Album of the Week: “Illmatic,” Nas (1994)
Three months down, three months to go. The NBA season is at halftime.
Every team has reached 41 games, which means it is once again time for Power Rankings grades — second-quarter edition.
The first-quarter grades had people feeling one of two ways: The grades were too harsh (how did the Oklahoma City Thunder not get an A++++++?!) and the games weren’t predictive enough (but the point differential! Think about the strength of schedule!).
Every NBA team has played 41 games
Second quarter splits are here (games 21-41)
Trendlines based on second quarter of season
Only 14 teams had winning records…
— Law Murray 📘 (@lawmurraythenu.bsky.social) January 21, 2026 at 11:04 PM
You’ll be pleased to know that the grades for the second quarter — determined by play in games 21 to 41 — are probably going to be even harsher. I can tell this will be jarring for the people who skipped the intro and scrolled straight down to see their team. To be clear, these grades are just about the second quarter of the season. A 21-game sample, not a 41-game one.
Fine print: These Power Rankings won’t just rank every team. We’ll retain the tiers that teams will be promoted into and relegated out of. There will be five tiers each week:
- Top Contenders – Locked at five, these are the class of the league
- In a Good Place – Could be one team, could be seven teams
- The Bubble – Not to be confused with Walt Disney World. The middle of the pack
- Not the Tier to Fear – Not playing the worst ball in the league, but with a lot of work to do
- Basement Floor – Bringing up the rear
What to expect from Power Rankings:
- These are my subjective rankings. I will consider a variety of objective measures, but it’s my final call.
- These rankings are not just a review of the past week — we are projecting forward as well, so it is a balance of the two.
- These are subjective, but not biased. There are no agendas in the Power Rankings, and we strive for an inclusive meritocracy
- The one quality that these rankings possess: “Ruthless aggression.”
- Enjoy the games, and enjoy the rankings, please!
For Week 15 of The Athletic NBA Power Rankings, we will explore second-quarter grades for each team. Win-loss records and other statistical data are through Sunday’s action.
Tier 1: Top Contenders1. Oklahoma City Thunder (37-10)
Last ranking: 1
In the last week: W at CLE, W at MIL, L vs IND, L vs TOR
Offensive rating: 118.1 (fifth place)
Defensive rating: 105.4 (first place)
First-quarter grade: A
Second-quarter grade: A-
Well, it’s official: The Thunder won’t be setting the record for most wins in a season. They also probably won’t blow a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals, either.
Oklahoma City was still very good in the second quarter of the season, posting the NBA’s second-best defense and a top-10 offense. But the Thunder aren’t invincible, and back-to-back home losses to the Pacers and Raptors were the latest reminder of Oklahoma City’s mortality.
2. Detroit Pistons (33-11)
Last ranking: 2
In the last week: W vs BOS, W at NO, L vs HOU, W vs SAC
Offensive rating: 116.1 (11th place)
Defensive rating: 108.6 (second place)
First-quarter grade: A
Second-quarter grade: A
Does anyone actually not look when they are told not to?
There is only one loss separating the Thunder and Pistons, and the two teams don’t play each other until the end of February and March. Those games are shaping up to be massive and could potentially decide NBA Finals home-court advantage. Congratulations, Detroit, these are the conversations you are in now. And what a fantastic second quarter — one in which the Pistons were actually better than the Thunder defensively.
3. Houston Rockets (27-16)
Last ranking: 6
In the last week: W vs SA, L at PHI, W at DET
Offensive rating: 118.7 (fourth place)
Defensive rating: 112.5 (eighth place)
First-quarter grade: A
Second-quarter grade: B-
This may seem lofty, considering how relatively unimpressive the Rockets were in the second quarter. Houston was actually the last team to reach 41 games, which it hit with a win Tuesday against the Spurs. The Rockets only went 11-10 in the second quarter of the season, as the defense fell off significantly. A bad goaltending call still resulted in an overtime loss at Philadelphia. But then the Rockets bounced back and won at Detroit on the second night of a back-to-back. That’s a solid week of wins. They’re going to miss Steven Adams for a while because of an ankle injury, but Adams’ durability concerns are why Clint Capela was signed.
4. San Antonio Spurs (31-15)
Last ranking: 3
In the last week: W vs UTA, L at HOU, W at UTA, L vs NO
Offensive rating: 116.5 (ninth place)
Defensive rating: 111.5 (third place)
First-quarter grade: B+
Second-quarter grade: B
The Spurs had those loud wins against Loud City, but they haven’t exactly been dominant overall. They’re just good, with a great defense (which I value greatly!) and with our alien overlord Victor Wembanyama, an All-Star starter. But still. Good. Not great. San Antonio is only 8-8 since its Christmas win at Oklahoma City capped an eight-game win streak.
