Nuggets take top spot from Celtics, Suns rise to top five, Raptors fall all the way down

Sometimes the Power Rankings gods simply smile upon you. It’s pretty easy two decide who the top team in the league is when the two most dominant teams face each other, and after a convincing win over the Boston Celtics, there’s no denying that the Denver Nuggets are the team to beat in the NBA right now.

As Denver climbs to No. 1 with a 9-1 record after the All-Star break, the Celtics fell two spots because of a second loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Squeezing in between them were the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are no slouch at 8-2 since the break and actually lead the Nuggets in the Western Conference standings.

Crashing their way into the top five like the Kool Aid Man are the Phoenix Suns, the week’s biggest climbers after jumping 10 spots on the heels of Devin Booker’s return and Kevin Durant’s brilliance. On the other side, two teams who met in the first round of last year’s playoffs — the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat — both suffered precipitous falls. The Bucks dropped out of the top 10 after a loss to the LeBron James-less Lakers, while the Heat slipped eight spots after losing to the — ahem, ahem — Washington Wizards.

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Speaking of the Wizards, we have to say it because we’re not sure how long it will be until we can say it again: The Wizards and Pistons each won two games this week. Welcome to Silly Season.