NBA Power Rankings: SGA leads OKC, and Beal is back for the Suns

It’s finally 2024, and teams are racing into the new year as the battles for the top spots in the Eastern and Western conferences remain tight.

Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers have stopped a post-in-season tournament slide, defeating the Milwaukee Bucks three times this season as their budding rivalry continues.

And the Sacramento Kings have climbed back into our top 10 after an up-and-down December.

A few stars are making their way back from injuries, as Kyrie Irving returns for the Dallas Mavericks, Kawhi Leonard for the LA Clippers and Bradley Beal for the Phoenix Suns. But as the NBA trade deadline approaches in February, teams are starting to reevaluate their needs.

What are teams missing in their lineups? Who will make a blockbuster trade? And which star needs a change of scenery? Let’s check in with our first Power Rankings of 2024!

Note: Throughout the regular season, our panel (Kendra Andrews, Tim Bontemps, Jamal Collier, Andrew Lopez, Tim MacMahon, Dave McMenamin and Ohm Youngmisuk) is ranking all 30 teams from top to bottom, taking stock of which teams are playing the best basketball and which teams are looking most like title contenders.

Previous rankings: Post-Finals | Nov. 1 | Nov. 8 | Nov. 15 | Nov. 22 | Nov. 29 | Dec. 6 | Dec. 13 | Dec. 20 | Dec. 27

Jump to a team:

ATL | BOS | BKN | CHA | CHI | CLE
DAL | DEN | DET | GS | HOU | IND
LAC | LAL | MEM | MIA | MIL | MIN
NO | NY | OKC | ORL | PHI | PHX
POR | SAC | SA | TOR | UTAH | WAS

2023-24 record: 26-7

• Previous ranking: 1

• Next games: vs. UTA (Jan. 5), @ IND (Jan. 6), @ IND (Jan. 8)

Boston dropped its first game of 2024 on Tuesday night when its furious comeback in Oklahoma City fell short. But Kristaps Porzingis had another 34 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks, as he continues to have a huge impact on the Celtics since arriving this summer via trade. It was Boston’s first loss with Porzingis in the lineup since Nov. 22, when he left a game in Orlando early because of an injury, snapping a streak of eight straight wins. — Bontemps

put up a triple-double in that game and is once again inserting himself into the early MVP discussion, averaging 30.9 points and 11.3 rebounds and shooting a career-high 60.6% (64.5% on 2-pointers). — Collier

2023-24 record: 24-8

• Previous ranking: 4

• Next games: vs. NO (Jan. 3), @ HOU (Jan. 5), @ DAL (Jan. 7), @ ORL (Jan. 9)

Despite a loss to the Knicks on Monday, the Timberwolves are still atop the Western Conference thanks to a scoring binge from Anthony Edwards. The 22-year-old guard has scored at least 31 points in three straight games, leading the Wolves to wins over the Lakers and Mavericks, to pair with the league’s top defense. The Wolves will be away from Minnesota for most of January, playing 10 of their 17 games on the road. — Collier

2023-24 record: 23-9

• Previous ranking: 6

• Next games: @ ATL (Jan. 3), @ BKN (Jan. 5), @ WSH (Jan. 8)

Oklahoma City went 10-3 in December, when the Thunder’s blossoming big three of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren combined to average 68.1 points while shooting 54.5% from the floor. The Thunder won seven of their eight December home games. But the January schedule will be much more travel intensive, featuring four-, four- and three-game road trips. Oklahoma City has played a home-heavy schedule so far, but the Thunder own the NBA’s best road winning percentage (9-4, .692). — MacMahon

2023-24 record: 24-11

• Previous ranking: 2

• Next games: @ GS (Jan. 4), vs. ORL (Jan. 5), vs. DET (Jan. 7)

Don’t look now, but the Nuggets have won 10 of their past 12, and Aaron Gordon returned Monday after a two-game absence following a Christmas night dog bite that required 21 stitches to his hand and face. During Gordon’s absence, Peyton Watson got minutes with the starters, scoring 20 points in a win over Memphis and 14 points in a loss to Oklahoma City. That experience should help Watson, who came into this season with expectations of being a strong contributor off the bench. Meanwhile, Jamal Murray enters 2024 looking to build his résumé for a first-time All-Star berth. In his past eight games, Murray has scored 20 or more seven times; is averaging 22.3 points, 6.5 assists and 5.0 rebounds; and is shooting 25-of-49 (51%) from behind the arc. — Youngmisuk

