2024 FTN NBA Power Rankings: Can Anyone Take Down Boston?

Welcome back to FTN Fantasy’s NBA Power Rankings!

As we pass the quarter-mark of the season and enter the NBA Cup Quarterfinals, one thing has become abundantly clear in our model: the Boston Celtics are the team to beat. Despite falling short in the NBA Cup chase, Boston’s dominance in the league is undeniable. They stand alone as the favorites at +280 odds to win the NBA Finals (per DraftKings Sportsbook), with only the Oklahoma City Thunder (+380) remotely close in contention. For context, the next closest team – the New York Knicks – sit far behind at +1000.

This gap reflects what oddsmakers see as a two-team race, and FTN Fantasy’s NBA model paints an even starker picture. We rate Boston at a staggering 10.3 points above expectation, with OKC in second at 7.7. To put this into perspective, the gap between Boston and OKC (2.6 points) is larger than the gap between the Thunder and our sixth-ranked team, the Denver Nuggets. Right now, the Celtics are operating on a completely different level, solidifying their position as the league’s clear frontrunner – even if they won’t be lifting the NBA Cup in Las Vegas.

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.

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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 Boston Celtics Are on Their Own Level

As a die-hard Knicks fan, it pains me to admit that the Celtics are in a class of their own. While Jayson Tatum, ranked sixth in our player model, is the undisputed leader, Boston’s dominance stems from its depth. Our model ranks eight Celtics among the top 100 players in the league, including seven in the top 70. This means their starting lineup is elite, but their bench, featuring players like Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser, keeps the machine humming throughout the game. It’s hard to imagine anyone slowing them down anytime soon.

Can The Thunder Compete With Boston?

If there’s one team that looks capable of challenging Boston in a seven-game series, it’s Oklahoma City. With a team rating of 7.7 points above expectation – the second-best in the league – the Thunder are firmly in contention, even without Chet Holmgren Our player model rates Holmgren as the 18th-best player overall and the fourth-best defender, underscoring how much they’re missing.

However, there’s a looming question about fit. Isaiah Hartenstein, ranked 30th in our model and playing brilliantly since his return from injury, occupies the same position as Holmgren. Finding the right balance between their roles will be critical. But make no mistake: based purely on talent and potential, OKC is Boston’s most serious competition.

Are the Indiana Pacers the Biggest Disappointment?

If you’ve been following our rankings since the season started, the Pacers’ struggles shouldn’t be surprising. We rated them 18th in the preseason, and they’ve only fallen three spots since. But for Pacers fans, expectations were far higher following last season’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Much of their disappointment revolves around Tyrese Haliburton Coming off an All-NBA selection, a spot on Team USA and a super-max extension, Haliburton has not delivered at the same level as last year. In a loss to the Hornets yesterday, he managed just nine points, highlighting his inconsistency. He’s dropped to 43rd in our player model, ranking as the 12th-best point guard and 18th guard overall. If the Pacers want to salvage their season, Haliburton must step up.

Are the Atlanta Hawks Good?

Before their blowout loss to Denver, the Hawks were on a six-game winning streak that included two victories over the Cavaliers and another over the Bucks – impressive feats. Yet, despite this success, we still rank Atlanta 18th, suggesting the Hawks are a play-in team at best.

Surprisingly, this recent surge has come despite minimal contributions from their star point guard, Trae Young Trae is enduring the worst shooting season of his career, hitting just 38% from the field and 31% from three. Additionally, he ranks as the league’s sixth-worst defender in our model, compounding Atlanta’s issues. As a team, the Hawks have only three players in our top 100, and one of them, Bogdan Bogdanović, has appeared in just 10 games this season.

Advancing past the Knicks in the NBA Cup could help make me a believer in Atlanta. Until then, I remain skeptical of this team’s ceiling.

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