2023-24 NBA Power Rankings: New Year hangover takes down top teams

National Basketball Association

Updated Jan. 8, 2024 7:32 p.m. ET

There is a difference between reaching the top of the NBA pyramid and staying there. As the Oklahoma City Thunder just found out.

Less than 24 hours after being recognized as the top team in the FOX Sports’ NBA rankings last week, the Thunder validated it by beating their No. 1 predecessor, the Boston Celtics. Less than 24 hours after that, their furious comeback against the Atlanta Hawks fell short, 141-138, Isaiah Joe missing a potential game-tying 3 at the buzzer.

Not an automatic demotion, in the eyes of the ranking committee. Beating the Celtics at home, then flying to Atlanta and losing a nail biter on the second night of back-to-back games — it happens to the best of them.

But then, rather than reasserting themselves against the reeling Brooklyn Nets, losers of five straight in a fashion that had some of their fans wondering if they’d already given up on the season, the Thunder fell behind by 32 and were out-rebounded and out-muscled for a 124-115 loss.

Making them No. 1 no more. That belongs once more to the Celtics, who had a back-to-back home-then-road pair of games after facing the Thunder and trounced both opponents, the Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers.

That made Boston the exception among the top-ranked teams, all of whom suffered major New Year’s hangovers. No. 3 Minnesota lost three of four games. As did No. 4 Milwaukee. And No. 5 Philadelphia lost two of three.

All of which opened the door for the defending champion Denver Nuggets to vault from sixth to second in this week’s rankings by going 2-1 and moving within a half-game of the Timberwolves for the top spot in the Western Conference. The Thunder’s win over the Celtics counted as credit toward last week’s showing, stopping their slide at No. 3; they still have faced the toughest schedule to date among the top teams, just ahead of the Timberwolves, who fell to fourth, with the 76ers leapfrogging the Bucks, whose lone win last week was a close one over the last-place San Antonio Spurs, for the last top-five spot.

NBA Power Rankings

Ric Bucher is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. He previously wrote for Bleacher Report, ESPN The Magazine and The Washington Post and has written two books, “Rebound,” on NBA forward Brian Grant’s battle with young onset Parkinson’s, and “Yao: A Life In Two Worlds.” He also has a daily podcast, “On The Ball with Ric Bucher.” Follow him on Twitter @RicBucher.

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