Craig Mitchelldyer | USA TODAY Sports

By Jake Pavorsky | For NJ Advance Media

Another week of NBA basketball has come and gone, and it brought some spectacular finishes. From Blake Griffin's game-winning three against the Portland Trail Blazers and Eric Gordon's buzzer beater against the Sixers, to Aaron Gordon's 41 points against the Brooklyn Nets, there was plenty of action to go around.

Some of the league's premier teams continue to struggle out of the gate, and a few unexpected Eastern Conference teams have climbed their way towards the top.

Here are the NBA power rankings for the week of Oct. 30.

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30. Atlanta Hawks (1-6) Last week: 29

Atlanta’s had a fairly easy start to their schedule this year, but haven’t been remotely competitive in most of them. They’ve lost to the Hornets, Nets, and Bulls by a combined 35 points. Their only win of the year came against the lowly Dallas Mavericks, and even that was a nail biter.

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29. Dallas Mavericks (1-6) Last week: 28

Unlike the Hawks, Dallas has had a murder’s row of opponents to start their season. The Mavericks faced the Rockets, Warriors, and Grizzlies (twice) all over the course of six days. They were able to steal one victory against the Grizzlies, but they’re the NBA’s second worst defensive team currently, and it’s shown.

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28. Chicago Bulls (1-4) Last week: 30

The “Baby Bulls” showed some fight against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, falling to the Eastern Conference champions by just seven points. But they followed that up a few days later with a not-so-nice performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder, allowing 101 points while scoring just 69. Lauri Markkanen has been the one bright spot for Chicago; he’s averaging a near double-double to start his rookie season.

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27. Sacramento Kings (1-5) Last week: 21

After beating the Mavericks last week, the Kings went on a three-game skid. Head coach Dave Joerger tried to shake things up against the Wizards on Sunday by starting rookies De’Aaron Fox and Bogdan Bogdanovic with Buddy Hield, Willie Cauley-Stein, and Skal Labissiere. The starters combined for 40 points, and the team lost by 27. Growing pains may be a common theme there.

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26. Phoenix Suns (2-4) Last week: 29

The turmoil filled Suns are looking up since getting rid of Eric Bledsoe. They won two straight games over the Jazz and Kings, giving them their first wins of the year. 27-year-old rookie Mike James has been electric for the Suns, averaging 11.2 points and shooting nearly 42 percent from three.

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Andrew Dieb | USA TODAY Sports

25. Philadelphia 76ers (2-4) Last week: 26

The Sixers are beginning to find their rhythm after beginning the season on a three-game skid. If they could figure out how to close games out, they'd potentially have two victories over the Wizards and Rockets. For now, that's still an area of improvement. Ben Simmons looks like a shoo-in for Rookie of the Year early on.

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24. Los Angeles Lakers (2-4) Last week: 24

Before the Wizards came to Tinseltown, John Wall told the media he planned to show “no mercy” towards rookie Lonzo Ball. Wall may have won the statistical battle, but the Lakers pulled out an impressive victory at home. Ball’s season has been an up and down so far, but he looks like he’s going to be the right guy to lead the Lakers.

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23. New York Knicks (2-3) Last week: 27

Could Kristaps Porzingis be a darkhorse MVP candidate? He’s currently averaging 26.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. His 35 points against the Cavaliers propelled the Knicks to a 19-point win.

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22. Miami Heat (2-3) Last week: 19

The Heat were given the chance to prove themselves with two games against some of the NBA’s elite teams, the Celtics and Spurs, but came up short in both. Miami will need some more help from Dion Waiters, who converted on just two of his eight shot attempts against the Celtics.

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21. Charlotte Hornets (3-3) Last week: 20

Charlotte will have to ride Kemba Walker until the wheels fall off. He’s averaging 24 points per game so far this season, and dropped 34 points in the Hornets win over what’s looking to be a difficult Magic team.

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Noah K. Murray | USA TODAY Sports

20. Brooklyn Nets (3-4) Last week: 14

Brooklyn was able to take down the Cavaliers last Wednesday, but then followed it up with two straight losses to the Knicks and Nuggets. They’re still the NBA’s third best offense, averaging 115.3 points per game.

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19. Denver Nuggets (3-3) Last week: 18

Denver’s win over the Nets on Sunday was the first time all season where Jamal Murray and Emmanuel Mudiay both played well. The pair combined for 41 points on 26 shots in their 124-111 win over the Nets. If those two can be consistent, Denver will have solid guard play in both their starting and bench unit.

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18. Cleveland Cavaliers (3-4) Last week: 4

These Cavaliers do not look like a team that has won two straight Eastern Conference titles. They’ve lost three straight games, and the past two were by a combined 41 points. Their defense looks atrocious, and they don’t have any quality shot creators outside of LeBron James. Until Isaiah Thomas makes his debut, Kyrie Irving will be dearly missed.

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17. Oklahoma City Thunder (3-3) Last week: 16

Oklahoma City is still trying to find a winning formula amongst their three stars. A 32-point victory over the Bulls might be enough to help get them on the same page, however.

