2025-2026 NBA Power Rankings: Pistons top Thunder, Cavaliers and Clippers climbing
The second half of the NBA season is underway and the top 10 Power Rankings may have some surprises. All Championship odds are courtesy of DraftKings.
Vaughn Dalzell‘s NBA Power Rankings
Points Leader: Cade Cunningham (25.3)
Rebound Leader: Jalen Duren (10.4)
Assist Leader: Cade Cunningham (9.6)
If you had the Detroit Pistons owning the best record in the NBA at the All-Star break on your bingo card, then you are in good shape. The Pistons went off for 13-straight wins earlier in the season and haven't lost more than two consecutive games all season, one of three teams to accomplish that feat (Thunder, Spurs).
Detroit has brought back its bad boy defense, ranking second in the NBA in defensive rating, and 10th in offensive. The Pistons are one of five teams to rank top 10 in both offensive and defensive rating (Spurs, Rockets, Thunder, Timberwolves). The Pistons also lead the league in steals (10.6) and blocks (6.3) per game
The Pistons own the seventh-toughest strength of schedule for the second-half of the season and fourth-toughest in the Eastern Conference. Detroit only has two road trips of three games remaining, and luckily, one of them features two matchups in Washington, then a rigorous three-game span at Orlando, Cleveland, and San Antonio to start March. Detroit will likely be the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, but owing the best record in the NBA will be challenging with their schedule.
With MVP candidate Cade Cunningham leading the way and this no nonsense defense — the Pistons will at least be top three seed in the East and my guess, top two as Detroit will have to fend off Cleveland who is hunting for the top spot after the trade deadline.
Points Leader: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31.8)
Rebound Leader: Isaiah Hartentstein (8.7)
Assist Leader: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (6.4)
Oklahoma City ended the first half of the season on a slide with a 2-3 mark over the last five games and 5-6 over the past 11 contests. Luckily, Oklahoma City will get Shai Gilgeous-Alexander back in the lineup and he's currently the favorite to win the MVP.
The Thunder rank first in defensive rating, first in real plus-minus (+11.7), third in points per game (119.7), and one of seven teams to record at least an 80% free-throw percentage. Oklahoma City is just as talented as last season, but it's well known they have a target on their back after winning a title and have the second-toughest strength of schedule in the second-half of the year (.541)
The Spurs went 4-1 versus the Thunder this season and Oklahoma City still has three more matchups with Denver (1-0) remaining. The Thunder have two more meetings with the Los Angeles Lakers (1-0), and another with Minnesota (1-2). Those four teams could be the biggest threats to the Thunder repeating and making it out of a gauntlet of a Western Conference.
Points Leader: Victor Wembanyama (24.4)
Rebound Leader: Victor Wembanyama (11.1)
Assist Leader: Stephon Castle (7.0)
San Antonio is here to stay in the title race as long Victor Wembanyama is on the court. The Spurs are playing on another level this season and currently have the second-best record in the West and third overall in all of the NBA. The Spurs and Timberwolves are the only teams to beat the Thunder two or more times this season, which is an accomplishment itself.
The Spurs enter the second half of the season on a six-game winning streak and are 11-3 in the last 14 games. San Antonio ranks top seven in both offensive and defensive rating this season. plus rebounding and turnover percentage. Last year, the Spurs had the 19th-best offense, 25th defense, were 27th in rebounding percentage, and 10th in turnover percentage. It's ben quite the turnaround for a team that was 34-48 last season.
Points Leader: Nikola Jokic (28.7)
Rebound Leader: Nikola Jokic (12.3)
Assist Leader: Nikola Jokic (10.7)
Nikola Jokic returned to the lineup for seven games before the All-Star break, but went 3-4 in that span. Denver has the most difficult remaining strength of schedule (.551) with 27 games left, right ahead of the Thunder (.541) and Timberwolves (.522). The Nuggets open the second half of the season with three straight road games and four in the first five, but end the year with seven home games in the final nine contests.
Denver leads the NBA in offensive three-point percentage (39.5%), second in field goal percentage (49.5%), and first in offensive rating (121.0). Offensively, Denver is as good as anyone this season, but defensively, the Nuggets leave a lot to be desired. Denver is 24th in defensive net rating (121.0), 19th in points allowed per game (116.3), and 21st in three-pointers allowed (37.9).
Most of Denver's poor defensive play is countered with ridiculous offensive stats like their true shooting percentage (61.4%, 1st) and effective field goal percentage (57.4%, 1st), which can only carry them so far. Denver will rely on its offense and pace of play to edge its opponents during the second half of the season and into the playoffs, but in a defensive rock fight, Denver will likely be outmatched.
Points Leader: Donovan Mitchell (29.0)
Rebound Leader: Evan Mobley (8.8)
Assist Leader: Donovan Mitchell (5.9)
The Cavaliers may be the hottest team in the Eastern Conference as they closed the first half of the season with a 10-1 record over their last 11 games. On top of that, they went out and traded for James Harden who played in two games for the Cavs and put up double-doubles in each outing.
Harden put up 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists in a narrow win at Denver (119-117), then 13 points, 11 assists, and 4 rebounds in his home debut over Washington (138-113 win). The addition of The Beard certainly makes Cleveland a more viable championship threat and gives them one of the most dynamic and dangerous backcourts in the league with Donovan Mitchell and Harden.
While Detroit and Boston are the two top seeds in the East as of now, Cleveland is coming for the top spot and I would not be shocked if they edge the Pistons over the next 27 games. Plus, Cleveland has the fifth-easiest strength of schedule for the second-half and second-easiest in the Eastern Conference. Detroit's is the seventh-toughest overall and third-toughest in the East (Boston is 5th, 2nd).
