It’s Friday — almost the weekend — and that means it’s time for another edition of the NBA Power Rankings. There have been plenty of changes since last week, from the rise of the Los Angeles Clippers to the slide of the New York Knicks. And, as always, there are plenty of questions that still need answers: Are the Chicago Bulls still clinging to a top-20 spot? And who’s sitting at the very bottom of these rankings?
All those questions, and more, are answered in this week’s NBA Power Rankings.
NBA Power Rankings: January 16, 2026
Starting 5
Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images Oklahoma City Thunder (35-7) Detroit Pistons (29-10) Minnesota Timberwolves (27-14) San Antonio Spurs (28-13) Denver Nuggets (28-13)Oklahoma City are still sitting at the top of my NBA Power Rankings, but not too long ago that spot was starting to feel a little shaky, with the San Antonio Spurs right on their heels. Since then, the Thunder have shown they can handle San Antonio head-to-head, which has made their grip on the No. 1 spot a lot less wobbly.
Thunder W ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/Zj925XOd0K
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 14, 2026A new, and welcome addition to the top five is the Minnesota Timberwolves, who’ve leapfrogged the Spurs simply by taking care of business. They’re beating the teams they’re supposed to beat, and doing it convincingly. The Denver Nuggets remain in the top five despite the absence of Jokic, largely because Jamal Murray is playing at an All-NBA level and Peyton Watson is on an absurd run of his own, even taking home Western Conference Player of the Week last week.
NBA Players of the Week for Week 12.West: Peyton Watson (@nuggets)East: Scottie Barnes (@Raptors) pic.twitter.com/TfhcXvoJ3l
— NBA (@NBA) January 12, 2026Dark Horses
@ Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images6. Boston Celtics (25-15)7. Los Angeles Lakers (24-15)8. Toronto Raptors (25-17)9. New York Knicks (25-16)10. Phoenix Suns (24-17)
Man, what happened to the New York Knicks? They’ve lost seven of their last nine games. Sure, they were a bit shorthanded, but some of those losses were flat-out inexcusable, losing to the Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento Kings, or Golden State Warriors, for example. Hopefully, now that Josh Hart is back, they can start climbing their way back up the standings, and the NBA Power Rankings, sooner rather than later.
The Toronto Raptors are back in great form. They’ve already racked up 25 wins, just five fewer than they had all of last season, and they’re doing it without a true centre. Love that for the Six.
Fringe Playoff and Play-In Contenders
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images11. Houston Rockets (23-15)12. Philadelphia 76ers (22-17)13. Orlando Magic (23-18)14. Golden State Warriors (23-19)15. Los Angeles Clippers (17-23)16. Cleveland Cavaliers (23-19)17. Portland Trail Blazers (20-22)18. Miami Heat (21-20)19. Atlanta Hawks (20-23)20. Chicago Bulls (19-21)
Well, looky here, the Los Angeles Clippers are sitting in the top half of the NBA Power Rankings, and honestly, their climb might be quicker than we imagined. The whole country seemed to be rooting for the Clippers, if only so the Oklahoma City Thunder wouldn’t be rewarded with yet another top pick. And somehow, those prayers worked. The Clippers have won 11 of their last 13 games and are now right on the edge of the playoff picture. I wouldn’t want to be the team that draws them in the first round.
pic.twitter.com/WYbksBM62q
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) January 16, 2026And down at the bottom, hanging on for dear life, are our Chicago Bulls. In classic Bulls fashion, they’ve mastered the art of trading wins and losses, remaining the perfectly mediocre team we all know and love. The only reason they’re still in the top 20 is because they managed to beat a shorthanded Utah Jazz squad. But is a win really a win for a team that probably should be tanking?
INCREDIBLE TRE JONES PASS TO VOOCH FOR THE LEAD!#SeeRed | @CHSN_Bulls pic.twitter.com/iN1g8Kcvmu
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 15, 2026Are They Good?
Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images21. Milwaukee Bucks (14-20)22. Memphis Grizzlies (15-18)23. Charlotte Hornets (11-22)24. Dallas Mavericks (12-23)25. Sacramento Kings (8-26)
The Sacramento Kings are riding a three-game winning streak, with those wins coming against playoff teams and contenders like the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, and the New York Knicks. What a league this is. If the Kings actually go on a Clippers-esque run after beating the caliber of teams they’ve just taken down, we might be witnessing the unexpected revival of a franchise.
? WEDNESDAY'S FINAL SCORES ?DeMar passes KG on the all-time scoring list as the @SacramentoKings win their 3rd straight!Zach LaVine: 25 PTS, 5 REB, 5 3PMPrecious Achiuwa: 20 PTS (season-high), 14 REB (season-high), 2 STL, 2 BLKRussell Westbrook: 19 PTS, 6 REB, 11 AST t.co/bQLjtabvma pic.twitter.com/HfNL1M4sUD
— NBA (@NBA) January 15, 2026The Charlotte Hornets have also been impressive, highlighted by a big win over the Lakers last night. They’re playing genuinely fun basketball and have managed to win four of their last seven games. Every bad team gets at least one good stretch in a season, this just might be Charlotte’s turn.
LaMelo Ball stepped all the way backpic.twitter.com/zJ5t4OqLRB
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) January 16, 2026Bottom of the Barrel
Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images26. Washington Wizards (10-29)27. Utah Jazz (14-27)28. Brooklyn Nets (11-27)29. New Orleans Pelicans (10-33)30. Indiana Pacers (9-32)
At the very bottom of the NBA Power Rankings sit the Indiana Pacers, and they’re still stuck there for now. They did manage a brief three-game winning streak, which was enough to get head coach Rick Carlisle his 1,000th career win. However, he’ll likely have to wait until next season before those wins start piling up again.
R1cK Carlisle. pic.twitter.com/l7pFKrfHCz
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) January 9, 2026The Washington Wizards probably won’t get to reap the benefits of Trae Young this season, as they’re very clearly committed to the tank. Still, they’re on track to finish with more wins this year than they had over the last two seasons combined. I don’t know who’s counting — but I’d call that progress.
Welcome to D.C., @TheTraeYoung! ?♂️#ForTheDistrict | @RobinhoodApp pic.twitter.com/IOsBkGy4wA
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) January 9, 2026Hence then, the article about nba power rankings are the okc thunder still on top was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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