Our NBA Power Rankings will keep you informed on the league’s changing landscape throughout the season. Each week we will provide valuable updates on where each team stands to help you place the right bets on games and look beyond current records to analyze each team’s potential to win an NBA title. Here are our pro basketball Power Rankings for April 11, with the regular season having finished and with the postseason on the horizon.
NBA Power Rankings (April 11)
Here are Nate Weitzer’s NBA Power Rankings as of Monday, April 11. Odds to win the NBA Championship are listed next to each team.
1. Phoenix Suns (): The Suns went 33-8 with the best net rating (34.9) in history since the NBA started tracking Clutch situations. This team isn’t overwhelming from a statistical perspective, yet all they do is win.
2. Milwaukee Bucks (): The return of Brook Lopez (back) did little to shore up Milwaukee’s reeling defense. Yet the defending champs still found ways to win with a 120.8 offensive rating over the final six weeks. They have the reigning Finals MVP and are relatively healthy heading into the postseason.
3. Memphis Grizzlies (): While they’re unproven in the playoffs, the Grizzlies showcased their incredible depth during a dominant season and won 20 of their first 22 games without Ja Morant. They exceeded expectations at every turn with a record of .500 or better against the spread in every situation.
4. Miami Heat (): Miami’s starters barely played 100 minutes together all season, but that group found some continuity down the stretch with six straight impressive wins. Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry, and P.J. Tucker form the toughest group of veterans in the postseason.
5. Dallas Mavericks ():The Mavs went 36-12 in 2022 and posted a league-best 43.7 net rating with an 8-1 record in clutch time after the All-Star Break. Denver had no qualms resting Nikola Jokic in its finale to face the Warriors instead of the red-hot Mavs in the first round.
6. Boston Celtics (): Unquestionably the hottest team in basketball since mid January, the Celtics received a major blow when Robert Williams III (meniscus) was ruled out for over a month. The league’s best defense could get their anchor back at some point in the playoffs.
7. Golden State Warriors (): Draymond Green (back) has started to resemble the guy who was running away with Defensive Player of the Year during the first two months of the season. It all comes down to how healthy Steph Curry (foot) will be when the Warriors open their first-round series.
8. Brooklyn Nets (): Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were able to carry the Nets towards the top of the play-in picture and they should take care of business to set up a first round battle with the Celtics. Their supporting cast is a major question mark heading into a series of battles against improved Eastern Conference foes.
9. Philadelphia 76ers (): After winning their first five games of the James Harden-era, the 76ers sputtered with a 5-7 record against teams with winning records, including two losses to their likely first round opponent in Toronto. Unless Matisse Thybulle gets vaccinated, he won’t be able to play in road games in that series.
10. Minnesota Timberwolves (): Minnesota posted the best offensive rating (119.5) in the Western Conference after the break, and Patrick Beverley helped inject some toughness in this young team as they went 8-3 over their last 11 regular season home games.
11. Toronto Raptors (): With their ability to exploit matchups across the frontcourt and burn teams with 3-point shooting from their backcourt, the Raptors are a scary matchup for any team in the Eastern Conference. They have fans back in their building and have the added advantage of restricting any unvaccinated visitors from playing in Toronto.
12. Denver Nuggets (): Nikola Jokic led the league in just about every advanced statistical category and finished top 10 in PPG, RPG, and APG with Michael Porter Jr. (back) and Jamal Murray (ACL) out nearly all season. He will need some help to navigate the Western Conference bracket.
13. Utah Jazz (): Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert appear to be heading towards the end of their professional relationship and the Jazz could easily be broken up unless they make a deep playoff run. That seems unlikely given the fact they are 1-6 in one-possession games and sporting a -16.6 net rating in clutch time since the All-Star Break.
14. Los Angeles Clippers (): Paul George (elbow) returned in the final weeks of the season to spark the Clippers dormant offense and Kawhi Leonard (ACL) is reportedly ramping up his individual work, but his return remains a mystery as LAC prepares to face Minnesota Tuesday in the 7-8 game of the play-in tournament.
15. Atlanta Hawks (): With John Collins (heel) out, the Hawks seem to be a better offensive team, but their defense suffers even more. They already rank 25th in defensive efficiency with a 16-25 record on the road, so Trae Young and co. will have a hard time replicating last year’s playoff run.
16. Charlotte Hornets (): The Hornets won 11 of their last 14 regular season games to enter the play-in tournament with some momentum. LaMelo Ball led his squad to a 6-2 record with a 131.1 offensive rating in clutch time after the break.
17. Chicago Bulls (): The Bulls completely fell apart down the stretch with a 9-15 record and 120 defensive rating after the break, as they fell from near the top of the Eastern Conference to the sixth seed. Chicago will get a fresh start when Lonzo Ball (knee) returns next season.
18. New Orleans Pelicans (): The Pelicans came a long way from their rough start this season and adding C.J. McCollum gave them a consistent second option next to Brandon Ingram. However, they dropped six of their last seven games against Western Conference playoff teams.
