Previous ranking: 29

The Pistons were making progress, but an 8-game losing streak has set them back a bit. Cade Cunningham has continued to play well individually, but Detroit will have to win five of its final nine games to avoid having the worst record in franchise history.

Previous ranking: 30

The Wizards have done a good job of playing spoiler recently. They came up with wins over the Kings and Bulls who are fighting for play-in/playoff positioning and they took the Nets to overtime before falling on Wednesday night. Jordan Poole has played well as of late for Washington.

Previous ranking: 26

The Trail Blazers are struggling through a miserable season. Portland has now lost eight in a row and rookie Scoot Henderson, while showing flashes, has struggled to adjust to the NBA game. He’s shooting 37.8% from the floor and 30.7% from deep in his rookie season.

Previous ranking: 27

The Spurs are still in last place in the Western Conference, but they have shown a lot of progress. San Antonio has hung with some of the better teams in the league and they came up with an impressive win over the Suns at home. Victor Wembanyama is such an impressive rookie and the Spurs are improving around him.

Previous ranking: 28

The Hornets have struggled through another slog of a season as they have dealt with a lot of injuries and a lot of change, but one shining light has been rookie Brandon Miller. He had 31 points and made seven triples on 13 attempts in a win over the Cavaliers on Wednesday and has handled himself with poise all season.

Previous ranking: 25

The Raptors are just playing out the string in the 2023-24 season. Toronto has lost 12 in a row and has dealt with a lot of adversity from big trades to injuries and absences. Rookie Gradey Dick has shown some flashes as he’s scored 20-plus points twice in the previous week.

Previous ranking: 24

The Grizzlies have gotten healthier as of late welcoming Desmond Bane and Brandon Clarke back to the lineup, but it’s been too late. Memphis is well out of the play-in race in the West and is looking ahead to the 2024-25 season when everybody should be ready for a bounce-back season.

Previous ranking: 22

The Jazz have lost seven in a row as the wheels have completely fallen off. Utah was officially eliminated from any play-in/playoff contention on Wednesday as the Jazz now turn their attention to the offseason and preparing for the future.

Previous ranking: 23

The Nets are hanging on by a thread. They were able to pick up narrow wins over the struggling Raptors and Wizards, but didn’t receive any help from the Hawks as Atlanta has kept its 5.5 game lead for the No. 10 seed in the play-in tournament. Brooklyn would need a miracle at this point to make the play-in.

Previous ranking: 21

Speaking of the Hawks, they have won three games in a row. Atlanta had one of the more impressive wins of the season as it rallied from 30 points down to defeat the Celtics at home. The Hawks have been middling since Trae Young went down with a finger injury, but Atlanta is trying to move up in the standings while it awaits his return.

Previous ranking: 19

The Bulls are fully entrenched in the play-in tournament. The only question now is whether they will host the 9 vs. 10 matchup or go on the road. At the moment, Chicago is the No. 9 seed and would host the Hawks in a play-in game, but Atlanta is only 1.5 games back at the moment with roughly two weeks left in the regular season.

Previous ranking: 16

Fear not, Philadelphia! The return of Embiid is drawing near! Barring any setbacks, the big fella should be back on the floor fairly soon which should then turn around the fortunes of the 76ers. Philadelphia has lost four of its past five games after a heartbreaking loss to the Clippers on Wednesday in which the officials admitted a huge mistake late.

Previous ranking: 20

The Rockets are on fire. They have climbed back into the play-in race in the West with 10 wins in a row and are only a game back of the Warriors for the No. 10 seed with 10 games to go. Houston has received some phenomenal play out of Jalen Green and the Rockets should continue to lean on him as they move forward.

Previous ranking: 18

The Warriors are still a dangerous bunch when they’re right. Stephen Curry continues to lift Golden State when it needs it and the veteran know-how and experience the Warriors possess should do wonders for them down the stretch to try and hold off the Rockets.

