The Times’ NBA rankings
Barry Stavro ranks the 30 NBA teams. Last week’s ranking in parentheses, statistics are through Friday’s games:
1. MEMPHIS: Unbeaten at home, unbeaten against the West, and Marc Gasol looks like an MVP. (1)
2. GOLDEN STATE: Best shooting team in NBA, plus Curry and Thompson are dropping 46 a game. (4)
3. SAN ANTONIO: Tim Duncan is aging gracefully, with an average 14 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.1 blocks in 30 minutes. (2)
4. CLIPPERS: In a 10-game spurt, Chris Paul shot 58%, averaged 19.7 points and made 9.1 assists. (9)
5. DALLAS: Brandan Wright is deadly off the bench, shooting 73.7%. (5)
6. TORONTO: The Raptors are hoping All-Star DeMar DeRozan won’t be sidelined for long with groin injury. (3)
7. PORTLAND: The Trail Blazers have been feasting on weaker teams, but lost to Grizzlies, Clippers and Warriors. (6)
8. HOUSTON: Offense sputtering, averaging 89.4 points over last eight games. (8)
9. WASHINGTON: Work in progress, lost three out of first five after Bradley Beal’s return. (7)
10. CHICAGO: When Derrick Rose plays, the Bulls are tough; when he sits, it’s a different team. (10)
11. PHOENIX: Morris twins averaging combined 24.4 points, 9.9 boards and two blocks a game. (12)
12. ATLANTA: Parked at the arc: Kyle Korver hitting 54.8% of his three-pointers. (11)
13. MILWAUKEE: A surprise so far; kudos to Professor Jason Kidd and star pupil Jabari¿Parker. (17)
14. CLEVELAND: LeBron must be thinking: Miami started 9-8 my first season there. (13)
15. DENVER: Won six of seven with Ty Lawson averaging¿16.6 points, 12.3 assists. (19)
16. MIAMI: Dwyane Wade injury watch: missed 28 games last season, seven so far this season. (14)
17. SACRAMENTO: DeMarcus Cousins often looks like the game’s best center. (16)
18. NEW ORLEANS: Anthony Davis leads team in scoring, rebounds, steals and blocks. (15)
19. INDIANA: Pacers don’t pass much, last in NBA in assists at 18.5 a game. (21)
20. OKLAHOMA CITY: Russell Westbrook’s back, but team may need to win 65% of remaining games to make playoffs. (28)
21. BROOKLYN: Kevin Garnett at sunset: shooting 46.5%,¿7.5 points and 8.3 rebounds. (22)
22. ORLANDO: Nikola Vucevic (18.7 points, 11.9 rebounds) deserves an All-Star nod. (18)
23. UTAH: Average age of starters Favors, Hayward, Kanter, Burke and Burks: only 23. (20)
24. BOSTON: Competitive in most games until flaming out in the fourth quarter. (25)
26. LAKERS: Open-door policy on defense, allowing league-worst 111.4 points per game. (26)
25. MINNESOTA: Welcome to the NBA: No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins shooting 40.3%. (27)
27. CHARLOTTE: On a sad team, Al Jefferson is one of the few who keeps battling. (23)
28. NEW YORK: Knicks’ offense is lost in the Bermuda Triangle: averaging 94.2 per game. (29)
29. DETROIT: Stan Van Gundy never had a losing season as a coach — until now. (24)
30. PHILADELPHIA: Maybe Adam Silver will let them play some D-League teams. (30)
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