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16. Indiana Pacers (3-3) Last week: 23

The Paul George trade looks better for the Pacers with each passing game. Victor Oladipo, the centerpiece of the deal, is currently averaging 26.2 points per game, and his three-pointer helped lift the Pacers over the Spurs on Monday. Domantas Sabonis chipped in 22 points (on a perfect 9-9 shooting) to go with 12 rebounds in the team’s victory.

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Russell Isabella | USA TODAY Sports

15. Utah Jazz (3-3) Last week: 10

The Jazz have the NBA’s sixth best defense, but are averaging just 94.3 points per game, good for second worst in the league. They’re certainly beginning to feel the effects of Gordon Hayward’s departure.

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14. Minnesota Timberwolves (3-3) Last week: 9

Minnesota pulled out two victories over the Thunder in a span of five days, but they were separated by two twenty-point losses to the Pistons and Pacers. The Timberwolves will need to find some balance, particularly on the defensive end, if they want to make the jump to the playoffs this year.

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13. New Orleans Pelicans (3-3) Last week: 22

In the Pelicans victory over the Cavaliers, DeMarcus Cousins, Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday, and E’Twaun Moore combined for 112 points. The rest of the team combined for just 13. That’s not necessarily a winning formula, but as long as Cousins and Davis stay hot, the Pelicans will continue to roll.

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12. Portland Trail Blazers (4-2) Last week: 13

Portland had a chance to prove themselves to be amongst the Western Conference’s most elite teams, but a buzzer beater loss to the Los Angeles Clippers spoiled that. Their dynamic guard play will continue to make them a threat in the West.

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11. Orlando Magic (4-2) Last week: 15

Somehow, someway, the Orlando Magic hold the Eastern Conference’s best record right now. They own the league’s third best offense, and a large part of their success is due to the impact of Aaron Gordon. He currently leads the team in points (23.7) and rebounds (9.7). They’re bound to run into some roadblocks soon, but for now they’ve been a pleasure to watch.

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Gary A. Vasquez | USA TODAY Sports

10. Toronto Raptors (3-2) Last week: 3

Toronto has rolled through some of their easier opponents, but their two losses came against the Warriors and the Spurs. On the plus side, Toronto is third in the league in three-point attempts. They’re not necessarily falling, but at least Dwane Casey has realized that his team needs to get with the times.

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9. Detroit Pistons (5-2) Last week: 11

Andre Drummond and the Pistons continue to turn some heads to start this NBA season. They've knocked off the Timberwolves, Clippers, and Warriors for three straight victories. Point guard Reggie Jackson looks much improved after a disappointing 2016-17 season, and they've got three other scorers averaging double figures.

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8. San Antonio Spurs (4-2) Last week: 7

The Spurs are continuing to get the job done without the presence of Kawhi Leonard on the floor. LaMarcus Aldridge has carried the bulk of the offensive load, averaging 25.6 points per game. But how much longer can he do it for?

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7. Washington Wizards (4-2) Last week: 2

The Wizards wrapped up their West Coast road trip on Sunday, finishing 2-2 during their time away from D.C. But the trio of John Wall, Bradley Beal, and Otto Porter continue to roll. They combined for 50 of the Wizards’ 110 points in the win over the Kings.

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6. Milwaukee Bucks (4-2) Last week: 5

Giannis Antetokounmpo should be the favorite to win MVP at this point in the season. He’s averaging 34.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 6.0 assists over the team’s past five games. They’ll go as far as he can carry them.

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Maddie Meyer | Getty Images

5. Boston Celtics (4-2) Last week: 17

The Celtics system has turned into the Kyrie Irving show with Gordon Hayward likely out for the entire season, and it’s paying dividends so far. He’s had at least 20 points in each of the team’s four straight victories, including 24 on national television against the Bucks.

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4.Golden State Warriors (4-3) Last week: 12

The Warriors certainly have some things that they're going to need to clean up as the season progresses. They turned the ball over 25 times against the Pistons, and allowed them to shoot over 44 percent from three. But Golden State did manage to pick up two wins over the Wizards and Raptors, two of the Eastern Conference's elite, over the course of the past week. There should be little concern about them.

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3. Houston Rockets (5-2) Last week: 1

The Rockets are feeling the effects of not having Chris Paul. They scored less than 100 points in their two losses to the Grizzlies. However, Eric Gordon is playing some of the best basketball of his life. He’s just behind James Harden on the team in scoring, averaging 24.8 points per game.

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2. Memphis Grizzlies (5-1) Last week: 8

The Memphis Grizzlies may be the NBA’s best story to start the season. They’ve got wins over the Warriors and Rockets (twice), and they’ve only given up 100 points once this season. Grint and Grind might be done in Memphis, but playing lockdown defense certainly is not.

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1. Los Angeles Clippers (4-1) Last week: 6

Blake Griffin looks like a man on a mission for the Clippers this year. He’s averaging almost 25 points per game, and he’s even stretched out his shooting range to the three-point line. Griffin’s shooting 41.4 percent from three, and knocked one down at the buzzer to down the Trail Blazers. Chris Paul’s departure looks to be bringing out the best in the Clippers big man.

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Jake Pavorsky | For NJ Advance Media

Jake Pavorsky may be reached at jake.pavorsky@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JakePavorsky. Find NJ.com on Facebook.