NBA Power Rankings: Bucks in top 10 after Cup title, OKC hangs onto No. 1 spot, Mavs on the rise

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No matter your feelings or beliefs about the existence of the NBA Cup, everyone can agree that it makes for a very strange blip on the early NBA schedule. Because nobody knows who's going to be playing in the knockout rounds, the league's master schedule makers (and they are impressive) had to build in a bunch of extra off days just in case. The result of that is that most teams played only two games this week, some with massive gaps between matchups, and there were zero NBA games on Wednesday.

The Cup is meant to bring excitement to the doldrums of the regular season, but by taking away those games it does seem like momentum came to a bit of a halt. The Clippers, for example, lost to the Rockets on Sunday and then had four days off before losing to the Nuggets on Friday. Surely most teams like the rest, but the pomp and circumstance of the NBA Cup semis and final, followed by a blank slate on Wednesday, makes it seem like we had a mini All-Star break... which is weird in mid-December.

It's also odd that the NBA Cup final doesn't count toward the regular-season standings. Like, the Thunder lost, but they're technically still riding a five-game winning streak? What's a Power Ranker to do?

For our purposes, we've decided not to entirely throw out the Cup final, but it also shouldn't be held against a team like a real regular-season game. So the Oklahoma City Thunder hang onto the No. 1 spot despite their title-game loss, and the Milwaukee Bucks move into the top 10 because the championship win cemented a run of good basketball.

Since most teams only played two games, there weren't any massive movers one way or another this week, but the Dallas Mavericks continued their steady ascent, and now find themselves right below the "Big Three" of the Thunder, Cavs and Celtics. They could soon join that elite trifecta if they keep playing such excellent basketball.

With the NBA Cup behind us and an exciting Christmas Day slate on the horizon, here are this week's NBA Power Rankings.

