By Law Murray | The Athletic, 2026-02-23 16:27:08
本周专辑推荐：Funkadelic (1978) 的《One Nation Under a Groove》
我上周提到过这一点，但我很高兴篮球比赛回来了，因为最近我们进行了太多非篮球相关的对话。这感觉就像我们有一个篮球议会，每个议员都试图留下自己的政治遗产。谁能拿出终结摆烂的最佳方案？！常规赛应该打多少场？对于凯文·杜兰特 (Kevin Durant) 所谓的推特小号，我们到底该怎么办？
我担心这赛季结束后，篮球对话会走向何方。我尊重每个人为建立一个更完美的篮球联盟所做的努力。但我上周说过，我很高兴篮球回来了，而且令我兴奋的是，在接下来的这一周里，我们将迎来全天候的篮球盛宴。在冬奥会的所有奖牌都尘埃落定之后，我们确实需要篮球来填补空白。
我非常清楚我们现在处于 NBA 赛季的什么阶段。如果这是 NFL 赛季，那么季后赛将在本周末拉开帷幕。虽然积分榜在赛季剩余时间里处于相对稳定的状态，但球队阵容并非如此。对于正在为季后赛做准备的球队，或者试图看看谁能在深不可测的发展浪潮中优胜劣汰的球队来说，还有很多微调工作需要完成。
小字说明： 本实力榜不仅会对每支球队进行排名，我们还将保留分级制度，球队会根据表现升降。每周分为五个梯队：
- 争冠顶级热门 (Top Contenders) —— 固定为五支，他们是联盟的佼佼者。
- 处境良好 (In a Good Place) —— 可能只有一支，也可能有七支。
- 季后赛边缘 (The Bubble) —— 不要与迪士尼乐园的封闭赛区混淆，他们处于中游地带。
- 不足为惧 (Not the Tier to Fear) —— 虽然不是联盟中表现最差的，但还有很多工作要做。
- 底层鱼腩 (Basement Floor) —— 敬陪末座。
对实力榜的预期：
- 这些是我的主观排名。我会考虑各种客观指标，但最终决定权在我。
- 这些排名不仅是对过去一周的回顾——我们也会进行前瞻，所以它是两者的平衡。
- 排名是主观的，但没有偏见。实力榜中没有任何私货，我们力求建立一个包容的精英管理体系。
- 本排名拥有一个特质：“残酷的进取心”。
- 请享受比赛，也请享受排名！
在《The Athletic》第 19 周的 NBA 实力榜中，我们将探讨每支球队在全明星赛后的第一印象。胜负记录和其他统计数据截至上周日比赛结束。
第一梯队：争冠顶级热门
1. 底特律活塞 (42-13)
上周排名： 1
过去一周战绩： 胜纽约，胜芝加哥
进攻效率： 116.8（第 9 位）防守效率： 108.3（第 2 位）
全明星赛后： 全明星赛结束后归来时，活塞队的杰伦·杜伦 (Jalen Duren) 依然处于禁赛期，而以赛亚·斯图尔特 (Isaiah Stewart) 更是处于超长禁赛期。尽管如此，他们依然横扫了纽约尼克斯 (New York Knicks)，完成了赛季横扫。杜伦已经回归，但保罗·里德 (Paul Reed) 在二月的表现非常出色，等斯图尔特回归时，里德也必须在轮换阵容中占有一席之地。
2. 圣安东尼奥马刺 (40-16)
上周排名： 2
过去一周战绩： 胜凤凰城，胜萨克拉门托
进攻效率： 117.3（第 6 位）防守效率： 110.7（第 3 位）
全明星赛后： 我们迎来了第三支达成“20负前拿到40胜”的球队！那就是马刺队，这是一支自疫情以来就没打进过季后赛的球队。马刺的防守在对阵凤凰城太阳 (Phoenix Suns) 时表现出色，随后维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 又在对阵国王的比赛中大放异彩。
3. 俄克拉荷马城雷霆 (44-14)
上周排名： 3
过去一周战绩： 胜布鲁克林，胜克利夫兰
进攻效率： 117.7（第 4 位）防守效率： 106.1（第 1 位）
全明星赛后： 在对阵克利夫兰骑士 (Cleveland Cavaliers) 的比赛中，雷霆展现了很多东西：他们建立了巨大的领先优势，并且在 23 分的领先优势丧失殆尽后，依然有足够的体能储备（现在还能说“油箱”吗？）冲过终点线。而且他们是在没有谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大 (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) 和杰伦·威廉姆斯 (Jalen Williams) 的情况下做到的。很高兴看到尼古拉·托皮奇 (Nikola Topić) 回到场上，由于要接受前交叉韧带 (ACL) 手术和睾丸癌治疗，托皮奇一直在康复中，而此时雷霆的其他球星（以及亚历克斯·卡鲁索 (Alex Caruso) 和阿杰·米切尔 (Ajay Mitchell)）都在休战。
4. 波士顿凯尔特人 (37-19)
上周排名： 5
过去一周战绩： 胜金州，胜洛杉矶湖人
进攻效率： 120.1（第 2 位）防守效率： 112.2（第 7 位）
全明星赛后： 凯尔特人依然有资格争夺“20负前拿到40胜”，他们在开启西部之旅时痛击了勇士和湖人。波士顿不仅赢下比赛，而且赢得很轻松。本赛季只有雷霆赢下 20 分以上的场次（11 场）比凯尔特人多。凯尔特人最近一次大胜是在洛杉矶，搅黄了帕特·莱利雕像揭幕仪式。他们正让杰森·塔图姆 (Jayson Tatum) 的地位保持举足轻重。
5. 纽约尼克斯 (37-21)
上周排名： 4
过去一周战绩： 负底特律，胜休斯顿，胜芝加哥
进攻效率： 118.5（第 3 位）防守效率： 112.7（第 11 位）
全明星赛后： 尼克斯在这整个十年里一直被东部的某些球队超越。2021 年是老鹰，2022 年是凯尔特人，2023 年是热火，2024 年和 2025 年是步行者。纽约就像是东部的苏珊·卢奇 (Susan Lucci)（注：一位曾多次获得提名但长期无缘奖项的女演员），而现在超越他们的是活塞。但尼克斯去年证明了，即使常规赛赢不了任何“争冠热门”，你只需要让米卡尔·布里奇斯 (Mikal Bridges) 在季后赛偷走几场胜利，然后由此开始。纽约逆转火箭的胜利应该会给他们带来信心，这种信心足以让那几支争冠实力更强的球队感到恐惧；尼克斯继续展现出寻找贡献者的能力，虽然看到泰勒·科勒克 (Tyler Kolek) 在赛季初表现出色很棒，但何塞·阿尔瓦拉多 (Jose Alvarado) 在攻防两端作为组织者提供了升级。
第二梯队：处境良好
6. 克利夫兰骑士 (36-22)
上周排名： 6
过去一周战绩： 胜布鲁克林，胜夏洛特，负俄克拉荷马城
进攻效率： 117.6（第 5 位）防守效率： 113.2（第 12 位）
全明星赛后： 显然，他们不可能赢下所有比赛。詹姆斯·哈登 (James Harden) 在过去 10 次对阵雷霆的比赛中输掉了 9 场，其中包括 6 连败。骑士队陷入了由活球失误和三分雨造成的深渊中，这几乎是那个版本的雷霆战胜这支骑士的唯一方式。不过，即便在失利中，骑士在追回比分的过程中也展现了一定的韧性。
