Welcome to the fourth edition of The British Playbook’s NBA Power Rankings (06/03 to 12/03), a weekly release throughout the season. I have been editing this list consistently as the season has played out, updating the order daily based on team performance, strength of opponent and results. I also adjust the rankings based on scale of win or defeat to attempt to truly reflect the dynamic climate of the NBA. Welcome to The British Playbook Power Rankings for the 2019-20 NBA season.

This week’s edition consists of a smaller slate of games to which I can reference, following the outbreak of the global pandemic COVID-19. As of March 11th, the NBA has been suspended to protect the health of all involved in the league.

Team of the Week: Los Angeles Lakers

Oof, this was a very difficult decision. The Brooklyn Nets have been on a fantastic run, and honestly are deserving of this accolade - particularly after they beat the Lakers in LA. However, I found it difficult to relegate the Lakers because they saw off the Bucks and the Clippers in the past week - two genuine championship contenders. After calculating each team’s strength of schedule, factoring in their record and points differential for this week, the Lakers just edge out the impressive Nets. The Lakers went into the weekend needing some big performances to see off the other teams in TBP’s top three from last week, and they absolutely stepped up. Behind LeBron James, the Lakers unsettled and defeated the Bucks before claiming the win over city rivals, the Clippers, following a tremendous performance in the third and fourth quarter. They slipped to a home defeat against the Nets on Tuesday night, a result which would’ve been a triumph had Anthony Davis sunk the three-pointer at the buzzer. It was a big week for the Lakers, and as a result they have finally assumed top spot in these rankings for the first time this season.