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NBA power rankings: Where do Lakers go with Luka Dončić injury?
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- NBA power rankings: Where do Lakers go with Luka Dončić injury?
We're coming down to the final stretch of the NBA regular season, and multiple races are tightening up.
Not only are the discussions for NBA Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year intensifying, teams are closing their seasons with playoff seeding top of mind.
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And the tightest cluster is in the middle of the Eastern Conference, where the race for the automatic playoff bid of the No. 6 seed will go down to the wire. Six different teams — the Hawks , 76ers , Raptors , Hornets , Magic and Heat — each have pathways to end up there.
Here are USA TODAY Sports ' NBA power rankings after Week 22 of the 2025-26 regular season:
USA TODAY Sports NBA power rankings
Note: Records and stats through April 5. Parentheses show movement from last week's rankings .
NBA Week 23 power rankings: Top 10
1. Oklahoma City Thunder , 62-16 (+1)
2. San Antonio Spurs , 59-19 (-1)
3. Detroit Pistons , 57-21 (—)
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4. Boston Celtics , 53-25 (—)
5. Denver Nuggets , 50-28 (+1)
6. New York Knicks , 50-28 (+1)
7. Cleveland Cavaliers , 49-29 (+1)
8. Los Angeles Lakers , 50-28 (-3)
9. Houston Rockets , 49-29 (+1)
10. Minnesota Timberwolves , 46-32 (—)
The big story here is the Los Angeles Lakers and their miserable week. Not only did they lose star Luka Dončić indefinitely to a hamstring injury, but Austin Reaves is also set to miss the remainder of the regular season with an oblique strain. Without those two, the Lakers suddenly become a very middling team and their prospects of a run in the postseason are compromised significantly.
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This opens the door for the Denver Nuggets , who are tied with the Lakers with a 50-28 record, to take over the No. 3 seed in the West. Denver has won eight consecutive games, including a thrilling overtime win Sunday, April 5 over the Spurs.
And don't sleep on the Rockets, who have won six consecutive games and have an outstanding +18.0 net rating over that span.
NBA Week 23 power rankings: Nos. 11-20
11. Atlanta Hawks , 45-33 (—)
12. Phoenix Suns , 43-35 (+1)
13. Toronto Raptors , 43-35 (-1)
14. Philadelphia 76ers , 43-35 (+1)
15. Charlotte Hornets , 43-36 (+3)
16. Orlando Magic , 42-36 (—)
17. Los Angeles Clippers , 40-38 (-3)
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18. Miami Heat , 41-37 (-1)
19. Portland Trail Blazers , 40-38 (—)
20. Golden State Warriors , 36-42 (—)
The Hawks continue to be the hottest team in the East, but the story in this group is the absolute logjam in the middle of the conference. Just 2 games separate the No. 6 team, the Sixers, and the No. 10 team, the Heat.
All of this is making the race for that six-seed rather compelling down the stretch. The Hornets, winners of four consecutive games and owners of the NBA's best offensive rating (123.0) since the All-Star break, are in position to potentially sneak into that spot.
Otherwise, most of the teams in that group — the Raptors (4-6), Magic (4-6) and Heat (3-7) — have stumbled somewhat in their last 10 games.
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NBA Week 23 power rankings: Nos. 21-30
21. Milwaukee Bucks , 31-47 (—)
22. Chicago Bulls , 29-49 (—)
23. Dallas Mavericks , 25-53 (+1)
24. Memphis Grizzlies , 25-53 (-1)
25. New Orleans Pelicans , 25-54 (—)
26. Sacramento Kings , 21-58 (+1)
27. Utah Jazz , 21-58 (-1)
28. Brooklyn Nets , 19-59 (—)
29. Indiana Pacers , 18-60 (+1)
30. Washington Wizards , 17-61 (-1)
The most exciting element for the teams in this group is the play of the young emerging stars. None is brighter than Cooper Flagg , who became the youngest player in NBA history (and first teenager) to drop 50 points in a game. Flagg followed that up with a 45-point, 9-assist, 8-rebound masterpiece to claw back into the Rookie of the Year race and became the youngest player in history to record 45 or more points in consecutive games.
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But, with a handful of games left to play, practically all these teams are more focused on draft plans and summer vacations.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA power rankings: Lakers lose Luka and spiral ahead of playoffs
