NBA Power Rankings: Did your team meet or miss its season expectations?
The last NBA power rankings of the regular season! Let's see where all 30 teams stack up before the postseason.
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The end of the 2025-26 NBA regular season is finally here, with the campaign officially coming to a close this Sunday with all 30 teams playing.
Every new season comes with high expectations, with some teams meeting or exceeding those goals and others falling far from the original game plan set in October.
The Oklahoma City Thunder held on as the favorites this season, dominating the Western Conference once again, and they're set to make a deep run in the playoffs with their attention turned toward a repeat championship. The Dallas Mavericks, after winning the lottery last year and drafting No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, look toward next season after a dismal first season with their rookie star.
In the East, the Detroit Pistons have exceeded all expectations, only two seasons after sitting at the bottom of the standings with the league's worst record. The Boston Celtics, almost a year after losing Jayson Tatum to an Achilles injury, are firmly back in the postseason picture.
Ahead of the final days of the regular season, our NBA insiders break down whether each team met or missed preseason expectations in our last edition of this season's power rankings.
Note: Team rankings are based on where members of our panel (ESPN's Anthony Slater, Dave McMenamin, Jamal Collier, Michael C. Wright, Ohm Youngmisuk, Tim Bontemps, Tim MacMahon, Vincent Goodwill and Zach Kram) think teams belong.
Jump to a team: ATL | BOS | BKN | CHA | CHI | CLE DAL | DEN | DET | GS | HOU | IND LAC | LAL | MEM | MIA | MIL | MIN NO | NY | OKC | ORL | PHI | PHX POR | SAC | SA | TOR | UTAH | WAS
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
2025-26 record: 63-16 Previous ranking: 1 Next games: @ LAC (April 8), @ DEN (April 10), vs. PHX (April 12) Jalen Williams has missed 46 games this season. Isaiah Hartenstein has missed 33. Alex Caruso has missed 24. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has missed 12. Chet Holmgren has missed 11. That's a whole lot of injury attrition for a team that will again steamroll to a win total in the mid-60s. It hasn't been quite as historic as that 24-1 start indicated when insiders were predicting a run at the 73-win record. But this machine continues to flex its muscles in the biggest moments and enters the playoffs as the favorite to repeat. The Thunder are 130-30 the past two seasons. -- Anthony Slater
2. San Antonio Spurs
2025-26 record: 60-19 Previous ranking: 2 Next games: vs. POR (April 8), vs. DAL (April 10), vs. DEN (April 12) NBA Playoff Challenge
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Rookie Dylan Harper set the tone at his introductory news conference in June, declaring the franchise's postseason drought is "going to change pretty quick." The Spurs bettered their win total from the previous season by more than 25 games, marking the third 20-win improvement in franchise history. A healthy Victor Wembanyama, meanwhile, produced several MVP-level performances anchoring a squad that increased chemistry with each outing. Beyond Wembanyama, the backcourt trio of De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Harper is San Antonio's most potent group of talent. Inexperience remains an outside concern as the playoffs approach, but coach Mitch Johnson kept it light and joked, "Ignorance is bliss." The question now is whether the Spurs are legitimate contenders. -- Michael C. Wright
3. Detroit Pistons
2025-26 record: 57-22 Previous ranking: 3 Next games: vs. MIL (April 8), @ CHA (April 10), @ IND (April 12) It's easy to forget the projections that the Pistons would struggle after losing Malik Beasley because of a gambling investigation. But Cade Cunningham elevated into an MVP candidate, Jalen Duren took another huge leap, and Ausar Thompson turned himself into a true Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Could Trajan Langdon and J.B. Bickerstaff have predicted this? Maybe, but it would've been on the "best case scenarios" list. Playoff expectations have also been raised this season. Will one playoff series win be enough? Or have the formerly miserable Pistons gotten to the point where a trip to the conference finals or better will suffice, assuming Cunningham is fully recovered from his punctured lung? -- Vincent Goodwill
4. Boston Celtics
2025-26 record: 54-25 Previous ranking: 4 Next games: @ NYK (April 9), vs. NO (April 10), vs. ORL (April 16) To say things have gone better than Boston could've hoped for is an understatement. Yes, Joe Mazzulla was always expecting this team to be competitive, and the words "gap year" were stricken from the record here. Not only have the Celtics been competitive, but Jayson Tatum is back and playing well, almost a year after his Achilles injury last May, and locking up the second seed in the East is within reach. -- Tim Bontemps
