20. Philadelphia 76ers (12-12, Last Week: 12): The Sixers drop this week after losing three games in a row last week.
19. Phoenix Suns (9-15, Last Week: 25): The Suns jump up this week due to consecutive victories over the Utah Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies after previously losing seven games in a row.
18. Boston Celtics (12-11, Last Week: 11): The Celtics went 1-2 against all Texas teams (Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio).
17. Los Angeles Lakers (11-14, Last Week: 21): It feels great to finally be able to place the Lakers ahead of the Celtics once again. The Lakers looked horrible in a loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers, lost the first half against the New York Knicks badly and eventually lost the game, battled throughout a game against the lowly Washington Wizards for a victory, and held a solid lead over the Philadelphia 76ers for a win on their four-game, Eastern Conference road trip. They aren’t quite rolling yet, but they’ve slowly and steadily improved. i
16. Utah Jazz (13-12, Last Week: 15): The Jazz defeated the Spurs but lost to Memphis last week. However, there remains a disparity between their quality of play at home (9-2) and on the road (4-10).
15. Denver Nuggets (13-12, Last Week: 17): The Nuggets have played a lot of games on the road and struggled, but have been solid at home. A victory over the Memphis Grizzlies at home on Friday proved that.
14. Milwaukee Bucks (12-10, Last Week: 13): The Bucks won four games in a row before being absolutely destroyed by the Los Angeles Clippers at home on Saturday.
13. Portland Trail Blazers (11-12, Last Week: 22): The Trailblazers have won three games in a row, including a victory over the San Antonio Spurs. Rookie point guard Damian Lillard can be thanked for that one; putting up 29 points, pulling down seven rebounds, and dishing out six assists against perennial All-Star point guard Tony Parker. A tremendous amount of balance of scoring has also been a huge positive for Portland.
12. Indiana Pacers (13-11, Last Week: 18): Three wins in a row boost the Pacers up this week. Danny Granger came off his crutches last week, but his official timetable for return is still February. Until then, the Pacers will have to continue to hang in there.
11. Brooklyn Nets (13-10, Last Week: 10): The Nets finally dropped out of the top ten, after losing going 2-2 last week; albeit the two losses came against the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls.
Next Page: Who takes the number one spot?
