NBA Power Rankings: The race for the worst record

1. Golden State Warriors (Record: 65-15; last week: 1): Talk about home, sweet home: The Warriors will have been at home for two weeks before going on the road for the first time for the playoffs.

2. San Antonio Spurs (Record: 55-26; last week: 4): No one is playing better basketball heading into the postseason than the defending NBA champions, who have won 11 straight.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers (Record: 51-29; last week: 2): LeBron James will enter the playoffs with perhaps the most talented Cavs team ever and a legitimate chance of winning the title.

4. Los Angeles Clippers (Record: 54-26; last week: 5): The Clippers are rounding into shape, having won five straight and nine of 10.

5. Memphis Grizzlies (Record: 54-26; last week: 6) It could be tough for Memphis to return to the West’s second seed with the unclear statuses of Mike Conley, Marc Gasol and Tony Allen.

6. Houston Rockets (Record: 54-26; last week: 3): James Harden has had an MVP-worthy season, but his award bid could take a hit if the Rockets don’t land a top-four playoff seed.

7. Atlanta Hawks (Record: 60-20; last week: 7): The recent incident outside of a New York nightclub that led to Thabo Sefolosha breaking his fibula is a huge defensive loss for Atlanta.

8. Portland Trail Blazers (Record: 51-29; last week: 8): The Blazers landing the West’s fourth seed by virtue of winning the weak Northwest Division gives credence to the thought of getting rid of divisions.

9. Dallas Mavericks (Record: 49-31; last week: 9): It would seem to be a reward for the West’s second seed to play the Mavs in the first round, but Dallas has won three straight and has some talent.

10. Toronto Raptors (Record: 48-32; last week: 12): If the Raptors remain the East’s third seed, they will play Milwaukee in the first round of the playoffs. Toronto won the regular-season series 2-1.

11. Chicago Bulls (Record: 48-32; last week: 10): Derrick Rose is averaging 14.3 points, 4.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds in 22.4 minutes per game in the three contests he’s played since returning from knee surgery.

12. Washington Wizards (Record: 46-34; last week: 11): Have the talented yet up-and-down Wizards finally woken up with the playoffs arriving? Washington has won four of its past five.

13. New Orleans Pelicans (Record: 43-37; last week: 14) The playoff hopeful Pelicans own the tiebreaker over the Thunder and finish the regular-season at Minnesota and against the visiting Spurs.

14. Oklahoma City Thunder (Record: 43-37; last week: 13) The NBA rescinded Russell Westbrook’s Sunday technical foul, so he will play Monday night against the Blazers.

15. Milwaukee Bucks (Record: 40-40; last week: 18): Should Jason Kidd get Coach of the Year consideration for leading the young and injury-plagued Bucks into the postseason?

16. Boston Celtics (Record: 38-42; last week: 21): Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck said he wants to upset LeBron James and the Cavs in the first round. Good luck with that.

17. Brooklyn Nets (Record: 37-43; last week: 15): Brooklyn owns the playoff tiebreaker over Indiana but not Boston. The Nets are trying to make the postseason for the third straight year.

18. Indiana Pacers (Record: 37-43; last week: 20): The Pacers have won five straight and their playoff hopes likely hinge on beating Washington and Memphis in their final two games.

19. Phoenix Suns (Record: 39-42; last week: 16): The Suns fell short of the playoffs yet again. Everything went downhill after moving Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas at the trade deadline.

20. Utah Jazz (Record: 37-43; last week: 17): The Jazz have the talent to contend for the playoffs next season after a strong second half, but they need help at point guard.

21. Miami Heat (Record: 35-45; last week: 21): Goran Dragic is expected to re-sign with the Heat this off-season, but he has to consider the injury histories of Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.

22. Charlotte Hornets (Record: 33-47; last week: 22): Owner Michael Jordan was a big UCLA fan growing up and he would have seriously considered the school had it recruited him, a source told Yahoo Sports.

23. Denver Nuggets (Record: 30-50; last week: 24): The Nuggets will hire their third head coach in three years this off-season. There is a long list of veteran coaches available.

24. Detroit Pistons (Record: 31-49; last week: 23): The Pistons’ biggest question this off-season is whether they will be able to re-sign unrestricted free-agent forward Greg Monroe.

25. Sacramento Kings (Record: 27-53; last week: 25): New Kings executive Vlade Divac was scouting at the Hoop Summit in Portland last week but politely dodged direct questions about his decision-making power.

26. Orlando Magic (Record: 25-55; last week: 28): The Magic will also be looking for a permanent head coach. Like Denver, it wouldn’t be surprising if Orlando hired a veteran.

27. Los Angeles Lakers (Record: 21-59; last week: 27): The Lakers will nervously await the NBA draft lottery where they will learn if they will keep their coveted top-five protected pick.

28. Philadelphia 76ers (Record: 18-62; last week: 28) Injured rookie center Joel Embiid has been playing 2-on-2 of late and is expected to play in the summer league, a source told Yahoo Sports.

29. Minnesota Timberwolves (Record: 16-64; last week: 29) The bad news for the Timberwolves continues as point guard Ricky Rubio with have ankle surgery Monday.

30. New York Knicks (Record: 16-64; last week: 30): The Knicks and the Timberwolves are battling for the worst record in the NBA in hopes of having the best odds in the draft lottery.

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