The first week of November brought a clear split in the NBA power rankings: a handful of teams are surging on the strength of hot starts and breakout play, while others are sliding as injuries start to bite.
No team has climbed more dramatically than Memphis. The Grizzlies are the last undefeated team in the league, and that alone was enough to launch them 12 spots to No.
- That rise is a long way from where they were viewed before the season, since they opened at No. 25 on the writer’s preseason board.
The schedule has helped, but Memphis has also gotten real traction from the front-line pairing of Cameron Boozer and Zach Edey, and Ty Jerome has opened the year in excellent form.
Portland is right there among the early surprises. The Trail Blazers moved up seven places to No. 9, and the appeal is easy to see: Ja Morant, Damian Lillard and Deni Avdija have fit together well. The catch is that Morant is now sidelined with a hamstring strain and is expected to miss a month or more.
Dallas made one of the loudest statements of the week. The Mavericks jumped 11 spots to No. 10 after beating both Oklahoma City and Houston, two teams that had been undefeated.
Cooper Flagg has been the engine behind that push, taking a major step in his second season with averages of 26.8 points, 6.6 assists and six rebounds per game. The note on him is simple: he looks like an All-NBA player in just his second season.
Golden State also made a massive leap, climbing 16 spots to No. 12.
The Warriors looked lost through their first three games, but Stephen Curry has suddenly been playing like he is 28 instead of 38, and Yaxel Landeborg has broken out as a star. Golden State has now won four in a row, and the most recent of those victories came without Curry, with Landeborg scoring 37.
There were a couple of other movers worth noting near the top. Houston climbed just two spots to No. 1, while Boston moved up five spots to No. 4 behind a hot Jayson Tatum.
On the other side of the board, Oklahoma City took the biggest hit. The Thunder dropped 10 spots and fell out of the top 10 after a brutal stretch of injuries.
Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace are out for most, if not all, of the season, and Chet Holmgren is set to miss a couple of months while receiving treatment on his knee. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Ajay Mitchell can still keep the offense moving, but this is clearly not the same team.
Minnesota also slid hard, dropping nine spots to No. 13 after Anthony Edwards went in for knee surgery. That leaves the shot-creation burden on LaMelo Ball, a role that figures to bring plenty of swings, and the team will need better chemistry between Ball and Rudy Gobert to make it work. The timing of Edwards’ surgery was meant to set him up for a return around Christmas or New Year’s, with the goal of having him ready when it matters most.
Toronto rounded out the down side of the week. The Raptors knew they would have to manage time without Kawhi Leonard because of knee swelling, but the defense’s collapse without him was the bigger concern.
Toronto has gone 1-3 since he went out, and that slide sent the team down seven spots to No. 14.
In Other News...
Blazers Rotation Battle Is Already Getting Hard To Ignore
The Trail Blazers kept rolling with a 112-90 win over the Jazz, their fourth victory in five games, and the night offered another snapshot of how crowded this rotation picture has become. Deni Avdija led Portland in scoring for the fourth straight game, Toumani Camara kept spacing the floor with his 3-point touch, and Jrue Holiday gave the second unit a lift in a performance that stood out as the team continues to sort out its best combinations.
Not every piece fit as cleanly. Donovan Clingan ran into foul trouble, while Vit Krejci had a rough shooting night, reminders that the Blazers are still working through the details even as the results improve. With Ja Morant sidelined by a Grade 2 hamstring strain, Portlands recent stretch has only sharpened the competition for minutes, and the way this group balances production, defense and lineup fit is becoming harder to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Scoot Henderson Trade Talk Just Got Real For The Blazers
The Hornets early-season shakeup has already put the trade market on alert, and it could have ripple effects for Portland. Charlottes move to send LaMelo Ball and Josh Green to Minnesota for Naz Reid and multiple draft picks left the roster in a very different place, and with a 3-4 record, the Hornets may not be done dealing before the February deadline.
For the Trail Blazers, the name to watch is Scoot Henderson. Portland could emerge as a potential trade partner if Charlotte decides to move Reid, with the idea of Henderson heading the other way in a deal that would address needs for both sides. Nothing is imminent, but the possibility alone is enough to make this one worth tracking as the deadline picture starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Defense Faces Its Toughest Early Test In Denver
The Trail Blazers head into Denver for the first of four meetings in the season series, and the matchup arrives with one of the leagues more interesting early contrasts. Portland has leaned on a defense that has been especially sharp at limiting second-chance opportunities, while the Nuggets have built a reputation for punishing teams when possessions extend and the ball stays alive around the rim.
Cleaning The Glass numbers point to a clash of strengths that could shape the tone of the series right away, with Portland trying to keep Denver from turning missed shots into easy extra points. The historical backdrop only adds to the intrigue, since these teams know each other well and both enter this stretch with current-season form that makes every possession feel a little more important than usual. [Read more 🡒]