As the five-game Christmas Day slate nears, the NBA has turned the page from the focus on the NBA Cup.
And though the Oklahoma City Thunder have dropped two of their last three games, it still may be too early to say that the team has long-term vulnerabilities, especially since those losses came against excellent Western Conference teams in the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Out East, things are a little more wide open, where it looks like there are a handful of teams that can compete for a conference title.
Here are USA TODAY Sports’ NBA power rankings after Week 8 of the 2025-26 regular season:
USA TODAY Sports NBA power rankings
Note: Records and stats through Dec. 21. Parentheses show movement from last week’s rankings
NBA Week 9 power rankings: Top 5
1. Oklahoma City Thunder, 25-3 (—)
2. Detroit Pistons, 22-6 (—)
3. San Antonio Spurs, 21-7 (—)
4.New York Knicks, 20-8 (+1)
5.Denver Nuggets, 20-7 (-1)
Atop the list there’s a relative lack of movement, but the interesting development is whether Oklahoma City is merely hitting a speedbump, or whether there are significant holes. The Spurs, however, look like a team that can compete regularly with the Thunder, given their size and defensive capability and their speed at guard. The Knicks, fresh off their NBA Cup championship, have won 12 of their last 14 games.
NBA Week 9 power rankings: Nos. 6-10
6. Los Angeles Lakers, 19-8 (+1)
7. Minnesota Timberwolves, 19-10 (+1)
8. Houston Rockets, 17-9 (-2)
9. Boston Celtics, 17-11 (—)
10. Philadelphia 76ers, 16-11 (+5)
The Rockets have taken a bit of a tumble, losing four of their last six, and the quality of some of those defeats are concerning; losses against the Kings and Pelicans shouldn’t be happening. Anthony Edwards splashed his game-winning 3 over the Thunder, and the Timberwolves and their sixth-ranked defensive rating (112.3) suddenly have some swagger. And Tyrese Maxey, who is third in the NBA in scoring at 31.7 points per game, has the 76ers soaring.
NBA Week 9 power rankings: Nos. 11-15
11. Orlando Magic, 16-12 (-1)
12. Phoenix Suns, 15-13 (-1)
13. Toronto Raptors, 17-13 (-1)
14. Cleveland Cavaliers, 15-14 (+2)
15. Atlanta Hawks, 15-15 (-1)
The Magic have sputtered a bit recently, losing four of their last seven games, though there is a caveat here: those losses have come against the Spurs, Knicks (twice) and Nuggets, who have a combined winning percentage of .730. The Cavaliers need to confront their roster and whether they should be aggressive at the trading deadline.
NBA Week 9 power rankings: Nos. 16-20
16. Chicago Bulls, 13-15 (+4)
17. Memphis Grizzlies, 13-15 (+1)
18. Miami Heat, 15-14 (-5)
19. Golden State Warriors, 14-15 (-2)
20. Dallas Mavericks, 11-18 (-1)
The Bulls have won three consecutive and second-year forward Matas Buzelis has dropped 52 points on 73.1% shooting over his last two games. With Tyler Herro (toe) missing time, the Heat have won just two of their last 10 as their shooting has dipped in the last month. At this point, it’s clear the Warriors need to tweak the construction of their roster to give Stephen Curry (28.8 points per game; ninth in the NBA) some more help.
NBA Week 9 power rankings: Nos. 21-25
21. Portland Trail Blazers, 12-16 (+1)
22. Utah Jazz, 10-17 (+2)
23. Milwaukee Bucks, 11-18 (-2)
24. Charlotte Hornets, 9-19 (-1)
25. Brooklyn Nets, 8-19 (—)
Despite ranking 11th in the Eastern Conference, the Bucks somehow have the NBA’s second-best effective field goal percentage (57.4%), which adjusts for 3-point shots. Utah ranks seventh in the NBA in points per game (119.9) and sixth in rebounds per game (45.7). The Nets have won five of their last eight, as Michael Porter Jr. (25.6 points per game) has started to carry the offense for Brooklyn.
NBA Week 9 power rankings: Nos. 26-30
26. New Orleans Pelicans, 7-22 (+3)
27. Indiana Pacers, 6-22 (-1)
28. Los Angeles Clippers, 7-21 (-1)
29. Sacramento Kings, 7-22 (-1)
30. Washington Wizards, 5-22 (—)
New Orleans has gotten a massive boost in Zion Williamson’s return, even though he has come off the bench in his three games back. Nonetheless, the Pelicans have won four consecutive. No team has been worse at possessing the ball than the Clippers, who rank dead last in turnover percentage (16.6%). And Washington’s defensive rating of 122.7 is nearly 20 points lower than the league’s top team, the Thunder (103.2).