5. Boston Celtics (28-17)
Last ranking: 9
In the last week: L at DET, W vs IND, W at BRK, L at CHI
Offensive rating: 121.2 (first place)
Defensive rating: 114.0 (12th place)
First-quarter grade: B
Second-quarter grade: A
Look at who has the best offense in the NBA now. What a fantastic and resilient season the Celtics have had. A sneaky key to the offensive efficiency is how good the offensive rebounding has been. Boston was already very good at taking care of the ball, but now it is stealing possessions when it does miss shots, especially when Luka Garza is in the game. It’s not just that the Celtics attempt a lot of 3s; it’s that they’re always going to attempt more than you because they’re going to have more bites at the apple. I like where the Celtics are, despite not having the best week. They lost a coin-flip game at Detroit that was fit for May, were saved by Hugo Gonzalez in a double-overtime win at Brooklyn, then lost on the second night of a back-to-back in Chicago.
Tier 2: In a Good Place6. Denver Nuggets (31-15)
Last ranking: 5
In the last week: L vs LAL, W at WAS, W at MIL, PPD at MEM
Offensive rating: 121.0 (second place)
Defensive rating: 116.4 (23rd place)
First-quarter grade: B+
Second-quarter grade: B
Denver being able to hold steady in the West with Nikola Jokić missing all of January is very impressive. The offense has been outstanding, with Jamal Murray averaging 7.9 assists and only 2.2 turnovers in the second quarter of the season. Unfortunately for Denver, Aaron Gordon keeps injuring his hamstring, and Christian Braun’s initial return from a severe ankle sprain was unsuccessful. Add in Cameron Johnson’s knee injury, and this is a Denver team that may go three months between games with its chosen starting five.
7. New York Knicks (27-18)
Last ranking: 10
In the last week: L vs DAL, W vs BRK, W at PHI
Offensive rating: 119.0 (third place)
Defensive rating: 114.9 (17th place)
First-quarter grade: B
Second-quarter grade: B-
Things were looking especially bleak for the Knicks, with the Mavericks showing up and embarrassing New York on MLK Day. Then the Nets showed up. Congratulations to the Knicks for becoming the 25th NBA franchise to win a game by at least 50 points, despite having a head start on every team except for the Celtics and Warriors! Despite the stabilizing wins against Atlantic Division foes, the Knicks still have to show that Karl-Anthony Towns is with the program. New York hasn’t had back-to-back games in which it outscored opponents in Towns’ minutes on the floor since Christmas.
8. Cleveland Cavaliers (27-20)
Last ranking: 13
In the last week: L vs OKC, W at CHA, W vs SAC, W at ORL
Offensive rating: 116.4 (10th place)
Defensive rating: 114.0 (13th place)
First-quarter grade: B-
Second-quarter grade: C-
The Cavaliers were only 10-11 in the second quarter of the season. They’re only 7-6 this season when Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen all play. Cleveland was a bottom-10 defense in the second quarter, and it just doesn’t look like a special team at all. With all of that said, the Cavs are getting a special season from Mitchell, and this was a good week after getting blown out by the Thunder. Cleveland hasn’t lost back-to-back games all month.
9. Phoenix Suns (27-19)
Last ranking: 9
In the last week: W at BRK, W at PHI, L at ATL, L vs MIA
Offensive rating: 114.3 (16th place)
Defensive rating: 112.1 (fifth place)
First-quarter grade: B
Second-quarter grade: B-
The Suns won a dozen games in the second quarter of the season, just like they did in the first quarter. They have established that the defense is here to stay, and Collin Gillespie has started every game since Dec. 1, averaging 1.6 steals per game in those 25 games. If there is a concern, it’s Devin Booker spraining his ankle and needing at least a week to get right. Phoenix is only 1-4 this season without Booker, and Jalen Green has yet to show that he can make it through multiple games this season because of his balky hamstring. Phoenix still doesn’t have the depth of talent to deal with an extended Booker absence.
