NBA ELO Power Rankings
All 30 teams ranked by ELO rating — a model that updates after every game based on opponent strength, margin of victory, home-court advantage, and rest days. View by conference or overall, with playoff seeding and play-in indicators.
Reading Guide
Standings
| # | C# | Team | Conf | GP | W | L | Win% | PF | PA | Diff | ELO | ELO± | Streak | L10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | New York Knicks | East | 101 | 69 | 32 | 68.3 | 116.3 | 108.4 | +7.9 | 1738 | +237.5 | W2 | 9-1 |
| 2 | 1 | Oklahoma City Thunder | West | 97 | 75 | 22 | 77.3 | 118.5 | 108.0 | +10.5 | 1734 | +233.5 | L2 | 6-4 |
| 3 | 2 | San Antonio Spurs | West | 105 | 75 | 30 | 71.4 | 118.2 | 110.1 | +8.1 | 1713 | +212.8 | L2 | 4-6 |
| 4 | 2 | Detroit Pistons | East | 96 | 67 | 29 | 69.8 | 115.9 | 108.7 | +7.2 | 1637 | +137.3 | L1 | 6-4 |
| 5 | 3 | Boston Celtics | East | 89 | 59 | 30 | 66.3 | 114.2 | 106.9 | +7.3 | 1630 | +130.5 | L3 | 5-5 |
| 6 | 3 | Denver Nuggets | West | 88 | 56 | 32 | 63.6 | 121.1 | 116.6 | +4.5 | 1613 | +113.0 | L1 | 6-4 |
| 7 | 4 | Charlotte Hornets | East | 82 | 44 | 38 | 53.7 | 116.0 | 111.2 | +4.8 | 1602 | +102.4 | W1 | 6-4 |
| 8 | 4 | Los Angeles Lakers | West | 92 | 57 | 35 | 62.0 | 114.8 | 113.8 | +1.0 | 1595 | +95.2 | L4 | 4-6 |
| 9 | 5 | Cleveland Cavaliers | East | 100 | 60 | 40 | 60.0 | 117.4 | 114.6 | +2.8 | 1588 | +87.6 | L4 | 4-6 |
| 10 | 5 | Minnesota Timberwolves | West | 94 | 55 | 39 | 58.5 | 116.8 | 114.6 | +2.2 | 1585 | +84.7 | L2 | 5-5 |
| 11 | 6 | Houston Rockets | West | 88 | 54 | 34 | 61.4 | 114.1 | 109.4 | +4.7 | 1580 | +80.2 | L1 | 5-5 |
| 12 | 6 | Atlanta Hawks | East | 88 | 48 | 40 | 54.5 | 117.2 | 116.2 | +1.1 | 1554 | +53.6 | L3 | 3-7 |
| 13 | 7 | Orlando Magic | East | 89 | 48 | 41 | 53.9 | 114.3 | 114.1 | +0.2 | 1547 | +47.3 | L3 | 5-5 |
| 14 | 8 | Toronto Raptors | East | 89 | 49 | 40 | 55.1 | 114.3 | 111.8 | +2.5 | 1539 | +39.2 | L1 | 5-5 |
| 15 | 7 | Los Angeles Clippers | West | 82 | 42 | 40 | 51.2 | 113.8 | 112.6 | +1.1 | 1537 | +37.0 | W1 | 6-4 |
| 16 | 9 | Philadelphia 76ers | East | 93 | 49 | 44 | 52.7 | 114.4 | 115.7 | -1.3 | 1528 | +28.4 | L4 | 4-6 |
| 17 | 8 | Portland Trail Blazers | West | 87 | 43 | 44 | 49.4 | 114.6 | 115.6 | -1.0 | 1516 | +16.5 | L3 | 4-6 |
| 18 | 10 | Miami Heat | East | 82 | 43 | 39 | 52.4 | 120.9 | 118.5 | +2.3 | 1509 | +9.4 | W2 | 5-5 |
| 19 | 9 | Phoenix Suns | West | 86 | 45 | 41 | 52.3 | 112.3 | 111.7 | +0.6 | 1502 | +1.8 | L4 | 3-7 |
| 20 | 10 | Golden State Warriors | West | 82 | 37 | 45 | 45.1 | 114.6 | 115.2 | -0.6 | 1422 | -78.0 | L3 | 3-7 |
| 21 | 11 | New Orleans Pelicans | West | 82 | 26 | 56 | 31.7 | 115.5 | 120.0 | -4.5 | 1398 | -101.9 | L2 | 1-9 |
| 22 | 11 | Milwaukee Bucks | East | 82 | 32 | 50 | 39.0 | 110.6 | 116.8 | -6.2 | 1386 | -113.7 | L1 | 3-7 |
| 23 | 12 | Chicago Bulls | East | 82 | 31 | 51 | 37.8 | 116.3 | 121.5 | -5.2 | 1361 | -139.3 | L2 | 2-8 |
| 24 | 12 | Dallas Mavericks | West | 82 | 26 | 56 | 31.7 | 114.1 | 119.6 | -5.5 | 1360 | -139.8 | W1 | 3-7 |
| 25 | 13 | Sacramento Kings | West | 82 | 22 | 60 | 26.8 | 111.0 | 121.0 | -10.0 | 1345 | -154.6 | L1 | 3-7 |
| 26 | 13 | Indiana Pacers | East | 82 | 19 | 63 | 23.2 | 112.4 | 120.4 | -8.0 | 1321 | -179.2 | L2 | 3-7 |
| 27 | 14 | Utah Jazz | West | 82 | 22 | 60 | 26.8 | 117.6 | 126.0 | -8.4 | 1304 | -195.8 | L1 | 1-9 |
| 28 | 15 | Memphis Grizzlies | West | 82 | 25 | 57 | 30.5 | 114.7 | 120.7 | -6.0 | 1301 | -198.9 | L8 | 1-9 |
| 29 | 14 | Brooklyn Nets | East | 82 | 20 | 62 | 24.4 | 105.9 | 115.9 | -10.0 | 1298 | -202.2 | L3 | 3-7 |
