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LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers

It was only a few short weeks ago that we were writing the death notice from the LeBron James Lakers, as it seemed that the team just had too many fatal flaws to overcome in order to truly be considered a contender. But lately, those flaws have miraculously turned into strengths, and it’s showing up in the NBA Power Rankings.

The duo of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves has been working nicely together, and LeBron James’ willingness to play the part of a role player has been notable after he returned from an injury. He even made an impressive, full-on dive to the floor to corral a loose ball in the thrilling win over the Nuggets this weekend–a good one for the clip book of the LeBron Lakers era, which is expected to close after this season.

“I told [James] after the game, I said, ‘In 23 years of watching you play in the NBA, the three years I watched you play in high school, I never saw you make a full-out extension dive like that,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “He said, ‘You’re right, I’ve never done that.'”

The play of Deandre Ayton, which is a concern for just about any team that has employed Ayton, has improved, too, as he is doing a better job as a rebounder and protector of the paint.

And maybe the best transformation of the team this month has been on the defensive end, where the Lakers frequently looked utterly inept at times this year. Not lately. They’re attacking the ball, they’re closing out, and they’re guarding the paint better than they have all year. The Lakers have won eight of nine games and have a defensive rating of 110.1 in that span, which is No. 6 in the NBA.

And in the new Power Rankings? They’re all the way up to No. 5.

NBA Power Rankings: Thunder Back on Top

There have been times when the Oklahoma City Thunder have not quite appeared to be the best team in the NBA, or the team most likely to drub all comers in the playoffs. That is to be expected for a defending champion that is dealing with injuries and pacing itself. But OKC is pacing itself no longer: The Thunder have won eight straight and reclaim the top spot in the rankings.

1. Thunder, 53-15.
2. Spurs, 49-18.
3. Celtics, 44-23.
4. Pistons, 48-19.
5. Lakers, 42-25.
6. Nuggets, 41-27.
7. Knicks, 44-25.
8. Rockets, 41-25.
9. Timberwolves, 41-27.
10. Magic, 38-28.
    

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    NBA Part II Rankings: Warriors Clinging

    The good news for the Golden State Warriors lately–and there has not been much–is that no one is chasing them. The NBA standings are such that the Warriors should be well guaranteed a spot in the play-in tournament, so a loss like the one they suffered on Sunday, in which a cast of mostly unknowns started the game, built a 21-point lead over the Knicks, and still lost, stings a little less.

    But the team badly needs to get healthy. The Warriors won’t get Stephen Curry back for, likely, another two weeks at best. With Golden State having lost five straight and 10 out of 13, that feels more like two months.

11. Cavaliers, 41-27.
12. Suns, 39-28.
13. Heat, 38-30.
14. Hawks, 36-31
15. Raptors, 38-29.
16. Sixers, 37-31.
17. Hornets, 34-34.
18. Clippers, 34-33.
19. Trail Blazers, 32-36.
20. Warriors, 32-35.

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    NBA Power Rankings Part III: Tank-a-thon Continues

    It’s a race to the bottom for a handful of teams these days, and as much hand-wringing as there has been over tanking–those offended by it and a newly vocal group of tanking apologists–the league is not making much progress on stopping it.

21. Bucks, 28-39.
22. Bulls, 27-40.
23. Pelicans, 22-46.
24. Mavericks, 23-45.
25. Grizzlies, 23-43.
26. Jazz, 20-48.
27. Kings, 18-51.
28. Wizards, 16-50.
29. Nets, 17-50.
30. Pacers, 15-53.