After splitting their first two games, the Suns dropped back-to-back overtime games to Denver, going one extra period on Friday and two on Saturday. Watch », A combination of the schedule, Al Horford missing time because of a personal issue (a newborn baby) and the team just not being as good as its early record suggested has the Thunder returning to reality. 2020-21 record: 7-9 They are the only pair of teammates to both rank among the NBA's top 10 scorers at this early stage, with Doncic averaging 29.3 points and Porzingis putting up 26.3. Week 1 ranking: 12, The Pacers went winless during the first week of the season as they have tried to acclimate three new starters around their foundation of Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner, who are averaging a combined 39.5 points and 19 rebounds. Previous ranking: 13, Good luck predicting who is going to lead the Spurs in scoring on a given night. 2 overall pick of the 2016 draft. But a blowout of the defenseless Warriors showed signs of what the Thunder are trying to move toward without a high-usage, ball-dominant player -- more passing, more cutting, more moving. Coach Steve Nash is exploring some rotational adjustments to maximizing the three stars, but there will be nights like Saturday against the Heat, when Durant and Irving went off and James Harden scored only 12 points on eight shots. Record: 2-0 -- Young, 27. Toronto Raptors -- Spears, 18. 2020-21 record: 6-9 ), Silas: Tucker not expected to return to Rockets, 'Vintage' Kyrie scores 40, embraces C's after win, Kerr benches Wiseman: Missing tests 'hurt us', Van Gundy blasts Pels after 'embarrassing' loss, Fresh LeBron locked in on 2nd half: 'It's go time', Heat's Leonard fined $50K, suspended for week, LeVert 'getting closer,' could return on road trip, 2021 NBA trade deadline: Latest buzz, news and reports, 'I'm not going to be perfect': The lessons Tom Thibodeau took to New York, Who's in, who's out for NBA players at the Tokyo Olympics, Why Kristaps Porzingis is key to Mavs' second-half hopes, All 16 Nike NBA Earned Edition jerseys revealed, Basketball Hall of Fame: Everything you need to know about the Class of 2020 and 2021, NBA Power Rankings: The questions, stars and matchups that matter in the second half. Houston Rockets Players Players; Injuries Injuries; PickCenter PickCenter; Remembering Kobe Remembering Kobe; NBA Finals NBA Finals; Tickets Tickets; World of Woj World of Woj; Power Rankings Power Rankings; Transactions Transactions; Salaries Salaries; NBA History NBA History; Coaches Coaches; NBA.COM tickets NBA… ESPN -NBA, NBA Power Rankings. Xavier Tillman, the No. Christian Wood. Record: 1-1 -- Friedell, 16. 1 pick Anthony Edwards: 45 total points on 22.8% shooting. Teammate Rudy Gobert was fined $20,000. New point guard Malcolm Brogdon was the star of the first week while averaging a strong double-double of 26 points and 10.5 assists. Facebook; Twitter; Facebook Messenger; Pinterest; Email; print; Utah Jazz executive vice president of basketball operations Dennis Lindsey on Wednesday denied allegations of making bigoted comments during an exit interview for former player Elijah Millsap in 2015.. (1:55). 16. Phoenix Suns It was almost identical to Murray's other triple-double, which came the day after Christmas (11 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) in a win over Toronto. Milwaukee Bucks But a big test comes early this week for Young and the undefeated Hawks: Philadelphia comes to town Monday night. Week 1 ranking: 25, The Wizards started the season banged up and cobbled together a second unit of Who He Play For All-Stars, but they play hard and they play together -- basically the opposite of last season's team. 2020-21 record: 10-6 Damian Lillard has dropped 35-plus points in three straight games, with a 40-point, 13-assist game a couple before that. Nigeria Power Rankings: Onuachu's scoring boots catch fire for Genk Nchout started the subsequent 3-0 league win over Sevilla and came off the bench in a 3-0 defeat to Levante, which saw the losing cup finalists claim revenge. Record: 1-1 VA: Value Added - the estimated number of points a player adds to a team’s season total above what a 'replacement player' (for instance, the 12th man on the roster) would produce. 2020-21 record: 6-9 -- Young, 13. PER: Player Efficiency Rating is the overall rating of a player's per-minute statistical production. New York Knicks -- Woodyard, 11. 2020-21 record: 6-9 The 2020-21 NBA season may have already started, but you can create or join an ESPN Fantasy Basketball league at any time and start your season from when you draft your team. Morant scored 17 of his 30 points during the fourth quarter, when the Grizzlies came back from an eight-point deficit. Utah Jazz Previous ranking: 3, In a tough week, the Bucks dropped games against the Nets and Lakers, but Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer says Milwaukee is continuing to find its rhythm as back-to-back reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is trying to hit his stride. Previous ranking: 19, Things didn't look good for the Raptors when they started the season 1-6, but now they've won five of their past six games -- including a great win at Indiana on Sunday without All-Stars Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam. -- Youngmisuk, 3. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson for six to eight weeks. -- Woodyard, Clippers or Jazz: Who are the Lakers' biggest rivals in the West? -- Young, 2. -- Marks. With Karl-Anthony Towns missing so much time already, the Wolves' promising start was derailed and they are back to thinking about development. 