The top-3 teams from last week’s NBA Power Rankings remain intact. The Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, and Brooklyn Nets had a combined 11-1 record in Week 4 with an average net rating of +8.3.
Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard won the Western Conference Player of the Week by averaging 28.3 points and 8.3 assists per game, and Portland had a 3-0 record. Lillard’s early-season shooting woes were a major reason the Blazers started with a 5-7 record. But Dame Time has clocked in, and Portland is beginning to stack wins.
Milwaukee Bucks two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo led his team to a 3-0 record in Week 4 by averaging 33.3 points, 16.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game en route to an Eastern Conference Player of the Week accolade. Now that Milwaukee has all of its Big 3 back in the lineup, the Bucks are looking like the defending champions and are the biggest riser in this week’s NBA Power Rankings.
Let’s rank the NBA squads through the five weeks of action.
View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet >>
| NBA Power Rankings: Week 6 | ||||
| Team | Rank | Previous | Upcoming Opponents | Betting Records & Net Rating |
| Golden State Warriors | 1 | 1 | 76ers, Trail Blazers, @Clippers | 15-2 SU, 12-4-1 ATS, 6-11 O/U & 1st in nRTG |
| Phoenix Suns | 2 | 2 | @Cavaliers, @Knicks, @Nets | 14-3 SU, 9-8 ATS, 7-10 & 4th in nRTG |
| Brooklyn Nets | 3 | 3 | @Celtics, Suns | 13-5 SU, 7-10-1 ATS, 8-10 O/U & 5th in nRTG |
| Utah Jazz | 4 | 8 | @Thunder, Pelicans x 2, Trail Blazers | 11-6 SU, 10-7 ATS, 7-10 O/U & 2nd in nRTG |
| Miami Heat | 5 | 7 | @Pistons, @Timberwolves, @Bulls, Nuggets | 11-6 SU, 12-5 ATS, 10-7 O/U & 3rd in nRTG |
| Chicago Bulls | 6 | 5 | @Rockets, @Magic, Heat, Hornets | 12-6 SU, 12-6 ATS, 7-11 O/U & 7th in nRTG |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 7 | 15 | Pistons, @Nuggets, @Pacers | 10-8 SU, 7-11 ATS, 5-13 O/U & 13th in nRTG |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 8 | 4 | @Warriors, Timberwolves, Magic | 10-8 SU, 10-8 ATS, 7-11 O/U & 8th in nRTG |
| Los Angeles Clippers | 9 | 6 | Mavericks, Pistons, Warriors, Pelicans | 10-7 SU, 9-8 ATS, 7-10 O/U & 6th in nRTG |
| Boston Celtics | 10 | 14 | Nets, @Spurs, @Raptors | 10-8 SU, 10-7-1 ATS, 7-10-1 O/U & 9th in nRTG |
| Atlanta Hawks | 11 | 20 | @Spurs, @Grizzlies, Knicks | 9-9 SU, 7-11 ATS, 8-10 O/U & 14th in nRTG |
| Charlotte Hornets | 12 | 16 | @Magic, Timberwolves, @Rockets, @Bulls | 11-8 SU, 11-8 ATS, 10-9 O/U & 20th in nRTG |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 13 | 17 | Nuggets, @Kings, @Warriors, @Jazz | 9-8 SU, 7-10 ATS, 8-9 O/U & 16th in nRTG |
| Denver Nuggets | 14 | 11 | @Trail Blazers, Bucks, @Heat | 9-8 SU, 7-10 ATS, 6-11 O/U & 15th in nRTG |
| Washington Wizards | 15 | 9 | @Pelicans, @Thunder, @Mavericks, @Spurs | 11-6 SU, 10-7 ATS, 5-12 O/U & 10th in nRTG |
| Dallas Mavericks | 16 | 10 | @Clippers, Wizards, Cavaliers | 9-7 SU, 7-9 ATS, 5-9-2 O/U & 21st in nRTG |