10. Los Angeles Lakers (27-17)
Last ranking: 11
In the last week: W at DEN, L at LAC, W at DAL
Offensive rating: 116.5 (eighth place)
Defensive rating: 117.0 (25th place)
First-quarter grade: A
Second-quarter grade: C-
Los Angeles has been outscored by 10 points this season. The Lakers are also 10 games over .500. They are a deeply flawed team that just happens to have the NBA’s leading scorer this season and leading scorer of all time, though Austin Reaves is expected to return this week. The Lakers went only 10-11 in the second quarter of the season, where the offense was average and the defense was horrible. Los Angeles has put together some solid stretches of defense as of late, but it also usually requires benching center Deandre Ayton. Getting this group to play well on both ends of the floor for four quarters consistently game after game is just about impossible, and Reaves’ return may only complicate that effort, given his lack of defensive compatibility with Luka Dončić and LeBron James.
Toronto’s Immanuel Quickley fires a 3 over OKC’s Aaron Wiggins. (Alonzo Adams / Imagn Images)
11. Toronto Raptors (29-19)
Last ranking: 12
In the last week: W at GS, W at SAC, W at POR, W at OKC
Offensive rating: 114.0 (18th place)
Defensive rating: 112.0 (fourth place)
First-quarter grade: A
Second-quarter grade: C
I saw the Raptors lose back-to-back games against Southern California NBA teams and was left unimpressed with their spring viability, particularly on offense. The Raptors were a bottom-10 offense for the second quarter of the season, with a lack of 3-point accuracy being a glaring issue. And then Immanuel Quickley went all the way off this week, lighting up the Western Conference for 16 3s while making at least half of his field goals in each of the four wins the Raptors earned. RJ Barrett is back as well, so things are swinging back up for Toronto.
Tier 3: The Bubble12. Golden State Warriors (26-21)
Last ranking: 8
In the last week: W vs MIA, L vs TOR, L at DAL, W at MIN
Offensive rating: 115.4 (13th place)
Defensive rating: 112.2 (sixth place)
First-quarter grade: C-
Second-quarter grade: C+
The Warriors got 38 games out of Jimmy Butler this season. His season is over because of a torn ACL, robbing Golden State of their best two-way player at a time when it seemed like the Warriors were stabilizing. Stephen Curry has been electric from 3, averaging one a quarter over the second quarter of the season. Now the Warriors need Curry to be that much better over the second half of the season to stay afloat. It might be a Herculean task for a team that has finished better than sixth in the West only once since 2019.
13. Minnesota Timberwolves (27-19)
Last ranking: 7
In the last week: L at UTA, L vs CHI, L vs GS
Offensive rating: 116.6 (seventh place)
Defensive rating: 112.8 (10th place)
First-quarter grade: B
Second-quarter grade: A
My grading period finished when a team reached 41 games, where Minnesota wrapped up a 15-6 second quarter with a blowout win in Milwaukee without Anthony Edwards or Rudy Gobert. Minnesota had a top-five defense in the second quarter of the season, with Donte DiVincenzo averaging 1.5 steals. The Timberwolves haven’t won since the road game at Milwaukee, though.
14. Philadelphia 76ers (24-20)
Last ranking: 14
In the last week: W vs IND, L vs PHO, W vs HOU, L vs NY
Offensive rating: 114.6 (15th place)
Defensive rating: 113.3 (11th place)
First-quarter grade: B
Second-quarter grade: B
Philadelphia was one of 12 teams that got at least 100 minutes out of its most-used lineup in the second quarter of the season. In 136 minutes between Dec. 6 and Jan. 20, the Sixers outscored opponents by 9.1 points per 100 possessions with Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Paul George, Dominick Barlow and Joel Embiid on the floor. The defense has improved, with Maxey averaging 2.5 steals in the second quarter of the season as part of his All-Star campaign. Winning streaks continue to be elusive for the Sixers, but they got a tough win against the Rockets this week.
15. Orlando Magic (23-21)
Last ranking: 15
In the last week: L vs CHA, L vs CLE
Offensive rating: 113.9 (19th place)
Defensive rating: 114.1 (14th place)
First-quarter grade: B
Second-quarter grade: C
Injuries to Orlando’s top players continue to overwhelm what was thought to be a promising team. Jalen Suggs just got back from a three-week absence, where the Magic lost a third consecutive game in blowout fashion. And Franz Wagner played the two games in Europe just to miss another week due to his lingering ankle injury. Orlando is a big team that rebounds well, but that’s about all the consistency there is, besides the frequency of important players missing time.