Biggest Movers 3 Timberwolves 3 Warriors RkTeams   ChgRcrd 1 Thunder On one hand you could say that the Thunder offense was exposed for its lack of variety in their NBA Cup final loss to the Bucks, but on the other hand you could point to the 5-for-32 3-point shooting and think it's probably unlikely that'll happen four times in a seven-game series. The performance does highlight the fact that OKC is 19th in the league in overall 3-point percentage and 24th in accuracy on "wide-open" 3s (according to NBA.com). It could just be variance, but definitely something to keep an eye on. Meanwhile, the Thunder still have by far the best net rating in the league and have little to worry about in terms of regular-season winning. -- 21-5 2 Cavaliers The Cavs are back on track, winning six of their last seven after those weird back-to-back losses to Atlanta. Evan Mobley dropped a quiet 41 and 10 against Charlotte last week, the first time he's ever crossed the 40-point threshold. Most impressive were his career-high six 3-pointers in eight attempts, which the Cavs hope will give him confidence to let it fly more often. He's over 41% this season, but only takes about two per game. -- 23-4 3 Celtics Kristaps Porzingis left midway through the Celtics' win over the Wizards (it did not matter), but the team says it was just precautionary. Anyway, we're here to talk about Payton Pritchard, who has now made at least five 3-pointers in five of his last six games. Oh, and in one of those games he pulled down double-digit rebounds, and in another he dished out double-digit assists. It's so unfair to the rest of the league that Boston got another legitimate offensive dynamo without having to make a trade or free-agent signing. -- 21-6 4 Mavericks That's 12 wins in 14 games for the Mavericks, who combined to set an NBA record for total 3s in a game during a wild offensive explosion against the Warriors. Luka Doncic put up a 45-point triple-double in that game ... no big deal since he already has a 60-point triple-double and a 73-point game on his resumé. Ridiculous. Dallas is virtually tied for the best offense in the league over those 14 games. 2 17-10 5 Grizzlies Not quite time to sound the alarm, but Desmond Bane is averaging 14 points and shooting 32% from 3-point range this season. It hasn't really affected the Grizzlies, who have the league's fifth-ranked offense, but Bane, Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. all have to be on top of their game if Memphis is going to make a deep playoff run. 1 19-9 6 Knicks So a lot of folks will point to the Knicks' much improved recent defense (third in the NBA over their last eight games), but always keep an eye on the competition in such situations. That stretch included games against the Hornets (twice), Pelicans, Pistons, Raptors and depleted Magic (twice) ... just something to keep in mind. 2 17-10 7 Rockets The Rockets found out they're currently just a step below the league's elite in their NBA Cup semifinal loss to OKC, but the experience will surely only improve the young squad's prospects come April. Houston is 29th in the league in effective field goal percentage, so it's easy to see what kind of wonders a sharpshooter or two would do for this offense -- even though GM Rafael Stone says they're content with the roster they have. 2 18-9 8 Magic This team is going to fight no matter who's on the court, but the talent disparity was crystal clear against a loaded Knicks team on Sunday. Jalen Suggs has taken the lead as the Magic's primary scorer and playmaker, but that's far from his ideal role. Orlando will be in every game because of its defense, but offense will be difficult (duh) with their two top scorers out. 1 17-12 9 Timberwolves This is going to be a thing, isn't it? Minnesota has now won six of seven games since Anthony Edwards publicly chastised his team (himself included), during which they've allowed a laughably stingy 92.8 points per 100 possessions. They've managed to go 6-1 with the league's 27th ranked offense during that stretch, which is pretty remarkable. 3 14-12 10 Bucks Hang the banner! In all seriousness, winning any sort of title as a team can't be a bad thing, and Giannis Antetokounmpo is making a strong push to re-enter the conversation about the world's best basketball player. He's now averaging 33 points, 11.5 rebounds and six assists. If he can keep that up, he'd be the only player in NBA history (yes, including Wilt) to put up those numbers -- and that's not even considering the fact that he's shooting 61% from the field. 1 14-11 11 Nuggets Nothing like losing to the Wizards to spark a winning streak! Denver is 3-0 since the lapse, and seeing Jamal Murray hit a vintage pull-up jumper to beat the Kings on Monday must have brought Nuggets fans to joyful tears. In four games since his return from a lengthy absence, Aaron Gordon has averaged 15.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and three assists while equaling Nikola Jokic as a plus-34 in his minutes. 3 14-11 12 Warriors Is Dennis Schroder the answer to the Warriors' problems? They've dropped eight of their last 10, and Steve Kerr thinks Schroder is exactly the type of versatile scorer, ball-handler and gritty defender that they need to turn things around. The on/off splits are usually pretty crazy with Steph Curry, but this season is downright bonkers -- Golden State is scoring 120 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor, and 101.8 with him off. No wonder Kerr said his superstar guard has been carrying "an abnormal load of responsibility offensively." 3 14-12 13 Clippers Clippers fans must be hesitant to get even the least bit excited, but Kawhi Leonard is going through full-contact practices and will head out on the team's three-game road trip (though he won't play). If he can return at full strength some time in the relatively near future, the boost to the Clippers -- who have really overachieved to this point -- would be incalculable. 3 16-12 14 Heat The Heat saw their four-game winning streak snapped in a rough way, blowing an eight-point lead with just over two minutes left in overtime in Monday's loss to the Pistons. That comes secondary to what's going on off the court, however, as all eyes are on Jimmy Butler as we ponder much longer he'll be in a Miami uniform. 