It continues to feel like Oklahoma City, Denver and then a big drop to everyone else in the league, but are the Pistons the best in the East? They may be so far.
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
(13-1, last week No. 1)
We’re not even to Thanksgiving and we’re running out of superlatives for this team, which has won five in a row and has a +22 net rating in those five games. With 14 games gone in the season (meaning 68 games left), it seems less and less likely that Jalen Williams will return from his wrist surgery and play in the league-required 65 games so that he can hit the supermax version of the contract extension he signed last summer. He needs to make All-NBA to do it, although it’s not fair that his All-NBA nod from last season will not count toward that under the new CBA.
2. Denver Nuggets
(10-2, last week No. 2)
When asked what was different about the Nuggets this season, Nikola Jokic replied, “The bench unit. It’s a lot of veterans. A lot of guys who care, who know how to play.” It shows. Jokic looks fresher and more rested (his minutes per game are down), and the Nuggets have a respectable -1.5 net rating when he is off the court. That bench — particularly Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. — is going to be put to the test with Christian Braun out at least with a sprained left ankle. What hasn’t changed with Denver: Jokic is the best player on the planet and can just take over a game.
HAVE YOURSELF A NIGHT NIKOLA JOKIĆ.
— NBA (@NBA) November 13, 2025
⚒️ 55 PTS (33 IN 1H)
⚒️ 12 REB
⚒️ 6 AST
⚒️ 18-23 FGM
⚒️ 5-6 3PM
⚒️ 34 MIN
⚒️ DEN W
He's just the 4th player in NBA history to score 55 PTS on 78 FG% or better 🤯 pic.twitter.com/NpKKAK6rna
3. Detroit Pistons
(11-2, last week No. 4)
Winners of nine in a row and in that have won a league-leading seven games this season coming from 10 points or more down at some point during the game. That said, when the Pistons get a lead they don’t blow it, they are 8-0 when leading after three quarters this season. The Pistons also have beaten the teams they are supposed to, having gone 6-0 this season against teams below .500. The only concern is the 112.2 offensive rating when Cade Cunningham is off the floor (which would be 24th in the league overall).
4. Houston Rockets
(9-3, last week No. 6)
Remember the hand-wringing over this team’s 0-2 start to the season? They are 9-1 since then, with the second-best net rating in the league over those games, +14.9. How are they doing that without the floor general that is Fred VanVleet? First, having Kevin Durant helps. Second, they are dominating the offensive glass, getting a second chance on 40.8% of their missed shots this season (they are top 10 in the league in defensive rebounding, too).
5. New York Knicks
(8-4, last week No. 8)
The most clear evidence of the changes Mike Brown has brought to the offense: The Knicks lead the league in taking in corner three-pointers a game at 14 (and they’re hitting 45.2% of them, fourth best in the league). For comparison, last season the Knicks took 10.8 corner 3s a game and hit 38.2% of them. The Knicks are 8-1 in Madison Square Garden but 0-3 on the road, and their next five are away from home. The most interesting of those is Monday night in Miami.
6. Cleveland Cavaliers
(9-5, last week No. 7)
Darius Garland comes back for three games, starts to find his groove with 20 points against the Wizards, and is now out again after aggravating the toe injury that he had surgery on this past offseason (the surgery was to alleviate the issue that kept in out of playoff games last spring, and slowed him in the games he played). Without him, Cleveland is still hanging around — top four in the East, top-10 net rating — but this team has yet to hit its stride.
7. Los Angeles Lakers
(10-4, last week No. 5)
Best line of the week goes to Austin Reaves, who said after the Lakers beat the Bucks, “How about Bronny James starting in the NBA, and LeBron’s assigned to the G League? That’s fun. That’s awesome.” The elder James, who has been reassigned to the big club, is very close to a return, which could happen this week (possibly as part of the home-and-home series with Utah). What was also awesome for the Lakers was going 3-2 on their road trip. Although the losses were ugly — they didn’t show up against Atlanta and were outclassed by Oklahoma City — they beat Milwaukee and the teams they were supposed to (Charlotte and New Orleans). Luka Doncic has now played enough games to qualify and officially leads the league in scoring at 34.4 points per game after dropping 41 on the Bucks.
LUKA MAGIC 🆚 GREEK FREAK
— NBA (@NBA) November 16, 2025
Two of the top leading scorers faced off in Milwaukee tonight with the Lakers taking home the victory!
