Chris Paul and Phoenix are 2nd in the West with a record of 7-3.
Week 3 was when the coronavirus pandemic really hit the NBA. We’ve seen COVID absences (some positive tests, some quarantine quarantines) across the league, affecting the schedule and quality of the game.
Kevin Durant missed three games and Bradley Beal had to set aside the weekend. The Mavs had to leave three guys behind in Denver and the Sixers had just seven healthy players on Saturday and started two rookies that you probably never heard of. The Bulls lacked a few rotation players, the Celtics lost most of their front line last week, and Miami-Boston became the second postponement of the season on Sunday.
This is what we knew could happen if the season is played outside of a bubble. We can hope this is the pinnacle of pandemic absences in the league because we are 17 days after Christmas. But we do not know what is around the corner, and every case (inside and outside the NBA) is cause for concern.
COVID-19 cases were not the only bad news of last week. Three players – Atlanta, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Orlando’s Markelle Fultz and Thomas Bryant of Washington – lost due to nasty knee injuries. In positive news, the Magic’s Mo Bamba has finally made his season debut after contracting the virus in the summer.
The games go on. And we will do our best here to focus on basketball, knowing that health and safety remain the top priorities as we navigate the 2020-21 season.
Plus-minus players of the week
Teams of the week
- Make it forever: Oklahoma City (3-1) – Break the Thunder (again)! They traveled 4-1 on a five-game ride.
- Something is just not right: SACRAMENTO (1-3) – The Kings claimed a narrow victory over the Bulls, but lost their other three games (one to the 2-7 Raptors) by a total of 78 points.
East versus West
Plan power up to week 3
- The most difficult: 1. Memphis, 2. Charlotte, 3. Detroit
- Easiest: 1. Atlanta, 2. Orlando, 3. LA Lakers
- The strength of the schedule is based on the cumulative record of the opponent, and adjusted for home and away and rest days before a match.
Movement on the rankings
- Highlights of the week: Charlotte (+11), Golden State (+10), San Antonio (+10)
- Free fall of the week: Atlanta (-11), Cleveland (-9), Sacramento (-8)
Week 4 team to watch
- Denver – The Nuggets have won four of their last five to climb back to .500. And they have some good tests on what could be a better defense this week. They end their three-game tour in Brooklyn on Tuesday before returning home to begin a three-home game with games against the Warriors (Thursday) and Jazz (Sunday).
Previous power rankings
Statistics Key
Tempo: Possession by 48 minutes (league rankings)
OffRtg: Points scored per 100 possessions (league rankings)
DefRtg: Points allowed per 100 possessions (league rankings)
NetRtg: Point differential per 100 possessions (league rank)
The league averaged 101.2 possessions (per team) per 48 minutes and 109.6 points per 100 possessions this season.
The Power Rankings of NBA.com, which are released every Monday during the season, are just one man’s opinion. Email him if you have a ranking issue, or have a question or comment for John Schuhmann. contact him via Twitter.