NBA Power Rankings: Cleveland Rocks

1. Cleveland Cavaliers (41-11) – The Cavs are clearly the best team in the NBA right now, and they are currently riding an 11-game winning streak. On a personal level, I would love to see LeBron James get his first NBA title this season and for Shaq to pick up another ring as well.

2. Los Angeles Lakers (39-13) – Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum are both banged up. In fact, both may not play tonight against the Spurs. But the Lakers are still the second best team in the league right now, having won 10 of their last 14 games. With Ron Artest, Lamar Odom, and Pau Gasol healthy, L.A. still boasts plenty of star power. NBA odds makers have listed the Lakers as a 3.5-point favorite against the Spurs tonight.

3. Denver Nuggets (34-17) – Much like the Lakers, the Nuggets are also trying to get healthy. Carmelo Anthony, Chris Andersen, Chauncey Billups, and Arron Afflalo are all banged up. Denver has lost two of its last three, but it did pull off an impressive win over the Lakers in L.A. without Anthony Friday. The Nuggets have won 11 of their last 14 overall and have had the Lakers’ number this season, but I’m still not quite ready to pass the torch to them as the team to beat in the West.

4. Orlando Magic (34-17) – With two wins over the Boston Celtics and a win over the Atlanta Hawks in recent weeks, the Magic are beginning to reassert themselves as a force to be reckoned with. They have now won eight of their last 10 and they are listed as a 9-point favorite against the Hornets tonight.

5. Utah Jazz (31-18) – While I don’t think the Jazz are the best team in the league, they are certainly one of the hottest, having won eight straight games and 12 of their last 13, including an impressive win over division leader Denver in their last game.

6. Atlanta Hawks (32-17) – The Hawks have won 11 of their last 16 games, and they have been exceptional at home, where they are 21-5 this season. But in order to challenge Orlando and Cleveland in the playoffs, the Hawks are going to have to improve on the road, where they are below .500.

7. Boston Celtics (32-17) - Injuries have really taken a toll on the Celtics. They have affected conditioning, chemistry and depth. But I believe Boston will still be a team to be reckoned with come playoffs time if it can get healthy. And hopefully the All-Star break will help in that department. Boston leads the NBA in scoring defense, allowing only 93.7 points per game.  Nobody in the NBA is as good defensively as a healthy Celtics team.

8. Phoenix Suns (31-21) – The Suns have won five in a row, with four of those wins coming on the road, and with one of them coming over the Denver Nuggets.

9. Dallas Mavericks (31-19) – The Mavs are struggling, but I still strongly believe they are one of the top 10 best teams in the NBA right now. They are in action tonight as a 4.5-point favorite against the Golden state Warriors.

10. San Antonio Spurs (29-20) - The Spurs have won four of their last six, but are not having the season many expected them to have. They have a chance to show the league that they are still legit title contenders if they can defeat the Lakers tonight.

Bet on the NBA with the help of Jimmy Boyd’s NBA expert picks for another profitable campaign!

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