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NBA Power Rankings: Surprise West Team Takes Over Thunder For Top Spot

The 2025-26 NBA season is upon us, and there have been a handful of surprises so far.

The season just started, yet it has already been action-packed, with stellar individual performances and some off-court drama. Injuries have piled up for a handful of teams, especially the Los Angeles Lakers.

LA has been down seven players at one point, including their superstars, LeBron James and Luka Doncic. Each is dealing with its own respective injuries, and we may not see this duo together on the court this season until mid-November, at the very best.

As for the rest of the NBA, there are only four undefeated teams through the first week of the season. Those undefeated teams include the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers and the Chicago Bulls.

Many expected the Thunder to be undefeated at this point, considering they are the defending champions; however, the other three come as quite a surprise.

The Spurs came into the season with high hopes, led by their French superstar, Victor Wembanyama, and he has yet to disappoint. The one-time All-Star is establishing himself as an MVP candidate early in this season, averaging 33.3 points per game, 13.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 6.0 blocks, and 1.7 steals in three games thus far and 32.7 minutes of action.

More news:Blockbuster Lakers Trade Idea Lands $195.9 Million Co-Star for Luka Doncic

San Antonio looks like the hottest team in the league, led by a player who could be the best in the league by the end of this season. Because of that, they land No. 1 in this week’s NBA power rankings.

For the rest, this is not the end-all, be-all. Teams have played roughly between three and four games thus far. There is still plenty of time for teams that started slowly to pick things up, and at the same time, some teams that started off hot could cool down as the season continues.

NBA Week 1 Power Rankings

San Antonio Spurs

Oklahoma City Thunder

Golden State Warriors

Cleveland Cavaliers

Milwaukee Bucks

Denver Nuggets

Philadpehia 76ers

New York Knicks

Los Angeles Clippers

Los Angeles Lakers

Detriot Pistons

Houston Rockets

Portland Trail Blazers

Minnesota Timberwolves

Chicago Bulls

Memphis Grizzlies

Dallas Mavericks

Utah Jazz

Charlotte Hornets

Miami Heat

Atlanta Hawks

Orlando Magic

Sacramento Kings

Toronto Raptors

Phoenix Suns

Washington Wizards

Boston Celtics

New Orleans Pelicans

Indiana Pacers

Brooklyn Nets

2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.

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