Kyrie Irving shocked NBA fans this past week when he requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets which led to him being dealt to the Dallas Mavericks. Damian Lillard kept his hot hand and averaged 38 points per game this past week as the Trail Blazers won three of their four games. This week 17 will be historic and we will see LeBron James pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time leading scorer in NBA history. He needs just 36 points to become the new leader. Albeit individual stats are impressive, this article is about the teams.

These are my power rankings based on games played through 2/5/2023.

1. Boston Celtics (37-16)

Boston saw the highs and lows this past week offensively in their two scheduled games. They had a 40-point win against the Brooklyn Nets while shooting 57.6% as a team and then shot 38.7% as a team in a loss to the Phoenix Suns. The team has two big matchups this week against the Sixers and Grizzlies so they’ll need to stop settling for threes and buckle down even more defensively as reigning defensive player of the year guard Marcus Smart is still out due to injury.

2. Denver Nuggets (37-17)

The Nuggets went 3-1 this past week with all wins coming from playing at home. The loss to Minnesota on Sunday was a rest disadvantage game so four of the five starters did not suit up and the Timberwolves took advantage by jumping out to an early lead and cruising to a victory. Although they still remain atop the Western Conference, Denver is looking to make a trade before the deadline and shed sophomore guard Bones Hyland and add a veteran backup point guard.

3. Milwaukee Bucks (36-17)

Riding a seven-game win streak, the Bucks appear to be getting back to championship form. With injuries to Kris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo missing a handful of games, starting point guard Jrue Holiday has been in prime form leading the team and has earned a spot to the All-Star game. Now sit one game behind Boston for the number one spot in the Eastern Conference. They have a three-game road trip out west this week where they’ve been only one game over .500 in road games this year.

4. Philadelphia 76ers (34-18)

Started the week off with a bad loss to the Orlando Magic and ended the week blowing a 21-point lead to the New York Knicks. Joel Embiid has been playing lights out and is leading the team in all statistical categories besides steals. The team overall has seen a dip in scoring after shooting lights out during their previous seven game win streak mainly due to the bench players. It’s also been reported that the team will look to make a move by the trade deadline and add front court depth to coexist with Joel Embiid. Their prime candidate would be Jarred Vanderbilt from the Utah Jazz.

5. Cleveland Cavaliers (33-22)

Darius Garland stepped up this past week and showed that he can take over games when backcourt mate Donovan Mitchell is struggling. The Cavs still rank first overall defensively thanks to their two towers, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen and are top ten offensively but wing shooting has become a glaring issue and I would expect for them to try and add one if not some wing shooting by the deadline.

Next in line: Los Angeles Clippers (30-26)

Some of the top performances this week include:

Monday (1/30)

• The rookie, Paolo Banchero had 29 points and 10 rebounds to help the Orlando Magic get the 119-109 victory against the Philadelphia 76ers.
• De’Aaron Fox’s 32 points helped lead the Sacramento Kings to a 118-111 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
• Stephen Curry lit up the Oklahoma City Thunder for 38 points and 12 assists as the Golden State Warriors secured the win, 128-120 on the road.
• Luka Doncic had 53 points and the Dallas Mavericks won 111-105 at home against the Detroit Pistons.
• Damian Lillard scored 42 points and the Portland Trail Blazers snuck by the Atlanta Hawks to win 129-125.

Tuesday (1/31)

• Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points and 18 rebounds to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 124-115 win over the Charlotte Hornets.
• LeBron James secured a triple double of 28 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists and the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the New York Knicks 129-123.
• Nikola Jokic notched another triple double (26, 18, 15) while Jamal Murray tallied 32 points and the Denver Nuggets won against the New Orleans Pelicans 122-113.

Wednesday (2/1)

• Damian Lillard’s double-double of 42 points and 10 assists helped lead the Portland Trail Blazers past the Memphis Grizzlies 122-112.
• D’Angelo Russell helped lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 119-114 victory over the Golden State Warriors in overtime by putting in 29 points.
• Domantas Sabonis scored a season high 34 points and secured a double double (11 rebounds) to help give the Sacramento Kings a 119-109 win over the San Antonio Spurs.
• Lauri Markkanen’s double-double of 28 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Utah Jazz over the Toronto Raptors 131-128.

Thursday (2/2)

• Darius Garland had 32 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers went on to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies 128-113.
• Nikola Jokic’s triple double (22, 14, 16) lead the Denver Nuggets past the Golden State Warriors at home 134-117.
• Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 54 points and pulled in 19 rebounds to lead the Milwaukee Bucks over the Los Angeles Clippers 106-105.

Friday (2 /3)

• Joel Embiid put up 33 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Philadelphia 76ers past the San Antonio Spurs 137-125.
• Fred VanVleet torched the Houston Rockets and put in 32 points. The Toronto Raptors went on to win 117-111.
• Mikal Bridges led the Phoenix Suns into Boston and dropped 25 points to give Phoenix the win 106-94.

Saturday (2/4)

• Cam Thomas of the Brooklyn Nets scored a career high 44 points off the bench and the team went on to win 125-123 against the Washington Wizards.
• A monster game of 31 points and 16 rebounds from DeAndre Ayton helped the Phoenix Suns defeat the Detroit Pistons 116-100.
• 35 points from Kawhi Leonard and 30 points from Paul George helped the Los Angeles Clippers defeat the New York Knicks 134-128.
• Giannis Antetokounmpo notched a triple double (35, 15 and 11) as the Milwaukee Bucks won 123-115 against the Miami Heat.

Sunday (2/5)

• Julius Randle led the New York Knicks past the Philadelphia 76ers 108-97 by putting in 24 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists.
• Anthony Edwards scored 20 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves cruised past the Denver Nuggets 128-98 at home.
• Trey Murphy III had a season high 30 points and the New Orleans Pelicans destroyed the Sacramento Kings 136-104.