NBA Power Rankings - Here comes Kevin Durant, there go the Celtics

The NBA's plot is twisting in the final third of the 2022-23 regular season, and it could be just the beginning of more unexpected turns down the stretch.

The Boston Celtics have comfortably dominated the Eastern Conference this season but fell out of first place for the first time in 2023 after a lopsided loss to the New York Knicks on Monday. Boston now trails the Milwaukee Bucks by half a game in the standings.

Speaking of the Knicks, Tom Thibodeau's squad might be on track to reclaiming the heart of New York. With a six-game win streak, they have now surpassed their crosstown rival Brooklyn Nets in the standings. Despite some impressive moments from young players, the Nets haven't avoided the expected consequences of trading away Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, having lost seven of their past nine games, and are in danger of falling into the play-in tournament.

The other side of Brooklyn's trade deadline moves could soon cause turbulence in the Western Conference, too, as Durant is expected to make his debut for the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday against the Charlotte Hornets.

Note: Throughout the regular season, our panel (Kendra Andrews, Tim Bontemps, Jamal Collier, Nick Friedell, Andrew Lopez, Tim MacMahon, Dave McMenamin and Ohm Youngmisuk) is ranking all 30 teams from top to bottom, taking stock of which teams are playing the best basketball and which teams are looking most like title contenders.

Previous rankings: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13 | Week 14 | Week 15 | Week 16 | Week 17 | Week 18

1. Milwaukee Bucks 2022-23 record: 44-17 Previous ranking: 2

The Bucks have the best record in the NBA thanks to their 15-game winning