In many ways, March is the dead zone in the NBA. The league takes a step back in the national consciousness as college basketball zooms to the forefront and, with the stretch run on the way, teams are simply trying to reach the finish line after an 82-game grind. That can lead to weird results, off-the-charts individual performances, and defensive numbers that are ugly around the league, and most results must be evaluated with a skeptical eye. However, the Phoenix Suns continue to coast above the fray, to the point where the squad’s dominance is being underplayed, if anything.
The Suns are 58-14 with 10 games to play, holding a nine-game lead on the entire NBA field. Phoenix has the best home record (30-8) and the best road record (28-6) in the league this season, posting the NBA’s best net rating (+8.4) and top-three marks in offensive efficiency (114.5 points per 100) and defensive efficiency (106.1 points allowed per 100). The Suns haven’t had perfect health either, as Chris Paul has been sidelined since the All-Star break. On cue, Phoenix is 10-4 in his absence, winning the last five games in a row, and Devin Booker has stepped up to the tune of 30.4 points and six assists on 55/41/100 shooting during the winning streak.
With the top overall seed all but sewn up at this stage, Phoenix could afford to coast. Instead, the Suns just keep rolling. In addition, Sam Amick of The Athletic reported this week that Paul is “likely to return even sooner” than his earliest projected date of April 3, giving the Suns ample time to reintegrate the future Hall of Fame guard before the playoffs begin. Phoenix likely won’t push at a 100 percent clip all the way to the April 10 regular season finale, but having the opportunity to get the band back together, even for a week or 10 days, could do wonders to prepare the Suns for the marathon second season that awaits.
Overall, the discussion around the Suns is highly interesting, as there is a certain respect level for what Phoenix has done, all without the level of favorite status that one might expect from a group that has performed to this level. There is only one thing Phoenix can do to answer any lingering questions but, at the moment, it is more than fair to say the Suns occupy a tier by themselves across the NBA landscape.
Phoenix lands in the top spot, once again, in our DIME power rankings this week. How does the rest of the field shake out? Let’s explore the studio space.
1. Phoenix Suns (58-14, Last week — 1st)
The schedule is pretty tough for the Suns in the next two weeks, with road games against Golden State, Denver, Minnesota, and Memphis wrapped around a home date with Philadelphia. Fortunately, the results don’t really matter for Phoenix the rest of the way, other than for the historical precedent of potentially winning 65-plus games.
2. Boston Celtics (45-28, Last week — 7th)
Boston is 9-1 in March with a +13.7 net rating. Even before February was over, the Celtics were clearly playing at an elite level over a growing sample, and they haven’t slowed down at all. It’s fair to point out that they aren’t close to the top of the standings, but ignoring Boston’s progress would be silly.
3. Miami Heat (47-25, Last week — 3rd)
Miami still has the inside track at the coveted No. 1 seed in the East. Of course, that might not be the best position to be in if the Nets end up at No. 8, but the Heat can’t really worry about that. They did lose in Philadelphia to end the week, but Miami’s full-season profile isn’t really in question.
4. Memphis Grizzlies (49-23, Last week — 4th)
March basketball is weird, and Friday’s loss by Memphis was a great example. The Grizzlies, riding high and playing well, went into Atlanta and lost by 15 points to the Trae Young-less Hawks. They’re also 5-1 in the last six games and that doesn’t bite them, but it was a weird one.
5. Milwaukee Bucks (45-27, Last week — 5th)
The Bucks are 9-2 in the last 11 games, and Milwaukee absolutely bludgeoned Chicago on Tuesday. That singular win doesn’t erase all context, but if all else fails, deferring to the reigning champions isn’t the worst strategy. Brook Lopez made a few plays on Tuesday that reminded us how he changes their team, too.
6. Dallas Mavericks (44-28, Last week — 6th)
It wasn’t perfect, but the Mavericks just navigated a very difficult five-game stretch at 3-2. Dallas knocked off Boston and Brooklyn on the road with a home win over Minnesota, and there is no great shame in losing to the Sixers or Hornets in road games. The Mavs are 8-3 in March and still rolling.
