Piston Powered NBA Power Rankings: Week 5

125. A month into the 2015-16 season, the Atlanta Hawks seem somewhat mediocre. Aside from a seven-game winning streak early in the year, the Hawks are 5-8. No team will look good if you subtract the best third of a season (other than the Warriors, who would still be 13-0 and lead the league in point differential), but the Hawks haven’t dispelled concerns that last year was an aberration. The Hawks will play the Raptors, the Lakers and the Mavericks over the course of the next week or so.. 12-8. Previous: 10th. Atlanta Hawks. 10. team

81. Until getting surprised at home by the Phoenix Suns in a 107-102 loss on Sunday, the Toronto Raptors were riding high on a four-game winning streak, with victories over teams like the Clippers and Cavaliers. The Raptors have the seventh-best offensive rating in the NBA, scoring 103 points per 100 possesions, and have the ninth-best defensive rating in the league with 99.5. That produces a net rating of +3.5, good for ninth in the league. The Raptors are expected to be without center Jonas Valanciunas for the next six weeks as he recovers from a fractured bone in his hand.. 11-7. Previous: 9th. Toronto Raptors. 9. team

10-8. Previous: 13th. Memphis Grizzlies. 8. team. 211. Don’t look now, the Memphis Grizzlies are back from the grave. They still have terrible offensive and defensive ratings thanks to the ungodly things the Golden State Warriors did to them in two meetings, but that just means that for now the eye test means more than the numbers with the Grizz. They’re not a young squad, but the addition of Mario Chalmers has provided something of a spark off the bench. Expect the Grizzlies to be right back where they belong near the top of the Western Conference standings before you know it.

Kevin Durant has four games back from the injury list under his belt, and the Thunder have won three of those four as a result, and four out of five overall. Durant has been pure fire since his return, scoring 29 points per game and adding 7.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.8 blocks. He has shot the cover off the ball, with splits of .563/.519/.957. Basketball fans everywhere are begging whatever deity they believe in for Durant to stay healthy, because there is no more electrifying presence on the court.. 11-7. Previous: 4th. Oklahoma City Thunder. 7. team. 149

Chicago Bulls. 6. team. 24. The Chicago Bulls have won six of their last eight games, and only one of those victories was by more than six points. That was a 111-88 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, which is basically a foregone conclusion. The Bulls have only two victories by more than six points all season, in fact, with the only other blowout victory being a 115-100 win against the Brooklyn Nets. The Bulls have a serious issue at the point guard position, with Derrick Rose putting up numbers similar to the atrocities being committed by Kobe Bryant. He’s scoring 13.4 points on splits of .357/.200/.788, and his effective field goal percentage is 37.2%. It’s no wonder the Bulls have the fourth-worst offensive rating in the NBA at 97.3 with production like that at the point guard posistion.. 10-5. Previous: 6th