NBA Power Rankings: Are the Pistons or Spurs able to overtake the Thunder for the leading position?

With just one week remaining until the 2026 NBA trade deadline, the market has remained fairly subdued thus far. Nevertheless, significant changes have occurred in both conferences as we progress into the latter part of the regular season.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have experienced five losses this month, matching the total number of games they lost throughout the entire season prior to the new year. The team, which previously appeared invincible, now seems more vulnerable. Despite this, they continue to lead the Western Conference, maintaining a six-game advantage over the rising San Antonio Spurs.

In the Eastern Conference, the standings are becoming increasingly competitive, particularly around the play-in spots. The Cleveland Cavaliers have re-entered the discussion, climbing the conference rankings with a four-game winning streak, resembling the top team they were last season rather than the struggling squad they had been earlier.

As the February 5 deadline approaches, our NBA insiders have analyzed the current status of all 30 teams in the final power rankings for January.

Note: Team rankings reflect the opinions of our panel members (ESPN’s Anthony Slater, Dave McMenamin, Jamal Collier, Kevin Pelton, Michael C. Wright, Bobby Marks, Tim Bontemps, Tim MacMahon, Vincent Goodwill, and Zach Kram).

Previous rankings: Preseason | Oct. 29 | Nov. 5 | Nov. 12 | Nov. 19 | Nov. 26 | Dec. 3 | Dec. 10 | Dec. 17 | Dec. 24 | Dec. 31 | Jan. 7 | Jan. 14 | Jan. 21

Jump to a team:
ATL | BOS | BKN | CHA | CHI | CLE
DAL | DEN | DET | GS | HOU | IND
LAC | LAL | MEM | MIA | MIL | MIN
NO | NY | OKC | ORL | PHI | PHX
POR | SAC | SA | TOR | UTAH | WAS

1. Oklahoma City Thunder

• 2025-26 record: 38-10

• Previous ranking: 1

• Next games: @ MIN (Jan. 29), @ DEN (Feb. 1), vs. ORL (Feb. 3)

The Thunder have converted 30.8% of their three-point attempts in their 10 losses this season as of Tuesday night. This includes a 7-of-26 performance and an 11-of-43 shooting night in two recent home losses to the Pacers and Raptors, respectively. Isaiah Joe and Luguentz Dort started and collectively missed all 10 of their three-point attempts in the narrow defeat against the struggling Pacers. This continues to be the area where this slightly faltering powerhouse shows its greatest susceptibility — role players failing to exploit overloaded defenses. — Anthony Slater

2. Detroit Pistons

• 2025-26 record: 34-11

• Previous ranking: 2

• Next games: @ PHX (Jan. 29), @ GS (Jan. 30), vs. BKN (Feb. 1), vs. DEN (Feb. 3)

With a $14 million trade exception that must be utilized or lost by summer looming over the front office, the Pistons may consider a move to enhance their secondary scoring and low-volume three-point shooting ahead of the trade deadline. On a positive note, Cade Cunningham, who is dealing with a right wrist injury sustained on Jan. 4, had a breakout game on Sunday, scoring 29 points against the Kings and shooting 13 for 22 in 30 minutes after struggling with 38% shooting from the field and only 69% from the free-throw line since his injury. — Vincent Goodwill

3. Houston Rockets

• 2025-26 record: 28-16

• Previous ranking: 7

• Next games: vs. SA (Jan. 28), @ ATL (Jan. 29), vs. DAL (Jan. 31), @ IND (Feb. 2)

The Rockets continue to depend on significant minutes from star forward Kevin Durant, who asserts he is capable of handling the workload. Durant achieved his third consecutive 30-point game for the first time this season on Monday in a victory over Memphis. While Houston has lost center Steven Adams (left ankle) indefinitely, they have received reinforcements in Tari Eason and Dorian Finney-Smith, who are still regaining form after injuries. When fully healthy, both players enhance the defense and contribute solid outside shooting. Houston has only lost three games at home this season and will play six of their next ten games leading into the break at Toyota Center. — Michael C. Wright

4. Denver Nuggets

• 2025-26 record: 31-16

• Previous ranking: 4

• Next games: vs. BKN (Jan. 29), vs. LAC (Jan. 30), vs. OKC (Feb. 1), @ DET (Feb. 3)

Guard Jamal Murray has been a consistent performer while Denver has navigated injuries to the rest of its starting lineup. Heading into Tuesday’s game against the Pistons, Murray, who is likely to earn his first All-Star selection, has averaged 28.2 points and 8.4 assists with shooting splits of .500/.429/.906 since three-time MVP Nikola Jokic was sidelined with a knee injury. Murray’s season averages of 26.0 points and 7.3 assists represent career highs, as do his field goal percentage (.490) and three-point percentage (.448). — Tim MacMahon

5. San Antonio Spurs

• 2025-26 record: 31-15

• Previous ranking: 3

• Next games: @ HOU (Jan. 28), @ CHA (Jan. 31), vs. ORL (Feb. 1)

