NBA Power Rankings: All-Star weekend takes place; Luka Doncic makes Lakers debut

Posted by author February 17, 2025 NBA

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It was a short week for teams across the league as the NBA All-Star weekend occurred. The San Francisco three-day festivities celebrate the top players at the halfway mark of the 2024-25 regular season.

After Team Shaq OGs won the ambitious four-team All-Star tournament, Stephen Curry was named the All-Star Game MVP. Now that the much-needed break is over, the NBA prepares for the regular season’s stretch run ahead of the playoffs.

Before the break, Luka Doncic made his long-awaited Los Angeles Lakers debut. He had two quiet performances but hopes to knock off rust from a calf strain that cost him two months. Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks continue to deal with the apocalyptic fallout of the shocking deadline deal weeks after.

Throughout the 2024-25 season, Thunder Wire will conduct weekly NBA power rankings. Here is the latest edition for the Feb. 10-16 week:

30. Washington Wizards (9-45)

Previous Ranking: 30

The Wizards have lost four in a row. They remain the league’s worst team. Khris Middleton penciled a heartful goodbye letter to the Bucks. He hasn’t had a chance to play for his new squad yet, but expect the veteran to stay in DC for the rest of the season.

29. New Orleans Pelicans (13-42)

Previous Ranking: 29

The Pelicans are in a similar spot. They snapped a nine-game losing streak with a win over the Kings. CJ McCollum scored 43 points to ensure the victory before the All-Star break. Injuries have ruined New Orleans’ season. Even with Zion Williamson back, they don’t have the depth.

28. Charlotte Hornets (13-39)

Previous Ranking: 27

The Hornets were humiliated when the Lakers rescinded their deal for Mark Williams. They can’t even make a trade without looking like fools. They’ll dispute the claim but it’s a losing battle for Charlotte. All they can do is welcome Williams back and try to move him again in the offseason.

27. Utah Jazz (13-41)

Previous Ranking: 28

With everybody focused on the Lakers, the Jazz collected a cool win over them. Lauri Markkanen scored 32 points. While Utah hoped for it to lose out and be at the bottom of the standings, not at the expense of Markkanen’s quick decline from an All-Star to average starter. This was a nice retro performance from him.

26. Toronto Raptors (17-38)

Previous Ranking: 26

The Raptors wasted little time to lock down Brandon Ingram. They signed him to a three-year, $120 million extension. He couldn’t get a new deal with the Pelicans, so seeing him get signed with his new squad shouldn’t be a shocker. He’ll be a scoring boost for Toronto and could help it return to the playoffs next season.

25. Brooklyn Nets (20-34)

Previous Ranking: 25

The Nets have won three in a row. The rare win streak probably has Brooklyn’s front office panicking. All the moves they made this season are about improving their lottery odds. While it’s been fun to see D’Angelo Russell have a vintage performance, that could hinder their odds of adding a high lottery pick.

24. Chicago Bulls (22-33)

Previous Ranking: 24

The Bulls have lost four in a row. They were blown out in two straight games against the Pistons before the All-Star break. That must’ve left a bad taste in Chicago’s mouth. They scored 29 points in the first half in their first loss to Detroit. That’s humiliating to do in the modern NBA.

23. Philadelphia 76ers (20-34)

Previous Ranking: 22

The Sixers have lost five in a row. The only saving grace is they’re in the East. Because of the Bulls, they remain in the hunt for the play-in picture. Still, it’s been an awful year for Philadelphia. They entered the season with title aspirations and are clinging onto a postseason spot. Paul George has looked awful and is a candidate for the worst contract in the NBA.

22. Portland Trail Blazers (23-32)

Previous Ranking: 20

It was a fun month for the Trail Blazers but a losing streak has them back to reality. After flirting with a possible postseason push, Portland has dropped three straight. All three were blowout losses to the Timberwolves and Nuggets twice. Just goes to show the hierarchy of the West and that they’re still a while away from contending.

21. Miami Heat (25-28)

Previous Ranking: 18

The Heat have lost four straight. They’ve dealt with a stomach bug that’s hit most of their roster. After looking like they were going to pick up their most impressive win yet, the Thunder went on a 32-8 run to close out a 21-point comeback. Miami is over the Jimmy Butler saga and will pivot to a hopeful playoff push.

20. San Antonio Spurs (23-29)

Previous Ranking: 21

The mischievous Spurs tried to find a loophole on the biggest stage. Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul were paired together in the All-Star Skills Challenge. To quickly finish the obstacles, they purposely missed every shot and set a record time. The NBA was upset with the trick and disqualified them. Despite that, it was the funniest part of Saturday’s event.

19. Atlanta Hawks (26-29)

Previous Ranking: 23

The Hawks lost a thriller before they went into the All-Star break. A 149-148 OT loss to the Knicks gave Atlanta fans high entertainment before the week off. Trae Young had video-game-esque numbers of 38 points and 19 assists. It’s still a travesty he was left off the initial All-Star roster before he was added as an injury replacement.

18. Phoenix Suns (26-28)

Previous Ranking: 16

Kevin Durant made history when he joined the 30K point club. He’s only the eighth player in NBA history to reach that mark. Even at 36 years old, he’s still one of the league’s top players. It’s a shame his twilight years are wasted for a borderline playoff squad with the Suns. That’ll surely change in the offseason as Phoenix can’t afford another mediocre campaign.

17. Orlando Magic (27-29)

Previous Ranking: 19

It’s All-Star weekend, which means it’s time for the annual reminder that Mac McClung is the world’s best dunker. He easily won his third straight Dunk Contest. The event’s highlight was when he dunked over a car. The Magic have him on a two-way deal, which meant they were given extra publicity for the event.

