NBA Power Rankings: The run for No. 1

1. Golden State Warriors (Record: 52-13; last week: 1): The Warriors and Hawks have been resting key players lately, which means they care more about rest than the top record.

2. Atlanta Hawks (Record: 52-14; last week: 2): The Hawks play at Golden State on Wednesday night in a possible NBA Finals preview. The Hawks won the first meeting in Atlanta.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers (Record: 43-25; last week: 4): Kyrie Irving may have replaced LeBron James as the Cavaliers’ top candidate for the NBA’s MVP award.

4. Portland Trail Blazers (Record: 44-20; last week: 5): Here comes Portland, winners of eight of its past 10 and three straight. The Blazers are making a run at the West’s second seed.

5. Houston Rockets (Record: 44-22; last week: 3): Considering the Rockets are 18-16 without Dwight Howard (knee), James Harden’s MVP candidacy probably would be stronger if Howard were in the lineup.

6. Memphis Grizzlies (Record: 46-20; last week: 6) The West’s current second seed has lost six of 11. Poor 3-point shooting has played a big role in the recent skid.

7. San Antonio Spurs (Record: 41-24; last week: 7): Spurs guard Manu Ginobili is expected to be out a week to 10 days with an ankle injury that occurred in Sunday’s rout against Minnesota.

8. Dallas Mavericks (Record: 42-25; last week: 10): The Mavericks have lost interest in free-agent center JaVale McGee and aren’t seeking any more roster additions, a source told Yahoo Sports.

9. Los Angeles Clippers (Record: 42-25; last week: 8): New addition Nate Robinson is behind reserve Austin Rivers in the rotation and needs to step up to give the Clippers a scoring lift.

10. Oklahoma City Thunder (Record: 37-29; last week: 9): Russell Westbrook is averaging 35.2 points, 10.7 rebounds and 9.8 assists in March with Kevin Durant (foot) expected back soon.

11. Chicago Bulls (Record: 40-28; last week: 11): Rookie power forward Nikola Mirotic has been sensational of late, averaging 20.3 points in his past nine games.

12. Washington Wizards (Record: 38-28; last week: 14): Nene (personal reasons) is expected to return to the Wizards on Monday night against Portland after missing the past two games, a source told Yahoo.

13. Toronto Raptors (Record: 39-27; last week: 13): Toronto is 6-12 since Feb. 1 and in danger of falling in the East standings. Toronto has also allowed an average of 109 points in its past nine games.

14. New Orleans Pelicans (Record: 36-30; last week: 12): Anthony Davis is playing at an MVP level, but the Pelicans can’t afford home losses like Sunday’s against Denver if they want a playoff berth.

15. Indiana Pacers (Record: 30-35; last week: 16): A source told Yahoo that Paul George has played well in practice, but still has not regained his All-Star form and walks with a noticeable limp.

16. Charlotte Hornets (Record: 29-35; last week: 17): Lance Stephenson’s most notable play in his first season in Charlotte has been a bad pass that hit a female fan in the nose last week.

17. Phoenix Suns (Record: 35-33; last week: 18): The Suns’ playoff hopes are on life support with 12 of their final 14 games against teams with a better record than their own. Good luck.

18. Milwaukee Bucks (Record: 34-32; last week: 15): The East’s sixth seed has lost nine of its past 12 games and has four teams within 4½ games of it.

19. Utah Jazz (Record: 29-36; last week: 20): Unless you live in Utah or are a fan of the team, you probably haven’t noticed the Jazz, winners of eight of 10, are one of the NBA’s hottest teams and appear to be on the rise.

20. Boston Celtics (Record: 29-36; last week: 21): Boston’s playoff hopes are still alive in the lackluster East. The Celtics have won four straight and are a half-game from the eighth and final postseason spot in the conference.

21. Miami Heat (Record: 29-36; last week: 19): Former Heat star LeBron James will receive treatment on his tweaked knee and is hoping he can play against Miami on Monday.

22. Denver Nuggets (Record: 26-41; last week: 30): Interim head coach Melvin Hunt is building a strong case to keep the job, starting 6-2 since replacing Brian Shaw.

23. Brooklyn Nets (Record: 26-38; last week: 22): Former Timberwolves forward Thaddeus Young was a nice pickup. He’s averaging 16.3 points while starting the last four games.

24. Orlando Magic (Record: 21-47; last week: 23): Orlando has perhaps the best collection of young talent in the NBA and will be in position to add another quality youngster with a high draft selection.

25. Sacramento Kings (Record: 22-43; last week: 25): All-Star DeMarcus Cousins’ point, rebound and assist averages haven’t changed much with the arrival of coach George Karl.

26. Detroit Pistons (Record: 23-43; last week: 26): After going from Denver to the D-League to Sacramento earlier this season, it appears forward Quincy Miller has found a home in Detroit.

27. Los Angeles Lakers (Record: 17-48; last week: 27): Rookie Jordan Clarkson has been receiving valuable mentoring from teammate Steve Nash, who’s playing days appear over.

28. Minnesota Timberwolves (Record: 14-51; last week: 28) Kevin Garnett has missed the last four games because of a knee injury and could miss Monday’s contest against former team Brooklyn.

29. Philadelphia 76ers (Record: 15-51; last week: 29) The Atlantic Division is far from imposing, with only one team – Toronto – having a winning record. Yet the Sixers are 1-12 against the Atlantic.

30. New York Knicks (Record: 13-53; last week: 30): With the No. 1 pick of the NBA draft on the line, New York faces the Timberwolves and Sixers this week.