2024-25 FTN NBA Power Rankings: The Thunder Make A Statement

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The start of January can often feel like a lull in the NBA season. With the NFL and College Football Playoffs heating up, and the NBA playoffs still months away, it’s easy for teams to lose focus during this stretch. But that certainly hasn’t been the case for the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have been making waves with a dominant 10-game win streak. Most recently, they pulled off thrilling comeback victories over the Knicks and Celtics – games that had the intensity and drama of postseason matchups. If anything, OKC looks poised to build on its already substantial lead in the Western Conference as the season rolls on.

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Key Takeaways

The Thunder Make a Case to be the Top Team in the League

Last year, the Thunder made a significant leap, improving from a 40-42 record to 57 wins – a 17-game improvement. Despite a strong regular season and securing the top seed in the Western Conference, they fell to the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the playoffs, losing the series 4-2. Heading into this season, even after adding key pieces like Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso, there were still doubts about OKC’s title contention. But the Thunder have silenced much of that skepticism with a scorching 30-5 start to the season while opening up a commanding seven-game lead in the West. At this point, it’s hard to ignore their case as one of the league’s truly elite teams.

The Cavaliers Are Dominating in Historic Fashion

The Cleveland Cavaliers extended their winning streak to 10 games on Sunday with a 115-105 victory over the Hornets. What’s truly remarkable is that the Cavs have won each of those 10 games by double-digits, marking the first time in franchise history they’ve achieved this feat. They’re also the only team in the NBA to have two separate 10-game winning streaks this season. While Donovan Mitchell remains the clear leader, Cleveland’s success is built on balance and depth – six players are averaging double-digit points this season. This week, fans will get a treat with a matchup between the red-hot Cavs and the Thunder, who are on a 15-game win streak of their own. The showdown promises to be one for the ages.

The Knicks’ Depth Problem: How Serious Is It?

Heading into their Friday matchup with the Thunder, the Knicks were riding a nine-game win streak, albeit against mostly weaker competition. Despite that, they were sitting comfortably at No. 4 in our rankings. For much of the game in Oklahoma City, the Knicks appeared to be the better team. But a 37-19 collapse in the fourth quarter sealed their fate, and the following night, they blew another halftime lead against the Bulls, losing the third quarter 41-17. These back-to-back second-half collapses have raised serious concerns about the Knicks’ depth and Tom Thibodeau’s reliance on his starters. New York plays its starters the most minutes in the league, and if the Knicks continue to burn out their key players, it could cost them when the games really matter in the playoffs. They must find ways to rest their core to avoid more late-game meltdowns.

Trouble in Miami

Just days after Pat Riley publicly assured the media that Jimmy Butler wouldn’t be traded, the Heat slapped Butler with a seven-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team. This dramatic turn of events has opened the door for a potential trade, and Butler may have played his last game for Miami. Without him, the Heat have dropped from 14th to 20th in our rankings, and their chances this season look dimmer by the day. Butler’s playoff pedigree makes him an attractive trade asset for contending teams, though his off-court issues this season may make some hesitant. The Heat’s future is uncertain, and if Butler is moved, it could signal the start of a new chapter for both the player and the team.

Conference:

