Nuggets climb back into top-3 of Power Rankings, surrounded by East teams

It seems like order has been restored when it comes to how the NBA world views the Nuggets.

ESPN debuted their latest Power Rankings on Wednesday morning, and the Nuggets are back at No. 3 in the league, surrounded by teams from the Eastern Conference. The Bucks are No. 1, the Celtics No. 2 and the 76ers No. 4. Memphis is the next team from the West, slotting in at No. 5.

Denver had fallen to fourth each of the last two weeks, as they endured their worst stretch of the year by losing five of six games between March 8 and March 18. Nikola Jokic’s MVP odds took a hit during that time, but he looks to be back on track to win the award after Joel Embiid tapped out of playing him on Monday night in Denver.

Here’s what ESPN wrote about the Nuggets checking in as the third-best team in the NBA right now…

The Nuggets seem to be coming out of their rough patch of the season, picking up wins over the Bucks and 76ers. And Nikola Jokic is continuing his strong campaign for his third consecutive MVP Award, becoming just the third player in NBA history to have at least 10 games in a season in which he posts 20 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.

It is curious that Denver beat the Bucks, and MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo, handily on Saturday night, but didn’t pass them in the rankings. Perhaps one win wasn’t enough to do that trick, and Milwaukee’s overall record is three games better.

Still, it’s good to see the Nuggets continuing to earn national respect, both from a team perspective and individual one when it come’s to Jokic’s case for a third-straight MVP.

Denver holds a comfortable three-game lead over Memphis in the West, and it would take a total collapse to not be the top-seed in the Western Conference playoffs. The Suns, who are a trendy pick to beat the Nuggets in the postseason and go to the NBA Finals, checked in at No. 8 overall in these Power Rankings.

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