NBA Power Rankings: Which teams met expectations, and which missed entirely? - ESPN

The 2024-25 NBA regular season wraps up Sunday but all eyes will be on Wednesday's clash between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks (ESPN, 7:30 p.m. ET). Luka Doncic returns to Dallas for the first time following his blockbuster trade to the Lakers in February, in what should be a highly charged atmosphere at American Airlines Center.

Another key game Wednesday is the Sacramento Kings hosting the Denver Nuggets (ESPN, 10:30 p.m. ET), who'll be taking the court for the first time since Tuesday's firing of Michael Malone as coach. Denver's stunning move — the second late-season firing of an NBA coach — leaves one of the strongest teams in the Western Conference, led by MVP candidate Nikola Jokic, with an uncertain future.

Amid that, top playoff contenders are aiming to lock up their postseason spots, while teams at the bottom of the standings (notably the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards) will await their fate for the No. 1 pick.

Ahead of the final days of the regular season, our NBA insiders break down whether each team met or missed preseason expectations in our last edition of the season's Power Rankings.

Note: Team rankings are based on where members of our panel (ESPN's Tim Bontemps, Jamal Collier, Michael Wright, Tim MacMahon, Dave McMenamin, Ohm Youngmisuk and Chris Herring) think teams belong this season.

Previous rankings: Preseason | Oct. 30 | Nov. 5 | Nov. 13 | Nov. 20 | Nov. 27 | Dec. 4 | Dec. 11 | Dec. 18 | Dec. 25 | Jan. 1 | Jan. 8 | Jan. 15 | Jan. 22 | Jan. 29 | Feb. 5 | Feb. 12 | Feb. 26 | March 5 | March 12 | March 19 | March 26 | April 2

Jump to a team:
ATL | BOS | BKN | CHA | CHI | CLE
DAL | DEN | DET | GS | HOU | IND
LAC | LAL | MEM | MIA | MIL | MIN
NO | NY | OKC | ORL | PHI | PHX
POR | SAC |