NBA power rankings for mid-January

By Rick Morris

NOTE: Previous periods’ rankings in parentheses, start of season to present.

FIRST TIER

1 Oklahoma City (3-5-1)

2 LA Clippers (5-7-4)

3 San Antonio (4-3-5)

SECOND TIER

4 Memphis (6-4-7)

5 Golden State (23-8-9-6)

6 Miami (2-1-3)

7 New York (10-2-2)

8 Indiana (7-17-12)

9 Denver (12-18-14)

10 Brooklyn (14-6-11)

11 Atlanta (13-9-8)

12 Portland (17-23-17)

13 Chicago (9-11-9)

14 Houston (16-15-21)

15 Utah (18-16-15)

16 Boston (8-12-16)

17 Milwaukee (19-13-13)

THIRD TIER

18 Minnesota (20-20-10)

19 Philadelphia (15-10-18)

20 LA Lakers (1-14-19)

21 Toronto (24-27-24)

22 Dallas (11-19-20)

23 Detroit (26-25-26)

24 Sacramento (28-26-25)

25 Phoenix (25-22-23)

26 Orlando (27-24-22)

27 New Orleans (22-29-29)

FOURTH TIER

28 Cleveland (21-28-28)

29 Charlotte (30-21-27)

30 Washington (29-30-30)

BIGGEST RISERS: Houston (7 spots), Denver and Portland (5 spots), Indiana (4 spots), Detroit, Memphis and Toronto (3 spots)

BIGGEST FALLERS: Minnesota (8 spots), New York (5 spots), Chicago, Milwaukee and Orlando (4 spots), Atlanta and Miami (3 spots)

RANKINGS BY DIVISION – 1 POINT PER RANKING SPOT FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL TEAM, LOWEST SCORE IS BEST

1 NORTHWEST 55

2 ATLANTIC 73

3 PACIFIC 76

4 CENTRAL 89

5 SOUTHWEST 90

6 SOUTHEAST 102

RANKINGS BY CONFERENCE

1 WEST 221

2 EAST 264