On December 27, the NBA officially announced the latest edition of the team's power rankings. This week, the Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves continued to sit in the top two, the Nuggets rose to third place with a wave of five straight wins, and the Lakers, who have been underperforming recently, slipped five places, and they tied with the Pacers for the biggest decline. 
The Celtics are still in No. 1 position this week, with a league-best 23-6 record. They played four games this past week, and after losing to the Warriors, they won back-to-back games against the Kings, Clippers and Lakers. 
The Timberwolves are close behind the Celtics and remain firmly in the No. 2 spot in the power rankings. The Timberwolves went 3-1 in four games last week, losing only against the 76ers and winning the Heat, Lakers and Kings in the remaining three. 
Jokic's Nuggets moved up two spots to No. 3, and the Nuggets are on a five-game winning streak, making them the league's longest winning streak. There is also good news for the Nuggets, who have seven home games for the next nine games. The Thunder continue to sit in fourth place in the power rankings this time, having just played three games last week with a 2-1 record. In the next week, the Thunder will face the Timberwolves and Nuggets, the top two teams in the West. 
The Philadelphia 76ers have slipped to No. 5 on the standings, losing two of their four games in the last eight days, one of which has come in Embiid's absence. This week, the 76ers will face the Magic, Rockets and Bulls successively, and a wave of three consecutive road trips will also test the team. 
No. 6 to No. 10 in the power rankings: Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings, Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat. 
Nos. 11 to 20 in the power rankings: Orlando Magic, New York Knicks, New Orleans Pelicans, Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets. 
No. 21 to No. 30 in the power rankings: Phoenix Suns, Memphis Grizzlies, Atlanta Hawks, Utah Jazz, Toronto Raptors, Portland Trail Blazers, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, San Antonio Spurs, Detroit Pistons.