NBA Power Rankings: SGA beats Jokic in MVP match; Cavs win 14 straight

The NBA's 2024-25 regular season enters its final stretch. It's the middle of March, which means expect plenty of weird results and performances as two-thirds of the league vies for seeding and the other third is in cruise control because their spot is locked up or they want to collect losses for lottery balls.

Like last season, the MVP race is down to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic. A back-to-back between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets could settle the score. Gilgeous-Alexander is up 1-0 in that regard, with 40 points and a blowout win.

Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers continue to be a winning machine. They've won 14 in a row and beat the Milwaukee Bucks by double-digit points. This season has seen two historic regular-season clubs in Cleveland and OKC.

Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks' apocalyptic season continues to get worse. They lost Kyrie Irving for the rest of the season with a torn ACL. Anthony Davis might also be out the rest of the way with surgery not ruled out. Their season is over less than a year after they made the NBA Finals.

Throughout the 2024-25 season, Thunder Wire will conduct weekly NBA power rankings. Here is the latest edition for the Mar. 3-9 week:

Previous Ranking: 27

The Jazz have made up for lost time in the reverse standings. They've lost five in a row with injury reports the same length as pharmacy receipts. Losses to the Wizards, Raptors and Sixers helped Utah fall to the league's basement in anticipation of better lottery odds.

Previous Ranking: 30

The wackiness of March has hurt the Wizards' goals. They've won three of their last four games. Once comfortably leading the league in the reverse standings, they now have serious competition for the top spot. As long as Washington remains in the bottom three, it should be good come the lottery.

Previous Ranking: 29

The Hornets' nine-game losing streak ended with a win over the Nets. Miles Bridges led a comeback win over Brooklyn as it scored the last 12 points. That said, Charlotte is back in a familiar spot as one of the league's worst teams. It hopes to add another blue-chip prospect.

Previous Ranking: 26

The Pelicans have lost four in a row. Not even Zion Williamson can help them. It's been a miserable season for New Orleans. Those have become too common for the franchise in its history. Injuries could be a valid excuse for the down year, but the problems go deeper than that.

Previous Ranking: 25

It's that time of the season when the worst teams try to catch up to their worst records. The Nets are a classic example. They've lost seven in a row and have pulled the plug to ensure that continues. Cam Thomas has returned, but he can't do much to change the Nets' fortunes.

Previous Ranking: 28

A three-game winning streak has set the Raptors back. A close loss to the Wizards helped them return to the right path. It's bittersweet because Ja'Kobe Walter scored a game-winner against the Magic. That moment should be celebrated for the rookie, but the win put Toronto in a tough spot with its lottery odds.

Previous Ranking: 24

The rest of the season will be about the Sixers keeping their top-six protected pick. They've ruled several players out to guarantee that it happens. Philadelphia has done its job with plenty of losses in recent weeks. If they turn this miserable season into a high lottery pick, that'd be a decent consolation prize.

Previous Ranking: 22

The Spurs are another squad that have called it quits on their season. The only goal left is to help Stephon Castle's late push for Rookie of the Year. He has a serious shot at it, considering the lackluster rookie class. Besides that, De'Aaron Fox lost his return game to Sacramento in blowout fashion.

Previous Ranking: 19

Any faint hopes of a postseason push were erased. The Trail Blazers were given a gimme win over the short-handed Thunder but suffered a bad loss against their bench unit. Portland has played better over the last two months, but it's still a while away from being an actual threat. Its youth was exposed in its inexcusable loss to OKC.

Previous Ranking: 23

Considering the standings, the Bulls are basically locked in 10th place. That means it'll be another season where they fight for their playoff spot in the play-in tournament. Much like in previous years. At least Josh Giddey has put up impressive numbers since the All-Star break. He scored a game-winner against the Heat.

Previous Ranking: 17

The Heat have lost three in a row. All close contests, too. Staying competitive but not being a high-level winner is what their franchise has been about for years. Miami is another one of these East squads basically stuck in the play-in tournament range. It will need to advance past the elimination contests to make the playoffs.

Previous Ranking: 18

The Magic snapped a five-game losing streak with a close win over the Bucks. Paolo Banchero led the way with 29 points. Orlando's second-half downfall will only be stopped if he steps up as its best player. He hasn't looked the same since his return. That has hurt the Magic.

Previous Ranking: 15

Expect the Mavericks to continue to drop. They've lost five in a row. To add salt to the wound, Kyrie Irving was lost for the rest of the season with a torn ACL. Just an awful injury that lengthens one of the worst two-month periods an NBA franchise has ever experienced since Dallas shipped Luka Doncic.

