NBA power rankings

Michael Lee evaluates the best teams in the National Basketball Association.

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1. Oklahoma City, Last week 3

Kevin Durant received his first career ejection in a loss to Brooklyn but the Thunder should be encouraged that Russell Westbrook appears to be slowly breaking out of a season-long shooting slump.

Bob Levey / AP

2. Los Angeles Clippers, Last week 1

The Clippers thought the worst thing that could happen to them was having their 17-game win streak snapped – until they were forced to mourn the passing of owner Donald Sterling’s son, Scott.

Marcio Jose Sanchez / AP

3. San Antonio, Last week 4

The Spurs had a seven-game win streak snapped in New York, but during the run, they averaged 111.7 points, shot 53.4 percent from the field and scored 69 points in the first half of two games.

MIKE STONE / REUTERS

4. Miami, Last week 2

LeBron James has already won three regular season MVPs and a title, but he could he actually be getting better? He scored at least 20 points in Miami’s first 30 games – the longest 20-point streak of his career.

David Santiago / AP

5. New York, Last week 5

Amaré Stoudemire returned from offseason knee surgery and revealed that he was never taught defense before playing for Mike Woodson. Questions abound about his ability to play with Carmelo Anthony.

RAY STUBBLEBINE / REUTERS

6. Memphis, Last week 6

The Grizzlies have the NBA’s stingiest defense, but scoring has been a struggle. They rank near the bottom in pace and points per game, which contributed them just going 7-7 in December.

Pat Sullivan / AP

7. Golden State, Last week 7

The Warriors were among the worst rebounding teams last season, but their rise to respectability is directly tied to ranking second in rebound differential - even with center Andrew Bogut still on the shelf.

Marcio Jose Sanchez / AP

8. Atlanta, Last week 8

Former Wizards assistant Larry Drew doesn’t get nearly enough attention, but December’s Eastern Conference coach of the month has best winning percentage of any Hawks coach since Lenny Wilkens.

John Amis / AP

9. Indiana, Last week 10

The Pacers won’t reach their full potential until Danny Granger returns from a left knee injury, but Paul George has taken advantage of his absence and garnering all-star consideration in his third season.

Darron Cummings / AP

10. Chicago, Last week unranked

Derrick Rose is traveling with the Bulls and participating in road workouts for the first time since tearing his ACL last April, but team will remain conservative about bringing him back in February or March.

Jonathan Daniel / GETTY IMAGES

FEATURED PHOTO GALLERIES

BALTIMORE, MD - MAY 18: Jockey Gary Stevens rides Oxbow out to the front of the pack on the first straight away during the 138th Running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., on Saturday, May 18, 2013. (Photo by Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post)

Oxbow wins and infield fun at Preakness Stakes in Baltimore

Oxbow put D. Wayne Lukas in the record books again with an upset of Orb in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, giving the Hall of Fame trainer...

New York Yankees' Travis Hafner bats during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals Sunday, May 12, 2013, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

MLB power rankings

Barry Svrluga assesses the best teams in Major League Baseball through Thursday.

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 13: Many seminary graduates are choosing not to become pastors. Rebecca J. Cole received her Master of Divinity and is becoming a community organizer on Capitol Hill. She hugs another graduate after the ceremony. The 2013 Commencement ceremony for Wesley Theological Seminary was held on May 13 at the Washington National Cathedral. (Photo by Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)

Eager to minister, but not from the pulpit

An increasing number of divinity students who don’t plan to become pastors envision using their degrees to “minister” in a...

epa03704474 A Muslim woman at the ThetKalPyin temporary relief camp near Sittwe in Rakhine State, Western Myanmar, 17 May 2013. A total of 13 people were confirmed dead in neighboring Bangladesh as people began to return home from shelters, a day after Cyclone Mahasen hit the coast, officials said 17 May. EPA/NYEIN CHAN NAING

Photos of the day

Cyclone Mahasen, Texas tornadoes, puffin census, melting Swiss glacier and more.

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 16: American Idol Season 12 Winner Candice Glover (C) is seen onstage during Fox's 'American Idol 2013' Finale Results Show at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on May 16, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Candice Glover wins 12th season of ‘American Idol’

The 23-year-old vocal powerhouse from St. Helena Island, S.C., tops competition in her third try.

US actress Claire Julien smiles on May 16, 2013 while posing during a photocall for the film 'The Bling Ring' at the 66th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes. Cannes, one of the world's top film festivals, opened on May 15 and will climax on May 26 with awards selected by a jury headed this year by Hollywood legend Steven Spielberg. AFP PHOTO / ALBERTO PIZZOLI (Photo credit should read ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images)

Eye on entertainment

Claire Julien, David Hasselhoff, Freida Pinto, Candice Glover, Martin Short and more.

**LOC IMAGE** Geo. Hamilton, Assistant Superintendent, Cambria Iron Mills house, Johnstown Flood, May 31st, 1889. (Photo by Ernest Walter Histed / Library of Congress)

The Johnstown Flood of 1889

On May 31, 1889, the South Fork dam that held Lake Conemaugh failed, and 20 million tons of water descended upon Johnstown, Pa. The flood claimed the lives of 2,209 people and spurred...

HACIPASA, TURKEY - MAY 5: Syrian refugee Hala ponders her life on the run on Sunday, May 5, 2013, in Hacipasa, Turkey. Three times this morning, the sounds of aircrafts were followed by explosions that shook the ground. Hacipasa, which sits just across the river border from Syria, is home of several hundred Syrian refugees who have been displaced by their home country's conflict. For a year, Hala and her family have been displaced from their home village in Syria because of violent conflict. After bouncing from village to village, fleeing bombings that seemed to follow them, the family crossed into Turkey six weeks ago. Initially, the family was deported back into Syria, where they lived in camps for internally displaced Syrians. But when the camps were bombed, the family was allowed to cross into Turkey. Hala said, 'The blood of the people who died in Syria, the martyrs, is our sad song, but nobody is listening.' (Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

Turkey faces a refugee crisis

More than 400,000 Syrians have crossed into Turkey seeking refuge from the conflict at home. Finding its resources stretched, Turkey is urgently appealing for international aid and...

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