All the notable changes to the hierarchy of the NBA Power Rankings this week occurred in the East. The Chicago Bulls replaced the Brooklyn Nets for fifth, the Miami plummeted outside of the top-10 due to injury woes, and the Boston Celtics jumped into the top-10 (more on that below).

While I still consider the Nets and Milwaukee Bucks the only two teams in the top-tier of the Eastern Conference, the Bulls are making a strong case to be the East’s third-best team. But, outside of Kevin Durant and James Harden, Brooklyn seriously lacks depth, and Chicago is one of the deeper rosters in the NBA.

Bulls wing DeMar DeRozan took home the Eastern Conference Player of the Week award in Week 7 after his team went 3-0. DeRozan scored 30.3 points per game (PPG) on a 58.7% shooting with 5.7 rebounds per game (RPG) last week. However, DeRozan could be sidelined multiple games after landing on the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols list Monday.

Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell picked up Western Conference Player of the Week honors. Mitchell averaged 33.0 PPG on 57.1% shooting with 5.7 assists per game and helped the Jazz finish 3-0 in Week 7.

Here’s a rundown of the best NBA teams through seven weeks.

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NBA Power Rankings: Week 8
Team	Rank	Previous	Upcoming Opponents	Betting Records & Net Rating
Golden State Warriors	1	1	Trail Blazers, @76ers, @Pacers	20-4 SU, 17-6-1 ATS, 7-16-1 O/U & 1st nRTG
Phoenix Suns	2	2	Celtics, @Clippers	20-4 U, 12-12 ATS, 10-14 O/U & 3rd in nRTG
Milwaukee Bucks	3	3	@Heat, @Rockets, @Knicks, @Celtics	16-9 SU, 11-14 ATS, 10-15 O/U & 5th in nRTG
Utah Jazz	4	4	@Timberwolves, @76ers, @Wizards	16-7 SU, 12-11 ATS, 12-11 O-U & 2nd in nRTG
Chicago Bulls	5	7	@Cavaliers, @Heat	17-8 SU, 17-8 ATS & 11-14 O/U & 4th nRTG
Brooklyn Nets	6	5	@Mavericks, @Rockets, @Hawks, @Pistons	16-7 SU, 8-14-1 ATS & 10-13 O/U & 6th in nRTG
Atlanta Hawks	7	8	Nets, Rockets	13-12 SU, 11-14 ATS & 13-12 O/U & 7th in nRTG
Boston Celtics	8	16	@Lakers, @Clippers, @Suns, Bucks	13-11 SU, 13-10-1 ATS & 10-13-1 O/U & 10th in nRTG
Philadelphia 76ers	9	9	@Hornets, Jazz, Warriors, @Grizzlies	13-11 SU, 12-12 ATS, 9-15 O/U & 11th in nRTG
Los Angeles Clippers	10	10	Celtics, Magic, Suns	13-12 SU, 11-14 ATS, 11-14 O/U & 12th in nRTG
Cleveland Cavaliers	11	15	Bulls, @Timberwolves, Kings, Heat	13-12 SU, 18-5-2 ATS, 10-15 O/U & 8th in nRTG
Charlotte Hornets	12	11	76ers, Kings, @Mavericks	14-12 SU, 15-11 ATS, 16-10 O/U & 17th in nRTG
Miami Heat	13	6	Bucks, Bulls, @Cavaliers	14-11 SU, 14-11 ATS, 15-10 O/U & 9th in nRTG
Los Angeles Lakers	14	18	Celtics, @Grizzlies, @Thunder, Magic	12-12 SU, 8-16 ATS, 15-9 O/U & 22nd in nRTG
Denver Nuggets	15	13	@Pelicans, @Spurs x 2, Wizards	11-12 SU, 9-14 ATS, 11-12 O/U & 19th in nRTG
Washington Wizards	16	12	@Pistons, Jazz, @Nuggets	14-11 SU, 12-12-1 ATS, 11-14 O/U & 20th in nRTG
New York Knicks	17	14	@Spurs, @Pacers, @Raptors, Bucks	11-12 SU, 10-13 ATS, 10-13 O/U & 21st in nRTG
Dallas Mavericks	18	19	Nets, @Grizzlies, @Pacers, @Thunder, Hornets	11-11 SU, 9-13 ATS, 8-12-2 O/U & 23rd in nRTG
Toronto Raptors	19	21	Thunder, Knicks, Kings	11-13 SU, 10-14 ATS, 12-12 O/U & 18th in nRTG
Memphis Grizzlies	20	22	Mavericks, Lakers, Rockets, 76ers	14-10 SU, 15-9 ATS, 13-11 O/U & 16th in nRTG
Minnesota Timberwolves	21	17	Jazz, Cavaliers, @Trail Blazers	11-13 SU, 11-13 ATS, 10-14 O/U & 14th in nRTG
Portland Trail Blazers	22	20	@Warriors, Timberwolves	11-14 SU, 9-16 ATS, 12-13 O/U & 25th in nRTG
San Antonio Spurs	23	25	Knicks, Nuggets x 2, Pelicans	8-14 SU, 13-9 ATS, 10-10-2 O/U & 15th in nRTG
Indiana Pacers	24	23	Knicks, Mavericks, Warriors	10-16 SU, 12-13-1 ATS, 12-14 O/U & 13th in nRTG
Houston Rockets	25	27	Nets, Bucks, @Grizzlies, @Hawks	7-16 SU, 11-11-1 ATS, 10-13 O/U & 27th in nRTG
Sacramento Kings	26	24	Magic, @Hornets, @Cavaliers, @Raptors	10-14 SU, 11-13 ATS, 11-13 O/U & 24th in nRTG
New Orleans Pelicans	27	28	Nuggets, Pistons, @Spurs	7-19 SU, 11-15 ATS, 10-16 O/U & 26th in nRTG
Orlando Magic	28	30	@Kings, @Clippers, @Lakers	5-20 SU, 11-14 ATS, 13-12 O/U & 30th in nRTG
Oklahoma City Thunder	29	26	@Raptors, Lakers, Mavericks	7-16 SU, 14-9 ATS, 9-14 O/U & 28th in nRTG
Detroit Pistons	30	29	Wizards, @Pelicans, Nets	4-19 SU, 11-12 ATS, 11-12 O/U & 29th in nRTG