Previous ranking: 15

The Heat have been banged up as they try and move out of the play-in. Miami is only a game back of the Pacers for the No. 6 seed in the East, but it needs some key pieces back. Jimmy Butler has been in and out of the lineup, Tyler Herro hasn’t played since Feb. 23, and Duncan Robinson hasn’t played since March 18.

Previous ranking: 17

The Lakers have won five in a row and are looking to move up and out of the play-in. LA has received stellar play out of Anthony Davis as well as key role players such as D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura while LeBron James does what he does. The Lakers are 3.5 back of the Mavericks for No. 6.

Previous ranking: 14

The Pacers have been up and down, but they will be a team nobody wants to face in Round 1 of the playoffs. The trio of Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, and Myles Turner will cause problems across the board for any team in the postseason and Indiana just has to move forward and have everybody healthy in the playoffs.

Previous ranking: 11

The Magic are set to make the playoffs for the first time since 2020, but they still have some work to do. Orlando is in the No. 5 spot in the East, but only three games up on the No. 7 seed Heat and 3.5 up on the No. 8 seed Sixers. If either team were to get hot, the Magic could be caught and sent to the play-in tournament.

Previous ranking: 9

The Kings have dropped to No. 8 in the West and are looking to climb back into the top 6. They took a critical loss to the Mavericks on Tuesday and are a game back of Dallas for the No. 6 seed now. Sacramento will lean on De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis to lead the way.

Previous ranking: 13

The Suns picked up an impressive win over the Nuggets in Denver on Wednesday, but they also took a bad loss to the Spurs. Phoenix can challenge just about anybody in the West as Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal lead the way, but the Suns have got to battle through the toughest remaining schedule in the NBA.

Previous ranking: 12

The Mavericks have won five in a row as they continue to be on the roller coaster in the 2023-24 season. As long as Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are healthy, the Mavericks will give any team in the West a battle. Doncic and Irving can take over games in the blink of an eye. Daniel Gafford has played well for Dallas since the trade deadline as well.

Previous ranking: 6

The Cavaliers deserve credit for hanging around as they move forward with their season, but they have got to get healthy. Donovan Mitchell is set to return on Friday and Cleveland will need him to get right quickly as the Cavs look to move back into the top 3 in the East.

Previous ranking: 8

The Pelicans are still taking their lumps as they move ahead to the playoffs. New Orleans is still in a great position as the No. 5 seed in the West, but still has much to learn as it continues to grow as a team. As long as he stays healthy, Zion Williamson will finally make his playoff debut.

Previous ranking: 7

The Clippers are still one of the best teams in the league. The talent there is obvious. However, with only 10 games to go, LA has got to get everybody on the same page. A gut-check win over the Sixers in James Harden’s return to Philadelphia should do wonders for them.

Previous ranking: 10

The Knicks have won three in a row and are beginning to get healthier. New York welcomed Mitchell Robinson back to the lineup on Wednesday against the Raptors while it awaits the return of OG Anunoby and Julius Randle. Either way, the Knicks can rely on Jalen Brunson to lead the way.

Previous ranking: 5

The Bucks have done a great job of winning tough games, but with 10 games left, Milwaukee is still looking to find that consistency. On the flip side, as long as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard are healthy, then the Bucks are going to be extremely tough to stop in a 7-game series.

Previous ranking: 4

The Timberwolves have continued to find ways to win games despite the injury to Karl-Anthony Towns. The continued rise of Anthony Edwards as a superstar is obvious and Minnesota will continue to look to him to lead the way as the Wolves look to earn the No. 1 seed.

Previous ranking: 3

The Thunder are continuing to grow as a team. Led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City will look to make some serious noise in the playoffs. The Thunder should be one of the bigger threats to Denver out West.

Previous ranking: 2

The Nuggets are the clear favorites to repeat as champions. As long as they’re healthy, then Denver should run through the West. The combination of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray along with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr., and others should make this team the obvious favorites.

Previous ranking: 1

The Celtics took an awful loss to the Hawks when they let a 30-point lead slip away, but Boston still reigns supreme. The Cs have the No. 1 seed in the East wrapped up and the road to the finals will go through them in the East. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis will look to get the job done in Boston.