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NBA power rankings for March 29, 2016
Despite season-long controversies, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are on the verge of clinching the top seed in the Eastern Conference again. Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

This week's NBA power rankings

The past week in NBA action has seen the Warriors continue their historic march toward the NBA regular-season wins record, along with the 76ers keeping up their pace of near-historic (and potentially record-tying) futility. In addition, the Bulls have collapsed as Russell Westbrook has displayed MVP-worthy performances.

With all that in mind, here are this week's NBA power rankings.

30. Philadelphia 76ers

Philadelphia is now on pace to tie its own NBA record for losses in a season (72), a fact made possible by a current nine-game losing streak. It's the team's fourth losing streak of nine-plus games on the season.

If you want to dig deep for positives, check out Ish Smith's performance since being acquired from New Orleans. In 42 games with Philadelphia, Smith is averaging 14.9 points and 7.1 assists.

29. Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers' 48-point loss to Utah on Monday represents a low point for the organization since it moved from Minneapolis back in 1960. That performance matched the team's worst loss in history and now has it on pace to lose 65 games — a number that would best its previous high-water mark of 61, set a season ago. How bad was it? Kobe Bryant shot 1-for-11 from the field and finished with a staggering plus-minus of negative 43 in 28 minutes. Still not sure how that happens.

28. Phoenix Suns

After showing a bit of life under Earl Watson earlier in March, the Suns are back to being the Western Conference's punching bag. They dropped winnable games against Sacramento and Minnesota over the past week, two games that saw the team yield an average of 118.5 points.

Against the Wolves on Monday, Phoenix scored 61 first-half points and still found a way to be trailing at the half. The only real positive here continues to be the play of Devin Booker, who is averaging 22.1 points in the month of March.

27. Brooklyn Nets

A jump in the rankings this late in the season for a 21-win team must mean it did something right. That's exactly the case with Brooklyn after it put up solid wins against Cleveland and Indiana over the past week. Those two games saw Brook Lopez average 22.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per. The victory against Cleveland also represented the Nets' first win against an above .500 team in two months.

26. New Orleans Pelicans

A potential rift between general manager and head coach. The team's star player lost for the season (and potentially longer) due to a knee injury. This year has been an unmitigated disaster for a Pelicans squad that once had playoff aspirations. There is not a single thing we can point to as being a positive here. Even the stellar recent play of Ryan Anderson (19.7 points, 7.0 rebounds past 10 games) is somewhat muted by the fact that he's set to become a free agent.

Now on pace to lose 52 games, the Pelicans can only hope they don't trip over themselves on the way out.

25. New York Knicks

I drop the Knicks down a spot here for one simple reason. They lost to the aforementioned Pelicans despite everything working against Alvin Gentry's squad. This tells us a story of a team that has mailed it in for the season.

Back-to-back wins over Chicago do very little to change this. How do you lose to New Orleans after putting up two solid performances against a playoff contender? More than this, veterans Jose Calderon and Sasha Vujacic started in the backcourt, playing a combined 48 minutes. Meanwhile, rookie first-round pick Jerian Grant saw 10 minutes of action. Good job, Kurt Rambis.

24. Sacramento Kings

The Kings' front office may want George Karl to resign, but he's sure giving Sacramento a reason to fire him outright. The team rested Rajon Rondo, Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins in Monday's 12-point loss to Portland. None of the three players had an injury to speak off. Talk about tanking at the exact, precise moment when your team had put up only its second winning streak since mid-January. As with Rambis above, we have no idea what Karl is thinking here.

23. Minnesota Timberwolves

Unlike a vast majority of the teams below it in the rankings, Minnesota continues to play inspired basketball. Following Monday's win over Phoenix, the Wolves have won three of their past four games. In those three wins, the team is averaging 122 points per game. That right there is a representation of just how talented this young squad is.

Your weekly Karl-Anthony Towns watch has the rookie averaging 23.6 points and 10.6 rebounds over the past five games.

22. Milwaukee Bucks

Now officially eliminated from playoff contention, Milwaukee has been a hot mess recently. It's lost five consecutive games. All five have come against teams that are currently .500 or better on the season.

This is the latest representation of Jason Kidd's squad simply not being prepared to compete with above-average teams on a consistent basis. That's a major disappointment considering Milwaukee entered the season with playoff aspirations.

21. Denver Nuggets

Wins over the Lakers and Sixers in the past week won't necessarily save the Nuggets' season. They do, however, point to a team that's still playing inspired basketball under first-year head coach Michael Malone. In fact, the Nuggets have posted a winning record in the month of March. More good news. This very same stretch of games has seen rookie Emmanuel Mudiay put up 15.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.

