NBA Power Rankings: Where do Sixers stand in the East at All-Star break?

Posted by author February 14, 2025 NBA

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The NBA All-Star break is here. Now’s the time to kick back, relax, and have some fun before getting back at it for the stretch run on the season. Once the break is done, it will be a sprint towards the playoffs as teams have their eyes on getting to the mountaintop in the NBA.

In the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been a machine and the Boston Celtics have been terrific while the Philadelphia 76ers have been struggling all season amid injuries, but made a couple of moves at the deadline. The New York Knicks have been terrific while the Orlando Magic cannot be forgotten about once they get healthy. The Milwaukee Bucks have begun to surge as well after their slow start along with the Indiana Pacers.

Out West, the Oklahoma City Thunder have been at the top while teams like the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, and Dallas Mavericks will be teams to worry about as well.

Now is the time for the 14th edition of the NBA Power Rankings:

30. Washington Wizards (9-45)

Previous ranking: 30

The Wizards are dead last in the league in both offensive and defensive rating, but there are some bright spots such as rookie Alex Sarr. The No. 2 overall pick in the draft has shown some potential and will look to lead the Wizards into this next era. One has to wonder what the future holds for Jordan Poole in the upcoming offseason.

29. New Orleans Pelicans (13-42)

Previous ranking: 29

The Pelicans are going through one dreadful season as they have dealt with a lot of injuries. Now, Herb Jones is out for the season. The rest of the season for New Orleans will be focused on making sure the youngsters get the development they need for the future while CJ McCollum will make sure the Pels win a game here and there.

28. Utah Jazz (13-41)

Previous ranking: 27

The Jazz are having the perfect tank season. They are competitive in a lot of these games and are right there until the end before losing in the last moments. That shows they have talent enough to handle the league, but they also are losing enough games to where they are still in position for the No. 1 pick.

27. Charlotte Hornets (13-39)

Previous ranking: 28

On the bright side, the Hornets are 13th in the league in defensive rating. However, they are 28th in offensive rating and one has to wonder if the Hornets are beginning to lay down a good foundation under coach Charles Lee. If they are healthy enough, one has to believe the offense will eventually match the defense and Charlotte will finally move forward.

26. Toronto Raptors (17-38)

Previous ranking: 25

There is a lot to like about the Raptors. This team has a lot of fight and they are a scrappy bunch. That’s a good sign for coach Darko Rajakovic as he continues to lay down a foundation for Toronto to win games. The future core is in place with Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and Brandon Ingram, Now they just need to build.

25. Philadelphia 76ers (20-34)

Previous ranking: 23

What a mess. This 2024-25 season for the Sixers has been disastrous as they entered the season with expectations of winning a championship and are not even in the play-in tournament at this stage of the season. Joel Embiid has only played 17 games thus far and the Sixers are 8-9 in those games which is a bigger problem to address at a later time.

24. Brooklyn Nets (20-34)

Previous ranking: 26

The Nets have won three in a row and while some believe that Brooklyn is ruining its tanking season, one has to remember that the Hawks made the play-in for 2024 and they still got the No. 1 pick. Coach Jordi Fernandez is laying down a foundation and a culture for the Nets and they have played hard every single night to keep things moving forward.

23. Chicago Bulls (22-33)

Previous ranking: 24

The Bulls ended play before the All-Star break on a 4-game losing skid including blowing a big lead to the Warriors at home and trailing the Pistons 71-29 at halftime in another one of those contests. Chicago needs to figure out whether it wants to tank or hold on to the final play-in spot in the East by holding off Philadelphia and Brooklyn.

22. Portland Trail Blazers (23-32)

Previous ranking: 22

The Blazers have lost three in a row as they have been brought back down to earth a bit. Either way, coach Chauncey Billups has gotten this group to play hard on a nightly basis and will look to help Portland continue to take steps forward. The play of Anfernee Simons, Toumani Camara, and Scoot Henderson have been helpful for this group.

21. San Antonio Spurs (23-29)

Previous ranking: 20

The De’Aaron Fox era has been a bit bumpy, but San Antonio could also be helpful and allow Fox to run the show. If the Spurs are going to move forward, one has to believe that Chris Paul will be in a lesser role as his career begins to wind down. The focus for this group should be on growing the Victor Wembanyama-Fox duo and make a push. They are only 3.5 games back for the play-in tournament.

20. Miami Heat (25-28)

Previous ranking: 16

The Heat have lost four in a row and one has to wonder where this group goes next. Coach Erik Spoelstra is doing his best, but his offensive schemes have not worked as of late while Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell look to work into Miami’s system. The Heat need this All-Star break badly in order to take a breath and turn things around.

19. Atlanta Hawks (26-29)

Previous ranking: 21

The Hawks are still entrenched in the play-in tournament sitting at the No. 8 seed in the East just percentage points ahead of the Heat. One has to like what Trae Young can do in a one-game scenario so the playoffs are still a real possibility for this group just because of what he can do at any moment. Either way, Atlanta to make up for the lack of Jalen Johnson on the floor.

18. Phoenix Suns (26-28)

Previous ranking: 15

The Suns have lost three in a row and continue to be disastrous. When considering the money and the time invested in this roster, this is going to go down as one of the biggest failures of a superteam in the history of the game. On the flip side, Kevin Durant continues to be one of the best pure scorers this game has ever seen after surpassing 30,000 career points.

17. Orlando Magic (27-29)

Previous ranking: 19

No matter what the result of this Magic season is, one thing is clear: they need some more shooters. Orlando is No. 2 in the league in defense, but 29th in offense and that is going to hold this team back despite the talent of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. The Magic are dead last in the league in 3-point shooting as they figure things out on the floor.