| New York Knicks | 17 | 12 | Lakers, Suns, @Hawks | 9-8 SU, 7-10 ATS, 6-11 & 17th in nRTG |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 18 | 18 | Raptors, Hawks, Kings | 9-8 SU, 10-7 ATS, 9-8 O/U & 25th in nRTG |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 19 | 26 | Heat, @Hornets, @76ers, Pacers | 8-9 SU, 8-9 ATS, 5-12 O/U & 11th in nRTG |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 20 | 19 | @Knicks, @Pacers, Kings, Pistons | 9-9 SU, 6-12 ATS, 11-7 O/U & 24th in nRTG |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 21 | 13 | Suns, Magic, @Mavericks | 9-9 SU, 11-5-2 ATS, 6-12 O/U & 18th in nRTG |
| Indiana Pacers | 22 | 23 | Lakers, Raptors, Bucks, @Timberwolves | 8-11 SU, 10-9 ATS, 6-13 O/U & 12th in nRTG |
| Toronto Raptors | 23 | 21 | @Grizzlies, @Pacers, Celtics | 8-10 SU, 7-11 ATS, 10-8 O/U & 19th in nRTG |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | 24 | 25 | Jazz, Wizards, @Rockets | 6-11 SU, 11-6 ATS, 5-12 O/U & 26th in nRTG |
| Sacramento Kings | 25 | 22 | Trail Blazers, @Lakers, @Grizzlies | 6-12 SU, 7-11 ATS, 7-11 O/U & 22nd in nRTG |
| San Antonio Spurs | 26 | 24 | Hawks, Celtics, Wizards | 4-12 SU, 8-8 ATS, 8-7-1 O/U & 23rd in nRTG |
| Detroit Pistons | 27 | 27 | Heat, @Bucks, @Clippers, @Lakers | 4-12 SU, 7-9 ATS, 8-8 O/U & 27th in nRTG |
| Orlando Magic | 28 | 30 | Hornets, Bulls, @Cavaliers, @76ers | 4-14 SU, 7-11 ATS, 10-8 O/U & 29th in nRTG |
| New Orleans Pelicans | 29 | 28 | Wizards, @Jazz x 2, @Clippers | 3-16 SU, 7-12 ATS, 5-14 O/U & 28th in nRTG |
| Houston Rockets | 30 | 29 | Bulls, Hornets, Thunder | 1-16 SU, 6-10-1 ATS, 5-12 O/U & 30th in nRTG |
Abbreviation Key
SU: Straight-up | ATS: Against the spread | O/U:Â Over/Under | nRTG: Net Rating
The Almighty Golden State Warriors
Golden State is obviously off to a blistering start to its season, but how does it compare against the other great Warriors teams in recent memory? Here is how this year’s Warriors compare to the 2015-16 Warriors that finished with the best regular-season record ever and the following season when Kevin Durant first joined Golden State (through the first 17 games):
- 2021-22 Warriors: 15-2, 56.2% effective field goal shooting (eFG%) and a +12.9 net rating.
- 2016-17 Warriors: 15-2, 57.6% eFG% and a +12.9 net rating.
- 2015-16 Warriors: 17-0, 56.7% eFG% and a +15.0 net rating.
Not only do these Warriors rival past teams in terms of record and efficiency differential. But, Golden State is still missing perhaps the second-best shooter ever (Klay Thompson) and is still developing several young players, including the 2020 NBA Draft’s No. 2 overall pick (C James Wiseman).
Are the Minnesota Timberwolves good?
It feels like the basketball community has been waiting forever to see Karl-Anthony Towns led the Timberwolves to the playoffs. Minnesota appeared to be on course for another underwhelming season after a 4-9 start.
But, the Timberwolves won all four games in Week 4. Also, according to CleaningTheGlass.com, which removes garbage time from its stat tracking, Minnesota had the highest efficiency and spread differentials in the NBA last week.
However, time will tell if the Timberwolves are playoff contenders. All four of Minnesota’s wins last week came against teams with a losing record. Whereas three of Minnesota’s four upcoming games are against teams with a winning record and an Indiana Pacers squad with the 12th-best net rating.
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Geoff Clark is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Geoff, check out his archive and follow him @Geoffery_Clark.