Yes. Yes. Yes.
the Cleveland Cavaliers They determined who is the best team in the NBA by beating… Oklahoma City Thunder Last week.
Even an upset loss at home to Indiana on Sunday couldn’t knock them out of the top Arizona Republic’s latest NBA rankings
1. Cleveland Cavaliers (33-5)
Last week: No. 2 in the world rankings.
Cleveland ended Oklahoma City’s 15-game winning streak by defeating its guest 129-122. This game showed that the Thunder cannot run with the greatest offense in the NBA.
2. Oklahoma City Thunder (32-6)
Last week: No. 1 in the world rankings.
The Thunder responded to Cleveland’s loss like a team with legitimate championship aspirations, winning in New York by 25 points and by 41 points in lowly Washington. The Cavs visit OKC on Thursday in a huge rematch.
Last week: No. 3 in the world rankings.
The Celtics continue to play inconsistently, going 2-2 in their last four games. How do they follow up a strong win in Denver only to lose at home to Sacramento and then beat New Orleans by just one point?
Last week: No. 5 in the world rankings
Winners of their last three games, the Rockets took down the Los Angeles Lakers, beat the Wizards and outscored Memphis as Alperin Shingon tallied 32 points and 14 boards.
Last week: No. 4 in the world rankings.
The Knicks have gone 2-4 in their last six games, but two of the losses have been to Oklahoma City. Nice 140-106 rebounds from Sunday’s win over Milwaukee as Jalen Brunson dropped 44 points on Bucks.
The difference is 6-10
Memphis Grizzlies (25-14) – They were 2-3 in their last three games, but Ja Morant came back as he scored the team’s final four points including the game-winner with 18.1 seconds left to lead Minnesota.
Denver Nuggets (23-15) Denver has won its last three games over the Los Angeles Clippers, Brooklyn Nets and Dallas Mavericks by an average of 17.6 points.
Orlando Magic (23-18) – Paolo Banchero returned after a months-long absence due to an oblique tear. Magic is too much to stay afloat without him.
Indiana Pacers (22-18) – Ah, ah. Look who’s finding his stride. The Pacers have won their last six games and the latest win was stunning to hand Cleveland its second home loss of the season.
Dallas Mavericks (22-17) – This could easily be the Los Angeles Lakers (20-16) or the Los Angeles Clippers (20-17), but their games were postponed due to wildfires in their area. Stay safe.
Do you have opinions about the current status of the Sun? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin on dm******@ga*****.com Or call him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @Duane Rankin.
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