http://www.nba.com/features/power_rankings.html High jump of the week: Washington (+10) Free fall of the week: Houston (-10) TEAM (LAST WK) REC. BREAKDOWN 1 Detroit (1) 23-3 The Pistons seem unbeatable right now, but they face the next two best teams in the East this week: home against Miami on Thursday (8 ET on TNT) and a Saturday matinee in Cleveland. 2 Dallas (2) 21-7 After last week's hiccup in L.A., the Mavs have returned to their winning ways and getting Jerry Stackhouse back will only help. 3 San Antonio (3) 22-7 The Spurs welcomed Manu back on Tuesday. They could have used the extra firepower in Detroit on Christmas Day. 4 Miami (4) 17-12 The Heat play nine of their next 10 games on the road, including Thursday's feature matchup in Detroit. 5 Memphis (6) 16-10 Amazingly, the Grizzlies are one of only two teams (the other being Orlando) who have not won a game that they trailed after three quarters. 6 Cleveland (9) 17-10 Despite their six-game winning streak that ended in New Jersey Tuesday, the Cavs will be at just .500 for the month of December if they don't beat the Pistons on Saturday. 7 L.A. Clippers (5) 16-11 With L.A. losing six of eight, Nets management is starting to feel a little bit better about that unprotected Clippers pick they hold in 2006. 8 Phoenix (10) 16-10 Three double-doubles out of your starters is a nice way to start a five-game road trip. 9 New Jersey (17) 16-12 Carter is the player of the week, Kidd approaches a triple-double almost every game and RJ is 17-of-19 from the field in the last two nights. The Nets are rolling. 10 Milwaukee (7) 15-11 Nothing this season was scarier than T.J. Ford's fall Tuesday night in Miami. Fortunately, Ford thinks he'll be fine. 11 Indiana (8) 15-11 Losing three straight might make the Pacers a little more anxious to sort out the Ron Artest situation. All three losses were to teams in this week's Top Six though. 12 Philadelphia (18) 15-13 With Tuesday night's thrilling win in Denver, the Sixers are now 8-2 against the Western Conference. Friday's loss in Atlanta put them at 3-9 against the Central and Southeast divisions. 13 L.A. Lakers (11) 15-13 The Lakers have come down a bit from the high of Kobe's 62 in the big win over the Mavs. Still, they gave the Heat a great game in Miami on Christmas Day. 14 Minnesota (13) 13-12 The Wolves have lost six of seven (including a home loss to Portland) and they're losing their grip on the Northwest Division. 15 Denver (19) 14-15 Tuesday night's loss to Philly opened a six-game homestand that could help the Nuggets catch Minnesota. 16 Washington (26) 12-14 Three straight quality wins vault the Wizards 10 spots in this week's rankings. They can rise even higher with wins over Phoenix and/or Miami this week. 17 Seattle (21) 12-14 As disappointing as the Sonics have been, they're only a game and a half out of first, and they can really help themselves this week with games in Minnesota and Denver. 18 Golden State (12) 14-14 The Warriors are at .500 for the first time since the first week of the season and have one more game on this short homestand before hitting the road for three against the tough Southwest. 19 Utah (20) 13-16 With all the games Jazz players have missed to injury this season, they'll happily benefit from the 1/2 game that T-Mac missed on Tuesday for the birth of his child. 20 NO/Okla City (14) 11-15 With games against the Spurs and Mavs coming up later in the week, the Hornets really want to get a win Wednesday night against Houston. 21 Boston (24) 11-15 Giving up 118 points and 20 offensive boards to Seattle is not a good way to start a five-game road trip. 22 Chicago (16) 12-15 They've lost four straight, but don't give up on the Bulls yet. Tyson Chandler is feeling better and they play nine of their next 12 at home. 23 Orlando (22) 10-15 The Magic ended their four-game skid with a nice win over the Bucks. They have two winnable games at home before hitting the road for seven of eight. 24 Sacramento (23) 11-17 The Kings ended their five-game skid with a nice win over the Clippers. They're at home for four straight before hitting the road for nine of 12. 25 Houston (15) 10-16 Congratulations T-Mac. Next time you leave at halftime though, please leave the Rockets' offense at the arena. 26 Charlotte (27) 9-19 The Bobcats have won three of four with Kareem rush out and the two point guards (Knight and Felton) playing together. 27 Portland (28) 9-18 The Blazers could have done a lot worse than splitting a four-game road trip. They have won two straight for just the second time this season. 28 Atlanta (25) 7-19 The Hawks are playing much better, but they need to get an early lead to win. They are 1-15 when trailing at halftime. 29 Toronto (29) 6-22 After a week that included games in San Antonio and Detroit, the Raps will be happy to know that four of their next five are against teams in the bottom eight of this week's rankings. 30 New York (30) 7-19 A win over the Jazz provided some temporary relief from what has been an ugly situation in New York this season.