5. Denver Nuggets
2025-26 record: 51-28 Previous ranking: 7 Next games: vs. MEM (April 8), vs. OKC (April 10), @ SA (April 12) Injuries, especially recurring hamstring strains for forwards Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson, have interrupted the Nuggets' season and been major factors in Denver's disappointing defense. The Nuggets hit the 50-win milestone and loom as a legitimate contender to win the West primarily because they have the league's best offense, powered by proven champions Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, who are having the best statistical seasons of their careers. David Adelman has had an outstanding rookie season as a head coach after winning seven playoff games in the interim role last season. -- Tim MacMahon
6. New York Knicks
2025-26 record: 51-28 Previous ranking: 5 Next games: vs. BOS (April 9), vs. TOR (April 10), vs. CHA (April 12) No team, not even the defending champion Thunder, had such defined expectations coming into the year as the Knicks. Finals or bust. Mike Brown was brought in to stretch the rotation, develop the bench and lessen the dependency on the starters. Check, check and check. Karl-Anthony Towns is under fire, Jalen Brunson is still their go-to guy, and yet somehow, they've been an up-and-down bunch that can dazzle one night and puzzle the next. They boast a top-three offense and are seventh in defense, yet there are still questions. June is on the horizon, but May beckons as all will be laid bare in the postseason. -- Goodwill
7. Cleveland Cavaliers
2025-26 record: 50-29 Previous ranking: 8 Next games: vs. ATL (April 8), @ ATL (April 10), vs. WAS (April 12) Despite an uneven regular season that has the Cavs in position to finish as the No. 4 seed in the East, whether 2025-26 will be seen as a success will depend on the next few months. Cleveland took what is almost certainly the biggest gamble of the NBA season and traded away 26-year-old guard Darius Garland for 36-year-old James Harden -- a win-now move that shortens its window for contention but the kind of move that could erase an up-and-down campaign with a deep playoff run. -- Jamal Collier
8. Houston Rockets
2025-26 record: 50-29 Previous ranking: 10 Next games: vs. PHI (April 9), vs. MIN (April 10), vs. MEM (April 12) Kevin Durant's arrival provided optimism for an organization that believed it was an offensive engine away from making a serious postseason run after last season's first-round exit. But veteran Fred VanVleet suffered a torn ACL at an unofficial workout in the Bahamas ahead of training camp that left the Rockets without a true point guard. Making matters worse, center Steven Adams suffered a season-ending ankle injury, and Houston spent the entire season utilizing a committee approach to facilitating the offense. It looked clunky at times, but it improved near the end. The injury woes provided more repetitions for younger players such as Reed Sheppard, Amen Thompson and Tari Eason, hastening development, which could ultimately help in the playoffs. -- Wright
9. Atlanta Hawks
2025-26 record: 45-34 Previous ranking: 11 Next games: @ CLE (April 8), vs. CLE (April 10), @ MIA (April 12) When Trae Young got hurt in the fifth game of the season, the Hawks turned into Jalen Johnson's team. Johnson emerged as a star, Nickeil Alexander-Walker exceeded all expectations, and the Hawks pivoted, trading Young and Kristaps Porzingis while adding CJ McCollum and Jonathan Kuminga to make a team better suited to coach Quin Snyder's system. They've gone 18-3 since Feb. 22. But even though the Hawks could finish as high as fifth, which would be quite the achievement given how much they've changed since October, there are no expectations for now. Whatever they do the rest of this season is gravy as they seek to get Johnson and this young group playoff experience before hoping that the unprotected first-rounder they own from New Orleans ends up as a very high pick and a potentially key player to add to the core for 2026-27. -- Ohm Youngmisuk
10. Los Angeles Lakers
2025-26 record: 50-29 Previous ranking: 6 Next games: @ GS (April 9), vs. PHX (April 10), vs. UTAH (April 12) After a fantastic March during which L.A. went 15-2 to shoot up to No. 3 in the West while Luka Doncic's MVP campaign picked up steam, the Lakers experienced a day that will live in infamy last Thursday. During a 43-point drubbing by the Thunder, Doncic suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain and Austin Reaves suffered a left oblique strain -- injuries that will knock both players out of the lineup for weeks and put the team's hopes of a postseason run in serious jeopardy. The untimely injuries have overshadowed a resilient season for the Lakers, where second-year coach JJ Redick adjusted with the group and LeBron James thrived in a third-option role. -- Dave McMenamin
