NBA Power Rankings: Week 18 (2022)
With the NBA All-Star Game approaching and many new faces on multiple teams, the NBA just got a whole lot more intriguing. Get your popcorn ready!
Ben Simmons has been traded from the Philadelphia 76ers and will now team up with the Brooklyn Nets as part of a lethal three-man group along with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. When the Nets are healthy, this team is going to be fun to watch.
Simmons, of course, was traded for James Harden, who will now move onto his third team in the last year or so. Harden is one of the best in the game, but it seems like he loses interest quickly when things aren’t going his way. Could Joel Embiid bully him out of Philadelphia too?
Check out our Power Rankings for Week 18 below and determine which team has the most value in the futures market, including odds of winning the NBA Championship via FanDuel.
View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet >>
Odds via FanDuel
Where's The Value?
Brooklyn Nets
I can't be putting the Brooklyn Nets at the top of the weekly rankings right now. The Nets don't have their three superstars playing most nights and had been on a huge losing streak. With the addition of Seth Curry and Andre Drummond, the Nets finally have direction.
If Curry can start to heat up and Drummond can give the Nets some good minutes, Brooklyn will be winning games again. Then once Irving, Simmons, and Durant can all team up, watch out.
This week is the first week where the Nets are not favorites to win the NBA Finals. So, yeah. Now's the time to buy. But I guess you can wait for a little until Simmons and Irving are confirmed to be playing in every game.
Boston Celtics
I had the Celtics on my list last week. All this team has done is win in the last couple of weeks. They were +4900 last week, and I suggested buying the Celtics. Now, Boston is just +3000. But there's still value on +3000. That's about the same number as Denver and the Lakers.
You don't want to be facing Boston in the playoffs. I'll just say that.
Teams You Should Stay Away From
Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers just lost to the Celtics by nearly 50 points on Tuesday. That's not a team I want to be backing right now. Harden isn't going to change this team that much, and he's certainly not going to give the effort that's needed to win these types of games.
We just saw that the 76ers are still flawed. Losing Curry and Drummond might be hurting them a bit, and now Harden won't even play right away. I'm selling this 76ers team.
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat couldn't beat the Mavericks at home and almost lost to the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday. This Heat team is deep, but the team likely doesn't have the talent to make a real push at the NBA Championship.
Miami's sitting in first place in the East, but we all know that they won't finish up there. The Bulls, Bucks, 76ers, Nets, and many other teams just need to get healthy, and things will change for the Heat. Don't buy into the hype.
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Jason Radowitz is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Jason, check out his archive and follow him @Jason_Radowitz.