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20. Charlotte Hornets (16)
Human dunk machine Miles Bridges is Charlotte’s new starter at small forward, replacing Jeremy Lamb in a post-All-Star break revamp of the first unit. Lamb is still seeing more minutes overall, and his scoring chops should bolster a second unit that could use some extra buckets.
The Hornets are just 2-7 in their last nine, thanks largely to a defensive collapse that now has them outside the top 20 in points allowed per 100 possessions. Of course, since they play in the East, they’re still slated to make the playoffs.
19. Minnesota Timberwolves (17)
Karl-Anthony Towns missed the first game of his career after a scary car crash but looked as productive as ever upon his return, piling up 34 points, 21 rebounds, five assists and two blocks in Monday’s 112-105 win over the Kings. His encore included 37 points and 18 boards in Wednesday’s overtime loss to the Hawks, followed by 42 points and 17 rebounds on Thursday in a loss at Indiana.
Though the Wolves are now four-and-a-half games out of a playoff spot after losing three of their last four, there’s always hope when you’ve got the most complete offensive big man in the league. And getting a top-notch perimeter defender back in Robert Covington, whose return is imminent, can’t hurt, either.
18. Orlando Magic (21)
Tuesday’s loss to the Knicks, courtesy of a blown 16-point lead, could have haunted Orlando for the rest of the year. With a chance to move into a tie for eighth in the East, the Magic’s collapse felt like a massive missed opportunity.
“It’s a terrible loss,” Evan Fournier told reporters afterward. “Terrible. There’s no other way to say it.”
Don’t get too down on Orlando. It went 2-2 this week, but its wins came against Toronto and Golden State. The latter included a gem from Aaron Gordon, who put up 22 points and 15 boards to beat the Warriors on Thursday.
Believe it or not, the Magic went 8-3 with the top net rating in the league for the month of February. Oh, and that eighth spot in the East? They wound up moving into it after downing Golden State.
17. Detroit Pistons (19)
Something’s different about Andre Drummond over the last several weeks. He’s had plenty of productive statistical runs in his career, but his attentiveness, effort, positioning (all the key missing elements that have limited him) are peaking as Detroit solidifies its postseason spot.
“During this stretch he’s been a monster,” Blake Griffin told Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press after Drummond registered 26 points and 16 boards in the Pistons’ 113-109 win over Indiana on Monday. “He’s imposed his will—not only on offense and defense—but the in-between stuff, the 50-50 balls, intimidating people from going to the rim. He’s been locked in.”
The Pistons have won seven of their last nine games and produced the sixth-best net rating in the league during February.
16. Los Angeles Lakers (18)
When the Lakers took down the Rockets by a final of 111-106 in their first game after the All-Star break, it seemed like a playoff surge was inevitable.
But then L.A. dropped contests to New Orleans and Memphis as LeBron James called out his team for a lack of urgency—all while turning in some of the most alarming low-effort defensive sequences we’ve ever seen from him.
Brandon Ingram strung together three games in which he scored 27 points or more, though, and James looked commanding with 33 points in Wednesday’s rematch win against the Pelicans. The Lakers have cornered the market on volatility.
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