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There were some major developments this week, with the Lakers, Clippers and Thunder rising considerably. Additionally, playoff seeding is beginning to crystalise for the top teams in each conference.

Last week: 1st

Milwaukee is starting to grab the mantle as the East's, if not the entire NBA's, undoubted top team. Included in this week was a killer west-coast trip for the Bucks, where they played the Warriors, Kings and Suns. After having a win over the Warriors all but locked up, some rudimentary late-game mistakes opened the door for Golden State, and specifically Stephen Curry, who took full advantage and won that game. Milwaukee was then able to execute consecutive wins on consecutive nights over Sacramento and Phoenix. The Bucks can run a legit 10-man rotation, and are probably the deepest team in the league when healthy.

Last week: 4th

Philadelphia beat Milwaukee last week and have not looked back, currently on a six-game winning streak. Interestingly, the 76ers have had a horrible defence since the all-star break, where they rank 21st. Therefore, that leaves one option as to why they are winning games - their offence. Philly ranks second in offensive rating since the break, and it isn't hard to work out the reason(s) for that: Joel Embiid and James Harden. The Embiid-Harden pick-and-roll has been deadly, and Embiid has feasted on short jumpers from just inside the free-throw line when Harden draws attention.

Last week: 3rd

The Celtics went 2-1 this week, but still aren't playing that well. They beat the Hawks in a great performance, but then inexplicably lost to the 17-52 Rockets, and beat the Wolves by two points in their final game. The problem has been their offence, which ranks 20th over the last 10 games. Jayson Tatum has posted some *bad* stat lines in recent games. It seems to be feast or famine much of the time for Tatum, which, for the Celtics to make a deep playoff run, needs to change.

Last week: 2nd

Denver has definitely been the talk of the league this week. After doing basically nothing but win for the whole season, the Nuggets have lost four straight games against relatively mid-tier competition (Bulls, Spurs, Nets and Raptors). In these four losses, Denver has ranked dead last defensively, and 18th offensively (21st and sixth respectively for the entire season). Nikola Jokic has looked disinterested much of the time, and Michael Porter Jr was benched for almost an entire half in one of their games. It is true that every NBA team goes through lulls in a long season, but when you consider who the Nuggets are losing to, this may be more serious than that. Big response week coming up.

Last week: 6th

The Kings refuse to drop off, having another great week with a record of 3-1. Sacramento got wins over New York, Phoenix and Chicago, while dropping a tough game to the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks. The Kings run a truly beautiful offence with Domantas Sabonis orchestrating pick-and-rolls, handoffs, and down screens for the bevy of talented guards on this Kings roster. The stats bear this out, with Sac ranking third in assists per game at 27.2. This is a great sign for the playoffs; a team that moves the basketball this well is very hard to guard.

Last week: 5th

Cleveland had a so-so week, with two wins over Charlotte and losses to Miami and Philly. The Cavs' offence was good over this stretch, but their defence was relatively bad compared with their usual standards, ranking 17th over this week's games. Cleveland may also be without Jarrett Allen for a few games after he sustained an eye injury this week, putting their defence in even more jeopardy.

Last week: 9th

The Grizzlies, as they generally do, have responded well to adversity, winning three of four this week. Memphis won big over Golden State, and then beat the Mavs in consecutive games before getting thumped by the Heat. With Ja Morant out, this team has relied on Desmond Bane and, surprisingly, their first-round pick David Roddy to pick up the slack. However, Morant will reportedly become eligible to return on March 21 after the NBA suspended him.

Last week: 7th

The Knicks ended last week with a bad loss to the Hornets, and began this week with another two defeats to the Kings and Clippers. New York then finished the week by beating the Lakers and Blazers. Worryingly, Jalen Brunson has missed their last six games with foot soreness. Hopefully Brunson can get back on the court soon, as he has been instrumental to the Knicks' success this season.

Last week: 8th

Brooklyn just continues to hold serve and retain that sixth spot on the ladder, going 2-2 this week. The Nets mostly rested their big-minute players against the Bucks, and then won two straight over the Wolves and Nuggets before losing to the Thunder in their final game of the road trip. Mikal Bridges' performance has been absurd in the month of March, where he has averaged 28 points on 45 per cent from three in 35 minutes per game. Whether the Nets decide to keep or trade Bridges this offseason, his value has gone up astronomically since he got to Brooklyn.

