The 2024-25 regular season enters its final week. Only a handful of games are left to determine the playoff picture. For teams at the top of the conference, it's about gaining homecourt advantage in the first round. For teams at the bottom, it's about tanking for lottery odds.
The Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers have long clinched the first seeds. Both will enter the playoffs as title favorites. That doesn't mean other teams aren't viable threats to make deep runs, though.
The Boston Celtics have been the hottest team in the NBA over the last month. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets messaged the Thunder that it won't be a cakewalk to the NBA Finals.
Throughout the 2024-25 season, Thunder Wire will conduct weekly NBA power rankings. Here is the latest edition for the Mar. 31-Apr. 6 week:
30. Utah Jazz (16-63)
Previous Ranking: 30
The Jazz have lost nine in a row. Give credit to Utah, it pulled out all of the stops to bottom out and has done so over the last couple of months. They were surely paying extra attention to the Final Four in hopes of landing a top prospect soon.
29. Washington Wizards (17-61)
Previous Ranking: 29
The Wizards are the other team that's been at the bottom of the standings. They have a strong chance to get top-three lottery odds, which is all that matters. Washington has hit the rest button and its 2024 draft class has been filled with intriguing prospects.
28. Charlotte Hornets (19-59)
Previous Ranking: 28
It'll be another lost season for the Hornets. After questions about his long-term fit, LaMelo Ball had another mixed season riddled with nice box score stats but injuries. ...