In the Lakers' game against the Mavericks on Sunday, Cooper Flagg became the first rookie ever to score 40-plus points in a game versus LeBron James. ESPN
11. Minnesota Timberwolves
2025-26 record: 47-32 Previous ranking: 9 Next games: @ ORL (April 8), @ HOU (April 10), vs. NO (April 12) Coming off back-to-back seasons that ended in trips to the Western Conference finals, it has been a strange campaign for Minnesota. The Timberwolves will once again be a top-six seed at the end of the regular season, but with injuries to superstars Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels, it's difficult to see a repeat performance from last postseason. The Wolves will have to go through Denver and San Antonio first to get back to the conference finals. -- Bontemps
12. Charlotte Hornets
2025-26 record: 43-37 Previous ranking: 15 Next games: vs. DET (April 10), @ NYK (April 12) After a 4-14 start, with injuries to LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, it looked like another forgettable Hornets season. But Charlotte has pulled off an epic turnaround since. The Hornets are 32-14 since Jan. 2. Ball is enjoying his best season as a pro, and No. 4 pick Kon Knueppel has been a revelation while on track to be the first rookie to lead the league in 3-pointers made. Miller is healthy, Miles Bridges has been a steadying vet, Moussa Diabate is relentless on the glass, and Coby White has been the perfect punch off the bench. The best-case scenario is the Hornets avoid the play-in, squeeze into the sixth or fifth seed and get their young core some much-needed playoff experience. -- Youngmisuk
13. Toronto Raptors
2025-26 record: 44-35 Previous ranking: 12 Next games: vs. MIA (April 9), @ NYK (April 10), vs. BKN (April 12) Toronto has been in the mix for a playoff spot all season, and now the Raptors just need to complete the job by beating out Philadelphia, Charlotte, Orlando and Miami for a top-six spot in the East. At a minimum, the Raptors have outperformed expectations by securing a winning record this season -- but they'd look a lot better as automatic playoff entrants rather than play-in fodder. -- Zach Kram
14. Philadelphia 76ers
2025-26 record: 43-36 Previous ranking: 16 Next games: @ HOU (April 9), @ IND (April 10), vs. MIL (April 12) What a difference a year makes. Twelve months ago, Philadelphia was wrapping up an abysmal season that began with championship expectations. As a result, the 76ers entered this season with expectations in the basement -- but they have responded with what likely is going to be a top-six seed in the East. Joel Embiid is finally healthy for the postseason and averaging 26.9 points after having played only 19 games last season. Plus, lead guard Tyrese Maxey, playing alongside breakout rookie VJ Edgecombe, is averaging a career-high 28.4 points. -- Bontemps
15. Phoenix Suns
2025-26 record: 43-36 Previous ranking: 13 Next games: vs. DAL (April 8), @ LAL (April 10), @ OKC (April 12) For the Suns to trade away Kevin Durant in a deal that brought Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks, have those two players combine to miss more than 70 games because of injuries, and still finish with an above-.500 record and qualify for the postseason is remarkable. Devin Booker was as effective as ever, first-year coach Jordan Ott was outstanding, Grayson Allen was one of the best bench scorers in the league, and Collin Gillespie earned Most Improved Player consideration. -- McMenamin
16. LA Clippers
2025-26 record: 41-38 Previous ranking: 14 Next games: vs. OKC (April 8), @ POR (April 10), vs. GS (April 12) It's hard to imagine a worse start than what the Clippers had: an NBA investigation into Kawhi Leonard's marketing deal with Aspiration for possible salary cap circumvention; a season-ending left hip fracture for Bradley Beal; a messy divorce with franchise icon Chris Paul; and a 6-21 record out of the gate. Rather than succumb to those circumstances, the Clippers have qualified for the play-in tournament thanks to the steady coaching of Tyronn Lue, who has integrated young talent in Bennedict Mathurin and Darius Garland on the fly after the team parted with core players in Ivica Zubac and James Harden at the trade deadline. -- McMenamin
17. Orlando Magic
2025-26 record: 43-36 Previous ranking: 18 Next games: vs. MIN (April 8), @ CHI (April 10), @ BOS (April 12) It has been a terribly frustrating season for the Magic after they went all-in to acquire Desmond Bane last summer in hopes of being a top team in the East. Instead, the Magic once again dealt with injuries to Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs, Paolo Banchero and Anthony Black, who each missed different chunks of the season. There has been no consistency, but Wagner and Black are back playing and ramping up for what they hope will be a postseason run. Being a play-in team would be a disappointment after the lofty preseason expectations. But at this point, getting into the postseason in any form and hoping to upset a higher seed would wash some of the bad taste from this season before the team figures out what improvements must be made in the offseason. -- Youngmisuk
