'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Another week of NBA action has gone by, and teams are finally slowing the pace down across the league after a couple of weeks of frantic action when the average league pace was over 102 possessions per game.
The standings and the playoff picture in both Conferences for the rest of the season has become clearer in the intervening period, and we have a new entrant into our top 5 Western Conference teams in the Week 3 update of the Conference power rankings.
Read on to find out which teams have made the cut:
#5 San Antonio Spurs
Two back-to-back defeats at the hands of the Heat and the Magic have pegged the San Antonio Spurs back a little, as they fall 2 places on our power rankings from last week. But the same virtues that held them up as a top 5 team in the Western Conference so far continue to hold true.
Trending
DeRozan carries his playmaking prowess into Week 3 and looks set to be the Spurs' combo guard for the rest of the season, while LaMarcus Aldridge has settled into his role as the default starting center.
Not really much to write home about in the past week, but expect the Spurs to be in the mix for the 4-8 playoff spots all season long.
#4 Oklahoma City Thunder - NEW!
The Thunder have narrowly avoided calamity, with news emerging that Russell Westbrook’s sprained ankle isn't as bad as it looked, meaning he will be back before long. Having won 6 games in a row after dropping their first four fixtures, they hit a soft spot in their schedule facing Dallas, Phoenix twice, and Sacramento in their next few fixtures.
Dennis Schroeder is one of the best Russ imitators in the league, and he poured in 16 points after Westbrook went off with injury against the Pelicans. This enables Billy Donovan to gameplan the same way as he would with the Brodie, and gives Paul George an opportunity to hit a purple patch as the main man of the team.
Expect the Thunder to keep winning in the near future and climb up these charts even more.
#3 Portland Trail Blazers
It happens every year, doesn't it? Critics write them off, Vegas pencils them in for a lower half playoff berth or, in this season's case, out of the playoff spots, and the Blazers use that dismissive attitude as fuel to mount another impressive start to their season.
Jennifer should know better by now, but having a stable team with a few solid additions is usually a better formula for regular season success than assembling a brand-new ensemble of players. Damian Lillard has been his usual, dominant-scorer self, Nurkic and McCollum have played their supporting roles admirably and the likes of Zach Collins have impressed mightily in the early stretches as the Blazers now own an enviable 8-3 record through the first 3 weeks of the season.
Expect them to contend for a top-half playoff spot all season long. I'd be shocked if they didn't end up there for the second successive season, and with good reason. Adding Seth Curry, Nik Stauskas and expanding Zach Collins' role has been a great success thus far.
#2 Denver Nuggets
Following a hot start to the season in terms of personal statistics by Jokic, Gary Harris and Jamal Murray have joined into the act to forge a fearsome trio that could be a factor in the Western Conference playoff scenario for years to come. The Denver Nuggets rattled off their sixth straight win with a 115-107 margin over the Boston Celtics at home two days back with the help of a career-high 48 points from the Canadian #7 overall pick from the 2016 NBA draft.
The Nuggets proved last year that they were an elite offensive team when things are run by point center Jokic, but what has changed this season is their increased focus on defensive energy, as well as elaborate scheming to counter for Jokic's weak pick-and-roll defense.
They now hedge the screen and ice the defense on pick-and-roll plays with much more regularity, and this has allowed Jokic to be a really good paint defender this season while transforming the Nuggets from a bottom-5 team last season to a top-10 team on defense so far this season.
Boasting of one of the best starting lineups in the league and still to receive contributions from the injured Isaiah Thomas, Will Barton and Michael Porter Jr, expect the Nuggets to keep hold of this spot for a long time this season.
#1 Golden State Warriors
The Warriors have only played two games in the intervening time between the publication of the last power rankings list, taking some well-deserved rest after a hectic start to the season. In those two games, MVP frontrunner Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson have gotten them to 2 wins, over the Pelicans and then the Grizzlies.
The latest development on their roster has been the emergence of Alfonzo McKinnie, a former 2-star recruit in high school who's charted a journeyman's path into the league by virtue of his sharpshooting, and is now a crucial component of the Warriors' bench mob. The offensive thrust provided by him has brought the Warriors' bench back to its pre-2016 glory based on the evidence we've seen thus far, and McKinnie will be the latest poster-boy for the G-League.
The Warriors are here to stay, and they'll be prohibitive favourites to win it all unless both Durant and Curry succumb to long-term injuries.
