NBA Power Rankings: Lakers Land Top Spot

1. Los Angeles Lakers (42-10)
A loss in Utah last night, but that hardly negates the work that the Lakers have done of late. They haven’t missed a beat without Andrew Bynum and they closed out an undefeated six-game road trip by beating Boston and Cleveland back-to-back. Lakers get the nod as team to beat heading into the All-Star Break.

2. Boston Celtics (43-11)
Boston is still the beast of the East and that is good enough to lock up the No. 2 spot. Close losses to both the Lakers and the Spurs at home in its last 4 games tells Boston that it is going to have to take its game to another level in the season’s second half if it hopes to repeat. The Celtics are 3.5-point favorites at the Dallas Mavericks tonight.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers (40-11)
LA handed the Cavs their first home loss of the season and then Cleveland was beat at Indiana the following game when LeBron James fouled in the closing seconds to put the Pacers on the free throw line. The Cavs answered with a 109-92 blowout win over Phoenix. Those two losses did not change my opinion of this Cavaliers team. It is still a force to be reckoned with.

4. San Antonio Spurs (35-16)
The Spurs finally get out of the No. 5 spot to lead frog the Magic thanks to a big win at Boston and a big win by the Nuggets over Orlando. The Spurs have also beaten the Lakers this season, which is more than the Cavs and the Celtics can say. The Spurs’ record is not at all indicative of how tough of a team they are. They will be LA’s only competition in the West.

5. Denver Nuggets (36-17)
The Nuggets have won 5 of 6, including big wins over the Spurs and the Magic. The most impressive things about this team is that it has managed to stay among the league-leaders in scoring while drastically improving on the defensive side of the ball. The Nuggets have the 4th best field goal percentage defense in the NBA, limiting opponents to 44.1 percent shooting.

6. Orlando Magic (38-13)
Losing Jameer Nelson really hurts this team as that takes Orlando’s assist leader and best decision maker off the floor. The Magic will still be a force without him but less consistent. They have lost 3 of their last 5 games.

7. Portland Trail Blazers (32-19)
Just 3 games behind Denver in the Northwest Division, the Blazers are making plenty of noise. The big challenge will be not to trail off after the All-Star break like they did a season ago. Portland plays as well as anyone on its home floor but can stand to improve on the road where it is below .500.

8. Dallas Mavericks (31-20)
Dallas got off to a slow start this season, but it is hitting on all cylinders heading into All-Star weekend, winning 6 of 7. Losing Jason Terry is a big blow and it will be interesting to see how the Mavs look tonight against the Celtics without him.

9. Houston Rockets (32-21)
The Rockets are tied with Dallas at 4 games behind the Spurs in the Southwest. The Rockets have won 4 of 6, but things inevitable don’t look good for this franchise. Ron Artest is already reportedly on the trade block and Tracy McGrady is day-to-day again with a knee injury.

10. Utah Jazz (30-23)
The Jazz have won 4 of 5, including a big confidence boosting win over LA to head into All-Star weekend on a high note. Once this team is at full strength with Andrei Kirilenko and Carlos Boozer back healthy, I expect them to make a nice run.

Do your NBA wagering with the help of Jimmy Boyd’s NBA expert picks this season for guaranteed success against the NBA odds.

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