Dončić: 41 PTS, 9 REB, 6 AST, 5 3PM
Antetokounmpo: 32 PTS, 10 REB, 5 AST pic.twitter.com/kfwZIM5QJW
8. Minnesota Timberwolves
(8-5, last week No. 12)
The Timberwolves are 8-0 against teams below .500, but 0-5 against teams above that mark — they are not striking fear into anyone right now. There are concerns at the point guard spot with Mike Conley’s play, but the bigger issue is that this was the best defensive team in the league last season and is currently 17th this season. If the Timberwolves are going to find their stride, it’s going to start on the defensive end.
9. Toronto Raptors
(8-5, last week No. 15)
After starting the season 1-4, the Raptors have become one of the hottest teams in the league, going 7-1 since and in that stretch have the eighth-ranked offense and third-ranked defense in the league. Fueling that run has been the play of their bench, particularly Jamal Shead and Sandro Mamukelashvili, who come in and instantly change the pace and flow of the game. The Toronto hot streak should continue this week with games against Charlotte, Washington and Brooklyn.
10. Golden State Warriors
(9-6, last week No. 14)
Steve Kerr made his statement, moving rookie Will Richards (who has been fantastic) and Moses Moody into the starting five and moving Brandin Podziemski and Jonathan Kuminga to the bench. That new starting five parked back-to-back wins in San Antonio, although it helps when Stephen Curry is dropping 49 (and 95 across the two games).
49 POINTS. 9 TRIPLES. 🤯
— NBA (@NBA) November 15, 2025
Stephen Curry records his second-straight 40-point game for the 1st time since November 2022!
He is now 1 of 2 players in NBA history to record back-to-back games of 45+ points after turning 35 years old!
The other? Michael Jordan. pic.twitter.com/6cIGnYLXi1
11. San Antonio Spurs
(9-4, last week No. 3)
After a 5-0 start to the season, the Spurs have cooled down, going 4-4 since, with a +1.1 net rating over those games, 16th in the league. That is with the return of De’Aaron Fox, who is averaging 22 points and 6.8 assists a night through five games so far. One preseason prediction about the Spurs feels on track: Victor Wembanyama winning Defensive Player of the Year. Look at how he changes everything on the defensive end of the court:
Watch Wemby on this possession. 👀 😱
— NBA on NBC and Peacock (@NBAonNBC) November 13, 2025
🎥 FanDuel Sports Network Southeast pic.twitter.com/WimPa5BRhx
12. Milwaukee Bucks
(8-6, last week No. 9)
Kyle Kuzma is back in Doc Rivers’ good graces and back in the starting lineup — he was subbed in for the game Giannis Antetokounmpo missed, but stayed there the next night with Gary Trent Jr. moving to the bench. Antetokounmpo continues to play like an MVP and lift this team above its station (a -0.2 net rating suggests a .500 team), especially in NBA Cup games where the defending champs are 2-0 again and in the driver’s seat for East Group C (but still have to play the Knicks and Heat in Cup games).
13. Atlanta Hawks
(9-5, last week No. 20)
With Trae Young remaining out, Nickeil Alexander-Walker steps into the point guard role, but more of the Hawks’ playmaking responsibility has fallen to Dyson Daniels and Jalen Johnson. “Both of them are amazing in open court, and when we play fast, that’s when they can find either open shots for 3-point shooters or dunks and lobs for [Onyeka Okongwu] and [Kristaps Porzingis],” Vit Krejci said of Daniels and Johnson, right after his own career-high 28-point night against the Clippers.
Vít Krejčí was a STANDOUT for Atlanta tonight:
— NBA (@NBA) November 11, 2025
🎯 28 PTS
🎯 8-10 3PM
🎯 9-13 FGM@ATLHawks move to 6-5 on the season! pic.twitter.com/yRxINyyzV5
14. Philadelphia 76ers
(7-5, last week No. 13)
Kelly Oubre is playing arguably the best basketball of his career this season, averaging 18.6 points a game, playing quality defense, and making big plays — like the game-winning put-back against the Celtics. As impressive as Oubre, Tyrese Maxey, and the 76ers have been, the team is 4-5 against teams over .500 (and 3-0 against teams below that mark). Maybe the return of Paul George this week will change that.
KELLY OUBRE JR. WINS IT FOR THE SIXERS WITH 8.7 SECONDS LEFT! pic.twitter.com/xy81k9hPvY
— NBA on NBC and Peacock (@NBAonNBC) November 12, 2025
15. Phoenix Suns
(8-6, last week No. 19)
The Suns are an impressive 7-0 this season when leading after one quarter. Even with Sunday’s loss to the Hawks, Phoenix has won four of its last five games and boasts a top-six offense and defense in the league over this stretch — the Suns are legitimately good. We expected Devin Booker to be the offensive engine of this team, but Dillon Brooks — 34 points against Atlanta — has stepped up on that end of the court this season.