16. Sacramento Kings (28-27)

Previous ranking: 18

The Kings are still right there in the play-in race despite all of the changes they have gone through. Sacramento is No. 9 in the West and only half a game back of the Mavericks for 8. One has to wonder if the Kings can hold off the Warriors and make moves up led by Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, and DeMar DeRozan.

15. Golden State Warriors (28-27)

Previous ranking: 14

The Warriors have looked rejuvenated with Jimmy Butler on the floor. This group is going to continue to lean on Steph Curry to lead the way, but having a legitimate star in Butler next to him takes pressure off Curry to get things rolling again. Golden State has new life and now, coach Steve Kerr has to make this all work in order to save himself and the team.

14. Dallas Mavericks (30-26)

Previous ranking: 13

The Mavericks are 4-1 since the Luka Doncic trade despite Anthony Davis only playing one of those games. The challenge for Dallas now will be battling through the injuries with Davis, Daniel Gafford, and Derrick Lively II all expected to miss a lot of time. The focus now shifts to Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, and Max Christie to lead the way and keep the Mavs afloat.

13. Detroit Pistons (29-26)

Previous ranking: 17

The Pistons are making a big surge up the standings. They are No. 6 in the East and are only a game back of the Bucks for No. 5 after a 4-game winning streak. Detroit has put up dominant efforts against teams it should beat and coach JB Bickerstaff should at least receive consideration for Coach of the Year. Now, Cade Cunningham gets to experience his first All-Star game.

12. Milwaukee Bucks (29-24)

Previous ranking: 12

The Bucks are still winning games, but Milwaukee will need to survive with Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined. Luckily for the Bucks, there’s still Damian Lillard and coach Doc Rivers is at his best when his teams are short-handed as he comes up with other schemes to make things work on the floor. This team is going to be one to watch in the East.

11. Minnesota Timberwolves (31-25)

Previous ranking: 11

The Timberwolves are right on the heels of the Clippers for the No. 6 seed in the West. One can see the duo of Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle really figuring it out on the floor and coach Chris Finch has continued to push the right buttons in order to make sure Minnesota turns things around and gets back to its defensive roots.

10. Indiana Pacers (30-23)

Previous ranking: 9

The Pacers are in the top 10 in offense and in the bottom 10 in defense. All is right in the world again. In all seriousness, if Indiana is truly going to make that jump and be contenders again, it will need to get defensive on the floor. Tyrese Haliburton leads a strong offense attack, but he also needs to lead the team on the defensive end of the floor as well.

9. Los Angeles Clippers (31-23)

Previous ranking: 10

The Clippers have won three in a row and the new additions are making an impact right away. While James Harden continues to lead the way, the Clips have received some good contributions from guys like Bogdan Bogdanovic and even former Sixers star Ben Simmons in his debut on Wednesday. LA will still need Kawhi Leonard healthy, but the Clippers are moving in a positive direction.

8. Houston Rockets (34-21)

Previous ranking: 7

The Rockets have scuffled a bit heading into the break. They have lost seven of their last nine as they have dropped to No. 4 in the West. While the Rockets are still a strong bunch led by All-Star Alperen Sengun as well as young Jalen Green, Houston will look to get things moving forward again once it comes out of the break.

7. Los Angeles Lakers (32-20)

Previous ranking: 8

The Luka Doncic era in Los Angeles has begun and he and LeBron James will be one deadly duo once they get everything down. It’s a shame the Mark Williams trade fell through because of the failed physical because he would have been a perfect complement to the two of them. Either way, Doncic and James are going to be able to lead this group forward in the West.

6. New York Knicks (36-18)

Previous ranking: 5

The Knicks need to find a way to get defensive again. While they are No. 2 in the league on the offensive end, they rank 20th in defensive rating. The good news is, the Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns duo has continued to be the duo New York expected and the Knicks are going to be a contender to reach the finals when the playoffs roll around.

5. Denver Nuggets (36-19)

Previous ranking: 7

The Nuggets have won eight games in a row and continue to follow the lead of Nikola Jokic. Denver still has some defensive issues as it ranks 17th in defensive rating, but the Nuggets are one of the more explosive offensive teams in the league. Either way, they need to get something going on the defensive end in order to be a contender.

4. Memphis Grizzlies (36-18)

Previous ranking: 4

The Grizzlies are ranked in the top 10 in both offense and defense which bodes well for their chances come playoff time. Memphis can beat anybody in any type of game and it plays fast at No. 1 in the league in pace. Led by the trio of Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Desmond Bane, this Grizzlies team looks like they can take down anybody in the Western Conference.

3. Boston Celtics (39-16)

Previous ranking: 3

This Celtics team looks like they have found their spark again. When Boston actually cares and looks like the team that won the title in 2024, then this team is tough to beat. The Celtics are going to be the favorites in the East come playoff time again and that’s something that the rest of the league knows, too. The real test for the East comes in April and May against the Cs.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers (44-10)

Previous ranking: 2

The Cavaliers have the best offensive rating in the league and they are ranked 8th in the league in defensive rating. The addition of De’Andre Hunter has shown immediate dividends and the star duo of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland will continue leading the way for a Cleveland team that still needs to find a way to get past Boston in the playoffs.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder (44-10)

Previous ranking: 1

The Thunder have the best defensive rating in the league and Chet Holmgren’s return from injury has made it even better. Oklahoma City is also No. 5 in the league in offense and this Thunder team will look to nail down the No. 1 seed in the West with 28 games left in the season for them. They lead the Grizzlies by 8 games for No. 1.