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25. Washington Wizards (20)

Sorry, but wins over the Bulls and Cavs this week don't do much for the Wizards, who sit 10 games below .500 and own the league's sixth-worst defensive rating over the last calendar month.

Turns out Trevor Ariza wasn't the defensive panacea so many thought he'd be. In fact, according to a stunning stat from NBA.com's John Schuhmann, Ariza has had the biggest negative defensive impact in the league among players who've logged at least 750 minutes. Both Phoenix and Washington's defenses have been 9.8 points per 100 possessions better with him off the court.

24. Dallas Mavericks (21)

Luka Doncic is on pace to join Oscar Robertson as the only rookies in league history to average 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists per game in a season. And if the stats don't get you juiced about Doncic's campaign, how does hitting James Harden with a step-back three strike you?

Dallas has lost three of its last four games, but it's pretty much impossible to be down on the team's big-picture outlook as Doncic makes history and doesn't blink against the league's established superstars.

23. Atlanta Hawks (22)

Trae Young is still a disaster on defense, but February has been his most productive scoring and facilitating month. He put up 22 points, 14 assists and six boards to help beat the Lakers on Tuesday, and he's up to 39.6 percent on threes in February after he failed to crack 35 percent in any previous month.

Atlanta is 3-4 in its last seven games and continues to outperform expectations—the ugly loss to New York on Thursday notwithstanding. With Jeremy Lin gone to Toronto, Young's role will only grow. He seems more ready than ever to handle it.

22. New Orleans Pelicans (24)

"We sucked," Anthony Davis told reporters after he scored three points in a 118-88 no-show defeat against Orlando on Tuesday. "Nobody was interested in playing. That's what it looked like."

The lack of engagement was obvious in that defeat, but credit the Pels for going 3-2 in their last five and beating a tough Thunder team Thursday. Davis left the OKC game (and the arena) at halftime with a shoulder injury, but Jrue Holiday, who played fantastic defense against Paul George, led New Orleans to the victory.

Depending on what happens with AD's shoulder, we could see a lot more of Holiday in a primary role.

21. Orlando Magic (25)



Don't look now, but the Magic, presumed to be lottery-bound toast several times in these rankings, are within a half-game of the East's eighth playoff spot.

Jonathan Isaac continues to play the best ball of his short career, posting three of the four highest-scoring outputs of his season this past week with 17 points in wins against the Bucks and Hawks and 20 against the Pelicans. Still defined by his defensive potential, Isaac also grounded human pogo stick John Collins with three blocks on a single possession.

Though in his second season, Isaac has only played 80 career games. We might be seeing his official sophomore breakout...just a little later than expected.