2024 FTN NBA Power Rankings: The Rise of the East

Welcome back to FTN Fantasy’s NBA Power Rankings!

For most of the season, the Western Conference appeared to be the dominant force in the NBA. As December began, the East had just five teams above .500, while the West boasted 10. However, as we head into 2025, the power dynamics are shifting, and our latest FTN power rankings reveal a striking change. While the West still has more teams with winning records, our model now places a higher emphasis on the top teams in the Eastern Conference. In fact, five of our top seven teams are from the East. That said, the West remains competitive, with eight of our top 13 teams hailing from the conference – highlighting just how wide open things are out West.

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

Should We Be Worried About Boston?

Despite their recent struggles, including bad losses to the Pacers and Bulls, the Celtics remain our No. 1 team in the power rankings – more than three points ahead of any other squad. While some may question their position at the top of the ratings, especially with a 23-9 record that leaves them 4.5 games out of first in the East, the reality is that Boston still boasts the most talent in the league. Come playoff time, picking any other team over them would be a risky proposition. That doesn’t mean we’re guaranteeing a championship repeat, but the Celtics will enter every playoff series as the favorite unless major shifts occur across the league.

Pat Riley Says Jimmy Butler is Staying in Miami

There has been no shortage of speculation surrounding Jimmy Butler’s future in Miami, especially as the Heat continue to hover in mediocrity – often considered the worst place to be in the NBA. Last week, however, team president Pat Riley put the rumors to rest. “We usually don’t comment on rumors, but all this speculation has become a distraction to the team and is not fair to the players and coaches,” Riley said in a statement. “Therefore, we will make it clear – we are not trading Jimmy Butler.”

While Riley’s definitive stance should quell trade rumors, it doesn’t necessarily mean the Heat are better off sticking with the status quo. Miami currently sits at 16-14, tied for sixth in the East, and is likely to make the playoffs again. But with just the 14th-best rating in FTN’s rankings, the Heat remain a play-in team and lack the star power to truly compete at the highest level. In a tough Eastern Conference, sometimes staying in the middle might be a worse option than making a bold move to retool.

You Should Take the 76ers Seriously

The 76ers have been one of the league’s most intriguing teams this season, struggling early on but rebounding strongly since Joel Embiid’s return to health. They’re 8-3 in December and recently pulled off an impressive Christmas Day win over the Celtics. When Embiid is on the floor, Philly can beat anyone, anywhere.

That said, outside of the Christmas win, the 76ers’ schedule hasn’t been particularly challenging. Their only other victory against a team above .500 came against Orlando, who was missing key players Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero So, while the 76ers are trending upward, they still have something to prove before they can be considered true championship contenders.

The Knicks are Hot, But Are the Minutes Sustainable?

The Knicks have been one of the NBA’s hottest teams in December, going 11-2 and currently riding a seven-game win streak. A key factor in their recent success has been heavy minutes from their starters. So far this season, New York’s starting five has logged 539 minutes together – 149 more than any other team in the league.

In an era where load management has become the norm, the Knicks are taking the opposite approach, leaning on their top players for as many minutes as possible. While this strategy has paid off during the regular season, the question remains: How sustainable is it? The Knicks may have better stamina than anyone else, or they could eventually pay the price as the season drags on. This risk makes their recent success both impressive and a little concerning.

Conference:

Team	Conference	Record	Current Rank	Previous	Week Diff	Preseason	Pre Diff	Notes
Boston Celtics	EAST	23-9	1	1	-	1	-	The Celtics may have hit a mid-season rut, losing 3 of their last 4, including the the 76ers on Christmas. But even if you take Porzingis out of the lineup, we still would have them as favorites in every possible matchup
Cleveland Cavaliers	EAST	27-4	2	3	+1	8	+6	Unlike the Celtics, the Cavs are showing zero signs of slowing down. They're on a 6-game winning streak and have also won 10 of their last 11. While they haven't pulled away in our ratings, they are starting to pull away in the eastern conference standings
Oklahoma City Thunder	WEST	26-5	3	2	-1	2	-1	The Thunder are on fire, winning 11 games in a row (disregarding the cup final, which technically isn't a regular season game). With a 5-game lead in the west, it'll be difficult to catch them
New York Knicks	EAST	22-10	4	5	+1	9	+5	The Knicks are in the top-4 of our ratings for the first time of the season, thanks in large part to Mikal Bridges' rise on both sides of the floor
Houston Rockets	WEST	21-11	5	12	+7	19	+14	After getting looked over for much of the year in these ratings, the 21-11 Rockets shoot ahead all the way to 5th in the ratings. Despite back-to-back losses, the Rockets have earned this spot
Philadelphia 76ers	EAST	12-17	6	11	+5	4	-2	Don't look now, but the 76ers are 8-3 in December and just beat the Cetlics on Christmas Day. If Embiid is on the floor, they can beat anyone on any night
Milwaukee Bucks	EAST	16-14	7	7	-	10	+3	The Bucks had a rough week because Giannis was out, but we have him and Dame healthy in these ratings, and that makes them comfortably a top-5 team in the east
Memphis Grizzlies	WEST	22-11	8	9	+1	17	+9	It was disapointing that Ja couldn't suit up against the Thunder, but the shoulder injury doesn't appear serious, so we're leaving him in the ratings
Minnesota Timberwolves	WEST	17-14	9	8	-1	7	-2	Just when the TImberwolves seemed to be freefalling, they go on a 3-game winning streak against 3 tough western conference opponents. There's a reason we have them in the top-10 still, as the talent is there for them to compete in the west
Sacramento Kings	WEST	13-19	10	10	-	13	+3	On the one hand, it feels strange to rank a 13-19 team in the top 10. But on paper, this team should be much better, and 14th-ranked net rating seems to indicate that
Dallas Mavericks	WEST	20-12	11	4	-7	3	-8	Luka going down is a blow to the Mavs, but they've been able to deal with his absenses so far this season. Having Kyrie healthy certainly helps
Denver Nuggets	WEST	17-13	12	6	-6	5	-7	Aaron Gordon going down is a big loss, as we saw when he was hurt earlier in the season. The Nuggets will need more from Jamal Murray while Gordon is out
Los Angeles Clippers	WEST	18-13	13	14	+1	11	-2	Kawhi is allegedly coming back this week. No one expected the Clippers to be 5 games over .500 at this point, but if Leonard can somehow stay health the rest of the season, the Clippers are a legit contender
Miami Heat	EAST	16-14	14	13	-1	20	+6	Pat Riley insists the Jimmy Buttler isn't getting traded. If he stays on the Heat, they will remain a team that won't win a title but no one wants to face in the playoffs
Golden State Warriors	WEST	16-15	15	15	-	16	+1	So far, Dennis Schroder hasn't made an impact, but I'm not giving up on this team as long as Steph is healhty
Atlanta Hawks	EAST	18-15	16	19	+3	21	+5	The Hawks are coming off of an impressive 4-0 week. They are a sleeper team in the east, but their ceiling is probably capped
Los Angeles Lakers	WEST	18-13	17	17	-	12	-5	Dorian Finney-Smith is at the end of his prime, but he's the type of guy who typically works well on a team with Lebron. If he's able to bring some defensive impact to this team,
San Antonio Spurs	WEST	16-16	18	21	+3	22	+4	Wemby is probably going to play on Christmas for the next 20 years after his performance against the Knicks. While they remain inconsistent, the Spurs have shown their a dangerous opponent
Phoenix Suns	WEST	15-16	19	16	-3	6	-13	Predictably the Suns are 1-5 since Booker went out and are free falling since he went out. When healthy, this team can contend, but it's clear that if one of Booker/KD is out then this team isn't good
Orlando Magic	EAST	20-14	20	18	-2	15	-5	The Magic remain a tough opponent, but they lack the upside to compete with elite competition until Paolo and Franz are back
Indiana Pacers	EAST	16-17	21	20	-1	18	-3	The Pacers are playing much better basketball than they were at the beginning of the season, but they need to show more conistancy before I'll see them as more than a play-in team
Chicago Bulls	EAST	14-18	22	22	-	25	+3	The Bulls continue to be one of the most inconsistant teams in the leauge, as they followed up their great win over the Celtics with a 3-game losing streak
Brooklyn Nets	EAST	12-20	23	24	+1	26	+3	The Nets are a well-coached team that can sneak up on teams, but they lack the talent to truly contend for the playoffs
New Orleans Pelicans	WEST	5-27	24	25	+1	14	-10	The Pelicans losing streak is up to 9 games and they officially have the worst record in the NBA. They have more talent than the teams below them in these ratings, but they can't seem to win any games
Detroit Pistons	EAST	14-18	25	23	-2	24	-1	The Pistons have won 3 of their last 4, and are a competitive team that can cause trouble for their opponents. They may sneak into the play-in, but they lack the talent to go further
Toronto Raptors	EAST	7-25	26	27	+1	27	+1	While this has turned into a lost season for Toronto, RJ Barrett's improvement shouldn't be ignored
Utah Jazz	WEST	7-23	27	28	+1	23	-4	The Jazz lack an identity, but they have some young pieces that could be part of a future core
Portland Trail Blazers	WEST	11-20	28	29	+1	30	+2	Anfernee Simons has to be one of the biggest disapointments in the league so far, as he's scoring 5 fewer PPG on worse efficiency.
Charlotte Hornets	EAST	7-24	29	26	-3	28	-1	Injuries have killed them, but they were being overrated going into the season
Washington Wizards	EAST	5-24	30	30	-	29	-1	While they're clearly the worst team in the league, they've been competing well as of late, and have given some good teams a hard time
	Conference