NBA Top 10: Red-hot Clippers soar, Celtics atop the pedestal in midseason NBA power rankings

Most teams are 50% of the way through their schedules as we sit a month away from the all-star break. Despite this, the Western Conference still is as tight as it's always been with the No. 5 seed and the No. 10 seed separated by just four games.

1. Boston Celtics (32-9)

At the midway point, Boston possesses the best record in the league by two games while riding hot on a three-game win streak.

Jayson Tatum is shooting the highest percentage from the field (47.5%) that he has since his rookie season (also 47.5%).

Jaylen Brown’s efficiency through 41 games is currently a career-high for him as he’s hitting on 49.6% of his shots from the field.

The Celtics are 20-0 at home. A team is going to have to beat them at least once in TD Garden to win a playoff series against them.

2. Los Angeles Clippers (26-14)

This is arguably the hottest team in the association at the moment.

The Clippers are 8-2 in their last 10 games with victories over the Thunder, Suns, Pelicans and Grizzlies twice, once with Ja Morant.

When a player averaging 23.9 points per game (Paul George) and a former MVP (James Harden) are your second and third options, you have to feel great if you’re a Clippers fan.

3. Philadelphia 76ers (26-13)

It feels like an obligation to move Philadelphia over Denver after Tuesday’s marquee matchup.

Joel Embiid re-sparked debates between himself and Nikola Jokic for the title of best center in the NBA.

Embiid scored 41 points on 13-22 shooting with seven boards and 10 assists.

He now has more 40-point games this season than Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, LeBron James, Devin Booker and Nikola Jokic… combined.

4. Denver Nuggets (28-14)

Despite the loss to Philadelphia, the Nuggets still hold the fifth-best record in the NBA.

When the previous champion from last season sits at 14 games above .500, they deserve a top-5 spot in any power rankings list.

5. Minnesota Timberwolves (30-11)

An Anthony Edwards highlight has shown up on everybody’s X timeline at some point in the last couple of weeks.

On Thursday, the guard dropped 28 points (26 in the second half) on 11-19 from the field and had this ridiculous highlight.

Minnesota has faced the fifth-toughest schedule in the NBA so far, which leads to them possessing the third-easiest the rest of the way.

6. Milwaukee Bucks (28-13)

Things started slow for Milwaukee as they started 5-4 after a dismal preseason.

Since then, the Bucks are 23-9 with the second-highest scoring offense in the NBA at 124.2 points per game.

Giannis and Dame will draw most of the headlines when talking about this squad, for obvious reasons.

How about some love for Malik Beasley? The guard is hitting threes at a 47.5% clip, second-best in the NBA behind only Grayson Allen.

7. Oklahoma City Thunder (28-13)

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander currently has the third-best odds to win league MVP.

SGA currently leads the NBA in points per game on drives to the rack (16.6 PPG). Pair that with 89.1% from the charity stripe and the third-most free throw attempts in the NBA, and you have a recipe for success.

8. Phoenix Suns (22-18)

After a disappointing start to the season with multiple injuries, the Suns have bounced back and won three straight games. They are also 7-3 in their last 10 games.

To continue the trend of highlighting role players, Grayson Allen is currently the only qualified player apart of the 50-40-90 club in the league.

9. Cleveland Cavaliers (24-15)

Cleveland has won six straight games, and while that is impressive, it should probably be looked at deeper than just the number.

The six teams the Cavs have defeated are the Wizards (twice), Spurs, Nets, Bulls and the Giannis-less Bucks.

Taking care of business against bad teams is great, but it’s not enough to slot them higher than nine in these rankings.

10. New Orleans Pelicans (25-17)

New Orleans has struggled against the top contenders in the NBA, specifically the Nuggets and Clippers, while looking lackluster down the stretch in crunch time.

However, Brandon Ingram is playing all-star caliber basketball alongside one of the deepest bench units in the league.

Nobody likely wants to see this team in the playoffs if they remain healthy.

Rocco Pellegrino is a first-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email rdp5387@psu.edu.