All good things must come to an end, and such was the case Saturday night when the Milwaukee Bucks sent the previously 24-0 Golden State Warriors home unhappy for the first time this season.
Golden State still is the class of the NBA, but a few other clubs have emerged as competition. Chief among them: The Oklahoma City Thunder, who with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook both healthy have won eight of their last 10 to surge into the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.
Who were the other movers and shakers this week? Find out in our Week 7 NBA Power Rankings, which account for all games played through Sunday, Dec. 13.
1. Golden State Warriors (24-1): The Bucks finally ended the Warriors’ streak at 24 on Saturday. It was fun while it lasted. Last week: 1
2. San Antonio Spurs (20-5): Losses are rare in San Antonio these days, but the Raptors managed to snap the Spurs’ four-game winning streak Wednesday. Last week: 2
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (15-7): The Cavs took back the East’s No. 1 seed this week with wins over the Blazers and Magic. Last week: 4
4. Oklahoma City Thunder (16-8): OKC is on a tear, having won five in a row to move into third place in the West. Last week: 8
5. Toronto Raptors (15-9): Toronto is starting to hit its stride, moving to the No. 2 seed in the East with four consecutive wins. Last week: 9
6. Chicago Bulls (13-8): The Bulls ended a three-game losing streak this week but have yet to find consistency under new coach Fred Hoiberg. Last week: 5
7. Charlotte Hornets (14-9): Nicolas Batum and the exciting Hornets are looking more and more like the real deal. Last week: 13
8. Indiana Pacers (13-9): The Pacers have lost four of their last five, but Paul George (27.0 points per game) continues to dominate. Last week: 6
9. Miami Heat (13-9): Miami had a tough week but managed to pull off a comeback win over the Grizzlies on Sunday. Last week: 3
10. Boston Celtics (14-10): The Celtics set up the Warriors for defeat Friday night and notched an impressive win over the Hornets less than 24 hours later. Last week: 14
11. Los Angeles Clippers (14-10): L.A. has won four of its last five but is just 4-6 against teams .500 or better. Last week: 15
12. Atlanta Hawks (14-11): The Hawks lost to the Thunder and Spurs by a combined 38 points this week. Last week: 7
13. Detroit Pistons (14-11): Detroit blew out Indiana on Saturday and is close to getting guard Brandon Jennings back from an Achilles injury. Last week: 12
14. Dallas Mavericks (13-11): The Mavs are trending toward mediocrity, having lost three consecutive home games to drop to a 5-5 record in their own arena. Last week: 11
15. Memphis Grizzlies (13-12): Dwyane Wade victimized former teammate Mario Chalmers and the Grizzlies on Sunday with some clutch plays down the stretch. Last week: 10
16. Orlando Magic (12-11): Orlando has lost a bit of its magic, losing three of four after rattling off a five-game winning streak. Last week: 16
17. Houston Rockets (12-12): James Harden continues to pour in massive amounts of points. He’s scored 72 in his last two games, both Houston wins. Last week: 18
18. Utah Jazz (10-12): The Jazz came up just short in back-to-back games against the red-hot Thunder and have to play the Spurs on Monday. Last week: 17
19. Washington Wizards (10-12): Washington continued its mediocre start to the season by going 2-2 this week. Last week: 21
20. Phoenix Suns (11-14): The Suns have scored 100 or more points in four consecutive games and have earned wins in three of those contests. Last week: 23
21. New York Knicks (11-14): Carmelo Anthony’s 37-point performance Saturday night helped snap the Knicks’ four-game losing streak. Last week: 19
22. Milwaukee Bucks (10-15): If you’re an NBA team in the midst of an historic streak, don’t play the Bucks. Last week: 25
23. Portland Trail Blazers (10-14): The Blazers’ last five games have been decided by 10 points or less. Unfortunately, they’ve lost three of them. Last week: 22
24. Denver Nuggets (9-14): The Nuggets have managed to win three of their last four despite dealing with injuries to rookie Emmanuel Mudiay and others. Last week: 24
25. Minnesota Timberwolves (9-14): Minnesota’s only win in its last seven games was a one-point overtime win over the Lakers. Last week: 22
26. Sacramento Kings (9-15): The Kings won both of their games this week but still sit well out of the Western Conference playoff picture. Last week: 26
27. Brooklyn Nets (7-16): Brooklyn has played in a lot of close contests recently after an abysmal start and actually won two games in a row earlier this week. Last week: 27
28. New Orleans Pelicans (6-17): Anthony Davis leads the Pelicans in every major offensive category except assists, but the Pelicans still can’t string wins together. Last week: 28
29. Los Angeles Lakers (3-21): The Lakers made it to overtime in a game this week. So there’s that. Last week: 29
30. Philadelphia 76ers (1-24): The Sixers didn’t make it to overtime in a game this week. Last week: 30
Thumbnail photo via Mark D. Smith/USA TODAY Sports Images
