NBA Playoffs Power Rankings for the remaining teams

Boston enters Friday’s game three tied with Philadelphia at one game apiece. The Celtics cannot give the 76ers any glimpse of hope. The team is light-years ahead of Philadelphia and needs to win out. It won’t be easy, but Boston is the superior team.

5. Denver Nuggets

The series with Minnesota is tied 1-1. Denver knew this would be a tough matchup and is prepared for a fight. Anthony Edwards is going to get his, but the Nuggets must mitigate the damage done by the rest of the Timberwolves roster. This series will go down to the wire.

4. Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland is up 2-0 and firing on all cylinders. The Raptors haven’t found a way to get Brandon Ingram going, and time is running out. The Cavaliers will enjoy the extra days of rest should they sweep the series.

3. Los Angeles Lakers

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The Lakers have a comfortable two-game lead heading into Friday’s game three with Houston. The team has gotten a boost from Luke Kennard, and he’s single-handedly relieved any burden of Luka Doncic’s absence from the lineup. If Los Angeles goes up 3-0, the series will likely end in four games.

2. San Antonio Spurs

After game one, San Antonio seemed to have control of the series. Unfortunately, the Spurs dropped game two and saw Victor Wembanyama suffer a concussion. His availability for Friday’s game three is uncertain, and this could not be a worse time for the Spurs to be without their big man. San Antonio is still favored to win the series, and they need to get Wembanyama healthy for the remainder of the playoffs.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder

The top-ranked team is cruising. The Thunder’s defense has been too much for the Suns to handle. Phoenix’s issues, during the regular season, were consistent offense, and that does not bode well against the league’s top-ranked defensive team. Oklahoma City is the team to beat and is the favorite to win a second consecutive championship.

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