20. Orlando Magic

A season that started with postseason aspirations will now end with Orlando missing out on playoff basketball for the fourth consecutive season. A 22-point win over Chicago during the weekend snapped a six-game losing streak, but it did very little to quiet rumors that the team simply needs to burn it down and start all over. The only two potential building blocks here are Victor Oladipo and Nikola Vucevic. While Vucevic still remains sidelined, Oladipo is proving his worth. He's averaging 21.4 points while shooting 52 percent from the field this month.

19. Dallas Mavericks

Head coach Rick Carlisle has done a good job giving this veteran-laden roster the necessary rest to make a run down the stretch. Now tied for the eighth seed, that can all be thrown out the window. In short, Dallas simply can't afford to take it easy after losing seven of its past 10 games.

Resting three players against Golden State over the weekend was fine and dandy. Take a loss in Oakland. Following that up with a 22-point defeat at the hands of the Kings is unacceptable. With games coming up against New York, Detroit and Minnesota before a huge home game against Houston, it's time for the Mavs to make that playoff push.

18. Chicago Bulls

It's getting really bad for first-year head coach Fred Hoiberg and Co. Losers of four consecutive following Monday's two-point defeat at the hands of Atlanta, the Bulls find themselves under .500 and 2.5 games out of the final playoff spot back east.

The biggest recent issue has been Jimmy Butler's lackluster play. He averaged just 13 points while shooting just 39 percent from the field in consecutive losses to the lowly Knicks last week. Overall, the All-Star is averaging just 15.3 points this month.

17. Houston Rockets

Houston simply can't put together a solid stretch of games. It followed up a three-point win over Toronto by losing to Indiana by the very same margin on Sunday. All said, the Rockets have lost six of nine since starting the month of March with four wins in five games.

The biggest issue here is a lack of any type of scoring punch behind James Harden, who is averaging 29.0 points in March. In fact, the newly signed Michael Beasley is the team's second-leading scorer this month. This must change if the Rockets want to earn one of those final playoff spots out west.

16. Washington Wizards

Losses to Atlanta and Minnesota last week could have put an end to Washington's playoff aspirations. Now 2.5 games out of the final seed back east, the Wizards are in the midst of a five-game West Coast road trip that will see them take on the Warriors and Clippers over the next week. Any sort of struggles here, and it's game, set, match for this disappointing squad.

More than anything, the team needs injury-plagued guard Bradley Beal to step up next to John Wall in the backcourt. The shooting guard has failed to put up more than 10 points in three of his past five games.

15. Utah Jazz

With eight wins in the past 10 games, the Jazz is currently in position to earn a playoff spot heading into the stretch run — a set of eight games that will see the team tested against Golden State, San Antonio and the Clippers. If this team continues to play at the level we have seen recently, it will be just fine.

14. Portland Trail Blazers

Despite boasting a losing record in March, Portland still remains in possession of a top six seed out west. That's going to be extremely important for the team to maintain, as it would enable the Blazers to avoid Golden State and San Antonio in Round 1.

Each of Portland's past three losses have come by single digits to good basketball teams. A current two-game winning streak against Philadelphia and Sacramento also tells us a story of a team prepared to take care of business against inferior competition. The biggest key here will be treading water against Boston, Miami and Golden State over the next three games. After that, three of the team's final four games are against squads that are currently under .500.

13. Memphis Grizzlies

Injuries are finally starting to catch up to Memphis. Still in possession of the fifth seed out west, Dave Joerger's squad has dropped three consecutive and seven of 10, including bad losses to the Lakers, Bucks and Wolves during that span. Still without Mike Conley (potentially back before the playoffs) and Marc Gasol (out for the season), Memphis is going to have to reach really deep in order to avoid being caught by Portland down the stretch.

Unfortunately, a remaining schedule that includes games against Toronto, Golden State (two) and the Clippers might make this hard to do.

12. Detroit Pistons

Despite a 17-point loss to Atlanta over the weekend, the Pistons are firmly entrenched into a playoff spot back east. The only real remaining question here is whether they will be able to avoid Cleveland in Round 1.

A five-game winning streak prior to their most recent loss helps, but games coming up against Oklahoma City and Dallas will test this squad. Fortunately for Detroit, the recent play of the big three, Andre Drummond, Reggie Jackson and Tobias Harris, has the team in a good spot. The trio is averaging a combined 47.8 points, 23.0 rebounds and 10.0 assists this month.

11. Indiana Pacers

Some will point to a recent stretch of good play as a reason why Indiana is turning it around. While this might very well be the case, it's important to note the Pacers' past three wins have come against Houston, New Orleans and Philadelphia. They also dropped a 10-point affair to the lowly Nets during this span.

With their next four coming against losing teams, it's going to be important for the Pacers to play well over the next week in order to hold on to one of the final two playoff spots back east.

