2024 FTN NBA Power Rankings: The Cup Finals Are Here!

Welcome back to FTN Fantasy’s NBA Power Rankings!

The NBA Cup delivered plenty of excitement last week, with the quarterfinals and semifinals providing dramatic matchups across the league. In the East, the Knicks, favored heading into the quarterfinals, were upset by the Hawks at Madison Square Garden. Meanwhile, the Bucks powered through the Magic and then the Hawks to secure their spot in the finals. In the West, the Thunder lived up to their billing as favorites, defeating the Mavericks at home before dispatching the Rockets in Las Vegas on Saturday night

Our model projects the Thunder as 4.5-point favorites over the Bucks in what promises to be an exciting matchup. This matchup pits Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, ranked as the second-best player in our model, against Giannis Antetokounmpo, who comes in at fifth. It’s an exciting battle of youth versus experience with the NBA Cup, including $500,000 per player, on the line.

With the Cup going on, most teams played only one or two games last week, leading to minimal movement in our rankings. One notable exception? The Phoenix Suns, who jumped significantly thanks to Kevin Durant’s return from injury. Even at age 36, Durant remains one of the league’s most impactful players. His presence immediately elevated the Suns’ performance and boosted their standing in our model, giving them an outside shot at title contention this season.

Every Monday, we bring you an up-to-the-minute snapshot of the league with our exclusive power rankings, powered by the FTN NBA Betting Model. These rankings adjust for recent results, injuries and news, giving you a dynamic view of the NBA’s shifting landscape. We also track which teams are trending up – and which are trending down.

But this isn’t just about rankings – it’s about giving you the edge. Whether you’re betting on the NBA or simply keeping tabs on your favorite team’s performance, our rankings provide key insights to help you make smarter decisions. Curious to see how we evaluate a specific matchup? Our NBA Betting Model is constantly updated with the latest data, and we highlight the best value picks in our NBA Bet Tracker.

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Key Takeaways

The Thunder Dominate En Route to the Cup Finals

No team impressed me more this week than the Oklahoma City Thunder. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander showcased his superstar credentials in the NBA Cup quarterfinals, dropping 39 points in a decisive victory over the Mavericks. In the semifinals, the Thunder pulled away from the Rockets after a tight first half in Las Vegas, earning a comfortable win and a trip to the finals.

Right now, Oklahoma City stands alone in the Western Conference, with only Dallas coming within a point of value in our model. What’s more remarkable? They’re doing this without arguably their second-best player, Chet Holmgren. As they prepare to face the Bucks in the NBA Cup Final, the Thunder look like the only team that can compete with the Celtics for a title.

The Bucks are Just Fine

Remember the early-season panic in Milwaukee? The Bucks started 2-8, Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors swirled, and some even speculated about head coach Doc Rivers’ future. Fast forward to now: Milwaukee is 14-11 and riding high after reaching the NBA Cup Finals.

The difference? Giannis and Damian Lillard have started to click, evolving into the dominant duo the team envisioned. While our model has them as 4.5-point underdogs to the Thunder in the final, Bucks fans should feel confident about their trajectory. This team is starting to look like a contender again.

What Should We Make of the Hawks?

Atlanta delivered one of the week’s most surprising results, knocking off the Knicks at Madison Square Garden to advance to the NBA Cup semifinals. Given that the Knicks rank as the fifth-best team in our model, this win shouldn’t go unnoticed. However, their loss to the Bucks in Las Vegas and their overall body of work keep the Hawks grounded in reality – they rank just 18th in our model, up only three spots from their preseason ranking.

Trae Young had a strong week, but his overall numbers this season remain below expectations. The Hawks have shown flashes of potential, but consistency continues to elude them, both on the court and in the rankings.

The Rockets Are Not Title Contenders Yet

At 17-9, the Rockets have clearly moved past the rebuilding phase, but Saturday’s loss to the Thunder in the NBA Cup semifinals exposed their limitations. Defensively, they’ve made huge strides under Head Coach Ime Udoka, but their offense remains average – a glaring weakness for a team with playoff aspirations. While the Rockets may not be ready to compete for a title this season, their abundance of young talent keeps the future bright. If Houston chooses to accelerate its timeline by trading for a superstar, it could quickly change the narrative. For now, the Rockets are a dangerous team, but not one built to go the distance in the playoffs.

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Conference:

Team	Conference	Record	Current Rank	Previous	Week Diff	Preseason	Pre Diff	Notes
Boston Celtics	EAST	21-5	1	1	-	1	-	No surprise here, as we rank the Celtics first yet again, and it's not particularly close. Boston took care of business with blowout wins over Detroit and Washington
Oklahoma City Thunder	WEST	20-5	2	2	-	2	-	OKC will play in the Cup Finals vs the Bucks on Tuesday, and no one should be surprsied. This team is the clear favorite in the west
Dallas Mavericks	WEST	17-9	3	3	-	3	-	Despite losing to OKC in the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup, the Mavs made up for it by scoring 143 in Golden State to cap off their week. The Mavericks are deep, and if anyone can compete with OKC, it is Dallas (as of now)
Cleveland Cavaliers	EAST	22-4	4	5	+1	8	+4	Cleveland took care of business in their one game against the Wizards this week. Cavs fans will be happy to see they've passed the Knicks in this week's rankings
New York Knicks	EAST	16-10	5	4	-1	9	+4	The Knicks took a disapointing loss to the Hawks, at home, in the quarterfinals of the Cup. The Knicks arguably have the best starting lineup in the league, but their lack of depth is a clear weakness right now
Denver Nuggets	WEST	13-10	6	6	-	5	-1	Denver dominated the Clippers in their one game this week. As long as Jokic is playing, the Nuggets will remain a threat in the west
Sacramento Kings	WEST	13-13	7	8	+1	13	+6	After seeming to be in free-fall, the Kings have now won three straight. They can use some support off the bench, but they have one of the toughest starting-5s in basketball
Phoenix Suns	WEST	13-11	8	19	+11	6	-2	Kevin Durant is healthy again, so the Suns are back in our top 10. Even at 36 years old, KD remains one of the league's most impactful players
Minnesota Timberwolves	WEST	14-11	9	7	-2	7	-2	The Timberwolves remain hot with a 2-0 week. If they can start getting some contributions off the bench, the Timberwolves would feel like a real threat out west
Milwaukee Bucks	EAST	14-11	10	9	-1	10	-	Remember when Doc Rivers was about to get fired and Giannis was getting traded? The Bucks now face OKC in the Cup Finals, and things seem to at the very least be stable in Milwaukee
Memphis Grizzlies	WEST	18-9	11	10	-1	17	+6	They finish the weekw with a shocking loss to the Lakers after winning 10 of their last 11. Still, Memphis is off to an impressive start and is just one notch behind the top contenders
Philadelphia 76ers	EAST	7-16	12	13	+1	4	-8	They're still just 7-16, but they're 5-5 in their last 10. However, Embiid will miss at least one game next week, and it's simply impossible to feel good if you're a 76ers fan (unless you're an Eagles fan too)
Houston Rockets	WEST	17-9	13	14	+1	19	+6	The Rockets should be proud of what they've accomplished to date this season. They are 17-9 and beat the Warriors to get to the semi-finals of the Cup. But then OKC reminded us that this Houston team has a ways to go to being a true contender
Golden State Warriors	WEST	14-11	14	12	-2	16	+2	The good news is Dennis Schroder should provide a legit spark, whether he starts or comes off the bench. The bad news is they're 2-8 in their last 10, and they play in a very tough western conference
Miami Heat	EAST	13-10	15	11	-4	20	+5	Miami falling to 15th has more to do with other teams getting healthy than them doing anything wrong. Miami is on a 4-game wining streak and should be satisfied with how the year has gone so far
Orlando Magic	EAST	17-11	16	16	-	15	-1	It sucks to see Orlando ranked this low, but until Paolo or Franz returns, they are not in the top half of the league
Los Angeles Clippers	WEST	14-12	17	15	-2	11	-6	The Clippers should be proud of their 14-12 start to the season without Leonard, but their blowout loss to Denver is a reminder that they're a few notches below the best teams in the league
Atlanta Hawks	EAST	14-13	18	18	-	21	+3	The Hawks had an impressive win at Madison Square Garden to advance to the Semifinals of the Cup but weren't able to get past the Bucks. Right now, the Hawks are an average team but have the potential to improve
San Antonio Spurs	WEST	13-13	19	20	+1	22	+3	The Spurs had a solid 1-1 week, and they continue to play .500 ball. The future is bright, but in the present, the Spurs should be satisfied with their 13-13 record
Los Angeles Lakers	WEST	14-12	20	17	-3	12	-8	The Lakers get a much-needed surprise win to end the week. They need to find some more firepower outside of Lebron and AD, but as long as those two guys are playing, they will win more often than lose
Indiana Pacers	EAST	12-15	21	21	-	18	-3	The Pacers had a great week, going 2-0 with two double-digit wins. While I'm not ready to declare that they're back, they are at least moving in the right direction
New Orleans Pelicans	WEST	5-22	22	23	+1	14	-8	The Pelicans are ready for the offseason to begin. The question is what will they do? While injury ruined this season, they may decide to blow the team up regardless
Brooklyn Nets	EAST	10-15	23	22	-1	26	+3	Trading Dennis Schroder is the right move, but it will certianly hurt the Nets in the short term
Chicago Bulls	EAST	11-15	24	24	-	25	+1	This ranking is maybe too low for Chicago, but they're clearly a bottom-10 team in the league
Detroit Pistons	EAST	10-16	25	25	-	24	-1	After a relatively promising start to the season, Detroit has now lost 7 of their last 10 games.
Utah Jazz	WEST	5-19	26	27	+1	23	-3	The Jazz technically move up a spot in the rankings, but really the Raptors just moved down due to Barnes' injury
Toronto Raptors	EAST	7-19	27	26	-1	27	-	Just when the Raptors started to get healthy, Scottie Barnes sustains a significant injury
Charlotte Hornets	EAST	7-18	28	28	-	28	-	Miles Bridges returned this week, but the Hornets are not worth watching until Lamelo returns
Portland Trail Blazers	WEST	8-18	29	29	-	30	+1	The Blazers have some good wins this season, but their recent 6-game losing streak shows how much work Portland has left to do
Washington Wizards	EAST	3-20	30	30	-	29	-1	Yuck
	Conference

2024 FTN NBA Power Rankings: The Cup Finals Are Here!

Key Takeaways

The Bucks are Just Fine

What Should We Make of the Hawks?

The Rockets Are Not Title Contenders Yet

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