2020-21 record: 10-8 Murray, 23, who missed all of last season because of a knee injury, has already proven himself as one of the NBA's premier defensive point guards. That group started the week with a net rating of plus-8.5. Previous ranking: 29, After a nearly two-week pause following a COVID-19 outbreak, the Wizards finally returned to the court Sunday with six players out because of the league's health and safety protocols and two more sidelined by injury. Breaking down stats and film from around the NBA, including Luka Doncic's catch-and-shoot numbers and the Pelicans' perimeter defense. Still, coach Tom Thibodeau has this team playing hard, and New York currently sits fifth in the league in defensive rating -- though that number is inflated by opponents having the worst 3-point shooting percentage in the league by a full point. That is not the case, as veterans Julius Randle, Elfrid Payton, Bobby Portis and Marcus Morris Sr. played a combined 20 minutes when New York was outscored 36-19 in the fourth quarter. -- Young, 21. While issuing a series of posts Wednesday on Twitter about how bigotry "is still very well present" and is a problem that needs … R. Hollis-Jefferson. He also blocked Irving's shot at the buzzer to send the game into OT. PRL (Position Replacement Level) = 11.5 for power … -- Snellings, 24. Orlando Magic -- Bontemps, 17. Philadelphia 76ers -- Lopez, 14. Dallas Mavericks 2020-21 record: 8-8 And to follow it up with a demolition of the Warriors, the Clippers were sending messages in bold. Charlotte Hornets Backup point guard Tyus Jones has 31 assists and only six turnovers during the streak, filling in quite capably while Ja Morant recovered from a sprained ankle before returning for the past two games. Brooklyn Nets Though if Zach Collins misses extended time because of a dislocated left shoulder, it'll be an early test for this Blazers' front line. A convincing bounce-back over the shaky Kings and a clutch time win over the Mavs, however, is the kind of thing the Blazers do. Washington Wizards -- Young, 29. Brooklyn Nets The lone bright spot? 2 overall pick Ja Morant, who displayed a phenomenal blend of athleticism and competitiveness in a duel with perennial All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving. -- Spears, 17. Week 1 ranking: 2, The Bucks produced the best record and scoring margin in the NBA last season, and they entered this season as the favorite in the Eastern Conference. 2020-21 record: 13-4 Record: 2-0 Portland Trail Blazers The 24-year-old Murray also is coming off his second career triple-double on Sunday (11 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists). Incidentally, our top two held on to their positions from January, which is saying a lot for them, and NPFL top scorer Sadeeq Yusuf climbs into the top three with a record-setting performance. Record: 3-0 Check out which other teams are cruising into Week 6, and which teams are sliding. 2020-21 record: 7-9 The four each logged over 20 minutes in the first two games. -- MacMahon, 10. ... ESPN 2020-2021 Player Rankings: 97. 2020-21 record: 5-10 Week 1 ranking: 14, Beating Memphis on opening night with a dominant fourth quarter? 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft -- has been suspended 25 games for a violation of the NBA's anti-drug policy after testing positive for a banned diuretic. Record: 2-1 Sacramento Kings 2020-21 record: 9-7 And with it, Rui Hachimura has the look of an intriguing rookie who might be even better than the already optimistic expectations. Despite a 107-102 loss to Toronto, Sabonis put up 10 points, 19 rebounds and 5 assists. Previous ranking: 20, Memphis' momentum from a five-game winning streak was halted when the NBA opted to park the Grizzlies because of health and safety protocols. For starters, we've kept the Blazers at No. -- MacMahon, 8. He responded with a season-high 37 points on 14-of-21 shooting in his next game, a 101-90 win over the Bulls on Saturday. After the three losses, it's down to a minus-5.2. 10h Bobby Marks. -- Lopez, 10. -- Youngmisuk, 9. Record: 2-1 -- MacMahon, 13. Utah Jazz The Bulls' 90 points in that game were their fewest all season. NBA Power Rankings: Jazz, Nets, Suns ahead of Lakers, Clippers, 76ers after first half of unique season We break away from our normal weekly rankings to look back at the first half as a whole Atlanta Hawks (GF, MIN) #56. -- Marks, 29. Very notable. -- Spears. It's clear playing Porzingis at center provides him the space to maximize his offensive potential, but the Mavs are still at their best defensively when they play big. Kawhi Leonard is getting stronger with each game, averaging 32.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals in the past three wins. Record: 0-3 ET, ESPN2) that aims to better serve the millions of sports fans who participate in sports wagering and help educate general sports fans with in-depth analysis. This week: GSW, @BOS, @NYK. Golden State Warriors The NBA is back! We're just one week into the regular season, and we've already seen some historic debuts, an overtime buzzer-beater, plenty of coach's challenges ... and, of course, the unraveling of the Golden State dynasty before our very eyes. 2020-21 record: 6-10 San Antonio Spurs Record: 1-2 Young averaged 38.5 points in 36.5 minutes over his first two contests, while shooting 70.7% from the field and 55% from 3-point range. LA Clippers The Cavaliers have six players in the last year of their contract. Record: 2-0 Washington Wizards Boston Celtics Record: 0-3 Previous ranking: 10. Get the latest NBA basketball news, scores, stats, standings, fantasy games, and more from ESPN. The Blazers lost to Utah, a pretty good team. The Wizards' star backcourt mates need all the time they can get playing together. Denver is now one of the West's hunted teams, but with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray already in form, they look ready to embrace it. PER: Player Efficiency Rating is the overall rating of a player's per-minute statistical production. Previous ranking: 17, Had it not been for rookie Cole Anthony's game winner over the Timberwolves on Wednesday, the Magic would be in the midst of a nine-game losing streak.