NBA power rankings for mid-January

By Rick Morris

Start-of-January rankings in parentheses.

TOP TIER
1 Cleveland (1)
2 LA Lakers (2)
3 Boston (4)
4 Orlando (3)
5 Atlanta (5)
6 Dallas (6)
7 Denver (8)
8 San Antonio (9)
9 Portland (10)
10 Phoenix (7)
11 Utah (12)
12 Houston (11)
13 Oklahoma City (13)
14 New Orleans (17)
15 Miami (14)
16 Memphis (16)
17 Toronto (15)
SECOND TIER
18 Chicago (20)
19 Charlotte (21)
20 LA Clippers (18)
21 Milwaukee (22)
22 New York (23)
23 Sacramento (19)
24 Indiana (26)
25 Detroit (24)
26 Philadelphia (28)
27 Golden State (27)
28 Washington (25)
29 Minnesota (29)
THIRD TIER
30 New Jersey (30)

BIGGEST RISERS: New Orleans (3 spots)
BIGGEST FALLERS: Sacramento (4 spots), Phoenix and Washington (3 spots)