Last week: 15th

Although there are still some glaring problems, the LA Clippers seem to be working this thing out, going 3-0 this week. This was even more impressive when you consider their opponents: Toronto, New York, and Golden State. The key to this success has been none other than Kawhi Leonard, who dropped 24, 38 and 30 points in each game. Checking back on those post All-Star stats, the Clippers are now up from 14th to 10th on offence since last week. However, their defence is still very bad, sitting at 25th since the break; being that bad on defence is not conducive to winning playoff games.

Last week: 11th

Miami had a great week, going 3-1 with wins over Cleveland and Memphis included in that stretch. Importantly, the Heat proved they can run up nearly 140 points in a regulation game, considering their offensive struggles. This occurred in Miami's 138-119 beatdown of the Ja Morant-less Grizzlies. Also of note: Kyle Lowry is finally back from an extended absence due to knee issues. Lowry has been coming off the bench, and may be sticking to that role for the foreseeable future, given Gabe Vincent's solid season.

Last week: 10th

After a pre-game rolled ankle from Kevin Durant in Phoenix's final game last week, the Suns lost their superstar yet again. Without Durant, the Suns went 0-3 in their contests this week, losing to three good teams in Sacramento, Golden State and Milwaukee. One key theme that has begun to arise in recent Suns games is opposing teams' willingness to leave Josh Okogie open for threes. Teams have concluded that, in lieu of the Suns' stars making shots at a high rate, they are comfortable to let Okogie shoot. Thus far, this has been a successful strategy, with Okogie hitting just six of his last 23 attempts. This is almost certainly a curtain raiser to a playoff strategy for teams who play Phoenix.

Last week: 12th

It certainly feels like Golden State is starting to become dangerous. It seems that, as long as the Warriors have Steph Curry, they can make it deep in the playoffs. Not to mention Klay Thompson's evergreen ability to go nuclear in a small amount of time – evident in his 33 (!) points scored by halftime in their win over the Suns this week. With that said, they also relied on an inferno from Steph Curry to beat the Giannis-less bucks, and got destroyed by Memphis as well. Look, maybe this team makes a Cinderella run to the finals. Heck, they did it just last year! But seeing some level of consistency would bring pundits some assurance on that front.

Last week: 18th

And just like that, Oklahoma City is rolling again, winners of six of their last seven games. The Thunder have climbed up to 9th in defensive ranking, and a ridiculous third over their last eight games. Rookie Jalen Williams continues to be a stud, while their other lesser-known rookie Jaylin Williams (yes, you heard that right) has also produced at a high level for a second-round pick. Jaylin Williams led the college ranks in charges taken during his final season at Arkansas University, and now leads the NBA in that same category as a rookie.

Last week: 13th

Minnesota backed up a great performance last week with a bad one this time around, going 1-3. The Wolves did have a tough schedule (76ers, Nets, Hawks and Celtics), but better late-game execution in two of those games would have flipped their record to 3-1. Minnesota cannot afford to have another bad week, given the difference between fourth and 10th in the West is three and a half games.

Last week: 16th

The Los Angeles Lakers have been the definition of a mixed bag lately. They looked unbeatable in their games against the Raptors and Pelicans this week, but also laid eggs in losses to the Knicks and Rockets. It should be noted that Anthony Davis sat out their second game of a back-to-back against Houston, but that is a game LA should win, nonetheless. At least we know the theoretical way that the Lakers plan to play when healthy: play through Davis in the post, and bomb away from deep. This was evident in LA's first half against New Orleans, where they torched the Pelicans to the tune of a franchise-record 15 three pointers.

Last week: 14th

Dallas made the tough decision to sit Luka Doncic this week as he deals with an ongoing thigh complaint. To make matters worse, Kyrie Irving has also been injured for the Mavs. Obviously, both Doncic and Irving make up most of Dallas' scoring capacity. Without them, the Mavs have been relying on Christian Wood, Josh Green, and even their second-round pick Jaden Hardy to be offensive initiators. All three have done a valiant job, but that is not a recipe for winning NBA games, as the Mavs found out this week.

Last week: 17th

The Hawks split their four games this week, with two wins over the Wizards, and losses to the Celtics and Timberwolves. Atlanta's defence was still abominable this week, ranking dead last in the NBA. The reality of this team is that, as long as they have a weapon like Trae Young, they will always be dangerous in a playoff setting. With that said, being this bad on defence will make that offence irrelevant.

Last week: 21st

After a solid stretch since the All-Star break, Toronto had a tough week, albeit against some good teams. The Raptors lost to the Nuggets, Clippers, and Lakers before ending the week by avenging their defeat to Denver in another matchup. This team will need to win almost every game against mid-tier teams from here on out to guarantee their spot in the play-in tournament – they currently sit at ninth.

