OKC Thunder Takes a Fall in Updated NBA Power Rankings

The Thunder saw their rankings take a hit as the new NBA rankings were released on Monday.

The Oklahoma City Thunder is no longer the No. 1 team in the NBA, according to the NBA Power Rankings. A week ago, the Thunder held the top spot in the league despite having had two tough road losses and having never held the best record in the entire league.

In the updated power rankings, NBA.com ranked the Thunder No. 5, dropping them four spots. The Boston Celtics took the reins as the No. 1 team in the league. The Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets rounded out the new top-four teams. 

John Schuhmann of NBA.com explained his decision by citing the Thunder's two straight losses in Los Angeles against the Lakers and Clippers. 

"The Thunder had a rough stay in L.A. last week, losing to the Lakers and Clippers, with the latter game being their worst defensive performance (128 points allowed on just 93 possessions) of the season. But they finished their four-game trip with impressive wins over the red-hot Jazz and first-place Wolves," Schuhmann wrote.

With a 29-13 record, the Thunder remains the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, despite a rockier month of January. The remainder of the month will continue to be a test for the Thunder, as they've got another road trip after playing at home on Tuesday.

The Thunder finished January with games against the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Denver Nuggets, too.

"The Thunder are home for just one game before heading out on another trip. The big game is Friday in New Orleans, with the Thunder currently 7-6 (5-4 on the road) in games played between the top eight teams in the West," Schuhmann continued.

Watching the top five continue to fluctuate will be exciting as another win streak would help propel the Thunder back up into the top three, but another two straight losses could see them fully fall out of the top five.

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