NBA Power Rankings (Week 18)

After a thrilling All-Star weekend and a few days of rest, the league is back to playing competitive basketball. And it was an awesome weekend. Friday's shootout in Portland was must see T.V. and could be a preview of a first round match-up between the Warriors and the Blazers. Lillard proved why he was this year's biggest All-Star snub by dropping 51 on one of the league's best defenses. Portland followed up their dominant performance over Golden State with a key win over Utah. Portland gained a game on 9th placed Utah and was also able to clinch the season series 3-1. The tie breaker could be big down the stretch as the two teams are fighting for a playoff spot. Portland was this week's big winner in the power rankings, moving up 4 spots.

The big loser in this week's ranking was Detroit. The Pistons have struggled mightily this month, losing 8 of 10 including their last 5 contests. The Pistons are attempting to integrate Tobias Harris into their system and while it has worked on offense, the defense has been a disaster. Detroit gave up 59 points and 20 rebounds to Anthony Davis on Sunday in a loss to the heavily injured Pelicans. The Pistons need to turn it around fast if they want to make the playoffs.
(Brackets indicate prior ranking)

1. Golden State Warriors (49-5) [1]
2. San Antonio Spurs (47-9) [2]
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (40-14) [4]
4. Oklahoma City Thunder (39-14) [3]
5. Toronto Raptors (36-18) [5]
6. Los Angeles Clippers (36-19) [6]
7. Boston Celtics (33-24) [7]
8. Memphis Grizzlies (32-23) [8]
9. Miami Heat (31-24) [9]
10. Indiana Pacers (30-25) [11]
11. Portland Trailblazers (29-27) [15]
12. Atlanta Hawks (31-26) [10]
13. Chicago Bulls (29-26) [12]
14. Dallas Mavericks (30-27) [13]
15. Charlotte Hornets (29-26) [18]
16. Utah Jazz (27-28) [14]
17. Houston Rockets (28-28) [17]
18. Detroit Pistons (27-29) [16]
19. Washington Wizards (25-29) [20]
20. Orlando Magic (24-30) [19]
21. Sacramento Kings (23-31) [23]
22. New Orleans Pelicans (22-33) [24]
23. Denver Nuggets (22-34) [21]
24. Milwaukee Bucks (23-33) [25]
25. New York Knicks (24-33) [22]
26. Minnesota Timberwolves (17-39) [26]
27. Brooklyn Nets (15-41) [27]
28. Los Angeles Lakers (11-46) [28]
29. Philadelphia 76ers (8-47) [29]
30. Phoenix Suns (14-42) [30]

Grayson Gold-Garvey, Follow on Twitter @TheGraygo