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	28-11	1	1	-	1	-	They're in a bit of a rut by their standards, but they still comfortably rank first in our ratings
Oklahoma City Thunder	WEST	32-6	2	3	+1	2	-	While their winning streak broke in Cleveland Wednesday night, they followed it up by destroying the Knicks in New York Friday night
Cleveland Cavaliers	EAST	33-5	3	2	-1	8	+5	The Cavs picked up the big win against OKC on Wednesday, but followed it up by losing to the Pacers on Sunday
New York Knicks	EAST	26-14	4	4	-	9	+5	The Knicks picked up a huge blowout win against the Bucks yesterday, which felt necessary after getting blown out by OKC and losing 3 of their previous 4
Denver Nuggets	WEST	23-15	5	5	-	5	-	Russell Westbrook is playing his best basketball in a few years, and it's helped Denver win 3 straight games this week
Houston Rockets	WEST	25-12	6	6	-	19	+13	The Rockets picked up an impressive win in Memphis this week. They may feel a move away from being title contenders, but they are a difficult matchup on any night
Sacramento Kings	WEST	20-19	7	8	+1	13	+6	Since Mike Brown was fired, the Kings are undefeated, going 7-0. Our model remained high on the Kings during the cold streak, and we are starting to see why
Memphis Grizzlies	WEST	25-14	8	18	+10	17	+9	The Grizzlies are finally healthy, and it makes them the biggest risers this week and jumping into the top-10.
Milwaukee Bucks	EAST	20-17	9	9	-	10	+1	Their 3-game winning streak ended yesterday, but so far, moving Middleton into the starting lineup has looked like the right move
Philadelphia 76ers	EAST	15-22	10	7	-3	4	-6	This has to be an incredibly frustrating season for Sixers fans, as the team just can't get healthy. They are still dangerous whenever Embiid plays
Los Angeles Clippers	WEST	20-17	11	10	-1	11	-	Kawhi was back and things were looking bright, but then he left the team to help his family deal with the LA fires, and the Clippers have now lost 4 of their last 5
Minnesota Timberwolves	WEST	20-18	12	11	-1	7	-5	They lost on Saturday to the Grizzlies, but since moving Divencenzo to the starting the lineup, the Timberwolves offense looks a lot better
Indiana Pacers	EAST	22-18	13	15	+2	18	+5	The Pacers continue to move up the ratings, as they're on a 6-game winning streak that includes beating Cleveland in Cleveland by 15 yesterday
Los Angeles Lakers	WEST	20-16	14	13	-1	12	-2	Only played 1 game this week due to postponements, so it's hard to draw new conclusions from this week
Phoenix Suns	WEST	19-19	15	12	-3	6	-9	Moving Beal to the bench has looked smart so far, as Phoenix is now on a 3 game winning streak, albeit against weak competition
Golden State Warriors	WEST	19-19	16	16	-	16	-	Adding Dennis Schroder hasn't made a difference yet, as the Warriors remain a .500 team
San Antonio Spurs	WEST	18-19	17	17	-	22	+5	The Spurs had a tough week, going 0-3. They are still ahead of schedule this season, but don't have enough to go deep into the playoffs
Orlando Magic	EAST	23-18	18	19	+1	15	-3	The Magic have to be glad to have Paolo back, but they are still missing key pieces in Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs
Miami Heat	EAST	20-17	19	20	+1	20	+1	Without Jimmy Butler, the Heat are on a 3-game winning streak. Who knows what ends up happening there, but the Heat will likely remain an average team
Dallas Mavericks	WEST	22-17	20	21	+1	3	-17	The Mavericks are struggling without Kyrie and Luka, which isn't surprising, but Quentin Grimes' development bodes well for the team once they're healthy
Atlanta Hawks	EAST	19-19	21	14	-7	21	-	Without Jalen Johnson, the Hawks don't have enough talent to compete most nights
Chicago Bulls	EAST	18-21	22	22	-	25	+3	If we were only rating offenses, they'd be a fringe top-10 team. But they play some of the worst defense in the league
Detroit Pistons	EAST	20-19	23	23	-	24	+1	The Pistons failed to pick up a big win against the Warriors, but will have 3 different opportunities to pick up impressive wins this week
New Orleans Pelicans	WEST	8-32	24	24	-	14	-10	1 step forward, 2 steps back has been the mantra this season. Zion's suspension for being late is the cherry on top
Toronto Raptors	EAST	8-31	25	25	-	27	+2	Now healthy, the Raptors have been more competitive in games, but it hasn't turned into wins
Charlotte Hornets	EAST	8-28	26	26	-	28	+2	Even though the Hornets are now healthy, they just lack talent outside of Lamelo
Utah Jazz	WEST	10-28	27	27	-	23	-4	Over the last few weeks, the Jazz have been competitive on most nights, even though they have just 3 wins to show for it
Portland Trail Blazers	WEST	13-25	28	29	+1	30	+2	Deni Avdija has looked great since moving into the starting lineup, becoming a silver lining on an otherwise rough season
Brooklyn Nets	EAST	13-26	29	28	-1	26	-3	Tosan Evbuomwan led the team in scoring last night, showing you where the Nets are at right now
Washington Wizards	EAST	6-31	30	30	-	29	-1	They are losing but they're also getting their young players valuable minutes. So this is arguably a successful season for them
	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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