7. 休斯顿火箭 (34-21)
上周排名： 8
过去一周战绩： 胜夏洛特，负纽约
进攻效率： 116.8（第 8 位）防守效率： 112.0（第 6 位）
全明星赛后： 火箭本赛季遭遇了一些糟糕的失利，由于他们的进攻根本无法达到预期。周六在纽约的比赛是火箭本赛季第七次在第四节净负 10 分以上。不出所料，火箭输掉了其中的六场，而这六场失利中，火箭在末节的投篮命中率都未能突破 40%。在纽约的第四节，火箭的助攻失误比也是惨淡的 2:9。火箭是一支净胜分出色的球队，但他们的进攻不能被认真看待，就像大多数控卫表现存疑或缺失的杜兰特球队一样。
8. 丹佛掘金 (36-22)
上周排名： 7
过去一周战绩： 负快船，胜波特兰，负金州
进攻效率： 120.9（第 1 位）防守效率： 116.3（第 22 位）
全明星赛后： 我曾认真考虑过将掘金降到下一梯队。拥有尼古拉·约基奇 (Nikola Jokić) 和贾马尔·穆雷 (Jamal Murray) 的掘金进攻显然非常强大，他们通过像对待 2023 年时的开拓者那样血洗对手，再次重申了这种统治力。但掘金的防守很脆弱，而且 NBA 的赛程并不会为了等待阿隆·戈登 (Aaron Gordon) 和佩顿·沃特森 (Peyton Watson) 从各自的腿筋伤势中恢复而停下。就戈登的情况而言，不应保险地假设掘金能在今年春天保持完全健康。掘金的上限很高，但防守很差，而且最重要的防守者之一戈登所患的伤势将影响整个春天的表现。
第三梯队：季后赛边缘
9. 明尼苏达森林狼 (35-23)
上周排名： 10
过去一周战绩： 胜达拉斯，负费城
进攻效率： 116.7（第 10 位）防守效率： 112.6（第 9 位）
全明星赛后： 很多森林狼球迷觉得自己的球队没有得到尊重。一方面，明尼苏达是这十年里西部唯一一支连续两次打进分区决赛的球队。另一方面，森林狼没法坚持两周不干点蠢事。鲁迪·戈贝尔 (Rudy Gobert) 因为恶意犯规被禁赛，接着森林狼又在一个周日在主场遭遇溃败，而对手费城 76 人队在过去两周里一直是被溃败的那一方。如果这支球队最终要在客场进行西部季后赛首轮的第一场比赛，他们将有很多比赛值得悔恨。
10. 多伦多猛龙 (34-23)
上周排名： 11
过去一周战绩： 胜芝加哥，胜密尔沃基
进攻效率： 113.8（第 16 位）防守效率： 111.7（第 5 位）
全明星赛后： 周日对阵密尔沃基时，雅各布·珀尔特尔 (Jakob Poeltl) 两个月来首次出场超过 20 分钟，并帮助球队在斯科蒂·巴恩斯 (Scottie Barnes) 缺阵的情况下取得大胜。猛龙需要珀尔特尔这种角色球员的体型来消耗分钟数，而他的首发能力有助于多伦多的第二阵容——包括桑德罗·马穆凯拉什维利 (Sandro Mamukelashvili) 和乐透秀科林·默里-博伊尔斯 (Collin Murray-Boyles)——回到赛季初那种横扫对手的状态。
保罗·班凯罗领衔的魔术队表现未达预期，而迪伦·布鲁克斯左手骨折，让太阳队的伤病名单雪上加霜。(Mark J. Rebilas / Imagn Images)
11. 凤凰城太阳 (33-25)
上周排名： 12
过去一周战绩： 负圣安东尼奥，胜奥兰多，负波特兰
进攻效率： 113.4（第 18 位）防守效率： 112.5（第 8 位）
全明星赛后： 伤病潮开始真正席卷凤凰城。德文·布克 (Devin Booker) 臀部受伤，下周能否出战存疑。但真正令人心痛的伤病是迪伦·布鲁克斯 (Dillon Brooks)，他在对阵魔术时遭遇非投篮手骨折。短期来看，布鲁克斯的缺阵让人们失去了一次看到他与勒布朗·詹姆斯 (LeBron James) 正面对决的机会。但长期来看，太阳失去了一位场均 30 分钟、20 分的得分手，他被认为是球场上文化转型的最大驱动力。太阳在对阵魔术的打铁大战中凭借杰伦·格林 (Jalen Green) 在双加时的绝杀死里逃生，但在对阵开拓者时他们已精疲力竭，而开拓者将是三月份祈祷太阳崩盘的三支球队之一。
12. 洛杉矶湖人 (34-22)
上周排名： 9
过去一周战绩： 胜快船，负波士顿
进攻效率： 116.0（第 11 位）防守效率： 116.7（第 24 位）
全明星赛后： 我正将湖人移出前十名，直到他们能重新拿出一些严肃的表现。我在赛季的勒布朗阶段预判过，全阵容的湖人并不能保证是最佳版本。我在全明星赛后预判时对湖人的全员健康持保留意见，因为他们是罕见的胜率 60% 但净胜分为负的球队。现在湖人已经打了 12 场詹姆斯、卢卡·东契奇 (Luka Dončić) 和奥斯汀·里夫斯 (Austin Reaves) 同时在场的比赛，而湖人仅在其中 4 次赢下了三人共同在场的分钟数。你可以增加样本量，但湖人依然表现得小于其各部分之和。
13. 迈阿密热火 (31-27)
上周排名： 15
过去一周战绩： 胜亚特兰大，胜孟菲斯
进攻效率： 114.1（第 15 位）防守效率： 111.3（第 4 位）
全明星赛后： 泰勒·希罗 (Tyler Herro) 回来了！这位 2022 年的最佳第六人可能正在效仿佩顿·普里查德 (Payton Pritchard)，连续两晚替补出场并帮助热火取得大胜。显然，希罗是个非常优秀的球员，完全可以首发。但适配性很重要，诺曼·鲍威尔 (Norman Powell) 是处于合同年的全明星，而希罗本赛季还没能连续出场超过 5 场。我们需要观察这种安排能持续多久，但由鲍威尔、巴姆·阿德巴约 (Bam Adebayo)、安德鲁·维金斯 (Andrew Wiggins) 和侧翼佩莱·拉尔森 (Pelle Larsson) 组成的四人组在本赛季 225 分钟的时间里净胜对手 78 分。
14. 费城 76 人 (31-26)
上周排名： 13
过去一周战绩： 负亚特兰大，负新奥尔良，胜明尼苏达
进攻效率： 114.8（第 13 位）防守效率： 114.4（第 15 位）
全明星赛后： 76 人打出了一些令人不安的比赛，这对这支球队来说是家常便饭，总是交替出现强劲表现和令人失望的时刻。他们急需一场像周日对阵森林狼那样的比赛，这是费城六周多以来首次赢球超过 20 分。乔尔·恩比德 (Joel Embiid) 已经缺席了过去五场比赛，这是他自感恩节以来最长的伤停。
15. 金州勇士 (30-27)
上周排名： 14
过去一周战绩： 负波士顿，胜丹佛
进攻效率： 114.4（第 14 位）防守效率： 112.6（第 10 位）
全明星赛后： 斯蒂芬·库里 (Stephen Curry) 因为右膝受伤将失去季后奖项评选资格。吉米·巴特勒 (Jimmy Butler III) 赛季报销。而新交易来的克里斯塔普斯·波尔津吉斯 (Kristaps Porziņģis) 仅打了一场比赛，病情就再次让他缺阵。阿尔·霍福德 (Al Horford) 在周日对阵掘金时投中了平生涯纪录的 6 记三分，为金州在主场爆冷获胜提供了急需的动力。但勇士目前非常脆弱。
