The Golden State Warriors extended their lead on the San Antonio Spurs back to 2.5 games atop the Western Conference this week. The Warriors got back on track with an extended win streak and they got some good news off the court as well. Meanwhile, things got even more interesting in the Eastern Conference where the Boston Celtics closed the gap to just one game back of the Cleveland Cavaliers at the top of the standings. Here is a look at the NBA top five power rankings for this week.
1. Golden State Warriors (58-14)
Last Week: 1
NBA Championship Odds: -120
The Warriors received good news on a couple of fronts this week. First, they extended their win streak to six in a row, including five straight double-digit wins. Second, Golden State confirmed that Kevin Durant could return before the playoffs. Two-time reigning MVP Stephen Curry has averaged 24.0 points, 8.0 assists and 4.6 three-point shots per game over his last five contests. Meanwhile, Draymond Green just stepped up with a 23-point night against the Sacramento Kings and it’s clear he has the potential to produce offensively with Durant out. Golden State is back to 2.5 games up on San Antonio for top spot in the NBA standings. As long as they can hold on without Durant they should remain at the top of this list.
2. San Antonio Spurs (55-16)
Last Week: 2
NBA Championship Odds: +550
San Antonio also got some excellent injury news when LaMarcus Aldridge and Tony Parker were both cleared to return this week. However, the Spurs dropped back-to-back games to Portland and Memphis to fall further back of the Warriors at the top of the standings with just 11 games remaining. San Antonio will have a tough time closing the gap on Golden State, especially considering their tough schedule. The Spurs will host the Cavaliers, Warriors and Utah Jazz while visiting the Oklahoma City Thunder next week. This might be San Antonio’s last chance to close the gap on Golden State so all eyes will be on Kawhi Leonard and company this week.
3. Houston Rockets (50-22)
Last Week: 3
NBA Championship Odds: +1700
The Rockets dropped a 128-112 loss to the Pelicans but bounced back with three straight wins over including a victory over New Orleans on Friday night. James Harden led the way with 38 points and 17 assists against the Pelicans as he continued to make his case for MVP. Harden has averaged 29.5 points, 11.3 assists and 8.0 rebounds per game this season. However, he has really picked up his production over the last five games by averaging 35.2 points, 12.4 assists, 10.0 rebounds and 2.4 steals over that span. Houston won’t close the gap on the Warriors and Spurs but they clearly can’t be overlooked as the third-best team in the Western Conference.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers (47-24)
Last Week: 4
NBA Championship Odds: +250
Crazy stat of the week: The Brooklyn Nets and Orlando Magic own a better combined record in games versus Cleveland than in road games against Western Conference opponents. The Cavaliers are a combined 9-3 against the Nets and Magic, but they should probably be 12-0 against them. The reality is that Cleveland has been on cruise control in the Eastern Conference for the most part this season. However, with their lead at the top of the standings down to a single game up on the Celtics they could ramp up the urgency down the final stretch. The Cavaliers play Boston once more on the road on April 5th.
5. Boston Celtics (47-26)
Last Week: 5
NBA Championship Odds: +1700
The Celtics will look to leapfrog Cleveland and clinch home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference down the final stretch. Boston will need to take down the Cavaliers in their head-to-head matchup but beyond that they have a fairly favorable schedule. The Celtics will play six of their final nine games at home with four games against teams currently outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Isaiah Thomas has made his MVP case by averaging 29.1 points, 6.0 assists and 3.2 three-point shots per game this season. Thomas has received just enough support to consider Boston a legitimate contender in the East with Avery Bradley, Al Horford and Jae Crowder stepping up. The Celtics can really help their playoff chances against the Cavaliers by clinching first place and home court advantage for the playoffs.
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