NBA Power Rankings: Nuggets Claim No.1 Spot, Pelicans On the Rise

Sports Illustrated

In this week's NBA Power Rankings, the defending champs find themselves back in the top spot, and the New Orleans Pelicans look like a formidable playoff contender.

Transcript

00:00 Well, after months of lurking in the top five, the Denver Nuggets have claimed the top spot in this week's power rankings,

00:06 unseating the Boston Celtics after knocking off the Celtics last week in Denver, sweeping the season series against Boston.

00:14 Nikoli Okic continues to put up MVP-like numbers.

00:18 Jamal Murray is averaging 24 points per game since the All-Star break,

00:22 and Peyton Watson is starting to prove that he is playoff playable,

00:28 scoring 11 points in 17 minutes against the Celtics.

00:32 So the Nuggets, the defending champs right now, are rolling.

00:36 Another riser this week is New Orleans, which is widely turning into a formidable playoff contender.

00:42 The Pelicans have won four straight and five of the last six.

00:47 They are ranked in the top eight in both offensive and defensive efficiency this season,

00:52 and have gotten a big boost of late from Trey Murphy, who after struggling in the month of February with his shot,

00:58 has really come on in the month of March, shooting 52% from three-point range this month.

01:05 Some big tests coming up for New Orleans with Cleveland and the Clippers coming to town this week.

01:10 We'll learn a lot more about how serious a contender this Pelicans team is after that.

01:17 [MUSIC]

01:20 (upbeat music)

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