16. 奥兰多魔术 (30-26)
上周排名： 17
过去一周战绩： 胜萨克拉门托，负凤凰城，胜洛杉矶
进攻效率： 113.7（第 17 位）防守效率： 113.4（第 13 位）
全明星赛后： 魔术队在输给凤凰城的令人心碎的比赛后迅速反弹，在人手短缺、且经历双加时苦战并跨越时区后，坚韧地在洛杉矶客场取胜。保罗·班凯罗 (Paolo Banchero)、弗朗茨·瓦格纳 (Franz Wagner) 和杰伦·萨格斯 (Jalen Suggs) 三人组本赛季在一起的时间严重不足（13 场，148 分钟），这使得魔术未能达到预期，但他们只能面对现实，在现有人员基础上找到变强的方法。幸运的是，戴斯蒙德·贝恩 (Desmond Bane) 每晚都准时打卡，并且在二月份表现出色。
17. 夏洛特黄蜂 (27-31)
上周排名： 16
过去一周战绩： 负休斯顿，负克利夫兰，胜华盛顿
进攻效率： 117.1（第 7 位）防守效率： 115.1（第 17 位）
全明星赛后： 人手短缺的黄蜂在全明星赛后面临艰难赛程，他们在对阵火箭和骑士的关键时刻失利。黄蜂在客场大胜华盛顿，拉梅洛·鲍尔 (LaMelo Ball) 投中 10 记三分，布兰登·米勒 (Brandon Miller) 和康·克内佩尔 (Kon Knueppel) 合力贡献了另外 10 记。胜率回升到 50% 的梦想只能等到三月，届时赛程也会变得轻松。也许科比·怀特 (Coby White) 很快会迎来黄蜂首秀，而迈尔斯·布里奇斯 (Miles Bridges) 和穆萨·迪亚巴特 (Moussa Diabaté) 也将从禁赛中归来。
第四梯队：不足为惧
18. 洛杉矶快船 (27-30)
上周排名： 18
过去一周战绩： 胜丹佛，负洛杉矶湖人，负奥兰多
进攻效率： 115.3（第 12 位）防守效率： 115.7（第 20 位）
全明星赛后： 快船已经连续打了四场打到最后一次球权的比赛。他们在这些五五开的比赛中胜负参半，裁判因素在输给湖人和魔术的比赛中都有所体现。这凸显了快船的容错率有多低，即便科怀·伦纳德 (Kawhi Leonard) 处于极高水平，本内迪克特·马图林 (Bennedict Mathurin) 也证明了自己是一个强力的辅助得分手。快船急需达里奥·加兰 (Darius Garland) 在理论上带来的火力和组织能力。本月快船的三分命中数和出手数是全联盟最少的。
19. 波特兰开拓者 (28-30)
上周排名： 19
过去一周战绩： 负丹佛，胜凤凰城
进攻效率： 112.9（第 23 位）防守效率： 115.5（第 18 位）
全明星赛后： 开拓者在主场遇到了一支非常愤怒的掘金队，结果是丢掉了 157 分。随后开拓者回敬了这种凶悍，将太阳队的得分限制在 77 分。这两场比赛开拓者都有体力优势，但后续仍有后勤层面的担忧。谢登·夏普 (Shaedon Sharpe) 因小腿受伤缺阵，而丹尼·阿夫迪亚 (Deni Avdija) 再次出现背部伤势。好消息是斯库特·亨德森 (Scoot Henderson) 正在找回节奏，在阿夫迪亚和夏普养伤期间，球队需要他的发挥。
亚特兰大的扎卡里·里萨谢被移至替补席，而布鲁克林的伊戈尔·德明是目前进入轮换的篮网新秀之一。Dale Zanine / Imagn Images
20. 亚特兰大老鹰 (28-31)
上周排名： 21
过去一周战绩： 胜费城，负迈阿密，胜布鲁克林
进攻效率： 113.3（第 20 位）防守效率： 114.7（第 16 位）
全明星赛后： 周日，老鹰队在本赛季（也是职业生涯第三次）首次将 2024 年状元秀扎卡里·里萨谢 (Zaccharie Risacher) 放在替补席。这对里萨谢来说并不好受，但老鹰目前的实力不足以同时派上里萨谢和戴森·丹尼尔斯 (Dyson Daniels)。在两人共同在场的 848 分钟里，亚特兰大净负 75 分。CJ·麦科勒姆 (CJ McCollum) 已成为必需品而非奢侈品，看来老鹰的季后赛冲刺暂时要让里萨谢担任替补了。
21. 密尔沃基雄鹿 (24-31)
上周排名： 20
过去一周战绩： 胜新奥尔良，负多伦多
进攻效率： 113.2（第 21 位）防守效率： 116.5（第 23 位）
全明星赛后： 雄鹿在战胜新奥尔良后，将过去七场比赛的胜场扩大到六场，随后在对阵猛龙时现实再次敲响警钟，遭遇了三周来最惨痛的失利。雄鹿的负场数与老鹰和黄蜂相同，而雄鹿对阵这两支球队的战绩为 4 胜 1 负。扬尼斯·阿德托昆博 (Giannis Antetokounmpo) 回归后的轮换分配将非常值得关注。
22. 孟菲斯灰熊 (21-34)
上周排名： 22
过去一周战绩： 胜犹他，负迈阿密
进攻效率： 113.1（第 22 位）防守效率： 115.5（第 19 位）
全明星赛后： 我们已经进入了“萧华区域”（指处于联盟管控边缘），球队开始明显不再派上最强阵容。泰·杰罗姆 (Ty Jerome) 和小斯科蒂·皮蓬 (Scotty Pippen Jr.) 虽然复出，但肯塔维奥斯·考德威尔-波普 (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope) 因投篮手手术已经赛季报销。灰熊现在的首发名单里净是贾迈·马沙克 (Jahmai Mashack)、劳森·洛夫林 (Lawson Lovering) 和奥利维耶-马克桑斯·普罗斯珀 (Olivier-Maxence Prosper) 这样的人。
23. 达拉斯独行侠 (20-36)
上周排名： 24
过去一周战绩： 负明尼苏达，胜印第安纳
进攻效率： 110.3（第 26 位）防守效率： 113.6（第 14 位）
全明星赛后： 总有人要赢下这场“里克·卡莱尔杯”，依靠克里斯·米德尔顿 (Khris Middleton) 近期表现最强劲的一场比赛，独行侠终结了 10 连败。库珀·弗拉格 (Cooper Flagg) 正受到脚部伤势困扰，在他缺阵期间，预计米德尔顿、马克斯·克里斯蒂 (Max Christie)、纳吉·马绍尔 (Naji Marshall) 和 P.J.·华盛顿 (P.J. Washington) 会获得更多触球机会。
24. 芝加哥公牛 (24-34)
上周排名： 23
过去一周战绩： 负多伦多，负底特律，负纽约
进攻效率： 112.8（第 24 位）防守效率： 117.2（第 25 位）
全明星赛后： 虽然公牛在周日对阵尼克斯的失利中打得很努力，但芝加哥已经遭遇了九连败。杰登·艾维 (Jaden Ivey) 因左膝受伤将休战数周，这使得本就拥挤的后场轮换减少了一人，目前队中还有乔什·吉迪 (Josh Giddey)、泰·琼斯 (Tre Jones)、科林·塞克斯顿 (Collin Sexton) 和罗布·迪林厄姆 (Rob Dillingham)。在尼古拉·武切维奇 (Nikola Vučević) 被交易、扎克·科林斯 (Zach Collins) 赛季报销的情况下，盖尔雄·亚布塞莱 (Guerschon Yabusele) 和尼克·理查兹 (Nick Richards) 必须在内线支撑大局。
