Chris Paul and Phoenix are second in the West with a 7-3 record.
Week 3 was when the coronavirus pandemic really hit the NBA. We saw COVID-related absences (some positive tests, some contact tracking quarantines) across the league, affecting both the timeline and the quality of the game.
Kevin Durant lost three games and Bradley Beal had to isolate himself over the weekend. The Mavs had to leave three guys in Denver and the Sixers had only seven healthy players on Saturday, starting with two newbies you probably never heard of. The Bulls are losing some rotating players, the Celtics lost most of their front line last week and Miami-Boston on Sunday became the second postponement of the season.
This is what we knew could happen with the season being played out of the bubble. We can expect that, as we have spent 17 days over Christmas, this will be the peak of pandemic-related absences throughout the championship. But we don’t know what’s coming, and each case (inside and outside the NBA) is a cause for concern.
The COVID-19 cases were not the only bad news of the past week. Three players – Bogdan Bogdanovic of Atlanta, Markelle Fultz of Orlando and Thomas Bryant of Washington – were lost due to injured knee injuries. With positive news, Magic’s Mo Bamba finally made its season debut after contracting the virus in the summer.
The games continue. And we will do our best here to focus on basketball, knowing that health and safety remain the top priorities as we sail in the 2020-21 season.
Most-under-players of the week
Teams of the week
- Make it last forever: Oklahoma City (3-1) – Share the Thunder (again)! They went 4-1 on a five game trip.
- Something is just not right: Sacramento (1-3) – Kings had a close victory over the Bulls, but lost their other three games (one to the Raptors 2-7) by a total of 78 points.
East x West
Schedule strength through week 3
- Harder: 1. Memphis, 2. Charlotte, 3. Detroit
- Easier: 1. Atlanta, 2. Orlando, 3. LA Lakers
- The strength of the schedule is based on the opponent’s cumulative record and adjusted for home vs. visitor and rest days before the game.
Classification movement
- High heels of the week: Charlotte (+11), Golden State (+10), San Antonio (+10)
- Free falls of the week: Atlanta (-11), Cleveland (-9), Sacramento (-8)
Week 4 team to watch
- Denver – The Nuggets have won four of their last five, returning to 0.500. And they have some good tests of what could be an improved defense this week. They will end their three-game trip to Brooklyn on Tuesday before returning home to start a three-game family home with games against the Warriors (Thursday) and Jazz (Sunday).
Previous power ratings
Statistics key
Rhythm: Possession for 48 minutes (League Ranking)
OffRtg: Points scored for 100 possessions (League Ranking)
DefRtg: Points allowed per 100 possessions (League Ranking)
NetRtg: Points differential per 100 possessions (League Ranking)
The league averaged 101.2 possessions (per team) every 48 minutes and 109.6 points scored for 100 possessions this season.
The NBA.com Power Rankings, released every Monday during the season, are just one man’s opinion. If you have any problems with the ratings, or have a question or comment for John Schuhmann, send him an email or contact him via Twitter.