Timberwolves surge to top spot, Knicks enter top 10 and Rockets’ road struggles continue

Did you ever think you’d be seeing win-or-go-home NBA games in the first week of December? Say what you will about the In-Season Tournament, but the intensity has certainly been there, and will only increase as we get closer to handing the NBA Cup to one lucky team.

That being said, we’re still here to think about the season as a whole, and the Minnesota Timberwolves were the most dominant team in the league this week, riding three straight wins to the No. 1 spot in the Power Rankings. They dethroned the Orlando Magic, who lost for the first time in nine games and fell to No. 4 — tough break. Another team on the rise is the New York Knicks, who also had an undefeated week to earn a spot in the top 10.

On the other side were the Houston Rockets, who remain winless on the road this season after three more losses this week. They plummeted all the way to No. 22, dropping 13 spots — but if trends continue, we’ll likely see them back near the top half once they get some home games under their belt. The biggest risers this week were the Chicago Bulls, pulling off two unlikely wins with their main scorers sidelined. They jumped 10 spots to No. 17, which tells you how bad things had gotten in recent weeks.

Happy December, and here are this week’s NBA Power Rankings.