NBA Weste Power Rankings
NBA Western Conference Power Rankings
The L.A. Lakers continue to dominate the West as they have run their current win streak to 10 in a row taking their record on the year to 17-3.They now lead the Pacific division by three games over the Phoenix Suns who have lost two games in a row. The 15-7 Dallas Mavericks have a 2 ½ game lead over 12-9 Houston and a 3 ½ game lead over 10-9 San Antonio in the Southwest division. Despite losing their last two games, Denver still leads the Northwest division with a record of 16-7. They have a two game lead over 14-9 Portland, 2 ½ games on 13-9 Utah, and a 3 ½ game lead over 11-9 Oklahoma City. This is the only division in the NBA with four teams with a winning record. The Southwest is currently the hottest divisions in the West as the five teams combined have won nine straight games and everyone has a winning record in their last 10 games. Here is a brief look at my power rankings for the top three teams in the Western Conference.
Los Angeles Lakers (17-3) Current Odds to Win the Western Conference -140
The Lakers winning streak continued with a close 108-107 win last Friday night over the Heat. This game was won on what Kobe Bryant called “the luckiest shot “in his career as he drained a three pointer at the buzzer. On Sunday they had an easier time of it, beating the Suns 108-88. Six players scored in double figures led by Bryant’s 26. Their 10th win in a row came against the Jazz, beating them 101-77 in L.A. Bryant once again led the way with 27 points and Pau Gasol added 19 points and 12 rebounds in the winning effort. Through 20 games Bryant leads in scoring averaging 28.8 points per game, Gasol and Andrew Bynum are both averaging over nine rebounds a game, and Lamar Odom leads in assists with 4.3. Next up for the Lakers are the Timberwolves tonight at home, and then the Jazz on Saturday, the Bulls on Tuesday, and the Bucks on Wednesday, December 16th on the road.
Dallas Mavericks (15-7) Current Odds to Win the Western Conference + 850
Dallas dropped a 98-82 decision to the Grizzlies last Friday as Memphis shot 9 of 14 from three point range. Jason Terry’s 18 points off the bench led the way in the loss. The next night they lost their second in a row, falling to the Hawks 80-75 managing to only score 15 points in the 4th quarter. Dirk Nowitzski added 32 points in the losing cause. On Tuesday they got a much needed 102-101 win over the Suns. Nowitzski had his seventh 30+ point game of the year with 33 and Josh Howard had a season high 20 points off the bench. Through 22 games Nowitzski is averaging 27 points and 8.5 rebounds per game and Jason Kidd leads in assists with 8.9 per game. Next up for the Mavericks are the Bobcats tonight on the road, the Hornets on Sunday at home, then back on the road against the Thunder on Wednesday, December 16th.
Denver Nuggets (16-7) Current Odds to Win the Western Conference + 475
The Nuggets got a big 106-99 win over the Spurs last Saturday on the road. Carmelo Anthony’s 34 points led all scorers and Kenyon Martin added 13 rebounds in the win. On Monday, they spoiled Allen Iverson’s return to Philadelphia by beating the 76ers 93-83. Chauncy Billups carried the load with a season high 31 points. The next night they could not contain Gerald Wallace or Stephen Jackson falling to the Bobcats 107-95. Anthony scored 34 points in the loss. Denver suffered their second loss in a row losing to the Pistons 101-99 on Thursday night. Despite Anthony’s 40 points, they could not score when they needed to the most. Through 23 games Anthony is averaging a team high 29.8 points per game, Nene leads in rebounds with 8.8, and Chauncey Billups leads in assists in 5.9. Next up for the Nuggets with three straight games at home are the Suns on Sunday, the Thunder on Monday, and the Rockets on Wednesday, December 16th.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.