25. 新奥尔良鹈鹕 (16-42)
上周排名： 28
过去一周战绩： 负密尔沃基，胜费城
进攻效率： 112.5（第 25 位）防守效率： 118.1（第 27 位）
全明星赛后： 乔丹·普尔 (Jordan Poole) 终于解禁了！新奥尔良决定在全明星赛后给休赛期的重量级引援普尔一些轮换时间。普尔表现得找回了自我，在对阵 76 人时命中 5 记三分，并且本周没有出现一次失误。
第五梯队：底层鱼腩
26. 华盛顿奇才 (16-40)
上周排名： 29
过去一周战绩： 胜印第安纳，胜印第安纳，负夏洛特
进攻效率： 109.6（第 28 位）防守效率： 120.0（第 28 位）
全明星赛后： 这一梯队的球队只要赢球，看上去都像是违背了自己的意愿。华盛顿对阵步行者的系列赛就是如此。双向合同球员沙里夫·库珀 (Sharife Cooper) 和 10 天合同球员阿隆德斯·威廉姆斯 (Alondes Williams) 居然是战胜步行者的功臣，这足以说明本赛季这个阶段的比赛变成了什么样子。
27. 犹他爵士 (18-39)
上周排名： 27
过去一周战绩： 负孟菲斯
进攻效率： 113.4（第 19 位）防守效率： 120.8（第 30 位）
全明星赛后： 爵士是本周唯一只打了一场比赛的球队。很巧的是这又是客场对阵孟菲斯，约翰·孔查尔 (John Konchar) 得以在面对老东家时罕见首发，与他并肩作战的是四位在 2024 或 2025 年被选中的爵士球员。甚至爵士的替补席上，最先被派上场的也是三名双向合同球员。
28. 布鲁克林篮网 (15-41)
上周排名： 26
过去一周战绩： 负克利夫兰，负俄克拉荷马城，负亚特兰大
进攻效率： 109.6（第 27 位）防守效率： 117.4（第 26 位）
全明星赛后： 迈克尔·波特 (Michael Porter Jr.) 本周实际上代表篮网出战了全部三场比赛。布鲁克林目前全员健康，所以不让某些球员上场需要动点脑筋。现在的重点全是新秀，篮网在轮换中动用了五名首轮秀中的四位。本·萨拉夫 (Ben Saraf) 是唯一的例外。
29. 印第安纳步行者 (15-43)
上周排名： 25
过去一周战绩： 负华盛顿，负华盛顿，负达拉斯
进攻效率： 108.7（第 30 位）防守效率： 116.1（第 21 位）
全明星赛后： 步行者在全明星赛后归来，三场比赛的失分节节攀升。新秀双能卫卡姆·琼斯 (Kam Jones) 正在获得出场机会，印第安纳正试图限制自己的竞争上限。科比·布朗 (Kobe Brown) 在来到步行者后，三分球 14 投 8 中，而之前他只有 49 投 13 中（26.5%）。
30. 萨克拉门托国王 (12-46)
上周排名： 30
过去一周战绩： 负奥兰多，负圣安东尼奥
进攻效率： 109.4（第 29 位）防守效率： 120.1（第 29 位）
全明星赛后： 国王正步入其队史表现最差的一季。交易来的德安德烈·亨特 (De’Andre Hunter)（眼部受伤）与多曼塔斯·萨博尼斯 (Domantas Sabonis)（膝伤）和扎克·拉文 (Zach LaVine)（手部伤势）一同进入赛季报销伤病名单。国王的连败纪录已达 16 场，且胜场比全联盟倒数第二的球队还少 3 场。
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
点击查看原文：NBA Power Rankings: Pistons, Spurs on top; post-All-Star-break outlooks
NBA Power Rankings: Pistons, Spurs on top; post-All-Star-break outlooks
Album of the Week: “One Nation Under a Groove,” Funkadelic (1978)
I touched on this last week, but I am so glad that we have basketball games back, because lately, we have been having a lot of non-basketball conversations. It’s like we have a basketball parliament, and every member is trying to leave their legacy. Who can come up with the best plan to end tanking?! How many games should the season be? What are we ever going to do about Kevin Durant’s alleged burner accounts?
I fear what’s going to happen to the basketball conversation when this season is over. I respect everybody’s endeavor to make a more perfect basketball union. But I said last week that I was glad basketball is back, and I’m excited about the fact that this upcoming week we have wall-to-wall basketball. We need it now that all of the medals have been accounted for from the Winter Olympics.
It’s not lost on me where we are in the NBA season. If this were the NFL season, then the postseason would be underway at the end of the week. And while the standings are in a relatively static place for the rest of the season, these lineups are not. There is a lot more fine-tuning that needs to happen for teams that are getting ready for the playoffs, or teams trying to see who can sink or swim in the deep sea of development.
