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Last week's rankings in parentheses.

30. New York Knicks (30)

The Knicks have lost seven straight, but at least everyone involved in the tankfest is getting a chance to shine. New York has had a different leading scorer in each of its last six games. The list includes Noah Vonleh, Allonzo Trier, DeAndre Jordan, Dennis Smith Jr., Damyean Dotson and Emmanuel Mudiay.

In other positive, tampering-adjacent news, owner James Dolan is very confident his team's free-agency plans will work out.

They'd better.

29. Cleveland Cavaliers (29)

Cleveland logged its largest margin of victory this season when it took down the Raptors by 25 points Monday. Collin Sexton scored 28 points in that one—part of a three-game stretch from March 8 to March 12 in which he averaged 27 per contest on 58.2 percent shooting. Even more encouragingly, he drilled 11 of his 19 three-point tries during that hot streak.

If he can come anywhere close to that level of scoring efficiency on increased volume going forward, Sexton's ceiling will rise significantly.

28. Chicago Bulls (24)

Tuesday's loss to the Lakers officially eliminated the Bulls from the playoffs, but there's a lot to like about the team's outlook. A respectable 6-6 over the last month, Chicago will head into the offseason with a core of Zach LaVine, Otto Porter Jr., Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr., plus a good shot at the top pick and upward of $19 million in cap space.

Still, the Bulls are 1-5 in their last six games and will proceed cautiously with LaVine's injured knee. If we don't see much of him for the rest of the year, it won't be a surprise.

27. Dallas Mavericks (27)

"Honestly, I wasn't 100 percent, but I want to play," Luka Doncic told ESPN's Tim MacMahon after he posted 12 points on 5-of-18 shooting (including a shocking 1-of-9 effort from the foul line) in Tuesday's loss to the Spurs.

That's a laudable mindset for a young player, but the Mavs have no incentive to push him with zero playoff hope and lottery odds that need improving. Of course, robbing the public of performances like Thursday's, in which Doncic crammed home what was game-winning dunk against the Nuggets until Nikola Jokic's buzzer-beater one-upped it, would be cruel.

Dallas is 1-12 in its last 13 games, but Doncic means there'll always be a reason to watch.

26. Phoenix Suns (28)

Welp! You can't leave the Suns ranked in the bottom three when they've got a winning record in March and shocking victories over the Bucks and Warriors less than a week apart.

Devin Booker pasted the Warriors for 37 points and 11 assists in Sunday's 115-111 stunner, and Deandre Ayton is stringing decent defensive stretches together more often as the season winds down.

Organizational dysfunction remains the prevailing narrative, but the blossoming talent is undeniable. Before anyone gets too excited, keep in mind Phoenix is still a 16-win team.