5. Miami Heat (Up 3)

(5-2) Last week: 2-1

This Miami side is legit. The coaching is excellent. The squad is talented and deep. Veteran guard Goran Dragic looks revitalised as the captain of the 2nd unit. Bam Adebayo is a force. Kendrick Nunn continues to confound and captivate in equal measure. Their deconstruction of Houston was a basketballing lesson. Games against Phoenix and especially the Lakers will tell us a lot about where this team is at.

4. Milwaukee Bucks (Up 10)

(6-2) Last week: 4-0

The Bucks are still not getting to the cup at anything near last seasons league leading rate, but you can't argue with a perfect week including wins over the Raptors and Clippers. The offense is humming along nicely at a league leading 112.3 offensive rating. Giannis is averaging a career high 7.6 assists and his phalanx of 3 point marksmen are not letting him down. After a sluggish start, the Bucks are back to normal.

 

3. Los Angeles Lakers (Up 2)

(6-1) Last week: 3-0

Undefeated since their opening game loss to the Clippers, this incarnation of Lakers Royalty is living up to the hype. Anthony Davis has been a monster, whilst LeBron James has been as active as he's been in years. The soon to be 35 year old is leading the league with 11.1 assists per league. Many thought that late career LeBron would morph into a power forward, like Magic Johnson during his comeback. Perhaps we all underestimated LeBron's adaptability. The concerns are his poor 3 point shooting (28%) and playing 35 minutes a night. The Lakers should want to keep those old legs fresh for the playoffs.

 

2. Los Angeles Clippers (No change)

(5-3) Last week: 2-1

Speaking of supersized point guards – you'll notice the top four teams in these rankings have them – is Kawhi now a full time point guard? He is running more pick and roll's than any other Clipper (it's not close) and showing off some nifty passing in doing so. This roster has the highest of high end role players around their star. And we're still yet to see Paul George in a Clips uniform.

1. Philadelphia 76ers (No change)

(5-2) Last week: 1-2

With reason, much has been made of the Sixers starting five. They're simply so long that it's impossible to get clean looks. Only one five-man unit has allowed fewer deep attempts per 100 possessions – as a team the 76ers are 2nd overall on that mark. With Joel Embiid suspended, the bench made themselves known, scoring 43 points in the win against the Blazers, including Furkan Korkmaz's game winner. This team is frightening.

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