16. Orlando Magic
(7-7, last week No. 18)
Have the Magic turned the corner on a disappointing start to the season? In their first eight games, they went 3-5 with a 114.3 defensive rating, a -1.4 net rating and 58.4 percent true shooting. In their last six games, the Magic are 4-2 with a +5 net rating, and while the true shooting percentage didn’t really change (58.5), the defense jumped up to the top 10 in the league. This is supposed to be a defense-first team and Orlando needs to get back to that if they are to become a threat in the East.
17. Miami Heat
(7-6, last week No. 11)
The Heat’s attacking style and tempo is working early in games, no team is scoring more on average in the first quarter (34.9 points a game) and that has Miami winning the first quarter by an average of 2.6 points a game. However, while the offense has been the talk of the league, it’s the Heat’s solid, 15th-ranked defense that has consistently enabled this team to win games. The Heat have gone 3-2 so far with Bam Adebayo out, but that will be put to the test this week with games against the Knicks, Warriors, Bulls, and 76ers.
18. Boston Celtics
(7-7, last week No. 17)
The Boston Celtics have been the unluckiest team in the league this season. They have a top-10 ranked offense and defense, and their +4.7 net rating suggests a team that should be 9-5 and sitting in the top five in the East. That doesn’t mean everything is perfect. Joe Mazzulla has not changed his offensive philosophy — he wants the Celtics to launch more 3-pointers than any other team. They are close at 44.4 a game, second in the league. The problem: Their revamped roster is making just 34% of them, 22nd in the league. All those 3-pointers leads to wild swings with this team — an off shooting night and they fall to the Jazz at home. It’s a concern. Also, don’t expect a philosophical change.
19. Chicago Bulls
(6-6, last week No. 10)
Coby White made his season debut Sunday after missing the start of the season with a calf strain, giving the Bulls some added shot creation to go with Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis. White’s return could not stop Chicago from losing its fifth straight on Sunday, with four of those losses being in clutch games (within five points in the final five minutes). For the season, the Bulls are 4-4 in clutch games (with a fitting even net rating in those minutes).
20. Portland Trail Blazers
(6-7, last week No. 16)
A 1-4 road trip threw a little cold water on Portland’s hot start to the season. The offense continued to thrive behind Deni Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe, actually outperforming the season average by 2.5 points per 100 possessions over the five games. However, the Blazers’ defense has slipped (ranking bottom four in the league over the last five games). Things feel incomplete in Portland with Scoot Henderson yet to make his season debut due to a strained hamstring, and when Jrue Holiday is out, as was the case on Sunday, the lack of point guard play is noticeable.
21. Charlotte Hornets
(4-9, last week No. 21)
Kon Knueppel for Rookie of the Year? With LaMelo Ball out six of the last seven games (and Brandon Miller still out), Knueppel has stepped up and averaged 21.3 points and seven rebounds a game while shooting 38.7% from beyond the arc. He is carrying this offense and doing it well. He’s also being asked to take on key defensive assignments, and although not yet a plus defender, the rookie is holding his own. It’s far too early to have a serious discussion about end-of-season awards, but Knueppel has put himself in the ROY conversation.
22. Utah Jazz
(5-8, last week No. 25)
Utah is playing with some real fight this season, just ask the Bulls, who fell to the Jazz in a double-OT thriller on Sunday, thanks to Keyonte George’s game-winning 3 with 0.8 left on the clock. Walker Kessler’s absence has meant more Kevin Love on the court, and the veteran has played well in his increased minutes and role.
KEYONTE GEORGE CALLS GAME WITH 0.8 REMAINING 🚨
— NBA (@NBA) November 17, 2025
HE CAPS HIS 33-POINT NIGHT WITH THE WINNER IN DOUBLE OT. pic.twitter.com/D67ToC9UcA
23. Los Angeles Clippers
(4-9, last week No. 23)
No Bradley Beal (hip surgery) for the rest of the season, still no Kawhi Leonard (ankle sprain) and the Clippers are just looking old and slow. Coach Tyronn Lue is understandably frustrated, but trying to stay positive. “When you don’t have your best player [Leonard] and your third-best player in Brad, it’s tough. When you structure training camp and preseason around certain guys, your core guys, and they’re not there — it takes some time to get used to others taking on new roles… Stay patient. Be patient. We’ve been through this before. As fans, as coaches, as players, as an organization. It’s no different. We’ll figure it out. We’ll be okay.” While Beal being out is not ideal for the Clippers, it means more Kris Dunn (better defense) and Cam Christie (athleticism), players who bring things the team needs.