Previous Ranking: 21

In classic Suns fashion, Kevin Durant scored an insane basket against the Suns to force overtime against the Nuggets. Instead of stealing a win, Phoenix lost a high-scoring 149-141 game. It was a heartbreaker that encapsulated their season. They've shown flashes of potential but nothing sustainable.

Previous Ranking: 20

The Hawks hosted the Pacers for a rare back-to-back and won both games. That could be crucial to determine the standings. Trae Young had 36 points. The trade deadline additions of Caris LeVert, Terance Mann and Georges Niang have rejuvenated Atlanta's depth with three quality rotation players.

Previous Ranking: 14

The Clippers continue to be a textbook mediocre squad. They seem content with that. James Harden had a vintage performance with 50 points in a win over the Pistons. LA looked like it ran out of gas near the finish line, so the 35-year-old took it upon himself to carry it to a much-needed victory.

Previous Ranking: 16

Despite moving on from their head coach and franchise star, the Kings remain in the thick of the playoff race. They deserve credit for that. Sacramento was dedicated to win now, even with the major shakeups and has done so thanks to Zach LaVine becoming its top scorer.

Previous Ranking: 10

Close losses to the Clippers and Warriors brought the Pistons back down from an all-time high. They're still the best surprise team of the season. Detroit will make the playoffs for the first time in years and Cade Cunningham has a real shot to be an All-NBA player.

Previous Ranking: 11

The Pacers dropped two games to the Hawks. Every time they look like a contender, they take a step back with questionable losses. At this point of the season, they're likely just an average team with good talent who hopes to get hot at the right time like they did last year.

Previous Ranking: 13

The Timberwolves have won five in a row. They padded their record with a soft stretch in their schedule. Anthony Edwards continues to be one of the league's top scorers. Minnesota is part of a large group of West teams that could either make or avoid the play-in tournament.

Previous Ranking: 12

The Warriors have caught fire. They've won four in a row and nine of their last 10 games. Stephen Curry joined the 25K career point club in a win over the Pistons. Golden State has also taken advantage of a soft part of its schedule. The veteran squad has been one of the best teams since the trade deadline.

Previous Ranking: 6

The Bucks have played better, but they've also beaten up on cupcakes. In a test against the East's best team, they lost to the Cavaliers. That's been the type of season Milwaukee has had. While Giannis Antetokounmpo has proven to be good enough to headline a title contender, the rest of the roster doesn't look that way.

Previous Ranking: 9

A trivial decision to leave Amen Thompson in garbage time to stat-pad for a triple-double has turned costly. The Rockets will be without him for at least a week due to an ankle sprain. While it's nothing serious for his long-term future, that hurts Houston's playoff seeding as it's in a tight race for a top-four spot.

Previous Ranking: 7

The Knicks continue to have a miserable second-half of the season. They've lost three in a row. Even worse, they lost Jalen Brunson for at least two weeks with an ankle sprain. He suffered the injury in a loss to the Lakers. The only bright side is that New York has a nice third-place cushion to afford a few more bad outings.

Previous Ranking: 8

With a chance to make a statement win, the Grizzlies suffered another blowout loss to the Thunder. It's painfully obvious that Ja Morant isn't the electrifying superstar he once was. How much of that is mental compared to his nagging shoulder injury is unknown. Either way, it's been an ugly fit for both sides this season.

Previous Ranking: 4

The Nuggets had quite the week. In a thrilling overtime win over the Suns, Nikola Jokic became the first player in NBA history to log a 30-20-20 triple-double. That ballooned his MVP case as the three-time winner hopes to add a fourth award. But against the Thunder, the Nuggets dropped the ball with a blowout loss.

Previous Ranking: 5

Just like that, the Lakers look like the second-best team in the West. Amazing what adding Luka Doncic does for a franchise. An eight-game win streak was snapped with a loss to the Celtics. Los Angeles will be without LeBron James as a groin injury will keep him out for at least a week. He also became the first player in NBA history to reach 50K career points.

Previous Ranking: 3

The Celtics' four-game winning streak is sandwiched between victories over the Nuggets and Lakers. They've quietly been the third-best team this season. Derrick White and Payton Pritchard became the first Boston teammates to each score 40-plus points in a game together against the Trail Blazers.

Previous Ranking: 2

The rest of the regular season will be about helping Shai Gilgeous-Alexander win the MVP award. The Thunder took a step in the right direction toward that goal with a blowout win over the Nuggets. It was the first game of a back-to-back against Denver. Gilgeous-Alexander had 40 points and has been on a scoring heater in his last three games.

Previous Ranking: 1

The Cavaliers just continue to win. They've won 14 in a row. It's their third 12-plus win streak of the season. A blowout over the Bucks flexed their dominance against the rest of the East. Cleveland has been at the top spot for most of the season and should enter the playoffs as title co-favorites with the Thunder.