SU: Straight-up | ATS: Against the spread | O/U: Over/Under | nRTG: Net Rating

Burgeoning Boston Celtics

Boston is finally meeting preseason expectations and had the fourth-best efficiency differential in Week 7, according to CleaningTheGlass.com. The Celtics are surging despite missing their second-leading scorer and All-Star Jaylen Brown in the last two games.

Furthermore, Jayson Tatum is starting to hit his stride. Last week, Tatum scored 31.3 PPG on 48.4% shooting with 10.7 RPG. That said, Boston’s improvement will be tested in Week 8. Three of the Celtics’ four Week 8 opponents are in the top-10 of the NBA Power Rankings, and the other team is a fully healthy Lakers squad.

How about them Houston Rockets?

I probably won’t get many chances to discuss the Rockets in future NBA Power Rankings releases, so I’m capitalizing on my opportunity now. Houston is a winner of six straight games. The first two wins were against teams with a winning record.

The Rockets have some talent and veteran leadership and play an analytics-friendly style. According to CleaningTheGlass.com, Houston attempts the highest volume of shots at the rim, is first in free-throw attempt rate, and fifth in 3-point attempt rate.

However, like Boston, we’ll find out a little more about the Rockets shortly. Houston’s Week 8 schedule is daunting; the Rockets play four winning teams next week, including the Nets, Bucks, Hawks, and Grizzlies. Houston could be the biggest riser in the upcoming NBA Power Rankings if the Rockets can upset at least two of those teams.

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