10. Boston Celtics

The farthest drop down the rankings from a week ago, Boston's 24-point loss to the Clippers on Monday is alarming with the team heading to Portland and Oakland this week. And that right there is the primary issues. Despite a win over Toronto this past week, Boston has lost five of its seven games against winning teams in March.

If it wants to be taken seriously as a conference title contender, this simply must change moving forward. That opportunity will present itself on the West Coast this week.

9. Atlanta Hawks

An argument could be made that Atlanta is playing its best basketball since the team won 60 games a season ago. In the midst of a 14-game stretch that has seen them win 12 games, the Hawks are currently the third seed back east. More than anything, the improvement from Jeff Teague has been huge here. He's averaging 17.6 points and 7.0 assists over the past five games.

With games coming up against Toronto and Cleveland this week, the Hawks can cement their status as a true conference title contender heading into the playoffs. Equally as important, wins there would help the team maintain its status as a top three seed.

8. Charlotte Hornets

With a 19-6 record since the start of February, the Hornets have become an extremely dangerous team back east. Now just two games out of a top three seed with back-to-back outings coming up against Philadelphia, this team can continue to make hay. That's also going to need to happen with games then coming up on the road in Cleveland and Toronto.

More than anything, this is going to be reliant on Kemba Walker improving over his recent play. He's averaging just 16.4 points while shooting 36 percent from the field over the past five games. This is coming off a 10-game stretch that saw him average 26.2 points.

7. Miami Heat

No one is going to blame Miami for getting blown out on the road in San Antonio. What team outside of Golden State hasn't? Responding to that loss with two consecutive wins against inferior competition is much bigger in the grand scheme of things.

Now just one game out of a top three seed back east, the biggest key moving forward will be to continue taking care of business against less-than-stellar competition. Games coming up against the Lakers and Kings this week are just continuations of that. With a 10-4 record in March, the Heat is still playing darn good basketball. In this, its can't afford to let down moving forward. After all, three through six back east are about as tight as it gets.

6. Los Angeles Clippers

Blake Griffin is back. He's set to return from suspension Sunday against the Wizards, which is going to be an absolute boon for a Clippers team that's pretty much locked in to the fourth seed out west. Due to a combination of said suspension and two different injuries, Griffin has not suited up since Christmas.

Without much more to play for down the stretch, Doc Rivers and Co. will have an opportunity to see how Griffin will work into the rotation with the team's current cast of characters. More than anything else, that's going to be absolutely huge for Los Angeles.

5. Toronto Raptors

Toronto has pretty much ceded the top seed in the Eastern Conference with relatively weak overall play recently. Losers of three of its past four games, including a defeat at the hands of the pedestrian Rockets, it's now time to wrap up that No. 2 seed and get prepared for the playoffs.

With their next six games against likely playoff teams, the Raptors are surely going to be tested. How they respond here will tell us a lot about where this team stands heading into the postseason.

4. Cleveland Cavaliers

The good news first. Cleveland is on the verge of wrapping up the top seed back east for the second consecutive season. It's three games ahead of Toronto with nine remaining. It also has a relatively easy schedule coming up against Houston and Brooklyn this week.

The bad news? A recent nine-point loss to the aforementioned Nets tells us a story of a team that has struggled getting up for certain games. In short, the Cavaliers have to stop relying on reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week LeBron James so much. We have seen this story repeated over and over again. It rarely ends in long-term success.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder

Winners of eight consecutive games, the Thunder appears to be prepared to head into the playoffs on a high note. And considering five of those nine wins came against teams that are currently over .500, it's a sign that Oklahoma City is playing great ball against good competition — yet another representation of a team hitting its stride at the exact right moment.

Proving that triple-doubles are more a routine than anything else, Russell Westbrook has put up seven such performances this month. In fact, the All-Star is averaging 21.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and 10.9 assists in March.

2. San Antonio Spurs

Nothing really to see here. Gregg Popovich and Co. will head into the playoffs as the second seed in the Western Conference. They will do so with a rested squad and a prime opportunity to knock off the defending champions.

Continuing to show why he's the maestro, Pop is making sure his roster is rested by sitting multiple players on a consistent basis, even if it means conceding the top seed to Golden State. What's going to be interesting between now and the playoffs is seeing whether San Antonio even bothers going full strength in its two remaining games against the Warriors.

1. Golden State Warriors 

It's pretty clear what is going on in Oakland. With a 7-2 record to close out the regular season, Golden State will post the best regular-season record in Association history. If the Warriors are also able to win their remaining six home games, they will finish with a perfect 41-0 record at Oracle. Now pretty much licked into the top seed out west, it's going to be all about securing these records while giving the team's top players some rest, a happy medium head coach Steve Kerry must find.

Among those who might not need to be rested, Splash Bro in crime Klay Thompson is averaging 37.3 points while shooting 58 percent from three-point range over the past three games. Talk about hitting your stride at the perfect time.

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