Fine print: These Power Rankings won’t just rank every team. We’ll retain the tiers that teams will be promoted into and relegated out of. There will be five tiers each week:
- Top Contenders – Locked at five, these are the class of the league
- In a Good Place – Could be one team, could be seven teams
- The Bubble – Not to be confused with Walt Disney World. The middle of the pack
- Not the Tier to Fear – Not playing the worst ball in the league, but with a lot of work to do
- Basement Floor – Bringing up the rear
What to expect from Power Rankings:
- These are my subjective rankings. I will consider a variety of objective measures, but it’s my final call.
- These rankings are not just a review of the past week — we are projecting forward as well, so it is a balance of the two.
- These are subjective, but not biased. There are no agendas in the Power Rankings, and we strive for an inclusive meritocracy
- The one quality that these rankings possess: “Ruthless aggression.”
- Enjoy the games, and enjoy the rankings, please!
For Week 19 of The Athletic NBA Power Rankings, we will explore post-All-Star break first impressions for each team. Win-loss records and other statistical data are through Sunday’s action.
Tier 1: Top Contenders
1. Detroit Pistons (42-13)
Last ranking: 1
In the last week: W at NY, W at CHI
Offensive rating: 116.8 (ninth place)Defensive rating: 108.3 (second place)
Post All-Star break: The Pistons still had Jalen Duren suspended and Isaiah Stewart super-suspended when they came back from All-Star break. And they still demolished the Knicks to sweep their season series. Duren is back, but Paul Reed has been excellent in February, and he needs to be a part of the rotation somehow when Stewart returns.
2. San Antonio Spurs (40-16)
Last ranking: 2
In the last week: W vs PHO, W vs SAC
Offensive rating: 117.3 (sixth place)Defensive rating: 110.7 (third place)
Post All-Star break: We have a third 40 before 20 team! And it is the Spurs, a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since the pandemic. The Spurs defense was on point against the Phoenix Suns, and then Victor Wembanyama lit up the Kings.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder (44-14)
Last ranking: 3
In the last week: W vs BRK, W vs CLE
Offensive rating: 117.7 (fourth place)Defensive rating: 106.1 (first place)
Post All-Star break: The Thunder showed a lot in building a big lead against the Cleveland Cavaliers and having enough left in the tank (can you still say that?) to run through the tape after losing the 23-point advantage entirely. And they did it without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. It’s great to see Nikola Topić on the floor while the Thunder stars (as well as Alex Caruso and Ajay Mitchell) are out after Topić had to recover from surgeries to address an ACL injury and testicular cancer.
