Dunkel NBA Rankings Recap for Tuesday, April 27, 2021

We are back with another version of the Dunkel Index NBA Rankings for Tuesday, April 27th. Teams are clinching their spots in the postseason, and others are becoming mathematically eliminated from postseason races. We will see our playoff pairings before long and expect a really awesome postseason. Be sure to check out the latest Dunkel NBA Rankings to see where the teams have moved from last week!

Jazz Remain at the Top

The Utah Jazz remain at the top of the rankings, despite a head-scratching loss on Monday to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Mike Conley had 26 points in the loss, but they couldn’t quite figure out Minnesota. In fact, the loss was the second straight to one of the worst teams in the NBA - Minnesota. The NBA is a tough game to figure out. Regardless of that, Utah holds a one-game lead in the West over Phoenix and two over the Utah Jazz.

West Dominate

The top four teams in the rankings this week are all out of the Western Conference. We mentioned Utah is at the top. Coming in behind the Jazz are the Suns, Clippers, and Nuggets in that order. Playoff positioning will be important, and those four teams are separated by just four games. As of right now - the fourth seed would get the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. The Lakers are 2.5 games ahead of Dallas for fifth in the West. Speaking of the Lakers, they check in at #8 in the latest rankings.

Playoff Push

The Eastern Conference is going to be an interesting one to watch to see who comes away with the final playoff spots. The Celtics, Heat, and Hornets look to be in decent spots right now, as the 6-8, but Indiana is just a game behind the Hornets. Remember - 10 teams make the postseason, and a play-in game is made. The top 6 teams do not have to play in the play-in, so right now, Boston holds ½ game lead. But, the fight for the 10th spot will be interesting, with Washington up a game on both the Bulls and Raptors. In the latest rankings, Boston was 12th, Miami 16th, Hornets 17th, Raptors 21, Wizards 22, and Bulls 23.

Houston Top Pick?

The Houston Rockets now have the worst record in the National Basketball Association. Are they going to grab the top pick? We will find that out soon. But, the Rockets have also moved to last in the latest rankings. Houston is just below Minnesota, who is behind Oklahoma City, Detroit, and Orlando to wrap up the rankings. Minnesota and Orlando have 18 wins, while Detroit and Oklahoma City are at 20.

There you have it. Some interesting moving and shaking going on this week in the National Basketball Association. As always - check out all of our Dunkel Index rankings, but be sure to take a look at the latest Dunkel NBA Rankings!