A four-game home winning streak came to an end on Sunday against the Pelicans, with Victor Wembanyama recording his sixth game this season with at least 15 points and 15 rebounds (his first such performance since Nov. 12). The silver lining of the loss was that it marked the first time in nearly a month that San Antonio played with a fully healthy roster. Wembanyama noted earlier this month that the Spurs have a tendency to play down to their competition — a challenge that remains. Now that the Spurs are back to full health, they have an opportunity to make progress before the All-Star break. — Wright

6. Boston Celtics

• 2025-26 record: 29-17

• Previous ranking: 5

• Next games: vs. ATL (Jan. 28), vs. SAC (Jan. 30), vs. MIL (Feb. 1), @ DAL (Feb. 3)

Boston has secured five victories in seven games after defeating Portland at home on Monday night and remains in second place in the East. Notably, despite losing several players to trades and free agency and being without Jayson Tatum this season, the Celtics rank third in the NBA in net rating, trailing only the league-leading Thunder and East-leading Pistons. — Tim Bontemps

7. New York Knicks

• 2025-26 record: 28-18

• Previous ranking: 8

• Next games: @ TOR (Jan. 28), vs. POR (Jan. 30), vs. LAL (Feb. 1), @ WAS (Feb. 3)

It is difficult to assert that the Knicks have returned, especially considering that one of their two victories following a four-game losing streak entering Tuesday night came against the struggling crosstown Nets. However, their narrow win on the road against the 76ers should be sufficient to prevent a full-blown panic a week before the trade deadline. Reserve guard Landry Shamet has been on fire since returning from a right shoulder sprain, shooting 43.5% from three-point range. Nonetheless, Karl-Anthony Towns’ disappointing January continues and could raise concerns. If his 16.6 PPG this month persists, it would mark his lowest monthly average since November 2017. — Goodwill

8. Toronto Raptors

• 2025-26 record: 29-19

• Previous ranking: 13

• Next games: vs. NYK (Jan. 28), @ ORL (Jan. 30), vs. UTAH (Feb. 1)

Toronto’s initial significant Western Conference road trip of the season could hardly have gone better. The Raptors lost their first game of the trip against the Lakers but bounced back with four straight victories over the Warriors, Kings, Trail Blazers, and defending champion Thunder. This winning streak propelled the Raptors into a tie for third place in the Eastern Conference standings, and in their first game back at home, they will face the Knicks — the other team tied for third in the East — in a crucial matchup on Wednesday. — Zach Kram

9. Los Angeles Lakers

• 2025-26 record: 28-17

• Previous ranking: 10

• Next games: @ CLE (Jan. 28), @ WAS (Jan. 30), @ NYK (Feb. 1), @ BKN (Feb. 3)

During the Lakers’ 4-1 stretch, Rui Hachimura has recorded 10 or more field goal attempts in five consecutive games — his longest such streak of the season. This consistency in Hachimura’s offensive role has coincided with him coming off the bench, where coach JJ Redick has empowered him to be the primary option with the second unit. Hachimura mentioned that his touches have also increased after Redick held a team meeting to encourage Luka Doncic and LeBron James to pass more. — Dave McMenamin

10. Minnesota Timberwolves

• 2025-26 record: 28-19

• Previous ranking: 6

• Next games: @ DAL (Jan. 28), vs. OKC (Jan. 29), @ MEM (Jan. 31), @ MEM (Feb. 2)

While Minnesota secured a victory over Golden State on Monday when the Warriors rested several key players, the five consecutive losses prior to that raised concerns for the Wolves. Overall, Minnesota holds an 11-14 record against teams with winning records — a troubling indicator for a team that aspires to reach the Western Conference finals for a third consecutive year and advance further. — Bontemps

11. Cleveland Cavaliers

• 2025-26 record: 28-20

• Previous ranking: 12

• Next games: vs. LAL (Jan. 28), @ PHX (Jan. 30), @ POR (Feb. 1)

The Cavaliers are beginning to find their rhythm. They have won four consecutive games and seven of their last nine leading into Wednesday’s home matchup against the Lakers, primarily due to an increase in their offensive output. The Cavaliers have posted an offensive rating of 117.6 during this stretch, the fifth-best in the league, looking much more like the offensive powerhouse that led the East last season. Cleveland’s recent surge has propelled them to fifth in the standings, positioning them to potentially secure home-court advantage in a first-round playoff series with a strong second half. — Jamal Collier

12. Golden State Warriors

• 2025-26 record: 26-22

• Previous ranking: 11

• Next games: @ UTAH (Jan. 28), vs. DET (Jan. 30), vs. PHI (Feb. 3)

On Saturday, after their game in Minneapolis was postponed, Stephen Curry mentioned he was “glued to the TV” watching local coverage. However, at some point, Curry stepped away from the news and went to the arena for a workout. During this session, he felt an issue in his right knee. He warmed up and played through it on Sunday, scoring 26 points in 28 minutes. However, he sat out Monday due to what the team described as inflammation in his patella. This is an issue he has managed in the past without significant time missed, but it is something the team will monitor closely in the coming weeks. — Slater

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