7. Brooklyn Nets (38-34, Last week — 9th)
Brooklyn has won six of the last seven games, and the only loss came by two points at home to Dallas. Of course, the Nets are the only team in the NBA that has a reason to be worse at home than on the road, but Brooklyn still took care of business against Utah in its last matchup. Brooklyn is pretty scary when Kevin Durant plays. Who knew?
8. Golden State Warriors (47-25, Last week — 2nd)
It isn’t breaking news to suggest that the Warriors are keyed by Stephen Curry. He’s out right now, and Golden State is on a three-game skid with losses to San Antonio and Orlando. It’s a shame that the Warriors were without Draymond Green for an extended period, and now they have to navigate life without the offensive centerpiece.
9. Denver Nuggets (43-30, Last week — 8th)
There are enough wild Nikola Jokic stats to fill an entire column, but here’s another one. In every game since March 6, Jokic has led the Nuggets in points, rebounds, and assists. That is, of course, insane, and he’s averaging 30.1 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 8.1 assists while shooting 59 percent.
10. Philadelphia 76ers (44-27, Last week — 10th)
Philadelphia is 8-3 when James Harden plays, including a very nice win over Miami on Monday. There have been hiccups along the way, but the development of Tyrese Maxey has been notable in the No. 3 role, and we’ll have two nationally televised opportunities to monitor the Sixers in Los Angeles this week.
11. Minnesota Timberwolves (42-31, Last week — 12th)
The Wolves have been the best team in the NBA, at least on paper, for the last three weeks. Minnesota is 10-2 since Feb. 28, beating up on opponents by 15.5 points per 100 possessions. There is a loss to the Magic (yikes) in there, but it’s been a remarkable push from the Wolves.
12. Utah Jazz (45-27, Last week — 11th)
It’s a League Pass game, but the most intriguing matchup of the upcoming week might be Utah at Boston on Wednesday. The Jazz still have tremendous metrics, but they just lost in Brooklyn (meaning Kyrie didn’t play) and there have been too many shaky performances.
13. Toronto Raptors (40-32, Last week — 13th)
It wasn’t the best week for the Raptors with a 1-2 record and a home loss to the Lakers. In zooming out, Toronto is still 6-2 in the last eight games and in perfectly fine shape. Toronto also has the next four games at home with a clear opportunity to keep it rolling.
14. Cleveland Cavaliers (41-31, Last week — 15th)
Cleveland is just 6-8 since the All-Star break with the No. 20 net rating in the NBA. To be fair, there have been roster challenges along the way, but the Cavs face an interesting set of games this week against Toronto on the road and Chicago at home.
15. Chicago Bulls (42-30, Last week — 14th)
Only the Blazers and Thunder have been worse than the Bulls since Feb. 26. Chicago is 3-9 with a -8.2 net rating and, even as they get healthier with the return of Patrick Williams, the Bulls can’t seem to avoid issues elsewhere, as evidenced by Lonzo Ball’s delay.
16. Charlotte Hornets (37-35, Last week — 17th)
When Charlotte’s offense is good, they are very good. The Hornets are on a five-game winning streak, scoring almost 1.3 points per possession in the process. That keeps Charlotte ahead of Atlanta for the No. 9 spot, and the Hornets have another home game against New York to begin this week.
17. Atlanta Hawks (36-36, Last week — 16th)
There is nothing more on-brand for the 2021-22 Hawks than what happened over the weekend. Atlanta, without Trae Young, stunned Ja Morant and the Grizzlies on Friday, turning in arguably the team’s best defensive performance of the season. Forty-eight hours later, the Hawks lost to the Brandon Ingram-less Pelicans at home. Atlanta’s entire season has been an enigma, but they did follow that up with a win at MSG on Tuesday.
18. Los Angeles Lakers (31-41, Last week — 23rd)
LeBron had quite a night in Cleveland on Monday, and that helped the Lakers pick up a good win. It would be accurate to say they are playing better basketball recently, but Los Angeles does have a very stiff test against Philadelphia on Wednesday.
