Hoops Wire Power Rankings: Spurs stay on top, Cavs rising fast

The latest Hoops Wire power rankings, through games on March 3 …

1. San Antonio Spurs (44-17)
Eleven-game winning streak ended? No problem. The Spurs answered by blasting the 76ers by 40. That’s what elite teams do. Lose once, then remind everyone who currently runs the West.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder (48-15)
Six wins in seven games and they even beat the Nuggets in overtime without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander down the stretch. Oklahoma City keeps stacking wins and looking more like a potential repeat champion.

3. Detroit Pistons (45-15)
Detroit probably should’ve lost twice to Cleveland last week. Instead, it split the games and keeps rolling. Sometimes good teams need a little luck. The Pistons are getting it.

4. Boston Celtics (41-20)
The Celtics have won 12 of their last 14 and Jayson Tatum is expected back soon. Boston already looks dangerous. Add a healthy Tatum and the East race gets interesting.

5. New York Knicks (40-22)
New York snapped San Antonio’s 11-game streak with a 25-point beatdown. The Knicks have won 15 of 19 and quietly own the NBA’s best defense since mid-January.

6. Cleveland Cavaliers (39-24)
The Cavaliers are now 8-1 with James Harden in the lineup. He’s playing through a fractured thumb and still closing games. Cleveland suddenly looks very real in the East.

7. Minnesota Timberwolves (39-23)
Anthony Edwards is cooking again and Minnesota has won seven of eight. People forget this team has been in the last two Western Conference finals. The Wolves clearly haven’t.

8. Denver Nuggets (38-24)
Something’s a little off. Denver has just one win in the last seven weeks over a team that was above .500 at the time. That’s not exactly championship momentum.

9. Houston Rockets (38-22)
Five wins in seven since the All-Star break sounds nice. But the schedule has been soft and the only real contender they faced in that stretch — the Knicks — beat them.

10. Charlotte Hornets (31-31)
The Hornets have won 15 of their last 18 and are suddenly one of the league’s hottest teams. Eleven victories by 20-plus points this season. Not bad for a supposed play-in squad.

11. Los Angeles Lakers (37-24)
The Lakers closed on a 24-7 run to beat New Orleans and now own the NBA’s best record in clutch games. When it gets tight late, L.A. has been money.

12. Toronto Raptors (35-26)
The Raptors keep beating bad teams and losing to good ones. Case in point? They’ve now dropped 11 straight games to the Knicks. That’s the league’s longest active losing streak against one opponent.

13. Phoenix Suns (35-26)
Phoenix keeps hanging around the playoff picture even while shorthanded. They’re 3-2 since losing Dillon Brooks and remain within striking distance of the West’s top six.

14. Orlando Magic (32-28)
The defense has climbed back into the top 10. The offense remains bottom 10. Until both click at the same time, Orlando will keep hovering around the middle of the East.

15. Philadelphia 76ers (33-28)
Six losses in the last nine and Joel Embiid continues to be the difference. Without him, things get ugly fast. Look no further than the three home losses by 40 points this season.

16. Miami Heat (33-29)
Bam Adebayo is making a strong Defensive Player of the Year case and Miami quietly has a top-five defense. The Heat have also won five of their last seven.

17. Atlanta Hawks (31-31)
Jonathan Kuminga has looked great early and Atlanta owns a top-10 net rating since February started. The Hawks are hanging right in the middle of the play-in race.

18. Golden State Warriors (31-30)
Stephen Curry’s return timeline isn’t urgent. Golden State appears locked into the play-in range — not high enough for comfort, not low enough for lottery dreams.

19. Los Angeles Clippers (29-31)
The Clippers beat Golden State and got a solid debut from Darius Garland. They’re within striking distance of the No. 8 seed, which could mean needing just one play-in win.

20. Portland Trail Blazers (29-33)
Scoot Henderson is back but Portland has dropped two straight blowouts. The Blazers are still headed for the play-in, most likely as the No. 10 seed.

21. Milwaukee Bucks (26-34)
Giannis Antetokounmpo returned despite Milwaukee sitting outside the play-in picture. Whether chasing wins or lottery odds, the direction here still feels murky.

22. New Orleans Pelicans (19-44)
After a stretch of six wins in eight games, the Pelicans were swept in Los Angeles. Now they wrap up the road trip with Sacramento and Phoenix.

23. Memphis Grizzlies (23-37)
Memphis is beating the league’s tanking teams and not much else. At the moment, the Grizzlies have a 6.7 percent chance at the No. 1 pick.

24. Chicago Bulls (25-37)
Chicago finally snapped an 11-game losing streak, then immediately lost again. Whether by design or not, the Bulls keep drifting toward the lottery.

25. Dallas Mavericks (21-40)
Fourteen losses in the last 16 games. Dallas may stumble right back into another high lottery pick after landing Cooper Flagg last year.

26. Utah Jazz (18-43)
Six straight losses and 14 defeats in the last 17 games. Utah currently sits in position for the fifth-best lottery odds.

27. Washington Wizards (16-45)
Trae Young is expected to debut Thursday. Interesting timing for a team sitting just outside the top three in lottery odds.

28. Brooklyn Nets (15-46)
Brooklyn is tied for the second-worst record but has a relatively easy schedule remaining. That could complicate the tank — unless they keep losing anyway.

29. Indiana Pacers (15-46)
Indiana shares the same ugly record as Brooklyn but faces a tougher schedule. Continued losing might come naturally.

30. Sacramento Kings (14-49)
The Kings own the NBA’s worst record and the best lottery odds. A couple recent wins didn’t change the big picture.