16. Sacramento Kings (28-27)

Previous Ranking: 17

The new-look Kings have found a bit of a groove. They won three straight before they lost to the Pelicans. Zach LaVine has replaced De’Aaron Fox as their top-scoring guard. To help with the backup guard spot, they brought in Markelle Fultz. The Kings are determined to make a playoff push despite drastic roster changes.

15. Golden State Warriors (28-27)

Previous Ranking: 15

All eyes were on San Francisco as it hosted All-Star weekend. Plenty of current and former Warriors were celebrated at the event. They’ve entered the twilight stage of their window with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. It’s only fitting to see both players make headlines for the right and wrong reasons. Curry was named the All-Star MVP and Green hated that the Rising Stars winner played in the All-Star Game.

14. Detroit Pistons (29-26)

Previous Ranking: 14

The Pistons have won four in a row. The proud fanbase was excited to see Cade Cunningham make his All-Star debut. They’ve come a long way from being the league’s worst team over the last few years to one of the biggest surprises. Cunningham has started to live up to his pre-draft status as a franchise-altering piece.

13. Dallas Mavericks (30-26)

Previous Ranking: 13

Nobody cares that the Mavericks have won four of their last five games. Instead, chaos has engulfed Dallas in the aftermath of the Luka Doncic trade. To make matters worse, Anthony Davis will be out with an adductor strain for at least a month. Daniel Gafford will also be out for at least a month with an MCP sprain. Dallas fans are being kicked out of games for being upset about the Doncic deal. It just worsens for the Mavericks and is getting to a toxic level.

12. Milwaukee Bucks (29-24)

Previous Ranking: 12

The Bucks got a surprise win over the Timberwolves with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard out. It was freshly-acquired Kyle Kuzma who led the upset. Despite the production, Middleton’s exit continues to be emotional for Milwaukee. He was a franchise icon that helped them win a championship in 2021.

11. Minnesota Timberwolves (31-25)

Previous Ranking: 9

After two bad losses to the Cavaliers and short-handed Bucks, the Timberwolves had one of their best wins of the season to head into the All-Star break. Without Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle, Minnesota upset the Thunder for a statement win. Naz Reid stepped up with a monster outing. The Timberwolves could be a playoff threat.

10. Indiana Pacers (30-23)

Previous Ranking: 10

The Pacers avoided a bad loss when they beat the Wizards in overtime. Obi Toppin went off for 31 points and 10 rebounds. Indiana enters the All-Star break with some much-needed rest. It hovered around .500 for most of the season and hopes to capture some playoff magic again.

9. LA Clippers (31-23)

Previous Ranking: 11

The Clippers have won three in a row. Their latest win was one of the more fun ones of this season. Norman Powell scored 41 points and James Harden had 32 points in an overtime win over the Jazz. The latter logged 49 minutes as he prepared for All-Star weekend. The 35-year-old’s durability has always been one of his more impressive features.

8. Houston Rockets (34-31)

Previous Ranking: 8

No other team needed the All-Star break more than the Rockets. They slowly crawled to the finish line with a 3-7 record in their last 10 games. Right before they went on vacation, the Warriors returned to being their boogeyman with a win over them. At least Houston had a rooting interest in the weekend festivities as Alperen Sengun was an All-Star and Amen Thompson was on the Rising Stars winner squad.

7. New York Knicks (36-18)

Previous Ranking: 7

The Knicks won a thriller against the Hawks in a 149-148 overtime victory. Jalen Brunson hit the game-winner and Karl-Anthony Towns scored 44 points. The duo were named All-Star starters. New York has one of the league’s best offenses because of them.

6. Los Angeles Lakers (32-20)

Previous Ranking: 6

The Lakers saw Doncic finally make his debut. It’s still surreal to see him in the purple and gold. He’s had two quiet starts but expect the All-Star break to do him some good as he returns from a calf contusion. He’s single-handedly changed the course of the Los Angeles franchise and the West’s playoff picture for the foreseeable future.

5. Memphis Grizzlies (36-18)

Previous Ranking: 4

Ja Morant scored 26 points against the Suns in their lone win this past week. If the Grizzlies hope to be taken as a serious threat, he must be the undisputed best player. No offense to All-Star Jaren Jackson Jr., but Memphis will only be scary led by Morant.

4. Denver Nuggets (36-19)

Previous Ranking: 5

The Nuggets have won eight in a row. They’ve caught fire and could be in the hunt for the second seed. While Nikola Jokic will get all the headlines as the three-time MVP winner competes for a fourth award, Jamal Murray has turned his season around. He scored 55 points in a win over the Trail Blazers. If he returns to form, Denver will be a scary title threat.

Previous Ranking: 3

The Celtics have won three in a row. No matter the quality, it’s always an enjoyable experience for them to beat up on the hated Heat. Boston is firmly placed in the second seed. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were their two All-Star representatives at the weekend

2. Cleveland Cavaliers (44-10)

Previous Ranking: 2

The Cavaliers continue to be a win machine. They’ve won four in a row. They hit a soft part of their schedule with plenty of gimmes. They were the only team to send three All-Star players with Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. Easy to do that in the East.

Previous Ranking: 1

With the first seed basically wrapped up, the Thunder will spend the rest of the season getting Chet Holmgren back on track. They’re slow-rolling his return from a three-month absence due to a hip fracture. If he can return to his pre-injury form, OKC will be an even scarier threat in the playoffs.