16. Miami Heat (25-22)
Last ranking: 16
In the last week: L at GS, W at SAC, L at POR, W at UTA, W at PHO
Offensive rating: 113.9 (20th place)
Defensive rating: 112.6 (ninth place)
First-quarter grade: B+
Second-quarter grade: D
The Heat were only 8-13 in the second quarter of the season. Bam Adebayo in particular struggled mightily, making only 41.3 percent of his field goals, as the Heat had a bottom-five offense. They had a strong finish to end a stretch of five games in seven days, though, winning back-to-back road games in Utah and Phoenix.
17. Chicago Bulls (23-22)
Last ranking: 22
In the last week: W vs LAC, W at MIN, W vs BOS
Offensive rating: 114.6 (14th place)
Defensive rating: 116.7 (24th place)
First-quarter grade: C-
Second-quarter grade: C
Chicago’s defense has been bad all season. But the offense is starting to pick up, and now the Bulls are over .500. The Bulls might not force turnovers, but they play with pace, and they earned some impressive wins this week to get to a winning record entering the final week of January.
Tier 4: Not the Tier to Fear18. LA Clippers (21-24)
Last ranking: 19
In the last week: W at WAS, L at CHI, W vs LAL, W vs BRK
Offensive rating: 115.7 (12th place)
Defensive rating: 115.8 (19th place)
First-quarter grade: F
Second-quarter grade: B
The Clippers were a hot mess for a variety of reasons, but they have a chance to get to .500 next week and have a positive point differential as well. The Clippers have been the best team in the league since Dec. 20, and they’re making people eat their words as a result.
They’re still old, they’re still slow, and they still have too many injuries. But they’re a real problem to deal with if James Harden and Kawhi Leonard are playing together.
19. Portland Trail Blazers (23-23)
Last ranking: 17
In the last week: W vs MIA, L vs TOR
Offensive rating: 113.5 (21st place)
Defensive rating: 115.1 (18th place)
First-quarter grade: C-
Second-quarter grade: B+
Portland is 0-2 against the Clippers this season, with two more meetings left, so that’s a reason that the Blazers are looking up at them despite their accomplishment of getting over .500. As explained above, that’s nothing to be ashamed about with how well the Clippers are playing. Credit Portland for being a difficult team to deal with, especially defensively, where Donovan Clingan is an eclipse inside.
20. Charlotte Hornets (18-28)
Last ranking: 21
In the last week: L vs CLE, W at ORL, W vs WAS
Offensive rating: 116.7 (sixth place)
Defensive rating: 116.0 (21st place)
First-quarter grade: D+
Second-quarter grade: C-
The Hornets don’t win often. They have one three-game win streak in two seasons with Charles Lee as head coach, and it came more than a year ago. Charlotte’s defense isn’t good, and it doesn’t force turnovers. But the Hornets are the anti-Lakers. When they win, they embarrass teams. And lately, the blowouts have been so substantial that the Hornets have outscored their opponents by 24 points for the season. So, would you rather be the Hornets right now, or would you rather be the Lakers?
Myles Turner and Luke Kornet battle for a rebound at Frost Bank Center. (Daniel Dunn / Imagn Images)
21. Milwaukee Bucks (18-26)
Last ranking: 23
In the last week: W at ATL, L vs OKC, L vs DEN, PPD vs DAL
Offensive rating: 112.6 (24th place)
Defensive rating: 116.1 (22nd place)
First-quarter grade: D
Second-quarter grade: D
The Bucks are bad. They’re 11th in the East. Only the Kings and Pacers were worse offensively over the second quarter of the season. Myles Turner doesn’t get offensive rebounds, and it’s only going to get worse because Giannis Antetokounmpo injured his calf again. Milwaukee was only 15-15 with Antetokounmpo playing. You can do the math on this one. Things are bleak in Cream City, and we’ll see how far gone the Bucks are by the time Antetokounmpo is physically able to perform again.
22. Atlanta Hawks (22-25)
Last ranking: 20
In the last week: L vs MIL, W at MEM, W vs PHO
Offensive rating: 113.4 (22nd place)
Defensive rating: 114.6 (16th place)
First-quarter grade: B
Second-quarter grade: D
I said what I said about the Bucks, and yet there are teams like this below them. The Hawks lost to the Bucks on MLK Day, their fourth in a row. And that was after a second quarter of the season that saw Atlanta go only 8-13. This week ended fine for the Hawks, but they’re not a good team right now or a particularly healthy one because of the multi-week absences of Zaccharie Risacher and Kristaps Porziņģis.