2023-24 record: 23-10

• Previous ranking: 5

• Next games: vs. NY (Jan. 5), vs. UTA (Jan. 6)

Joel Embiid missed four games because of a sprained ankle but looked like he didn’t miss a beat in his return, putting up a 31-point, 15-rebound, 10-assist triple-double in a win over the Bulls on Tuesday. He has 19 more points than he has minutes played this season, as he is on pace to become the first player since Wilt Chamberlain 60 years ago to score more points than minutes played in a season. — Bontemps

, in that same span, is averaging 19.6 points, 9.6 assists and 5.1 rebounds and shooting 44% from 3. As Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said before losing to the Clippers on Monday: “They’ve gotten their bleep together for the time being.” — Youngmisuk

James Harden. Sengun joins , Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo and as the only players in the league averaging at least 21 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. The 21-year-old Sengun, considered a defensive liability entering this season, has held up well on that end of the floor for a team allowing the sixth fewest points per 100 possessions (111.3). The Rockets, firmly in the Western Conference playoff race, scheme to protect Sengun as much as possible, and coach Ime Udoka credits the young center for using his intelligence and good hands (1.1 steals per game) to contribute defensively. — MacMahon

2023-24 record: 16-17

• Previous ranking: 17

• Next games: vs. DEN (Jan. 4), vs. DET (Jan. 5), vs. TOR (Jan. 7)

The Warriors are still in search mode, changing their starting lineup yet again to find something that works — something head coach Steve Kerr and star point guard both admit is concerning 30-plus games into the season. With veterans either struggling with consistency or suspended, Golden State is relying more on young players than ever before, begging two questions: (1) How much can they continue to count on , and ? And (2) What moves could they make leading up to the trade deadline? — Andrews

OG Anunoby trade, immediately stepped into the starting point guard job for the Raptors and likely won’t relinquish it anytime soon. A per-minute star the past couple of years and a runner-up for Sixth Man of the Year last season, Quickley will likely become ‘ pick-and-roll partner — a role that should perfectly suit Quickley, with his 39.5% showing from deep this season. — Bontemps

Ja Morant has returned from suspension and has recovered from a sprained foot. It’s also a problem created in large part by the absence of center , the Grizzlies’ leading rebounder the previous two years who will miss the entire season because of knee surgery. Memphis, 13th in the Western Conference, ranks 26th in the league in rebounding percentage (41.8). — MacMahon

2023-24 record: 9-23

• Previous ranking: 27

• Next games: @ DAL (Jan. 3), @ DAL (Jan. 5), @ BKN (Jan. 7), @ NY (Jan. 9)

level of comfort continues to rise, which is what Portland needs to help claim a successful season. His past five games encompass the best stretch of his young career: 18.6 points and 6.8 assists in 32 minutes per game, while shooting a red-hot 46% from deep. His on-court chemistry with has been good, too, laying the foundation for Portland’s rebuild. — Andrews

2023-24 record: 8-24

• Previous ranking: 26

• Next games: @ CHI (Jan. 5), vs. CHI (Jan. 8)

The Hornets haven’t experienced winning much this season. But they got a close look at a championship ring Monday when point guard returned to Denver and received his 2022-23 championship ring from the Nuggets. Smith, a leader in the locker room for the Nuggets during their title run, signed with the Hornets in the offseason and scored 10 points in Monday’s loss to Denver while starting in place of , who was out because of illness. To even sniff the play-in race — the Hornets are currently 13th in the East — Charlotte desperately needs to get healthy with , and all out. — Youngmisuk

2023-24 record: 5-28

• Previous ranking: 29

• Next games: vs. MIL (Jan. 4), @ CLE (Jan. 7)

As San Antonio continues to tinker with its rotation, the team has at least landed on a duo to feature in the starting lineup: and Devin Vassell. Then the Spurs bring third-leading scorer Keldon Johnson off the bench. Prior to a blowout loss to the Celtics on New Year’s Eve, the Wembanyama-Vassell combo had a net rating of plus-4.2 in 181 minutes since Wembanyama moved into the starting center role Dec. 8. — Lopez

2023-24 record: 6-26

• Previous ranking: 28

• Next games: @ CLE (Jan. 3), @ CLE (Jan. 5), vs. NY (Jan. 6), vs. OKC (Jan. 8)