It has been three weeks since the 2026-27 NBA regular season opened and there have already been three different teams to top this list.
That has been the state of play thus far, as no team has begun to separate itself as a dominant force – at least not yet.
But if there is one theme that has emerged, it’s that potent offenses are ruling the day, and no player has been leading his team’s scoring more than Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić, who is putting up Wilt Chamberlain-like numbers.
Here are the Week 3 USA TODAY Sports NBA power rankings:
NBA Week 3 power rankings: Nos. 30-21
30. Sacramento Kings, 1-10 (—)
Though he has been inefficient, rookie Darius Acuff Jr. has been a bright spot. There haven’t been many others.
29. Chicago Bulls, 1-8 (—)
As they have most of the season, the Bulls remain dead last in net rating and it’s not even close,
with an abysmally poor mark of -16.2. In fact, they’re ranked dead last in several major metrics.
28. Utah Jazz, 1-10 (-1)
Practically all of their impact veterans are injured, and coach Will Hardy even appeared to mouth to himself on the sidelines during a recent game about how bad Utah has been.
27. Milwaukee Bucks, 1-10 (-1)
Losers of seven consecutive, the Bucks have faced tough competition recently. Either way, the offense, which ranks 29th in points per game with 106.3, isn’t capable enough to compete with below-average teams, either.
26. Brooklyn Nets, 2-8 (+2)
They simply have not found a third (or fourth) scoring option behind Michael Porter Jr. and Julius Randle.
25. Los Angeles Clippers, 2-8 (—)
As long as the Clippers continue to commit turnovers at the pace they do – 18.5 per game – the offense won’t be able to sustain consistency.
24. New Orleans Pelicans, 4-7 (-2)
It looks like that four-game win streak in the middle of the second week of the season was a mirage; the Pels have now lost three consecutive and allowed 138.5 points per game over their last two.
23. Indiana Pacers, 3-8 (—)
Since Tyrese Haliburton went down with a left hamstring strain, the Pacers have gone 1-6.
22. Charlotte Hornets, 4-7 (-3)
No team has a worse shooting percentage in the NBA than Charlotte, which is converting baskets at just 40%, a full 10 points lower than the Lakers (50.7%), the squad leading the category.
21. Orlando Magic, 3-7 (—)
It looks like this team just won’t be competitive without Paolo Banchero, who has now missed seven games.
NBA Week 3 power rankings: Nos. 20-11
20. Washington Wizards, 4-7 (-2)
There had been some promise – AJ Dybantsa has flashed some nifty moves at times – but a four-game losing skid has zapped any juice from these new-look Wizards.
19. Phoenix Suns, 4-6 (+5)
It has been a wildly inconsistent start of the season for the Suns, who are suffering from the dip in scoring by Dillon Brooks. He’s averaging 14.9 points per game, down from 20.2 last season.
18. Cleveland Cavaliers, 5-6 (-6)
In a recent game, the Hornets were missing three starters, two of whom are their best scorers: Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller and Moussa Diabate. The full-strength Cavs lost by 12.
17. Memphis Grizzlies, 7-3 (-8)
The Grizzlies have cooled off a touch since their blazing start to the season, losing three of their last four.
16. Miami Heat, 5-6 (+4)
Things have certainly been better since that horrid start, and they have had some tough defensive luck, but defensive rebounding, consistency with their 3-point shooting and finding a secondary scorer to complement Giannis Antetokounmpo are still issues.
15. Denver Nuggets, 5-4 (+2)
They’ve lacked pop and don’t have a single victory over a team with a winning record.
14. Toronto Raptors, 5-5 (-1)
After essentially alternating wins and losses, it appears the Raptors may be getting some good news, as Kawhi Leonard (knee swelling) is due to be reevaluated soon.
13. Dallas Mavericks, 7-4 (+3)
It’s clear the Mavericks are going to have flashes of brilliance when Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving are in sync the way they’ve been this week.
12. Atlanta Hawks, 7-5 (+3)
They’re continuing to share the ball, leading the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.10) and assists per game (31.7), and they’ve won four of their last five.
11. New York Knicks, 6-4 (+3)
They’ve won four in a row. The offense has been solid, though certainly not as crisp as it was during their magical postseason run.
NBA Week 3 power rankings: Top 10
10. Houston Rockets, 8-3 (-9)
After topping this list last week, Houston went just 1-2 and the common thread was a starting five that lacked the scoring pop it had in the first two weeks of the season.
9. Golden State Warriors, 8-3 (+2)
After dropping their first three games of the season, the Warriors have ripped off eight consecutive and Stephen Curry, at 38 years old, has played his way into the (very, very early) MVP conversation.
8. Detroit Pistons, 7-3 (-5)
Without Jalen Duren (hamstring), Cade Cunningham’s assist numbers are down significantly, from 9.9 per game last season, to 7.6.
7. Portland Trail Blazers, 7-3 (+1)
They had a brutal stretch of games against the Lakers, Spurs and Thunder. They went 1-2 and now have Oklahoma City, the team Portland toppled Tuesday, in a two-day back-to-back.
6. Oklahoma City Thunder, 8-3 (-2)
With all their injuries, there are just going to be nights like Tuesday, when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander simply didn’t have enough to outgun the shot-happy Trail Blazers.
5. Minnesota Timberwolves, 8-3 (+5)
Even with Anthony Edwards (knee) out for an extended period, the Timberwolves have remained competitive and Ayo Dosunmu, who’s averaging 23.8 points per game over his last five, has stepped up nicely.
4. Philadelphia 76ers, 9-3 (-2)
Perhaps Jaylen Brown allowed emotion to dictate his approach Tuesday against the Celtics. One other key issue in that loss: the Sixers uncharacteristically allowed turnovers to snowball into 21 points off of those giveaways.
3. Boston Celtics, 9-2 (+4)
In the first true test about whether Boston made the right choice to ship Jaylen Brown to the 76ers, Paul George erupted for 36 points and made six 3s while Brown struggled through early foul trouble to only 13 points.
2. San Antonio Spurs, 9-2 (+4)
They own the NBA’s longest winning streak at nine games, Victor Wembanyama is back to posting absolutely monster stat lines and San Antonio is playing with excellent cohesion.
1. Los Angeles Lakers, 10-2 (+5)
They may not be generating a ton of assists relative to their made field goals, but Luka Dončić (39.3 points per game) is on a historic start and overseeing the NBA’s best offense, which is averaging 121.5 points per 100 possessions.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA power rankings: Luka Dončić, Lakers on a tear as top team shifts again