Points Leader: Jalen Brunson (27.0)
Rebound Leader: Karl-Anthony Towns (11.9)
Assist Leader: Jalen Brunson (6.1)
New York's only move at the trade deadline was acquiring Jose Alvarado to bring the Knicks another dual-threat player that is troublesome to opposing guards. The Knicks seem to be confident in the unit they have as they ended the first-half of the regular season at 2-2 in the last four games, but 10-2 over the previous 12.
The Knicks narrowly lead the Eastern Conference in offensive rebounds per game (13.2) just edging out the Pistons (13.1) and New York is second in the East for turnovers per game (13.6). Against the Cavaliers, Pistons, and Celtics, the top three in the East, the Knicks are 4-3 this season, while they are 12-7 versus the rest of the playoff and play-in field. New York has the fifth-toughest strength of schedule remaining in the East and 11th-toughest overall.
Points Leader: Jaylen Brown (29.3)
Rebound Leader: Neemias Queta (8.3)
Assist Leader: Derrick White (5.6)
Without Jayson Tatum, the Celtics have surprised and hung tight in the Eastern Conference, ranking second in terms of record (35-19). Boston can be one of the few teams to accomplish Phil Jackson's 40-20 rule. Teams that reach 40 wins before losing 20 games are considered elite and championship contenders as teams that accomplished this have won the championship 42 of the last 46 years.
Boston still lives and dies by the three-pointer. The Celtics average the second-most triples per game at 42.4 and the third-most makes (15.4) for 36.3% (11th). The Celtics have the least amount of turnovers per game (12.1) and relied on trio of Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard. The three combine for 63.7 points, 15.6 assists, and 5.1 rebounds per game, and with the recent addition of Nikola Vucevic, Boston can absolutely win the East, if not compete.
The Celtics have the fifth-toughest strength of schedule (.518) and roll into the second-half with a 6-1 record over the last seven games. Boston opens the second-half with a four-game road trip at Golden State, Los Angeles (Lakers), Phoenix, and Denver, so straight out the gate the Celtics will be tested.
Points Leader: Kevin Durant (25.8)
Rebound Leader: Alperen Sengun (9.4)
Assist Leader: Alperen Sengun (6.3)
The drama around the Rockets hasn't been on the on-court play, but Kevin Durant's social media burner accounts off the court. Naturally, that follows him everywhere he goes, but it does call into question the camaraderie of this team.
Houston is on average 26.7 years old by the guys who are playing, which ranks as the 11th-youngest team. Four of the five players in the starting lineup are 24-years-old or younger outside of Durant, which has caused meshing issues. Houston is currently one of five teams to rank top 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency, plus they lead lead the league in rebounds per game (48.6), but are 27th in turnover percentage (15.7%), and 24th in true shooting percentage (56.8%).
Houston is playing at third-slowest pace this season, which is interesting due to their average age, shooting and turnover numbers. However, they have a relatively simple schedule down the stretch.
The Rockets own the sixth-easiest strength of schedule in the NBA over the next 27 games and fourth-easiest in the West. Houston opens the second-half of the season with Charlotte, New York, Utah, and Sacramento, which is ideal and arguably has the best April schedule in the NBA.
Points Leader: Luka Doncic (32.8)
Rebound Leader: Deandre Ayton (8.5)
Assist Leader: Luka Doncic (8.6)
The Lakers have been an offensive powerhouse this season with an NBA-best 50 field goal percentage (1st), the second-most free-throw attempts (26.9) and fourth-most makes (20.7). Luka Doncic has led the pack and is second in the NBA for points per game, but the biggest surprise has been the play of Austin Reaves when healthy. Reaves has been one of the most improved players in the league by far, which has helped with LeBron James' aging and the rest of this roster attempting to mesh together.
Despite all the tremendous offensive ranks, Los Angeles is 23rd in defensive efficiency and 21st in offense turnover percentage — a bad mixture to live off. The Lakers didn't do anything at the trade deadline, which called into question if management believes in this roster or if they could not get the players they truly wanted.
Los Angeles is 4-3 since February started, but 7-4 over the last 11 games. The Lakers have been a streaky team and won't have many soft spots in their remaining schedule that ranks the 8th-toughest overall. For a team that averages 116.0 points per game and allows 116.0 per game, I am not sure the Lakers hold onto the No. 5 seed in the West, but you better believe I'll be watching closely.
Points Leader: Kawhi Leonard (27.9)
Rebound Leader: Kawhi Leonard (6.4)
Assist Leader: Kawhi Leonard (3.7)
This spot could have been Minnesota's, Orlando's or Phoenix's, but I still think the Clippers have been playing at a top 10 level. After starting the season 5-21, Los Angeles has climbed to 26-28, going 21-7 since then.
Kawhi Leonard has been playing at an MVP level and the additions of Darius Garland and Benedict Mathurin can rejuvenate this team and inject them with some youth. Garland is still out with a toe injury, but if he comes back and looks better than he did with Cleveland this year, well, Los Angeles will be in great shape.
The Clippers ranked 8th and 9th in offensive and defensive efficiency during December and 4th and 17th in January. Los Angeles overall is a top-15 unit defensively and that has carried them this season. The departure of James Harden and Ivica Zubac isn't ideal on paper, but the acquisitions in return keep the Clippers squad playoff hopes alive.
Follow my plays for the season on X @VmoneySports, Instagram @VmoneySports_ and Action App @vaughndalzell.
Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & team props for every matchup this week on the NBA schedule!
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