Week 9 is in action after the Knicks won the Cup over the Spurs, and Christmas Day NBA is right around the corner! Let’s take a look at the power rankings and who’s in and out since last week. All Championship odds are courtesy of DraftKings.
Vaughn Dalzell‘s Week 9 NBA Power Rankings
Oklahoma City Thunder Primary Logo
1. Oklahoma City Thunder (25-2)
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NBA Finals odds: +110
Points Leader: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (32.4)
Rebound Leader: Isaiah Hartentstein (10.6)
Assist Leader: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (6.4)
The Thunder dropped their cup match against the Spurs, snapping a 16-game winning streak, but Oklahoma City bounced back and rolled the Clippers by 21 in the following outing. Oklahoma City has a revenge rematch with San Antonio on Christmas Day and will be at home over five of the next seven games. The Thunder are being priced at +500 to break the Warriors 73-game win record, which is $10 to win $50.
Denver Nuggets Primary Logo
2. Denver Nuggets (20-6)
NBA Finals odds: +650
Points Leader: Nikola Jokic (29.6)
Rebound Leader: Nikola Jokic (12.3)
Assist Leader: Nikola Jokic (10.9)
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Denver is currently holding the longest winning streak in the West at six games and second overall behind the Knicks (7). The Nuggets own the third-best record in the NBA and. top 10 ranks across the board, even without Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun.
The Nuggets will play three of the next four games at home, but from Dec. 27 to Jan. 7, Denver has seven consecutive road games — their longest stretch of the season.
New York Knicks Primary Logo
3. New York Knicks (19-7)
NBA Finals odds: +1300
Points Leader: Jalen Brunson (28.7)
Rebound Leader: Karl-Anthony Towns (11.9)
Assist Leader: Jalen Brunson (6.4)
The Knicks are coming off an NBA Cup win and own the league’s current longest winning streak of seven games. New York has beaten Charlotte, Utah, Toronto, San Antonio, Indiana, and Orlando twice in that span. The Knicks are 9-1 in December and own the second-best assist to turnover ratio, while playing at the second-slowest pace. Something they are starting to master with Jalen Brunson at the helm.
Los Angeles Lakers Primary Logo
4. Los Angeles Lakers (19-7)
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NBA Finals odds: +1300
Points Leader: Luka Doncic (35.2)
Rebound Leader: Deandre Ayton (9.0)
Assist Leader: Luka Doncic (9.1)
Through seven games in December, the Lakers have the third-worst defensive rating, only ahead of the Wizards and Jazz. On the other hand, Los Angeles is eighth in offensive rating, so it’s clear what the issue with the Lakers will be moving forward.
Los Angeles is 4-2 since LeBron James made his season debut, but the wins have come over Utah, Phoenix, Philadelphia, and Toronto. While three of those teams currently have winning records, it’s likely all four finish below .500 this season. The Lakers’ success could be purple and fool’s gold right now.
Houston Rockets Primary Logo
5. Houston Rockets (16-8)
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NBA Finals odds: +1200
Points Leader: Kevin Durant (25.1)
Rebound Leader: Alperen Sengun (9.5)
Assist Leader: Alperen Sengun (7.2)
Houston’s dropped two straight games in OT to the Pelicans and Nuggets and three of the past four overall. In that short four-game sample size, the Rockets own the 10th-best offensive rating, but the second-worst defensive rating, only ahead of the Jazz. Tari Eason and Dorian Finney-Smith should both be back in or by January, so Houston’s struggles should come to an end with some veteran assistance.
San Antonio Spurs Primary Logo
6. San Antonio Spurs (19-7)
NBA Finals odds: +2500
Points Leader: Victor Wembanyama (25.1)
Rebound Leader: Victor Wembanyama (12.3)
Assist Leader: Stephon Castle (6.9)
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The Spurs upset the Thunder to get to the NBA Cup before dropping the final against the Knicks. However, San Antonio is 4-1 over the last five games and were an impressive 9-3 without Victor Wembanyama. San Antonio plays on the road in three of the next four games, including one at home versus the Thunder, then a road contest on Christmas Day in Oklahoma City.
Detroit Pistons Primary Logo
7. Detroit Pistons (21-6)
NBA Finals odds: +2000
Points Leader: Cade Cunningham (27.2)
Rebound Leader: Jalen Duren (11.0)
Assist Leader: Cade Cunningham (9.2)
Detroit had a four-game winning streak snapped in a two-point OT loss at Dallas this week, but they’re still 6-4 after their 13-game winning streak. In the past 10 games, the Pistons are top 12 in both offensive and defensive rating and second in rebounding percentage.
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On the negative side, Detroit is second-worst in assist to turnover ratio over the last 10 games as they rely heavily on Cade Cunningham. The Pistons rank 23rd and 25th in true shooting and effective field goal percentage too, so the offense might be going cold ahead of a five-game road trip, but we’ll see.
Minnesota Timberwolves Primary Logo
8. Minnesota Timberwolves (17-10)
NBA Finals odds: +3000
Points Leader: Anthony Edwards (28.7)
Rebound Leader: Rudy Gobert (10.5)
Assist Leader: Julius Randle (5.7)
Minnesota has won seven of the past nine games, but dropped a contest to Memphis this week. With Oklahoma City, Milwaukee, New York, and Denver as the next four opponents, we are about to find out a lot about this Timberwolves team. In December, Minnesota is one of three teams that rank top 11 in offensive and defensive rating (Thunder, Spurs).
Orlando Magic Primary Logo
9. Orlando Magic (15-12)
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NBA Finals odds: +3500
Points Leader: Franz Wagner (22.7)
Rebound Leader: Paolo Banchero (8.4)
Assist Leader: Jalen Suggs (4.8)
Orlando’s lost two straight and three of the past four, and five of the last seven against some of the better teams in the NBA (Nuggets, Knicks, Heat, Spurs). Despite the losses, I still rank Orlando in the top 10 because the quality of the NBA is so poor right now, especially in the Eastern Conference.
At 3-4 in December, Orlando ranks ninth in defensive rating, but 24th in offensive. This month, the Magic are bottom seven in true shooting, effective field goal percentage, three-point percentage, and free-throw percentage.
Toronto Raptors Primary Logo
10. Toronto Raptors (17-11)
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NBA Finals odds: +15000
Points Leader: Brandon Ingram (22.0)
Rebound Leader: Scottie Barnes (8.0)
Assist Leader: Immanuel Quickley (6.3)
The Raptors have won two straight games over the Bucks and Heat to climb back into the 10th spot for me. Although, you could hand this spot to four or five other teams judging off recent play and I wouldn’t blink an eye (Boston, Phoenix, Golden State, Philadelphia, Dallas).
The league is down right now from a talent and motivation perspective, so a middle of the pack rated team like Toronto sits in the top 10 power rankings after Boston and Phoenix have cooled off to drop out of my rankings over the past two weeks.
Stock Up:
New York Knicks Primary Logo
New York Knicks (19-7)
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NBA Finals odds: +1300
Points Leader: Jalen Brunson (28.7)
Rebound Leader: Karl-Anthony Towns (11.9)
Assist Leader: Jalen Brunson (6.4)
New York has a Christmas Day matchup with Cleveland coming up. The Cavaliers have been cold and absent from my top 10 for weeks, so it will be an interesting game to see if Cleveland can look itself against the Knicks in a game where the stakes are a little higher because of Christmas. The Knicks have played well and with a seven-game winning streak, this team has climbed a few spots to No. 3 for me.
Stock Down:
Boston Celtics Primary Logo
Boston Celtics (15-11)
NBA Finals odds: +3000
Points Leader: Jaylen Brown (29.3)
Rebound Leader: Neemias Queta (8.2)
Assist Leader: Derrick White (5.0)
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After winning five straight games and seven of the past eight, Boston has dropped two straight to the Bucks and Pistons. The Celtics luckily play Miami, Toronto, and Indiana over the next three games, but have a five-game road trip lined up to follow. Jaylen Brown has scored 30 or more points in five straight games and seven of the past eight, but if he doesn’t sustain that, does Boston have a 5-3 record in that stretch?
Follow my plays for the season on X @VmoneySports, Instagram @VmoneySports_ and Action App @vaughndalzell.
Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & team props for every matchup this week on the NBA schedule!
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