Piston Powered NBA Power Rankings: November 9th through November 15th

Nov 14, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Reggie Jackson (1) attempts a shot defended by Los Angeles Clippers guard Austin Rivers (25) in front of center DeAndre Jordan (6) during the first quarter at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 14, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Reggie Jackson (1) attempts a shot defended by Los Angeles Clippers guard Austin Rivers (25) in front of center DeAndre Jordan (6) during the first quarter at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 15, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) calls out during the third quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at Madison Square Garden. New York Knicks won 95-87. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 15, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) calls out during the third quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at Madison Square Garden. New York Knicks won 95-87. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /

New York Knicks. 20. team. 27. The New York Knicks got their first signature win last week, defeating the Toronto Raptors on the road by a 111-109 score. They followed that up the next night with a close 95-93 defeat to the Charlotte Hornets, and then losing a close 90-84 decision to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Knicks aren’t blowing anybody’s mind at this point, but facing them is no longer an easy night at the office.. 5-6. Previous: 22nd

team. 73. What happens with the Denver Nuggets is less interesting than the development of rookie point guard Emmanuel Mudiay. The Nuggets are more or less done for the year, with Wilson Chandler being ruled out for the season with a hip injury. The 19-year old Mudiay, however, seems to be coming along. His turnovers per game are down to 4.7 from 5.3 a week ago, and he had two games last week with 11 assists. He had nine turnovers in one of those games, a 107-98 victory over the Houston Rockets, but it’s clear to see he’s learning to make better decisions with the ball.. 5-5. Previous: 25th. Denver Nuggets. 19

5-5. Previous: 18th. Charlotte Hornets. 18. team. 170. The Charlotte Hornets are proving to be upwardly mobile, creeping up to 18th in these rankings after starting off at 27th in our first edition two weeks ago. The Hornets are beating the teams they should so far, and are able to put a scare into some teams they shouldn’t, having a two point loss to the Atlanta Hawks and a five point loss to the Chicago Bulls under their belt so far. I wasn’t impressed by Charlotte coming into the season, and even less so when Michael Kidd-Gilchrist went down with a season ending injury, but the Hornets might find themselves in the playoff mix.

Detroit Pistons. 17. team. 64. The Detroit Pistons aren’t this week’s biggest free-fallers– that distinction goes to the Houston Rockets who dropped from sixth to 24th– but they’re close. The Pistons probably aren’t as bad as they looked this past week, just like they weren’t as good as their record indicated the first week and a half of the season. As with most things, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. The next week won’t be kind to the Pistons. They face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday, then go on the road to play the surprising Minnesota Timberwolves. They then play the Washington Wizards and the Milwaukee Bucks. Three of those games are winnable, but if they play like they have this past week things could get ugly in Auburn Hills.. 5-5. Previous: 3rd

Milwaukee Bucks. 16. team. 89. The Milwaukee Bucks are certainly not as bad as they seemed after the first three games of the season in which they went 0-3. Now 5-5, how much better are they? That’s a tough question to answer. They did defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers on the Cavs home floor Saturday night, but they also lost 99-83 at home to the Boston Celtics. It’s worth noting, however, that the Bucks are 5-1 in games where Jabari Parker plays and 0-4 when he doesn’t. He’s only averaging 22 minutes per game in spite of the fact that he’s started all five, but he’s trying to get back into game shape after missing most of last season and the first few games of this season. His minutes will go up, and we’ll get to see if this is an anomaly.. 5-5. Previous: 13th

Next: Nos. 15-11