The Marshfield Times presents: the second edition of our official NBA power rankings, written by John Hampton.

1. Golden State Warriors (21-3) – The Grizzlies made this a close call on Tuesday night. But their streak had to come to an end somewhere, and it’s better to lose to the second best team rather than anyone else.
2. Memphis Grizzlies (20-4) – The Grizzlies have been a model of consistency so far this season, as they have not lost to a bad team like others in the top 10 have struggled with. The win in the biggest game of the year so far on Tuesday proved they can play in big games too.
3. Portland Trail Blazers (19-6) – Losing Robin Lopez for a month will hurt, but Chris Kaman is having a career year and shouldn’t be any drop-off of production. Their biggest question over the next four weeks will be how to fill Kaman’s bench role.
4. Houston Rockets (18-5) – Dwight Howard finally returned to boost the league’s second best defense, which is surprising considering all the claims of James Harden never playing defense.
5. Los Angeles Clippers (17-7) – Dropping two in the past week extinguished some of the momentum from the rest of December, but the Clips aren’t going to move out of the playoff discussion in the west.
6. San Antonio Spurs (17-8) – Losing 3 of 5 games is something an elite NBA team- let alone the defending world champions- should do, regardless if Duncan and co. are taking games off.
7. Washington Wizards (18-6) – The Wizards lead the league in assists per game and have won 9 of their past 10. The team first- play has them looking like the best team in the east.
8. Atlanta (17-7)- The Hawks seem to be the Cinderella story of this NBA season. after finishing 38-44 last year, they have climbed to a 17-7 record so far in this young season.
9. Toronto (19-6) – The Raptors are finally starting to slip- as they have gone 6-4 in their past 10 games. That pace may lead them to a solid record, but won’t keep them at the top of the conference for long.
10. Oklahoma City Thunder (12-13) – How often do you see a team with a losing record in the top 10? The Thunder are the hottest team in the NBA in a 7 game in streak. The return Of Durant may vault them all the way back into the top of the payoff race in the west.
11. Cleveland Cavaliers
12. Dallas Mavericks
13. Chicago Bulls
14. New Orleans Pelicans
15. Milwaukie Bucks
16. Phoenix Suns
17. Miami Heat
18. Los Angeles Lakers
19. Brooklyn Nets
20. Sacramento Kings
21. Denver Nuggets
22. Orland Magic
23. Boston Celtics
24. Indiana Pacers
25. Charlotte Hornets
26. Utah Jazz
27. Detroit Pistons
28. Minnesota Timberwolves
29. New York Knicks
30. Philadelphia 76rs