggets twice, are at Golden State, at Memphis and close that run at home against Brooklyn.
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Next 5
Brooklyn Nets (27-16) – Huge wins aside, Brooklyn is still 4-7 in its last 11 games. The Nets play in Washington on Wednesday in the second game of their four-game road trip. With Kevin Durant out through at least the All-Star break, the Nets will lean more on part-timer Kyrie Irving.
Milwaukee Bucks (27-19) – They beat Brooklyn and Golden State, but lost to Charlotte and Toronto twice, Detroit and struggling Atlanta in this eight-game stretch. Memphis and Chicago are waiting on deck.
Philadelphia 76ers (25-18) – Slipped up against Charlotte, but responded with wins over Boston and Miami. The 76ers are 9-2 in their last 11 with Joel Embiid scoring at least 31 in 10 of those games.
SIDELINED STAR: Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant sidelined with sprained knee
Miami Heat (28-16) – Philadelphia snapped their four-game win streak, but the Heat have Jimmy Butler back after he missed three games with an ankle injury.
Cleveland Cavaliers (27-18) – The East is a monster thanks in large part to the surprising Cavs. Darius Garland is looking like he’ll make his All-Star debut in Cleveland.
One last thing
The ageless 37-year-old LeBron James is amazingly putting up MVP numbers in his 19th NBA season.
Averaging 28.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists, James is second in the league in scoring, but the Lakers are at .500 at 22-22.
In an era when winning matters more than ever, James, even with the gaudy numbers, shouldn’t be in the MVP conversation.
Now where would the Lakers be without him? You already know.
He’s certainly valuable to his team, but the Lakers continue to fall short against the better teams as they lost by 37 Saturday at Denver.
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So, the numbers aren’t resulting in meaningful wins.
Therefore, keep his name out of the MVP race, but that could all change when Anthony Davis comes back from a knee sprain that’s kept him sidelined for a month. If Davis can stay healthy and the Lakers make a big-time push in the second half of the season to, say, third in the West? Seems farfetched as they’re eight games behind the Grizzlies, but that’s what James needs for him to have a real shot at winning his fifth MVP in his 19th season.
Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.