4. Boston Celtics (37-19)
Last ranking: 5
In the last week: W at GS, W at LAL
Offensive rating: 120.1 (second place)Defensive rating: 112.2 (seventh place)
Post All-Star break: The Celtics are still 40 before 20 eligible, and they started their West trip by slamming the Warriors and Lakers. Boston doesn’t just win games; it wins them handily. Only the Thunder have more wins by at least 20 points this season than the 11 games the Celtics have won by that margin, with the latest coming in Los Angeles to spoil the Pat Riley statue celebration. They’re keeping Jayson Tatum’s status relevant.
5. New York Knicks (37-21)
Last ranking: 4
In the last week: L vs DET, W vs HOU, W at CHI
Offensive rating: 118.5 (third place)Defensive rating: 112.7 (11th place)
Post All-Star break: The Knicks have spent this whole decade getting bypassed by some team in the East. The Hawks in 2021. The Celtics in 2022. The Heat in 2023. The Pacers in 2024 and 2025. New York has been the Susan Lucci of the East, and it’s the Pistons bypassing them for now. But the Knicks showed last year, when they couldn’t beat any of the “contenders” in the regular season, that you just need to have Mikal Bridges steal some playoff games and go from there. New York’s comeback win against the Rockets should serve as the kind of boost that should scare the few teams with stronger contender cases; the Knicks continue to be resourceful about finding contributors, and as nice as it was to see Tyler Kolek play well earlier in the season, Jose Alvarado provides an upgrade as a playmaker on both ends of the floor.
Tier 2: In a Good Place
6. Cleveland Cavaliers (36-22)
Last ranking: 6
In the last week: W vs BRK, W at CHA, L at OKC
Offensive rating: 117.6 (fifth place)Defensive rating: 113.2 (12th place)
Post All-Star break: Well, they weren’t meant to win them all. James Harden has lost nine of his last 10 games against the Thunder, including six in a row. The Cavaliers were in a deep hole while on the other side of live-ball turnovers and an avalanche of 3s, which was about the only way that version of the Thunder would be able to compete with this version of the Cavaliers. Even in defeat, though, the Cavaliers showed some mettle in getting back into that game.
7. Houston Rockets (34-21)
Last ranking: 8
In the last week: W at CHA, L at NY
Offensive rating: 116.8 (eighth place)Defensive rating: 112.0 (sixth place)
Post All-Star break: The Rockets have some nasty losses this season where their offense simply can’t do what it needs to do. Saturday in New York was the seventh time this season that the Rockets were outscored by more than 10 points in the fourth quarter. The Rockets have unsurprisingly lost six of those games, and the six losses all saw the Rockets fail to break 40 percent shooting from the field in the final quarter. Houston had a 2:9 assist-turnover ratio in the fourth quarter in New York as well. The Rockets are a great net rating team, but their offense can’t be taken seriously, like most Kevin Durant teams with suspect or nonexistent point guard play.
8. Denver Nuggets (36-22)
Last ranking: 7
In the last week: L at LAC, W at POR, L at GS
Offensive rating: 120.9 (first place)Defensive rating: 116.3 (22nd place)
Post All-Star break: I seriously considered putting the Nuggets into the next tier. Their offense is obviously powerful with Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray, and they reasserted that dominance by treating the Trail Blazers like it was 2023. But the Nuggets have a vulnerable defense, and the NBA schedule isn’t going to stop for Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson to get over their respective hamstring injuries. In Gordon’s case, there shouldn’t be any kind of safe assumption that the Nuggets are going to stay fully healthy this spring. The ceiling is high with the Nuggets, but their defense is bad, and Gordon, one of the most important defenders, has the kind of injury that is going to be a factor for the entire spring.
Tier 3: The Bubble
9. Minnesota Timberwolves (35-23)
Last ranking: 10
In the last week: W vs DAL, L vs PHI
Offensive rating: 116.7 (10th place)Defensive rating: 112.6 (ninth place)
Post All-Star break: There are a lot of Timberwolves fans who feel like their team is disrespected. On one hand, Minnesota is the one team in the West that has made back-to-back conference finals appearances this decade. On the other hand, the Timberwolves can’t go two weeks without doing something silly. Rudy Gobert got himself suspended for flagrant fouls, and then the Timberwolves got themselves blown out at home on another Sunday, this time to a Philadelphia 76ers team that had spent the previous two weeks getting blown out. If this team winds up playing Game 1 of the Western Conference quarterfinals on the road, they’ll have plenty of games to look back on in regret.
10. Toronto Raptors (34-23)
Last ranking: 11
In the last week: W at CHI, W at MIL
Offensive rating: 113.8 (16th place)Defensive rating: 111.7 (fifth place)
Post All-Star break: Jakob Poeltl just played more than 20 minutes in a game for the first time in two months Sunday at Milwaukee, as part of a decisive victory without Scottie Barnes in the lineup. The Raptors need Poeltl’s role-player size to soak up minutes, and his ability to start helps Toronto’s second unit featuring Sandro Mamukelashvili and lottery pick Collin Murray-Boyles get back to smashing foes like they were to begin the season.
Paolo Banchero’s Magic haven’t had the season that was expected, while Dillon Brooks broke his left hand, adding another injury to the Suns’ roster. (Mark J. Rebilas / Imagn Images)
11. Phoenix Suns (33-25)
Last ranking: 12
In the last week: L at SA, W vs ORL, L vs POR
Offensive rating: 113.4 (18th place)Defensive rating: 112.5 (eighth place)
Post All-Star break: The injury bug is starting to really hit the desert. Devin Booker injured his hip and is questionable to play this upcoming week. But the injury that really hurts is to Dillon Brooks, who broke his non-shooting hand against the Magic. In the short term, Brooks’ injury robs the people of another confrontation with LeBron James. But in the long term, the Suns are missing a 30-minute, 20-point scorer who has arguably been the biggest driver of culture shift on the floor. The Suns were fortunate to survive a brick fest against the Magic thanks to a Jalen Green buzzer-beater in double overtime, but they had nothing left for a Trail Blazers team that will be among the three teams praying for Phoenix’s downfall in March.