19. Cleveland Cavaliers (): Like the Bulls, the Cavs also slid way down the conference standings with a 9-16 record since Feb. 15. Without Jarrett Allen (finger) and Evan Mobley (ankle), their impressive defense sprung leaks, but this team is already ahead of schedule.
20. San Antonio Spurs (): Gregg Popovich has cobbled together a competitive team despite the limitations of his roster, with Dejounte Murray emerging as an elite guard. The Spurs ranked seventh in defensive efficiency on the road this season, so they have a punchers’ chance in the play-in tournament.
21. Indiana Pacers (): After acquiring Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers jumped from 108.8 PPG to 116.8 PPG over a 25-game sample. Their defensive rating rose to league-worst heights (123.1), but Myles Turner should help shore up those issues when he’s healthy next year.
22. Sacramento Kings (): De’Aaron Fox responded to the Kings unloading Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield with averages of 29.6 PPG and 7.7 APG over 12 games before shutting it down for the season. Davion Mitchell showed a lot of promise in his absence and the Kings will have an exciting offense with Domantas Sabonis alongside those guards.
23. Los Angeles Lakers (): According to Elias Sports Bureau, the Lakers became the first team favored to win the title in the preseason to miss the playoffs entirely, and that came in a year when 10 teams had a shot at the postseason. The Russell Westbrook experiment was a disaster and Rob Pelinka has some tough questions to answer this offseason.
24. New York Knicks (): With Derrick Rose out and Kemba Walker out of the rotation, the Knicks simply couldn’t figure it out down the stretch of close games with the second-worst offensive rating (93.5) in clutch time.
25. Washington Wizards (): The Wizards played spoiler with a couple of surprising wins over the Warriors, Mavs, and Wolves down the stretch despite missing both Kyle Kuzma and Bradley Beal. Deni Avdija and Corey Kispert are showing promise as two-way wings to pair with those pure scorers.
26. Detroit Pistons (): The Pistons went 11-18 over their final 29 games and covered the spread in 20 of those contests. Cade Cunningham is showing that he can lift his teammates to competitive heights.
27. Oklahoma City Thunder (): Sam Presti let his team compete deeper into the season than he did last year, but the Thunder still tanked down the stretch, at one point benching their backups to try and lose a game to Portland. OKC fans simply have to trust the process.
28. Portland Trail Blazers (): The Blazers intentionally tanked after the break to get in better draft position and prepare for what should be a busy offseason as new GM Joe Cronin looks to entice Damian Lillard into staying in Portland.
29. Houston Rockets (): Jalen Green strung together five straight games with 30-plus points and Kevin Porter Jr. (29.8 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 7.8 APG) strung together some elite performances during that stretch as well. Houston can focus on defensive pieces this offseason to help support those young guards.
30. Orlando Magic (): Orlando came out of the break playing solid defense, but the offense fell apart with a 104.9 rating as the Magic only averaged 105.2 PPG over their final 20 games.
Pre-season rankings
Here are what our pre-season NBA Power Rankings looked like on Wednesday, Oct. 13. Pre-season NBA title odds are also listed.
- Brooklyn Nets +200
- Milwaukee Bucks +900
- LA Lakers +400
- Utah Jazz +1500
- Phoenix Suns +1700
- Philadelphia 76ers +2000
- Denver Nuggets +2000
- Miami Heat +2500
- Atlanta Hawks +3500
- Dallas Mavericks +2800
- LA Clippers +1700
- Boston Celtics +4000
- Memphis Grizzlies +10000
- Portland Trail Blazers +8000
- Golden State Warriors +1100
- Charlotte Hornets +18000
- New York Knicks +10000
- Chicago Bulls +8000
- New Orleans Pelicans +11000
- Indiana Pacers +10000
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- Washington Wizards +25000
- Sacramento Kings +25000
- San Antonio Spurs +35000
- Toronto Raptors +25000
- Houston Rockets +100000
- Cleveland Cavaliers +100000
- Detroit Pistons +100000
- Orlando Magic +100000
- Oklahoma City Thunder +100000
How to use Pro Basketball Power Rankings
When placing bets on the NBA, it’s crucial to consider factors such as travel time, home court advantage, and playoff positioning versus the rest that so many stars value. By using these NBA Power Rankings, or creating your own criteria for a Power Rankings system, it can be possible to evaluate the prospects of a team more thoroughly based on those factors.
Oddsmakers tend to overreact in the NBA based on the status of star players, but often underreact to trends such as a teams’ performance on back-to-back sets, or at the end of a long road trip. Read our full NBA Betting Guide for more strategies on gaining an edge against sportsbooks.
If you develop a system that helps you stay a step ahead of oddsmakers, it’s certainly possible to cash on over 50 percent of NBA bets and turn a profit. Trust your data and use our Power Rankings as a guide for identifying value on a nightly basis.
Read more on beginner NBA betting strategies here: