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NBA Power Rankings set up for epic Milwaukee Bucks-Los Angeles Lakers clash

By Phil Watson

Milwaukee Bucks Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Los Angeles Lakers Wilt Chamberlain. Copyright 1971 NBAE (Photo by Vernon Biever/NBAE via Getty Images)
Milwaukee Bucks Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Los Angeles Lakers Wilt Chamberlain. Copyright 1971 NBAE (Photo by Vernon Biever/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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NBA Brooklyn Nets Spencer Dinwiddie
Brooklyn Nets Spencer Dinwiddie (Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images) /

147. . 13-12. Previous: . Brooklyn Nets. 15. team

Last week: Beat Denver 105-102, lost to Charlotte 113-108, lost at Toronto 110-102

This week: Sunday vs. Philadelphia, Tuesday at New Orleans, Thursday at San Antonio, Saturday vs. Atlanta

It looked like it was going to be a pretty good week for the Brooklyn Nets. Until it didn’t. The wheels came off late in the third quarter Wednesday against the Hornets, when Charlotte closed the period on a 17-4 run to cut a 15-point Nets lead to just two, pulling away in the fourth for the win in a game Brooklyn led by 20 in the first half.

The Nets also blew a double-digit lead at Toronto Saturday, shooting 38.6 percent with 20 turnovers. Spencer Dinwiddie continued his stellar play in place of injured Kyrie Irving, scoring 24 points in each game and averaging 7.3 assists and 3.7 rebounds in 33.6 minutes per game. Dinwiddie shot 51.0 percent overall, but was a frigid 4-for-18 from deep.

NBA Orlando Magic Evan Fournier
Orlando Magic Evan Fournier. Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images) /

38. . 11-14. Previous: . Orlando Magic. 14. team

Last week: Lost at Milwaukee 110-101, lost to Lakers 96-87, lost to Houston 130-107

This week: Sunday at New Orleans, Tuesday at Utah, Wednesday at Denver, Friday at Portland

Well, the glow of the Orlando Magic‘s four-game winning streak to get back to .500 didn’t last long. Three straight losses last week — two at home — have dropped Orlando three games under .500 — which is still good enough for eighth place in the less-than-deep Eastern Conference (though to be fair, 11-14 is tied for seventh in the West).

Evan Fournier did what he could in the three losses last week, averaging 23.7 points, 3.0 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 30.2 minutes per game, while shooting 46.2 percent overall and dropping in 46.4 percent on 9.3 3-point attempts per game. In the blowout loss to the Rockets on Friday, Fournier had 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting, going 6-for-11 from deep.