23. Memphis Grizzlies (18-25)
Last ranking: 18
In the last week: L vs ATL, L vs NO, PPD vs DEN
Offensive rating: 113.1 (23rd place)
Defensive rating: 114.3 (15th place)
First-quarter grade: D
Second-quarter grade: C
Speaking of chronic health issues, here we are with the snakebitten Grizzlies and their star Ja Morant being on the shelf yet again. This time, it’s a sprained elbow ligament for Morant, a player who will play fewer than 60 games for the fourth time in five seasons. Morant hasn’t been good this season, but Memphis isn’t good enough without him to be excited about where it’s going to be, either.
24. Dallas Mavericks (19-27)
Last ranking: 24
In the last week: W at NY, W vs GS, L vs LAL, PPD at MIL
Offensive rating: 110.3 (27th place)
Defensive rating: 112.4 (seventh place)
First-quarter grade: D-
Second-quarter grade: C
No team has lost more clutch-time games than the Mavericks this season. The latest was a fourth-quarter catastrophe against the visiting Los Angeles Lukas, a game where the Mavericks overcame a 14-point deficit just to blow a 15-point lead with seven minutes to play. Dallas missed 10 straight shots and also failed to grab a rebound until the final seconds while getting outscored 29-8 to end the game Saturday. The Mavericks have played adequately since a 5-15 start, but the offense is bad, and a team that stocked up on size uses painfully little of it on the glass.
25. New Orleans Pelicans (12-36)
Last ranking: 29
In the last week: L vs DET, W at MEM, W at SA
Offensive rating: 112.2 (25th place)
Defensive rating: 118.7 (27th place)
First-quarter grade: F
Second-quarter grade: D+
The Pelicans had lost 14 of 16 games before winning back-to-back divisional road games, which was good enough to let them out of the basement for this week. This remains a thoroughly uninspiring team, though, one that defends and rebounds poorly despite their size.
Tier 5: Basement Floor26. Indiana Pacers (11-35)
Last ranking: 28
In the last week: L at PHI, L at BOS, W at OKC
Offensive rating: 108.0 (30th place)
Defensive rating: 115.9 (20th place)
First-quarter grade: F
Second-quarter grade: D
Yes, the worst offense in the NBA just went on the road against the best defense and got a win. And it was an NBA Finals rematch! But the Pacers have struggled so much this season that they were flexed off the national broadcast schedule.
27. Utah Jazz (15-31)
Last ranking: 26
In the last week: L at SA, W vs MIN, L vs SA, L vs MIA
Offensive rating: 114.0 (17th place)
Defensive rating: 122.5 (30th place)
First-quarter grade: D+
Second-quarter grade: D-
Utah finally won a game without Lauri Markkanen, and it was against the Timberwolves. But Markkanen hasn’t played in two weeks now, and the Jazz have allowed more than 130 points five times this month. They might be the worst defense of all time.
28. Brooklyn Nets (12-32)
Last ranking: 25
In the last week: L vs PHO, L at NY, L vs BOS, L at LAC
Offensive rating: 110.9 (26th place)
Defensive rating: 117.9 (26th place)
First-quarter grade: D-
Second-quarter grade: D+
The Nets looked like they had something going when January began, but that spark is over. Brooklyn has lost 13 of 15 games, and five of the losses have come by more than 20 points. The Nets had only three losses by at least 20 points through the end of December.
29. Sacramento Kings (12-35)
Last ranking: 27
In the last week: L vs MIA, L vs TOR, L at CLE, L at DET
Offensive rating: 109.8 (28th place)
Defensive rating: 119.7 (28th place)
First-quarter grade: F
Second-quarter grade: D
The Kings went back to losing, bracketing their season-long four-game win streak with losing streaks of seven games and now five games. Only the Pacers have had a worse offense than the Kings in the second quarter of the season, and only the Jazz had a worse defense. And that’s with offensive-minded players such as Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis on the roster. Sabonis and Keegan Murray haven’t played a single game together this season.
30. Washington Wizards (10-34)
Last ranking: 30
In the last week: L vs LAC, L vs DEN, L at CHA
Offensive rating: 109.5 (29th place)
Defensive rating: 120.5 (29th place)
First-quarter grade: F
Second-quarter grade: D+
The Wizards haven’t won in three weeks, which is also when they acquired Trae Young. The tank is in full effect, and Washington spent Saturday in Charlotte starting the youngest starting lineup ever: rookies Tre Johnson and Willi Riley along with second-year players Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George; 33-year-old veteran Anthony Gill was the only player older than 25 to play for the Wizards as they lost their ninth-straight game.