NBA Eastern Conference Week Four Power Rankings: Pacers Jump Celtics To No. 4
Nov 14, 2018, 4:59 PM | Updated: Nov 23, 2018, 5:16 pm
(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Indiana Pacers jumped over the Celtics to No. 4 as Victor Oladipo is playing well. Things in Boston are getting a little concerning as the Celtics look to find their rhythm.
The Toronto Raptors held on to the top spot in KSL Sports’ NBA Eastern Conference Power Rankings with a quality win on the road to go with a 2-1 record for the week.
Rankings are based on results from Wednesday, November 7 to Tuesday, November 13.
1. Toronto Raptors (12-2)
Week four record: 2-1
Wins: at Sacramento, vs. New York
Losses: vs. New Orleans
Pascal Siakam has stepped up for the Raptors as he turned in a 23 point performance against the Knicks and scored 22 points in their loss to the Pelicans. Still looks like the east will go through Toronto.
Previous Ranking: 1
Next up: vs. Detroit, at Boston, at Chicago, at Orlando
23 points (career-high) on seven shots.@pskills43 | 23 PTS – 6/7 FGM – 3 3PM pic.twitter.com/mKxsHi9Dh4
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) November 11, 2018
2. Milwaukee Bucks (10-3)
Week four record: 2-1
Wins: at Golden State, at Denver
Losses: at LA Clippers
The Bucks had an impressive 23 point win on the road against the Golden State Warriors that stunned the NBA world. But they followed that performance with a two point overtime loss to the Clippers.
Previous Ranking: 2
Next up: vs. Memphis, vs. Chicago, vs. Denver
The Bucks beat the Warriors at Oracle two years in a row!!#FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/SrUHMQZOCi
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) November 9, 2018
3. Philadelphia 76ers (9-6)
Week four record: 3-1
Wins: at Indiana, vs. Charlotte (in OT), at Miami
Losses: at Memphis (in OT)
The 76ers acquired Jimmy Butler from the Minnesota Timberwolves at the end of the fourth week of the season. It will be interesting to see how he impacts the Sixers moving forward. Joel Embiid had 42 points and 18 rebounds in their overtime win over Charlotte. They were a six point overtime defeat away from a perfect week.
Previous Ranking: 3
Next up: at Orlando, vs. Utah, at Charlotte, vs. Phoenix
4. Indiana Pacers (8-6)
Week four record: 1-2
Wins: at Miami
Losses: vs. Philadelphia, at Houston
Victor Oladipo was fantastic for the Pacers during week four including 36 points against the Sixers in a six point loss. He had a double-double with 22 points and 10 assists in their win over Miami.
Previous ranking: 5
Next up: vs. Miami, vs. Atlanta, vs. Utah
Sonny and Tubbs aren’t pleased, but that’s a #PacersWin in Miami 🙌 pic.twitter.com/USuiH6CsW4
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) November 10, 2018
5. Boston Celtics (7-6)
Week four record: 1-2
Wins: at Phoenix (in OT)
Losses: at Utah, at Portland
It took Kyrie Irving scoring 39 points as the Celtics completed their comeback to beat Phoenix in overtime. Losing by eight points to the Jazz and six to the Blazers has set the Celtics back a little bit.
Previous Ranking: 4
Next up: vs. Chicago, vs. Toronto, vs. Utah, at Charlotte
6. Charlotte Hornets (7-7)
Week four record: 1-2
Wins: at Detroit
Losses: at Philadelphia (in OT), at Cleveland
The Hornets lost to the 76ers in overtime by one point but were blown out by the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers. Had those results been different, they would have a shot of being in the top five.
Previous ranking: 6
Next up: vs. Philadelphia, vs. Boston
7. Detroit Pistons (6-6)
Week four record: 2-1
Wins: at Orlando, at Atlanta
Losses: vs. Charlotte
Something you don’t see very often in basketball is a player scoring and leading their team with the exact amount of points in three straight games. Andre Drummond scored 23 in all three games of week four. He added a 19 rebound performance against Orlando, 11 versus Atlanta and 22 against Charlotte.
Previous ranking: 9
Next up: at Toronto, vs. Cleveland
8. Orlando Magic (6-8)
Week four record: 2-2
Wins: vs. Washington, at New York
Losses: vs. Detroit, at Washington
To games against the struggling Wizards would have leaped them higher in the rankings but after a nine point win at home, the Magic couldn’t get past the Wizards on the road, losing by 8 points.
Previous ranking: 10
Next up: vs. Philadelphia, vs. LA Lakers, vs. New York, vs. Toronto
9. Brooklyn Nets (6-8)
Week four record: 1-2
Wins: at Denver
Losses: at Golden State, at Minnesota
Brooklyn found a way to beat Denver on the road by two points as DeAngelo Russell scored 23 points. He added a 31-point performance in their seven point loss to the Timberwolves. Their 16 point defeat by the Warriors snapped a three-game winning streak.
Previous ranking: 7
Next up: vs. Miami, at Washington, vs. LA Clippers, at Miami
10. Miami Heat (5-8)
Week four record: 1-3
Wins: vs. San Antonio
Losses: vs. Indiana, vs. Washington, vs. Phildelphia
After beating the Spurs by seven at home, the Heat couldn’t find their groove as they finished their four game home stand with a 1-3 record. They lost by 20 combined points in those three losses. Hassan Whiteside had back-to-back games with 20 rebounds and added 29 points in the win over the Spurs.
Previous ranking: 8
Next up: at Brooklyn, at Indiana, vs. LA Lakers, vs. Brooklyn
11. Chicago Bulls (4-10)
Week four record: 1-2
Wins: vs. Cleveland
Losses: at New Orleans, vs. Dallas
A one-point win over the Cavaliers showed how long of a season it will be for Bulls fans. Zach LaVine scored 22 points or more in every game during week four.
Previous ranking: 11
Next up: at Boston, at Milwaukee, vs. Toronto
12. New York Knicks (4-10)
Week four record: 1-2
Wins: at Atlanta
Losses: at Toronto, vs. Orlando
Tim Hardaway Jr. seems to have found his scoring rhythm as he dropped 34 points in their win over the Hawks and 27 in their loss to the Raptors. First round pick Kevin Knox had his best performance as a rookie when he scored 17 points against the Magic.
Previous ranking: 12
Next up: at Oklahoma City, at New Orleans, at Orlando, vs. Portland
13. Washington Wizards (4-9)
Week four record: 2-1
Wins: at Miami, vs. Orlando
Losses: at Orlando
Two wins against their division foes in a row doubled the Wizards win total. Things still look bad in the nation’s capital. John Wall scored 28 and 25 points respectively in their two wins.
Previous ranking: 13
Next up: vs. Cleveland, vs. Brooklyn, vs. Portland, vs. LA Clippers
14. Atlanta Hawks (3-11)
Week four record: 0-4
Losses: vs. New York, vs. Detroit, at LA Lakers, at Golden State
All four losses were by a combined total of 28 points. They did lose by one point to the Lakers in Los Angeles but that was basically the highlight of their week.
Previous ranking: 14
Next up: at Denver, at Indiana, vs. LA Clippers
15. Cleveland Cavaliers (2-11)
Week four record: 1-2
Wins: vs. Charlotte
Losses: vs. Oklahoma City, at Chicago
The Cavaliers are starting to settle in with Larry Drew as the interim head coach but things don’t look great for Cleveland. They snapped their five game losing streak as they dominated the Hornets but it is full rebuild mode for the Cavaliers.
Previous ranking: 15
Next up: at Washington, at Detroit