| 30 | 15 | Washington Wizards | East | 82 | 17 | 65 | 20.7 | 112.9 | 124.9 | -12.0 | 1255 | -244.7 | L10 | 0-10 |
NBA ELO Progression 2025-2026
NBA Power Rankings Analysis 2025-2026
Power Rankings Overview
The landscape coming out of the regular season is straightforward: the East is led by a hot New York squad while the West is stacked at the very top with Oklahoma City and San Antonio. The list of elite teams aligns with ELO — New York Knicks (69-32, ELO 1738) sit atop the East and overall ratings, but the Oklahoma City Thunder (75-22, ELO 1734) and San Antonio Spurs (75-30, ELO 1713) are neck-and-neck when you factor in record and point differential. These three projects feel a step above the rest; beyond them, Detroit, Boston and Denver form the next tier of serious threats.
Title Contenders
At the front you have three clear contenders. The Knicks combine a 69-32 record with a +7.9 point differential (116.3/108.4) and the highest ELO at 1738. The Thunder boast the league-best +10.5 differential (118.5/108.0) and a 75-22 record; their ELO (1734) backs up dominance on both ends. The Spurs (75-30, ELO 1713) are no fluke either — 118.2 points per game and +8.1 differential. Right behind them are the Pistons (67-29, ELO 1637, +7.2) and Celtics (59-30, ELO 1630, +7.3). The Nuggets (56-32, ELO 1613) still scare you offensively with 121.1 PPG even if their +4.5 differential suggests more work on defense. Any of these six can make a deep run; matchups and health will decide the pecking order.
Playoff Picture
Most seeds are settled. In the East the top six look set with Atlanta seeded sixth (48-40, ELO 1554) as the cutoff for the automatic bracket — though the Hawks’ play has cooled. In the West the cutoff sits with the Houston Rockets at sixth (54-34, ELO 1580). Both conferences have clear top-six teams and then a cluster fighting for positioning: Charlotte and Cleveland in the East are comfortably ahead of the scramble, while Minnesota and the Lakers occupy mid-seed roles in the West.
Play-In Race
The play-in picture is tight. In the East, seeds 7-10 are Orlando (48-41, ELO 1547), Toronto (49-40, ELO 1539), Philadelphia (49-44, ELO 1528) and Miami (43-39, ELO 1509). All four have the pieces, but recent form differs: Miami carries momentum into the play-in. Out West the play-in quartet features the Clippers (42-40, ELO 1537), Portland (43-44, ELO 1516), Phoenix (45-41, ELO 1502) and Golden State (37-45, ELO 1422). That group is volatile; Phoenix’s +0.6 differential and Portland’s close games make seeding unpredictable.
Hot and Cold Teams
Momentum matters in May. The hottest regular-season team in sample is the Knicks — L10: 9-1 with a W2 streak. Oklahoma City and Denver have been steady (both L10: 6-4), but teams like the Celtics (L3 streak, L10: 5-5) and Pistons (L1, L10: 6-4) show small cracks. On the cold side, the Washington Wizards are in free fall (17-65, ELO 1255, L10: 0-10), and the Memphis Grizzlies are sliding with an L8 streak and L10: 1-9. A few clubs with decent talent — Milwaukee (32-50) and Chicago (31-51) — simply couldn’t close the season.
Tanking Watch
At the bottom, records and ELOs tell the rebuilding story. The worst in the East are the Wizards (17-65, ELO 1255) and the Nets (20-62, ELO 1298). Out West, the low-end shuffle includes the Sacramento Kings (22-60, ELO 1345), Utah Jazz (22-60, ELO 1304) and Memphis (25-57, ELO 1301). Those clubs are clearly in reset mode; their ELOs and point differentials point to a multi-step rebuild rather than a quick fix.
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