18. Miami Heat
2025-26 record: 41-38 Previous ranking: 17 Next games: @ TOR (April 9), @ WAS (April 10), vs. ATL (April 12) The Heat started the season 13-6 and had an offense that was humming, but they have not been able to find consistency since. Tyler Herro has played in only 31 games. It looked like Erik Spoelstra might have steadied the ship when Miami won seven straight in early March, a span that included Bam Adebayo's historic 83-point explosion, but Miami has lost nine of its past 12 games to sink to the bottom of the East play-in standings. Still, Spoelstra usually has a way of getting every ounce of effort from his team at this time of the year, especially in the play-in. -- Youngmisuk
19. Portland Trail Blazers
2025-26 record: 40-39 Previous ranking: 19 Next games: @ SA (April 8), vs. LAC (April 10), vs. SAC (April 12) Breaking News from Shams Charania
If the Blazers can get two more wins this week, they'll finish above.500 for the first time in five seasons. That's a positive step forward for a franchise that has been transitioning through turbulence. The head coach, Chauncey Billups, was placed on indefinite leave after an FBI arrest in the opening week of the season, and ownership changed hands in the past month. However, the Blazers will have a chance next week to get into the playoffs through the play-in bracket. -- Slater
20. Golden State Warriors
2025-26 record: 37-42 Previous ranking: 20 Next games: vs. LAL (April 9) @ SAC (April 10), @ LAC (April 12) Everything changed for this version of the Warriors on Jan. 19 -- the night Jimmy Butler III tore his right ACL. This front office had built the final chapter of the Stephen Curry era around the trio of Curry, Butler and Draymond Green. Without Butler, the Warriors just don't have near enough offensive firepower to keep up. Curry is back from a 27-game absence, looks sharp, and maybe can have a moment or two the next couple of weeks that excite NBA fans. But it'll be a short postseason run for a Warriors team that'll try to rearrange the roster around the 38-year-old Curry this summer. -- Slater
21. Milwaukee Bucks
2025-26 record: 31-48 Previous ranking: 23 Next games: @ DET (April 8), vs. BKN (April 10), @ PHI (April 12) The Bucks missed the playoffs for the first time in nine years after a dysfunctional and meandering season that included an ongoing conflict with superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. It sets up what will be one of the most monumental summers in franchise history, as owner Wes Edens laid out to ESPN last month, as the team is prepared to either sign Antetokounmpo to another extension or trade its franchise player. -- Collier
22. Dallas Mavericks
2025-26 record: 25-54 Previous ranking: 25 Next games: @ PHX (April 9), @ SA (April 10), vs. CHI (April 12) Cooper Flagg eagerly anticipated the opportunity of immediately playing for a playoff contender. However, that's far from how his rookie season with the Mavs materialized. Dallas' roster flaws were immediately evident during a 3-8 start, expediting GM Nico Harrison's exit. Anthony Davis had persistent injury problems before being moved at the trade deadline in a salary dump. Kyrie Irving's return was put on hold until next season as the Mavs limp toward another lottery pick, allowing Dallas to draft a young talent to pair with Flagg long term. Flagg has been the one bright spot, meeting or even exceeding high expectations. -- MacMahon
23. Chicago Bulls
2025-26 record: 30-49 Previous ranking: 21 Next games: @ WAS (April 9), vs. ORL (April 10), @ DAL (April 12) Chicago took a step forward this week, cleaning house in its front office after six seasons of futility and providing a path forward after another lackluster showing. The Bulls missed the playoffs for the fourth straight season and eighth time in the past nine years, didn't find any new players at the deadline who can credibly be called foundational, and the team's lottery odds for this upcoming draft will be in the middle of the pack. Still, whomever the Bulls elect to run their basketball operations will have a clean slate and the flexibility to build a team in their own image. -- Collier
24. New Orleans Pelicans