12. Los Angeles Lakers (34-22)
Last ranking: 9
In the last week: W vs LAC, L vs BOS
Offensive rating: 116.0 (11th place)Defensive rating: 116.7 (24th place)
Post All-Star break: I am dropping the Lakers out of the top 10 until they can re-establish some serious performances. I previewed the LeBron portion of the season by saying that a full-strength Lakers team does not guarantee that it is the best version of the Lakers. I previewed the post-All-Star break portion of the season by pumping the brakes on the Lakers getting fully healthy, since they’re the rare 60 percent win team that is getting outscored this deep into the season. And now the Lakers have played 12 games with all three of James, Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves on the floor together, and Los Angeles has only won the minutes with that trio sharing the floor four times. You can increase the sample size, but the Lakers continue to be less than the sum of their parts.
13. Miami Heat (31-27)
Last ranking: 15
In the last week: W at ATL, W vs MEM
Offensive rating: 114.1 (15th place)Defensive rating: 111.3 (fourth place)
Post All-Star break: Tyler Herro is back! And the 2022 Sixth Man of the Year might be getting his Payton Pritchard on, as Herro came off the Miami bench back-to-back nights as a part of Heat blowout wins. Obviously, Herro is a very good player and could easily start. But fit matters, and Norman Powell is the All-Star in a contract year while Herro has yet to play more than five straight games this season. We’ll have to see how long the arrangement lasts, but the four-man lineup of Powell, Bam Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins and wing Pelle Larsson has outscored opponents by 78 points in 225 minutes this season.
14. Philadelphia 76ers (31-26)
Last ranking: 13
In the last week: L vs ATL, L at NO, W at MIN
Offensive rating: 114.8 (13th place)Defensive rating: 114.4 (15th place)
Post All-Star break: The Sixers have played some disturbing basketball, which is par the course for this team in terms of alternating strong stretches of play with disappointing weeks. They badly needed a game like Sunday in Minnesota, Philadelphia’s first win by more than 20 points in more than six weeks. Joel Embiid hasn’t played the last five games, his longest injury absence since Thanksgiving.
15. Golden State Warriors (30-27)
Last ranking: 14
In the last week: L vs BOS, W vs DEN
Offensive rating: 114.4 (14th place)Defensive rating: 112.6 (10th place)
Post All-Star break: Stephen Curry won’t be eligible for postseason awards as he deals with a right knee injury. Jimmy Butler III is out for the season. And new trade acquisition Kristaps Porziņģis lasted only one game before his illness became a factor in missing time again. Al Horford tied his career-high with six made 3s against the Nuggets on Sunday, so that was a much-needed boost to provide Golden State with an upset home win. But the Warriors are quite vulnerable.
16. Orlando Magic (30-26)
Last ranking: 17
In the last week: W at SAC, L at PHO, W at LAC
Offensive rating: 113.7 (17th place)Defensive rating: 113.4 (13th place)
Post All-Star break: The Magic bounced back from a heartbreaking defeat at Phoenix with a resilient win at LA while short-handed and playing in a different time zone following a double-overtime loss. Not having a respectable amount of games (13) and minutes (148) for the trio of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs has kept the Magic from meeting expectations this season, but they’re just going to have to deal with it and find a way to be better with the team they have. Fortunately for them, Desmond Bane has shown up every night and has been outstanding in February.
17. Charlotte Hornets (27-31)
Last ranking: 16
In the last week: L vs HOU, L vs CLE, W at WAS
Offensive rating: 117.1 (seventh place)Defensive rating: 115.1 (17th place)
Post All-Star break: Tough schedule for the undermanned Hornets coming out of All-Star break, and they lost clutch-time games to the Rockets and Cavaliers. The Hornets got back to their blowout ways with a visit to Washington, featuring 10 3s from LaMelo Ball and 10 more 3s from Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel. The dream of reaching .500 will have to wait until March, but their schedule lightens up as well. Perhaps Coby White can also make his Hornets debut soon while Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabaté return from suspension.
Tier 4: Not the Tier to Fear
18. LA Clippers (27-30)
Last ranking: 18
In the last week: W vs DEN, L at LAL, L vs ORL
Offensive rating: 115.3 (12th place)Defensive rating: 115.7 (20th place)
Post All-Star break: The Clippers have played four straight games that have come down to the final possession. They split those coin-flip games, with officiating being a factor in losses at Los Angeles and against the Magic. It outlines how slim LA’s margin of error is, even with Kawhi Leonard playing at an extremely high level and Bennedict Mathurin showing that he can be a strong complementary scorer. The Clippers badly need the firepower and facilitation that Darius Garland theoretically brings. No team has made or attempted fewer 3s this month than the Clippers.
19. Portland Trail Blazers (28-30)
Last ranking: 19
In the last week: L vs DEN, W at PHO
Offensive rating: 112.9 (23rd place)Defensive rating: 115.5 (18th place)
Post All-Star break: The Trail Blazers got a very angry Nuggets team in their building, and the result was being on the wrong end of 157 points. And then Portland reflected that ferociousness and held Phoenix to 77 points. Both of Portland’s games featured a rest advantage for the Trail Blazers, but they have their own logistics concerns going forward. Shaedon Sharpe has been out because of a calf injury, while Deni Avdija has started to have recurring back issues. The good news is that Scoot Henderson is going to get up to speed and is needed while Avdija and Sharpe nurse maladies.
