2017-18 NBA Power Rankings: Blazers, Rockets streaking in Week 21

In Week 21 of NBA Power Rankings, the Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, Toronto Raptors, New Orleans Pelicans and Golden State Warriors are all going streaking.

At this time of year in the NBA, the contenders start getting serious, the fringe playoff teams either rise to the occasion or stumble in the clutch, and the bottom-feeders try to get creative about how they’ll tank their way to a higher draft pick.

The 2017-18 season appears to be no different. Six teams — including the current top four teams in the Western Conference — are riding winning streaks of four games or more. The Houston Rockets (17) and New Orleans Pelicans (10) have already hit double-digits, while the surging Portland Trail Blazers (eight) aren’t far behind.

Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers continue to jostle over the 8-seed in the West, with the Utah Jazz joining the fray. Out East, slumps from the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat have a similar situation playing out.

Finally, the Memphis Grizzlies’ 15-game losing streak has them at the top of the tanking totem pole, though they’ve got plenty of competition with the Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks, Orlando Magic, Brooklyn Nets, Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings sporting 45 or more losses as well.

The question is, how does this all shake out in the latest batch of NBA Power Rankings? Let’s take a look at Week 21.