Are the Celtics slipping? Have the defending champs let the new-look Lakers, featuring LeBron James and Luka Doncic surpass them?

Although Boston has the better record (43-18), The Athletic gave Los Angeles (39-21) the higher ranking in its latest NBA power rankings.

The Celtics fell from third to fourth on the list, behind Cleveland, Oklahoma City, and the Lakers. The Celtics have won seven of their last ten games, but a couple of their recent losses caused them to tumble.

“The Celtics aren’t playing as well as the teams ahead of them, and they already lost once to the Lakers this season, so I’m fine putting them here,” The Athletic’s Law Murray wrote. “Getting blown out in Detroit and blowing a 22-point lead to the Cavaliers were terrible looks. Boston is unlikely to catch the Cavaliers and is closer to needing to hold off the Knicks.”

Meanwhile the Lakers, who have won eight of their last 10 games, jumped from sixth to third.

“They’re the best team in basketball since Jan. 20 and have been led by a defense that refuses to allow points in the paint,” Murray wrote. “They’re not going to catch the Thunder in the regular season, but the Lakers should be considered the biggest threat to Oklahoma City while adopting to their new role as the hunted team for home-court advantage in the Western Conference semifinals.

Cleveland and OKC have been the top two teams in the league for a while now and are currently the only teams in the league with 50 wins. The Celtics, who have the third-best record in the league, are eight games behind Cleveland.

The Lakers beat the Celtics by 21 points on Jan. 23. The Celtics had their usual starting five of Kristaps Porzingis, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Jrue Holiday available for that game.

White and Holiday scored six points combined. James posted a 20-point, 14-rebound double-double while Anthony Davis scored 24 and blocked three shots.

The Celtics will host the Lakers on Saturday night at TD Garden. It will mark the first time the teams have met since the blockbuster trade that sent Davis to Dallas and brought Doncic to Los Angeles.

Khari A. Thompson

Sports Reporter

Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.