19. New Orleans Pelicans (30-42, Last week — 19th)
The Pelicans did what they needed to do this week, going 2-1 on the road. That leaves the Pelicans with a two-game lead for the No. 10 spot and only a one-game deficit behind the Lakers for No. 9 in the West. Now, they face a three-game homestand this week, including a matchup with the Lakers.
20. New York Knicks (30-42, Last week — 22nd)
What a roller coaster. The Knicks began February with a 1-11 stretch, then won three in a row, lost two in a row, won two in a row, and now have lost two in a row again. New York had a real chance to pull an upset over Atlanta at MSG on Tuesday and just couldn’t hold on down the stretch. That loss probably slammed the door for good on the play-in with a six-game deficit and only 10 games left.
21. L.A. Clippers (36-38, Last week — 18th)
Even with a four-game losing streak, the Clippers still have a four-game lead on the field for the No. 8 seed. That doesn’t mean L.A. is playing well, though, and the next four games are against Philadelphia, Utah, Chicago, and Milwaukee.
22. Washington Wizards (30-41, Last week — 20th)
Washington is technically alive in the play-in race, but the team’s recent slide probably closed the door. The Wizards are 1-7 in the last eight games, and Washington is 5.5 games behind Atlanta for the No. 10 spot.
23. San Antonio Spurs (28-44, Last week — 21st)
The Spurs are two games out of the No. 10 seed, and this is a big week if they want to close the gap. San Antonio has road games against Portland, New Orleans, and Houston, and the matchup with the Pelicans could directly decide the final play-in berth.
24. Indiana Pacers (25-47, Last week — 26th)
Indiana isn’t exactly putting the pedal to the floor at this point in March, but they are on a two-game winning streak. The Pacers beat the Rockets and Blazers to end the week, but Indiana has one of the ten toughest remaining schedules in the league. That should quell the winning spree.
25. Sacramento Kings (25-48, Last week — 24th)
The Kings did take the Suns to overtime in their last game, and that isn’t something to sneeze at. Sacramento is still 1-6 in the last seven games, though, and the Kings are No. 28 in the NBA in defensive rating. Domantas Sabonis is dealing with a knee issue, and there isn’t much to play for at this point with a 5.5-game gap between Sacramento and the No. 10 seed.
26. Orlando Magic (20-53, Last week — 28th)
It wasn’t a shock that Orlando beat Oklahoma City over the weekend, but the Magic beating the Warriors on Tuesday was more of a stunner. Granted, Steph Curry didn’t appear for Golden State, but the Magic played quite well in that matchup. Now, they get a rematch in OKC on Wednesday that could be big for lottery purposes.
27. Portland Trail Blazers (27-44, Last week — 27th)
Portland stays put after beating Detroit on the road on Monday, but the numbers for the Blazers since the All-Star break are awe-inspiring. Portland is 2-10 overall with a -20.9 (!!!) net rating since flipping the switch. On the bright side, the Blazers begin a five-game homestand on Wednesday.
28. Detroit Pistons (19-53, Last week — 25th)
Detroit had a very frisky 6-2 stretch in late February and early March, but the Pistons are just 1-6 since then. The win featured a 51-point outburst from Saddiq Bey, but Detroit just lost at home to a Portland team that has packed it in with vigor.
29. Houston Rockets (18-54, Last week — 30th)
Behind a 39-point, 10-rebound game from Christian Wood, the Rockets picked up a win over Washington on Monday to escape the basement. Houston still has the worst record and the worst net rating (-8.9) in the NBA this season, but the Rockets have been a bit more competitive than at least one team lately.
30. Oklahoma City Thunder (20-52, Last week — 29th)
There is a new No. 30, and the Thunder earned it. OKC hasn’t won since March 2, losing ten games in a row, and the Thunder allowed more than 1.24 points per possession for three weeks. That is hideous, and OKC’s injuries have made the roster situation tenuous.