Atlanta’s Zaccharie Risacher has moved to the bench while Brooklyn’s Egor Demin is one of the Nets’ rookies who is in their rotation. Dale Zanine / Imagn Images
20. Atlanta Hawks (28-31)
Last ranking: 21
In the last week: W at PHI, L vs MIA, W vs BRK
Offensive rating: 113.3 (20th place)Defensive rating: 114.7 (16th place)
Post All-Star break: The Hawks brought 2024 No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher off the bench for the first time all season Sunday and only the third time in his career. It wasn’t great for Risacher, but the Hawks aren’t good enough to keep playing Risacher and Dyson Daniels together. In 848 minutes, Atlanta has been outscored by 75 points this season with Risacher and Daniels sharing the floor. CJ McCollum is something of a necessity, not a luxury, and it looks like Atlanta’s playoff push will come with Risacher as a reserve for the time being.
21. Milwaukee Bucks (24-31)
Last ranking: 20
In the last week: W at NO, L vs TOR
Offensive rating: 113.2 (21st place)Defensive rating: 116.5 (23rd place)
Post All-Star break: The Bucks stretched their wins out to six in seven games after winning in New Orleans before reality reappeared against the Raptors for their worst loss in three weeks. Milwaukee has the same number of losses as the Hawks and Hornets, two teams against which the Bucks have a 4-1 record. It will be interesting to see how the minutes go if and when Giannis Antetokounmpo returns.
22. Memphis Grizzlies (21-34)
Last ranking: 22
In the last week: W vs UTA, L at MIA
Offensive rating: 113.1 (22nd place)Defensive rating: 115.5 (19th place)
Post All-Star break: We have reached the Silver Zone, where teams have started to obviously pivot from putting their best teams on the floor. Both Ty Jerome and Scotty Pippen Jr. are back from their injuries, but Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is done for the season after surgery on his shooting hand. The Grizzlies are rolling out starting lineups that have names such as Jahmai Mashack, Lawson Lovering and Olivier-Maxence Prosper.
23. Dallas Mavericks (20-36)
Last ranking: 24
In the last week: L at MIN, W at IND
Offensive rating: 110.3 (26th place)Defensive rating: 113.6 (14th place)
Post All-Star break: Someone had to win the Rick Carlisle Bowl, and so the Mavericks’ losing streak ends at 10 games behind one of the strongest Khris Middleton games in a while. Cooper Flagg is nursing a foot injury, and while he is out, expect more touches for players such as Middleton, Max Christie, Naji Marshall and P.J. Washington.
24. Chicago Bulls (24-34)
Last ranking: 23
In the last week: L vs TOR, L vs DET, L vs NY
Offensive rating: 112.8 (24th place)Defensive rating: 117.2 (25th place)
Post All-Star break: The Bulls competed in a loss to the Knicks on Sunday, but that’s nine straight defeats for Chicago. Jaden Ivey has been put on ice for a couple of weeks because of a left knee injury, so that takes one guard out of a crowded rotation that still has Josh Giddey, Tre Jones, Collin Sexton and Rob Dillingham. Guerschon Yabusele and Nick Richards will have to hold it down at center with Nikola Vučević traded and Zach Collins out for the season.
25. New Orleans Pelicans (16-42)
Last ranking: 28
In the last week: L vs MIL, W vs PHI
Offensive rating: 112.5 (25th place)Defensive rating: 118.1 (27th place)
Post All-Star break: Jordan Poole has been freed! New Orleans decided to give top offseason trade acquisition Poole some rotation minutes after the All-Star break. Poole looked like himself while hitting five 3s against the 76ers, and he did not turn the ball over this week.
Tier 5: Basement Floor
26. Washington Wizards (16-40)
Last ranking: 29
In the last week: W vs IND, W vs IND, L vs CHA
Offensive rating: 109.6 (28th place)Defensive rating: 120.0 (28th place)
Post All-Star break: Anytime a team in this tier wins a game, it appears to be against its own will. And that’s what the Washington miniseries against the Pacers looked like. The fact that two-way contract Sharife Cooper and 10-day contract Alondes Williams were arguably the standouts in wins against the Pacers conveys what this portion of this season has turned into.
27. Utah Jazz (18-39)
Last ranking: 27
In the last week: L at MEM
Offensive rating: 113.4 (19th place)Defensive rating: 120.8 (30th place)
Post All-Star break: The Jazz were the only team to play once this week. It was conveniently a game in Memphis, where John Konchar was able to make a rare start in a return visit alongside four Jazz players who were drafted in 2024 or 2025. Even the Jazz bench had their three two-way contracts enter the game first.
28. Brooklyn Nets (15-41)
Last ranking: 26
In the last week: L at CLE, L at OKC, L at ATL
Offensive rating: 109.6 (27th place)Defensive rating: 117.4 (26th place)
Post All-Star break: Michael Porter Jr. actually played all three games this week for the Nets. Brooklyn is fully healthy, so not playing certain players requires some creativity. It’s all about the rookies right now, as the Nets are playing four of their five first-round picks in the rotation. Ben Saraf is the exception.
29. Indiana Pacers (15-43)
Last ranking: 25
In the last week: L at WAS, L at WAS, L vs DAL
Offensive rating: 108.7 (30th place)Defensive rating: 116.1 (21st place)
Post All-Star break: The Pacers came out of the All-Star break and have allowed an increasing amount of points in three straight games. Rookie combo guard Kam Jones is getting his opportunity to play now as Indiana tries to limit its ceiling of competitiveness. Kobe Brown has made 8 of 14 3s with the Pacers after making only 13 of 49 (26.5 percent).
30. Sacramento Kings (12-46)
Last ranking: 30
In the last week: L vs ORL, L at SA
Offensive rating: 109.4 (29th place)Defensive rating: 120.1 (29th place)
Post All-Star break: The Kings are on pace for being their franchise’s worst team ever. Trade acquisition De’Andre Hunter (eye) joins Domantas Sabonis (knee) and Zach LaVine (hand) on season-ending injured reserve. The Kings’ losing streak has reached 16 games, and they have three more losses than the next-worst NBA team.
By Law Murray, via The Athletic