NBA Rankings: Top 3 consistent; Miami Heat move up while Denver Nuggets out of top 10
It is Monday again and we here at bettor.com look at the NBA rankings for the last week. Though the top 3 positions remain unchanged for the second straight week, some major changes were seen in the lower standings.
Doc River’s Boston Celtics continue their reign on top for the second straight week. The Celtics displaced the San Antonio Spurs from the top spot last week after finishing 4-0 for the period of 29th Nov to 5th Dec.
They entered last week with a seven game winning streak looking to extend it further. In one home and two away matches, Celtics finished last week with a 3-0 mark doing away with the Denver Nuggets (105-89) on Wednesday, Philadelphia 76ers (102-101) on Thursday
and Charlotte Bobcats (93-62) on Saturday. Currently standing on a ten game winning streak, the Celtics top the Eastern Conference standings with a 19-4 mark. The Celtics will next play on Wednesday as they visit Madison Square Garden to play the New York
Knicks.
Topping the Western Conference (WC) with an impressive 20-3, the Spurs trail the Celtics at the number two spot for the second straight week. After enjoying two weeks on top, the Spurs were displaced last Monday after finishing
the preceding week with a tainted 3-1 mark losing to the Los Angeles Clippers on 1st December. Looking to get back on top, the Spurs finished last week with a perfect 3-0-win loss mark, extending their winning streak to five games. Their latest
victory came last night when they defeated the Portland Trail Blazers by a margin of seventeen points. The Spurs’ next match is on Wednesday when they host the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Dallas Mavericks failed to make it to the top despite their twelve game winning streak. After enjoying wins over the Golden State Warriors (105-100) on Tuesday, the New Jersey Nets (102-89) on Thursday and the Utah Jazz on
Saturday (103-97), the Mavericks finished off last week with a perfect 3-0 win-loss record. The Mavericks moved up two positions in the rankings last Monday and with impressive play, they have managed to maintain their position. At their current pace, the
only way they seem to be going is up in the rankings. Matching the Celtics with a 19-4 in the season, the Mavericks hold the second spot in the WC standings.
Moving out of the top ten two weeks ago, Miami Heat clawed their way back into the top ten last Monday standing at the ninth position in the rankings. Finishing off last week with a 4-0 record, the Heat have jumped to fifth position.
This was the second week for the Heat where they finished with no losses. 2nd in the EC, the Heat currently stand at a 17-8 mark for the season. They will host the New Orleans Hornets tonight.
Standing at the fourth spot last Monday, the Orlando Magic have dropped down four places to stand at eight this week. Standing at a four game losing streak, the Magic were able to bounce back on Sunday where they visited and defeated
the Clippers. Securing only one win in the week, the Magic finished off last week with a disappointing 1-3 mark. Standing at 16-8, the Magic lost their standings in the EC as they were displaced by the Heat.
The most surprising change in the rankings this week was the drop in the Denver Nuggets position. Standing at sixth last Monday, the Nuggets have moved out of the top ten this week, standing at twelve now. Although they entered
last week standing at a seven game winning streak, their short road trip resulted in them not only losing that streak but also finishing off with only one win. With a 1-3 mark for last week, Nuggets have only one thing to rejoice over last week. Their win
against the Toronto Raptors on Friday earned their coach, George Karl his 1000th win milestone. The Nuggets are playing at home this week starting on Tuesday when they host Magic.
With the top 3 consistent in their performance this season, it is very unlikely that we will see major changes in the rankings next week.
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