24. Dallas Mavericks
(4-10, last week No. 26)
Nico Harrison is out as General Manager — something that had to happen for two reasons: 1) Because of how negativity from the fans was bleeding into everything with the franchise on and off the court; 2) To stop Harrison from making short-sighted, short-term moves to help himself and the Doncic trade look better. The only real question now is how fast this team pivots to building around Flagg — do they make bold moves at the trade deadline, such as trading Anthony Davis? Expect the Mavericks to explore that market, especially if they continue to struggle. However, actually constructing a Davis trade in-season — with Davis making $54.1 million and the Mavericks up against the second tax apron, and most of the teams interested in AD also constrained by taxes — is incredibly difficult. The sweeping changes are likely to come from a new GM next summer, if they occur at all.
25. Memphis Grizzlies
(4-10, last week No. 22)
There are a lot of things going wrong in Memphis, but it all starts with their stars. Ja Morant’s 17.9 points per game this season is on pace for his lowest scoring output since his rookie season (17.8), and as a rookie he shot better than this season (35.9% overall and 16.7% from 3-point range). Jaren Jackson Jr.'s 17.9 points per game would be the lowest since the 2021-22 season (16.3). Even with center Zach Edey still out, Jackson’s 5.2 rebounds per game are below his career average, and his 1.4 blocked shots per game are half of the three a night he averaged in the 2022-23 season when he won Defensive Player of the Year.
26. Sacramento Kings
(3-11, last week No. 24)
Kings coach Doug Christie ripped into the team’s effort after a 33-point loss at home to the Hawks. “Put on the jersey, represent it properly,” Christie said. “These people need to come into the turnstiles and they need to be proud when they leave here about the product that they see, not f****** embarrassed. Unacceptable. Period. It is. This is a simple one, this ain’t even hard.” The next game, Christie inserted Russell Westbrook into the starting lineup, benching Dennis Schroder – the Kings have already had 10 different starting lineups this season (most in the league), which just sums up where this roster and where this team is right now.
27. Brooklyn Nets
(2-11, last week No. 29)
Brooklyn has the worst defense in the league, its 124 rating is 3.3 worse than the 28th-ranked New Orleans, and about 10 points worse than the league average. Despite the defense, the Nets picked up a win on Sunday against the Wizards behind 34 from Michael Porter Jr. and another strong game off the bench from Tyrese Martin with 20. Brooklyn has a home-and-home against Boston this week.
28. New Orleans Pelicans
(2-11, last week No. 27)
It felt like foreshadowing that the Pelicans had not been introducing coach Willie Green after the players at home games this season. There was simply no mention of him. Now Green has been fired as head coach, which puts James Borrego — who was introduced to the crowd during his home debut — in the big chair for the rest of this season (his teams in Charlotte kept taking steps forward, but he got fired anyway). He is close to getting Zion Williamson back, which will help things. The Pelicans have been listless this season and Borrego needs to find a way to energize the players and start to maximize talents such as Trey Murphy III and the emerging Derik Queen (who has now been inserted in the starting lineup). The Pelicans rank in the bottom four in the league in both offense and defense, so improvement is needed everywhere.
29. Indiana Pacers
(1-12, last week No. 28)
I just feel bad for Pacers fans. A season ago this was an incredibly entertaining team with a great story, a team a fan base and city could rally around long before they made the run to the Finals. This season, due to injuries, the Pacers are just hard to watch. On the bright side, they made a trade last summer to regain control of their own first-round pick this season, which is now going to matter a lot (and could be incredibly valuable). One other bright spot: T.J. McConnell is back from his hamstring strain and in the rotation.
30. Washington Wizards
(1-12, last week No. 30)
Losers of 11 in a row, eight of those by 17+ points, but the one that stings was Detroit: Washington was up five inside of five seconds to go and still lost. The thing is, especially with Bilal Coulibaly back from a calf contusion, there is still quality young talent on this team and they are far more fun to watch than the other teams near the bottom of this ranking.
How to Watch the NBA on NBC and Peacock
Peacock NBA Monday will stream up to three Monday night games each week throughout the regular season. Coast 2 Coast Tuesday presents doubleheaders on Tuesday nights throughout the regular season on NBC and Peacock. On most Tuesdays, an 8 p.m. ET game will be on NBC stations in the Eastern and Central time zones, and an 8 p.m. PT game on NBC stations in the Pacific and often Mountain time zones. Check local listings each week. Both games will stream live nationwide on Peacock. NBC Sports will launch Sunday Night Basketball across NBC and Peacock on Feb. 1, 2026. For a full schedule of the NBA on NBC and Peacock, click here.
