2024 FTN NBA Power Rankings

Welcome to FTN Fantasy’s NBA Power Rankings!

It’s been a week of high drama in the NBA, and unfortunately, that drama has included several key injuries. Stars like Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler, Zion Williamson and Chet Holmgren are all expected to miss significant time, shaking up the landscape and influencing this week’s rankings. As a result, we’re starting to see the true contenders pull away from the pack, especially in the Eastern Conference, where only two teams are currently holding winning records. Curious to see how far your favorite team dropped due to injury? Check out our full NBA Power Rankings table.

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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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

Key Takeaways

The Eastern Conference is Currently a Two-Team Race

Right now, the Eastern Conference has just two teams above .500 – the Cavs and the Celtics. Outside of the top two, the next-best teams – according to our model – are the Knicks and Bucks, both of which are currently sitting below .500. While it’s still early in the season to draw any major conclusions, the early signs suggest that the No. 3 seed in the East is far more up for grabs than the No. 1 and No. 2 spots.

Don’t Give Up if Your Team is Off to a Slow Start

Every fan hopes their team gets off to a strong start, but it’s important to keep in mind just how early we are in the season. Three of our top-11 teams are currently at or below .500. Our power rankings aim to be more predictive than reactive, and a 10-game sample isn’t enough to make sweeping judgments. So, even though teams like the Mavericks, Knicks and Bucks may have more losses than their fans would like to see, we still expect them to be right in the playoff race when it matters.

The Cavaliers Are LEGIT!

Coming into the season, our model ranked Cleveland as the eighth-best team in the league, slightly higher than where the betting market had them. But we may have undersold the Cavs – since then, they’ve surged to #2 following an 11-0 start. Not only are they winning, but they’ve been dominating with a balanced attack that’s been tough for other teams to handle.

Injuries Are a Killer

The Thunder were our No. 2-ranked team heading into the season, and they started strong – until Chet Holmgren went down last night. Chet is expected to miss 8-10 weeks, which drops Oklahoma City to #8 in our rankings. At this point, the Thunder will need Isaiah Hartenstein to get healthy fast if they want to keep pace.

Unfortunately, injuries are hitting teams all over the league, and it shows in our rankings. The Suns (Kevin Durant), Nuggets (Aaron Gordon), Magic (Paolo Banchero), Heat (Jimmy Butler), 76ers (Tyrese Maxey), Grizzlies (pretty much everyone?) and Pelicans (Zion, and… also everyone?) have all been affected. At this point in the season, any team that’s managed to stay healthy is counting its blessings.

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