NBA Southwest Division Power Rankings: Spurs and Rockets Rising

The New Orleans Pelicans went through a week of big ups and downs. After defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder on the night Kevin Durant made his first appearance of the season, the Pelicans proceeded to get blown out in road games against the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers. Those results are not surprising though as New Orleans is still a relatively young team. Throw in the fact the Warriors and Clippers are two of the best in the West and the final scores become more predictable. The Pelicans do have the best MVP candidate in the Southwest Division in Anthony Davis, 25.2 points per game, 10.7 rebounds per game, and 2.9 blocks per game, so that is something to boast about. They also get a national television appearance against the Dallas Mavericks this week which is something to look forward to as well. <p><strong>Up Next This Week:</strong> Dec. 9 vs. New York, Dec. 10 @ Dallas, Dec. 12 vs. Cleveland, Dec. 14 vs. Golden State</p>. 9-10 (1-2 DIV). Previous: 5th. New Orleans Pelicans. 5. 69

79. Just when it looked like the Dallas Mavericks were about to make a run to the top in our Southwest Division power rankings, they end up falling because of not being able to keep up with the teams ahead of them. The Mavs started the week out well claiming a tough road victory in overtime over the Chicago Bulls and holding on to beat the Bucks in Milwaukee, but, it appeared those games drained the team significantly as they dropped a home game by double digits to the Phoenix Suns. That’s not a bad loss, however, when you see what everyone else above you is doing it’s a tough one to swallow, especially at home. For Dallas, and the rest of the top Southwest Division teams, it is going to be about picking up as few losses as possible. Hopefully the Mavericks can gain some momentum back with a win over the Grizzlies this week. <p><strong>Up Next This Week:</strong> Dec. 9 @ Memphis, Dec. 10 vs. New Orleans, Dec. 13 vs. Golden State</p>. 16-6 (1-2 DIV). Previous: 3rd. Dallas Mavericks. 4

211. The Memphis Grizzlies’ run at the top of our Southwest Division power rankings stops this week thanks to losses against other division foes. The Grizzlies two games this week, two games too many if I might add, falling to both the Houston Rockets and the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs loss was at home which makes it even more painful for Memphis fans. Luckily, not all was lost as the Grizzlies were able to defeat the struggling Miami Heat on the road. Memphis won’t have a shot at redemption this week, but, they will need to win their game at home against Dallas to prevent a further fall in these rankings. Much like the Mavericks, it is all about minimizing losses for the Grizzlies in this ultra-competitive division. <p><strong>Up Next This Week:</strong> Dec. 9 vs. Dallas, Dec. 12 vs. New Orleans, Dec. 13 @ Golden State</p>. 16-4 (2-2 DIV). Previous: 1st. Memphis Grizzlies. 3

169. The Houston Rockets put an end to their free fall this week by going a perfect 3-0. The Rockets picked up a couple of good wins, defeating the Memphis Grizzlies, who previously had the league’s best record, and the Phoenix Suns. Houston’s win over the Minnesota Timberwolves was a little too close for comfort with the final score being 114-112, needing an extra period to do so. Still, you can’t knock a perfect week, especially one without Dwight Howard playing for the team. Speaking of Howard, he is expected to return to the floor soon, making this Rockets team with the longest current winning streak in the division all the more dangerous. <p><strong>Up Next This Week:</strong> Dec. 10 @ Golden State, Dec. 11 @ Sacramento, Dec. 13 vs. Denver</p>. 16-4 (3-1 DIV). Previous: 4th. Houston Rockets. 2

The San Antonio Spurs are back where they belong, on top of the Southwest Division power rankings. After working their way all the from the bottom earlier in the season, the Spurs finally find themselves at the top of this list. San Antonio has no one to thank but themselves after having another strong week. Sure the Spurs lost to the Nets in Brooklyn, but, that is excusable because they were riding an eight game win streak heading into that game. Brooklyn isn’t necessarily who you want your streak to end against but it does have to end some time, because we all know an NBA team has never finished 82-0. That said, the Spurs more than made up for that loss by beating the Grizzlies on the road and hammering a depleted Minnesota team at home. The competition is still stiff in the Southwest Division and there is no telling whether San Antonio can continue to hold the top spot, however, for now, Spurs fans can gloat that their team is back to championship basketball. <p><strong>Up Next This Week:</strong> Dec. 9 @ Utah, Dec. 10 vs. New York, Dec. 12 vs. Los Angeles Lakers, Dec. 14 @ Denver</p>. 15-5 (2-2 DIV). Previous: 2nd. San Antonio Spurs. 1. 29