The Golden State Warriors’ fringe hopes of making an actual run for title glory (likely requiring a trade for some size) were likely dashed on Monday night when six-time All-Star swingman Jimmy Butler suffered a torn ACL after an awkward landing in a win over the Miami Heat, Butler has already been ruled out for the rest of the season, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Before the injury, the Warriors had actually been trending upward. After Butler departed midgame, the Warriors went on to beat the Heat for their fourth straight victory and seventh in their last ten contests. At 25-19, the eighth-seeded Warriors are just two games behind the 25-15 Houston Rockets for the Western Conference’s No. 5 seed. In fact, only 5.5 games separate the second-seeded San Antonio Spurs (30-13) from the Warriors, in an incredibly bunched-up West.
But, barring a blockbuster trade of Butler for a distressed rival All-Star asset like a Zion Williamson or Anthony Davis, Golden State is going down this year.
That’s the biggest shake-up in this week’s NBA power rankings. The up-and-down New York Knicks, meanwhile, are trending in the wrong direction despite still having the talent and depth necessary to hold onto a top-three seed in the East pretty much all year (for now).
Meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Thunder continue to look great-but-human, amid yet another injury setback for All-Star forward Jalen Williams. And our Chicago Bulls continue to pad their stats by beating up on some tanking teams that are already throwing games in January.
© Alonzo Adams-Imagn ImagesNBA Power Rankings: January 20, 2026
Contenders
1. Denver Nuggets (29-14)2. Oklahoma City Thunder (36-8)3. San Antonio Spurs (30-13)4. Minnesota Timberwolves (27-16)5. Detroit Pistons (31-10)
Josh and I do share all the same teams in our top fives between last week and this week, but the orders differ wildly. He and I are also very divided on the Houston Rockets, although they pop up beyond this tier for both of us.
After all of Denver’s non-Jamal Murray (and key reserve center Jonas Valanciunas) suffered long-term injuries, it seemed like the Nuggets were going to have to fight for their postseason lives from the play-in bracket. Instead, Denver has been able to tread water as young pieces like Peyton Watson have enjoyed explosive breakouts. The Nuggets might truly, finally have the depth to compete with the mighty Oklahoma City Thunder.
Maybe I’m being a contrarian to not give the reigning champs the top spot, but their 1-3 season series against the San Antonio Spurs exposed their vulnerability to talented frontcourt size. With Jalen Williams barely available this year and Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein as health question marks, Oklahoma City feels more vulnerable than its record might suggest.
The Timberwolves have managed to survive without a traditional starting point guard. They feel like the most natural destination for Bulls guard Coby White, who would give them some real playmaking and scoring juice in the backcourt. Even if Minnesota stands pat at the deadline and just adds somebody off waivers later in the year, the Timberwolves have the marquee two-way talent and athleticism to at least make a third straight Western Conference Finals.
© Stephen Lew-Imagn ImagesDark Horses
6. Houston Rockets (25-15)7. Boston Celtics (26-16)8. Toronto Raptors (25-19)9. New York Knicks (25-18)10. Phoenix Suns (26-17)
Something’s rotten in Madison Square Garden. The Knicks were booed at home during their latest loss, Karl-Anthony Towns looks checked out earlier than usual, and Mike Brown’s defense has collapsed. New York may want to take a bolder swing at the deadline to improve its chances of its first NBA Finals appearance in 27 years this summer.
Boston may just be a sleeping giant in the conference, with six-time All-Star forward Jayson Tatum reportedly expected to return from his Achilles tear at some point this season. Toronto has the perimeter size and defense to be a frisky playoff out, but it could use some help at center.
It’s no secret that the Rockets need to trade Fred VanVleet. While the Bulls haven’t been linked to Houston much, adding someone like White and/or an Ayo Dosunmu could be exactly what the doctor ordered this year. Although the rest of the team is quite young, Kevin Durant is 37. Why would you add Kevin Durant at this stage of his extended pseudo-prime if you’re not going to go for it?
© Troy Taormina-Imagn ImagesPlayoff/Play-In Pieces
11. Los Angeles Lakers (25-16) 12. Philadelphia 76ers (23-18) 13. Portland Trail Blazers (22-22) 14. Orlando Magic (23-19)15. Cleveland Cavaliers (24-20)16. LA Clippers (19-23)17. Miami Heat (22-21) 18. Atlanta Hawks (20-25) 19. Memphis Grizzlies (18-23) 20. Chicago Bulls (20-22)
Should Austin Reaves return soon and Luka Doncic manage to stay healthy for the requisite 65+ games needed to land on his sixth All-NBA squad, the Lakers may be able to sneak out of this group and swipe a top-six playoff seed in the West. But I wouldn’t bet on it. This is an ill-fitting Los Angeles roster, and the LeBron James fit is now officially uncomfortable.
Lakers GM Rob Pelinka needs to add size and shooting along the wing, and ideally one rim-rolling big guy who can be a bit more dialed-in than Deandre Ayton. Provided he does that, LA could take a leap. If not, this club feels destined for a third straight first-round exit.
The Clippers will be the big beneficiaries of a precipitous Warriors slide in the West standings. They’ve won six straight, and have gone 12-2 across their last 14 bouts. Things are clicking with Bradley Beal and Chris Paul gone. Kawhi Leonard, invariably, already has some knee issues.
Philadelphia, Orlando and Cleveland all feel like they’re a trade away from really making some noise in the East. A post-Trae Young Atlanta, which has lost four straight games, and Chicago seem much, much further away from having the requisite pieces to compete, even in the league’s JV conference.
© Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn ImagesSemi-Competent Bad Teams
21. Milwaukee Bucks (18-24) 22. Golden State Warriors (24-19)23. Dallas Mavericks (18-26)
The Warriors’ record reflects the team they were, as anchored by a healthy Butler and Stephen Curry. Draymond Green is already pseudo-cooked, and Golden State’s “two timelines” approach has flatlined with young chips Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody looking interesting, but not like stars. Jonathan Kuminga may be dusted off, but he’s not going to necessarily help the Warriors win games. People forget, Golden State was headed for a second straight lottery season last year prior to the Butler deal. The revamped Warriors finished with a solid 48-34 record and won a playoff series.
Barring a blockbuster Butler trade — which Golden State must consider, given the 37-year-old Curry’s shrinking window for sustained greatness — the Warriors are about to sink like a stone in the West standings.
Lottery Flotsam
24. Charlotte Hornets (16-27)25. Utah Jazz (14-29) 26. Brooklyn Nets (12-29) 27. New Orleans Pelicans (10-35)28. Washington Wizards (10-32)29. Indiana Pacers (10-34) 30. Sacramento Kings (12-31)
Last week, the Nets and Jazz both sneakily gave Chicago some easy wins by sitting their best players in games they may have otherwise won. It’s possible that they look to offload their respective sharpshooting star forwards, Michael Porter Jr. and ex-Bull Lauri Markkanen, to get even more lottery balls ahead of the supposedly stacked 2026 NBA Draft.
The Kings might just be the most hapless franchise in the NBA. They may have a (marginally) better record than the Pelicans, Wizards, and Pacers, but all those clubs have more exciting futures. DeMar DeRozan deserves better as his career winds to a close.
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