Team	Conference	Record	Current Rank	Previous	Week Diff	Preseason	Pre Diff	Notes
Boston Celtics	EAST	26-10	1	1	-	1	-	Despite losing to OKC yesterday, we still have them comfortably as the best team in the league
Cleveland Cavaliers	EAST	31-4	2	2	-	8	+6	A historic 10-game winning streak, where every win was by double digits, has the Cavs moving up our ratings
Oklahoma City Thunder	WEST	30-5	3	3	-	2	-1	Technically tied for 2nd in the ratings, the game against the Cavs on Wednesday will say a lot about who the best team in the league has been so far this season
New York Knicks	EAST	24-12	4	4	-	9	+5	Losing on the road to the Thunder is no reason for concern, but losing at home to the Bulls is. Depth appears to be an issue
Denver Nuggets	WEST	20-14	5	12	+7	5	-	The Nuggets were just fine with Aaron Gordon out, as Russell Westbrook is showing real chemistry with the Joker
Houston Rockets	WEST	23-12	6	5	-1	19	+13	They may have slipped one spot in the rankings, but they should be happy about wins against the Mavericks and Lakers last week
Philadelphia 76ers	EAST	14-19	7	6	-1	4	-3	While a 2-2 week is nothing to write home about, this team is comfortablely a top-10 squad if healthy. But that is a MASSIVE if
Sacramento Kings	WEST	17-19	8	10	+2	13	+5	Since firing Mike Brown, the Kings have rattled off 4 straight wins. They have the talent to keep it up, but they've been inconsistent
Milwaukee Bucks	EAST	17-16	9	7	-2	10	+1	The losses were excusable with Dame and Giannis out, but losses, at home, to Brooklyn and Portland while fully healthy are a massive red flag. They will need to turn it around going forward
Los Angeles Clippers	WEST	20-15	10	13	+3	11	+1	Kawhi is back, and he looked like his robotic self in his return. If he stays healthy, there's no reason they can't compete in the west
Minnesota Timberwolves	WEST	17-17	11	9	-2	7	-4	Ant-Man said he wanted to pass less, and then scored 53 points on 31 shots in the next game. Unfortunately, it was also their 3rd straight loss
Phoenix Suns	WEST	15-18	12	19	+7	6	-6	Phoenix is healthy, but the losses continue to pile up. They're changing their starting lineup to try and get the season back on track
Los Angeles Lakers	WEST	20-15	13	17	+4	12	-1	They may have ended the week with a loss, but the Lakers have to be satisfied with where they're at right now, both in the standings and in our ratings
Atlanta Hawks	EAST	18-18	14	16	+2	21	+7	A 3-game losing streak is never good, but when the 3 losses are on the road vs Denver, the Lakers, and the Clippers (with Kawhi), it's fair to give them a pass
Indiana Pacers	EAST	18-18	15	21	+6	18	+3	Since December 6th, the Pacers are a top-10 team in net rating, and Haliburton looks closer to the version of himself that we saw last year
Golden State Warriors	WEST	18-17	16	15	-1	16	-	The roller coaster season continues for GS, as they followed up massive wins over the 76ers and Grizzlies with a 30-point blowout loss to the Kings
San Antonio Spurs	WEST	18-17	17	18	+1	22	+5	While I'm not ready to call Wembanyama the best 2-way player in the league just yet, he's creaping up the list, rated 7th in our model
Memphis Grizzlies	WEST	23-13	18	8	-10	17	-1	The Grizzlies are struggling without Ja, dropping 3 of their last 4. If he's not healthy, the Grizzlies can't contend
Orlando Magic	EAST	21-16	19	20	+1	15	-4	The injuries keep piling up, with Jalen Suggs now joining Paolo and the Wagner twins on the injury list. It's a shame as this was a top 8 team when healthy
Miami Heat	EAST	17-16	20	14	-6	20	-	The Jimmy Butler drama drops Miami to 20th in the ratings, and the season could be lost
Dallas Mavericks	WEST	20-15	21	11	-10	3	-18	The Mavericks without Luka or Kyrie are a bottom-10 team in the league
Chicago Bulls	EAST	16-19	22	22	-	25	+3	When they're on, they have one of the best offenses in the league, as they did vs the Knicks on Saturday. The defense is still putrid
Detroit Pistons	EAST	17-18	23	25	+2	24	+1	The Pistons have won 6 of their last 7 and are quietly in the hunt for a playoff spot. The model will need to adjust if this continues
New Orleans Pelicans	WEST	7-29	24	24	-	14	-10	They snapped an 11-game losing streak with back-to-back wins over the Wizards, proving that things could be even worse
Toronto Raptors	EAST	8-27	25	26	+1	27	+2	We're finally about to see Quickley+RJ+Barnes together, but this season is already over for them
Charlotte Hornets	EAST	7-27	26	29	+3	28	+2	Somehow, the o/u for wins was 31.5 going into the season
Utah Jazz	WEST	9-25	27	27	-	23	-4	In a lost season, you hope that players will emerge, and Brice Sensabaugh is looking like he might be that guy
Brooklyn Nets	EAST	13-22	28	23	-5	26	-2	They are worse than their record since Schroder is gone
Portland Trail Blazers	WEST	12-22	29	28	-1	30	+1	To be 12-22 at this point feels like their ceiling
Washington Wizards	EAST	6-27	30	30	-	29	-1	While they won't break any all time losing records, this is one of the worst rosters ever assembled
	Conference

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