1 13-11 15 Suns Kevin Durant has played in 15 games this season. The Suns are 13-2. That pretty much tells the story for Phoenix, which has won both games since KD's latest return to the court. An all-time great scorer, Durant's biggest impact has actually come on defense, where the Suns allow over six fewer points per 100 possessions when he's on the floor. 1 14-12 16 Hawks The Hawks may be this year's Pacers when it comes to the NBA Cup/In-Season Tournament -- a team that wasn't really on anyone's radar that suddenly looks like a darkhorse that could make a playoff run. Atlanta is incredibly deep, with eight players who could legitimately start for most NBA teams, and they've been a top-10 defense over their last 10 games. Trae Young's usage has gone down from last season as he more discerningly picks his spots, while clips of his DEFENSE have gone viral lately (for good reasons). The Hawks are suddenly one of the most fun teams to watch in the league. 1 14-14 17 Lakers LeBron James made the most of his eight straight days off (in which the Lakers went 1-1), putting up 18-8-8 in Sunday's win over the Grizzlies. Anthony Davis was the real story, though, tying season highs with 40 points and 16 rebounds. Overall though, the offense is still struggling, averaging a meager 104 points per 100 possessions over its last 12 games. -- 15-12 18 Kings The Kings made a valiant effort against the Nuggets, erasing a 23-point lead to eventually go up by 10 before being done in by a signature Jamal Murray jumper with nine seconds left. This was a game after Domantas Sabonis put up an absurd 32-point, 20-rebound stat line in a win over the Pelicans. Sacramento is now sixth in the NBA in offensive efficiency behind Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan and De'Aaron Fox. 1 13-15 19 Spurs Gregg Popovich shared a self-deprecating update on his health, which sounded positive despite the lack of a return timeline. On the floor, the Spurs are 5-5 over their last 10 games, right in line with their .500 overall record. Slightly troubling: The defense, which was 10th in the league on Thanksgiving, has slipped to 19th. 1 14-13 20 Bulls Hopefully consecutive wins over the Hornets and Raptors won't convince Chicago's front office that they should keep this roster the way it is. It's clearly time for some large-scale changes. The Nuggets reportedly have their eye on Zach LaVine, and it's just a matter of whether his salary is palatable enough for someone else to make a move for him, and what they're offering in return. 2 13-15 21 Pacers The Pacers have won three out of four, as the offense has finally started to kick into gear. No surprise that the hot streak coincides with strong play from Tyrese Haliburton, who's putting up 21 points and nine assists per game over his last four on 48/44/78 splits. 2 13-15 22 Pistons Cade Cunningham improved his early All-Star bid with another signature performance, putting up 20 points, a career-high 18 assists and 11 rebounds as the Pistons rallied from an eight-point deficit with two minutes remaining in overtime to take down the Heat. Cunningham is now third in the league in assists per game while averaging 23.5 points and 7.5 rebounds for the season. 2 11-17 23 Nets Parting ways with Dennis Schroder for a couple of second-round picks may be a signal of more moves to come, with players like Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith seamless fits on most contenders. Head coach Jordi Fernandez was excited to see a faster offense with Ben Simmons back at the point, but there wasn't much to be excited about in Monday's blowout loss to Cleveland. 2 11-16 24 76ers Last week's jubilation from seeing Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey on the floor was immediately detonated with the news of Embiid's sinus fracture and rookie sensation Jared McCain's knee surgery. Ugh, things are definitely starting to feel a bit curse-y around Philadelphia. George and Maxey were able to put the team on their backs -- for one night, at least -- combining for 73 points in Monday's win over the Hornets. -- 8-16 25 Raptors Scottie Barnes has only played 14 games this season, and he's not expected back any time soon, while Immanuel Quickley has only suited up for three -- a bummer for a roster that desperately craves playmaking and versatility. Now tasked with much of the shot creation for himself and others, RJ Barrett has dished out 19 assists in his last two games with Barnes sidelined. 1 7-21 26 Hornets LaMelo Ball is back, logging 15 points on 15 shots in 15 minutes (his 11 assists ruined the symmetry) in his return from a seven-game absence. He's a welcome sight for a team that put up 106 points per 100 possessions in his absence, compared to 112 for the season when he's on the floor. 1 7-20 27 Trail Blazers After a relatively promising start, the Blazers have cratered of late, dropping six straight games with a net rating of minus-14 over that stretch. The good news is that Donovan Clingan and Robert Williams III are back in the lineup, and Portland has been a significantly better defensive team with either of those two on the floor. -- 9-18 28 Jazz The Jazz have given up an average of 140 points over their last three games. Perhaps not coincidentally, they lost all three of them. John Collins continues to be one of only positive stories on the team, averaging 19 points and eight rebounds on 54/54/80 splits over his last nine games, and that's good news with trade season starting to heat up. -- 6-20 29 Pelicans New Orleans is going to have a scoring problem for as long as Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson are out of the lineup, and that shows with their 29th-ranked offense. They're also allowing the second-most points in the paint of any team in the league, so when you put those together it's a deadly combination. -- 5-23 30 Wizards Avoiding a 20-game losing streak is always good, but dropping 19 out of 20, unfortunately, isn't much better. Let's keep in mind that all of those losses were by at least nine points (most much, much more), so it's not like this team is close to competing on a consistent basis. Enough with the negativity, you say? How about this: Bilal Coulibaly is shooting 39% from 3 over his last four games, averaging 17 points, 5.5 rebounds and five assists. -- 4-21