NBA Power Rankings Week 17: Brooklyn Nets make a charge up the middle

Last week: Beat New Orleans 117-109, beat Charlotte 125-110, won at Lakers 121-111, lost at Phoenix 127-91

This week: Sunday vs. Utah, Tuesday vs. Boston

After a big road win at Los Angeles on Thursday, the Houston Rockets couldn’t finish a back-to-back sweep on Friday, getting clobbered at Phoenix to snap their four-game winning streak. The Rockets made one big move before the trade deadline, getting Robert Covington as part of a four-team trade that sent Clint Capela to Atlanta.

James Harden rounded back into form a bit last week, averaging 31.5 points, 8.3 assists, 7.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks in four games, shooting 44.3 percent overall and making 40.5 percent on 10.5 3-point attempts a game. Harden had 40 points with 12 dimes, nine boards and three steals in the win over the Hornets on Tuesday, going 14-for-15 at the foul line.

Last week: Lost at Miami 137-106, lost at Milwaukee 112-101, beat Memphis 119-107

This week: Sunday vs. Chicago, Tuesday vs. Clippers

The Philadelphia 76ers returned home Friday and snapped a four-game losing streak with a victory over the Grizzlies, but remained the NBA’s most inconsistent team between home and road, improving to an NBA-best 23-2 at Wells Fargo Center with the win over Memphis, but falling to 9-19 on the road with two more losses to close out an 0-4 trip.

That .321 winning percentage on the road ranks just 21st in the NBA and is the worst of any of the teams currently holding a top-eight position in either conference. Orlando is nest on that list at 9-18 (.333).

Ben Simmons averaged 16.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 8.7 assists and 1.7 steals in the three games, logging 36.8 minutes per game and shooting 66.7 percent overall, missing his lone 3-pointer. That included 22 points with 10 dimes and three steals in the win over the Grizzlies, as he was 9-for-14 from the floor.