Last week: 24th

Utah was able to pick up some easier games this week, beating Orlando and Charlotte. Walker Kessler continues to be a revelation for Utah, moving up into most NBA analysts' top three in Rookie of the Year contention. But this week the big story was Talen Horton-Tucker, who dropped a season-high 37 points, while adding 10 assists and eight rebounds in their win over the Hornets. Horton-Tucker has the theoretical tools to be an elite two-way player in the league, he just hasn't been able to put it together. Maybe the run home for the Jazz will be his chance.

Last week: 19th

New Orleans went 1-2 this week, beating the Blazers, but losing to the Thunder and Lakers. There is nothing new about why the Pelicans haven't been successful without Zion Williamson – they can't score enough. New Orleans' stoppers on the wing have done their jobs; guys like Naji Marshall and Herb Jones have played well relative to their ceiling. However, that hasn't mattered because CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram have been mostly hit-and-miss. Additionally, an underrated factor here is that Jose Alvarado, who provides energy on both ends of the floor, has been out with a leg injury for nearly three weeks and won't necessarily be returning anytime soon.

Last week: 22nd

Washington had a bad week, going 1-3 as Chicago starts to breath down their neck for that final play-in spot in the East. The Wizards went down to the Hawks in consecutive games, and those are games that they need to win. On balance, Washington's stars have been performing well recently. However, their bench ranks 19th in offensive production, which means one bad game from a key player puts this team in jeopardy of losing.

Last week: 23rd

Indiana has the second-easiest schedule coming down the stretch. And they are mostly taking advantage of that, winners of six of their last eight. Will they be able to make the play-in tournament? Well, they only sit one game back of the 10th-placed Wizards, so there is certainly a chance.

Last week: 25th

Chicago only played two games this week. They beat Houston in the first game, and then lost to Sacramento on a De'Aaron Fox game-winner. Patrick Beverley, for all his erratic play, seems to have really injected some much-needed life into this team. Also, Bulls first-round pick Dalen Terry has been picking up five to 10 minutes each game for this team as the organisation tries to develop Terry on the fly.

Last week: 20th

Portland lost all four games this week as they continue to lose traction with the Western Conference playoff picture. With that said, the Blazers have not let go of the rope and continue to compete. They were up 21 points on Philadelphia before losing on a buzzer-beater from Joel Embiid. Key to this has been the long-awaited return of Anfernee Simons from a gruesome ankle injury. And to confirm – yes, Simons can still score with the best of them.

Last week: 26th

Orlando seems to be running out of gas as the regular season winds to a close. The Magic did enjoy a character-building overtime win over the Heat this week, but they have lost four of their last five games, including a drumming to the Spurs. Also of note: Paolo Banchero, who was slumping a little bit throughout February, has played much better in March, upping his points per game average from 16 to 22, along with his shooting percentage from 37 to 44 per cent.

Last week: 28th

San Antonio has played a really fun brand of basketball recently, and went 2-2 this week as a result. The Spurs got a major upset win over the Nuggets, and also beat the Magic in an awesome team performance on Wednesday. Spotlighting San Antonio's victory over Orlando: they made a season-high 22 three pointers, while also having 39 assists in the contest. Additionally, Jeremy Sochan had an awesome game individually, dropping 29 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.

Last week: 29th

The tide seems to have finally turned for Houston, even if only for a little while. The Rockets had a great week, nabbing consecutive wins over the Celtics and Lakers. Jabari Smith Jr, who has had a really tough year, looks to be turning a corner. Smith Jr is averaging 16 points (up from 12) and seven rebounds on 45 per cent from three in March. Also, key to this improved play has been the return of Jae'Sean Tate, who has been injured for most of the season. Tate was extended to a long-term deal by Houston in the offseason and plays a crucial role as a veteran defender on this team.

Last week: 27th

Charlotte began this week with a victory against Detroit, but lost all three of their following games to the Jazz and Cavaliers (twice). Even with a bad record, you can tell the influence that Head Coach Steve Clifford is having on this team defensively. Clifford is known for engineering solid defences wherever he goes, even if the defensive personnel is not elite. Charlotte has not been good on that end all season. But, over the last two weeks, the Hornets rank sixth in defensive efficiency across the entire league.

Last week: 30th

Detroit finally got a win this week over Indiana to halt an 11-game losing streak. The Pistons are obviously struggling, but James Wiseman continues to intrigue, if nothing else. In the win over the Pacers, Wiseman had a line of 18 points and 14 rebounds.