2025-26 record: 26-54 Previous ranking: 22 Next games: @ BOS (April 10), @ MIN (April 12) New Orleans started the season on a six-game losing streak, and the brass decided to fire coach Willie Green once the Pels reached the 2-10 mark, inserting assistant James Borrego as interim coach. Star forward Zion Williamson played 60 games or more for just the third time in his career and finished second on the team in scoring, behind Trey Murphy III. In what turned out to be a lost season, bright spots emerged in young talents Jeremiah Fears, Derik Queen and Micah Peavy. The Pels weren't tanking, but wins were hard to come by for a team now looking to go into the offseason with momentum. -- Wright
25. Memphis Grizzlies
2025-26 record: 25-54 Previous ranking: 24 Next games: @ DEN (April 8), @ UTAH (April 10), @ HOU (April 12) Signs of trouble emerged just six games into the season when Memphis suspended Ja Morant for conduct detrimental to the team because of a postgame exchange between the point guard and coach Tuomas Iisalo. Morant played just 20 games due to various injuries before the team shut him down for the season in March, as his future in Memphis remains uncertain. The Grizzlies also shut down Brandon Clarke, Zach Edey, Santi Aldama, Scotty Pippen Jr. and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope due to injuries. The team also traded star forward Jaren Jackson Jr. in February, signaling yet another rebuild. -- Wright
26. Sacramento Kings
2025-26 record: 21-59 Previous ranking: 27 Next games: vs. GS (April 10), @ POR (April 12) Keegan Murray tore a thumb ligament during training camp. Domantas Sabonis partially tore a meniscus early in the season and later needed surgery. Zach LaVine had season-ending surgery for a finger problem. This Kings' season spiraled for a variety of reasons, including the injuries. The team didn't have its projected starting lineup together for even one second. Maxime Raynaud emerged as an All-Rookie find out of the second round, but the long-term outlook looks bleak in Sacramento. The Kings need to get lottery luck in May and nail the selection in June. -- Slater
27. Utah Jazz
2025-26 record: 21-59 Previous ranking: 26 Next games: vs. MEM (April 10), @ LAL (April 12) Upcoming NBA games on ESPN/ABC Wednesday, April 8 Hawks at Cavaliers, 7 p.m. ET Trail Blazers at Spurs, 9:30 p.m. ET
This has not been a pleasant season in Salt Lake City, but things are going as planned for the Jazz. They tanked so blatantly that the franchise was fined $500,000, and it's positioned to land a top-five pick in what is considered a loaded draft. The Jazz made a splash at the trade deadline, taking a swing by landing two-time All-Star power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. for a package headlined by draft picks, making it clear that the goal is to be as competitive as possible next season. Third-year guard Keyonte George's emergence as an excellent offensive creator was critical, providing the Jazz another foundation player alongside Lauri Markkanen and Jackson when he returns next season. -- MacMahon
28. Indiana Pacers
2025-26 record: 18-61 Previous ranking: 29 Next games: @ BKN (April 9), vs. PHI (April 10), vs. DET (April 12) This was always going to be a down year for the Pacers following Tyrese Haliburton's Achilles tear and Myles Turner's departure, but expectations weren't this bad. Yet a spate of early injuries meant Indiana started the season 1-13, and at that point, it made sense to turn all attention to the 2026 lottery and the 2026-27 campaign. The biggest event of the season for the Pacers will be the May 10 draft lottery, when they'll learn whether they've landed a protected top-four pick or lost a lesser selection to the Clippers as part of the midseason trade for Ivica Zubac. -- Kram
29. Brooklyn Nets
2025-26 record: 20-59 Previous ranking: 28 Next games: vs. IND (April 9), @ MIL (April 10), @ TOR (April 12) Selecting and playing five first-round picks was certainly an ambitious endeavor, but this was a full rebuild season for the Nets. Expectations were low, but the Nets' brass should feel confident in head coach Jordi Fernandez because, if nothing else, he has coaxed his guys into playing hard. But there's not much to look forward to except for the draft. The rookies have each had their moments, but sustainability has been hard to find. Is Egor Demin the point guard of the future? Has Noah Clowney shown enough to build around? Or is it hard to judge because there's no true anchor to make the game easier for the young guys? -- Goodwill
30. Washington Wizards
2025-26 record: 17-62 Previous ranking: 30 Next games: vs. CHI (April 9), vs. MIA (April 10), @ CLE (April 12) The Wizards' surprising midseason decision to accelerate their rebuild by trading for Trae Young and Anthony Davis didn't affect their course this season: Young played just five games for Washington and Davis didn't play any, as Washington is on track for the worst record in the NBA. Completing the tank would give the Wizards pole position on lottery night, when the ping-pong balls will determine just how successful this season was. -- Kram
