NBA Perfect Ten (Week of December 4th)

With slightly more than a quarter of the season down, things begin to round into form. The Champs are back in the rankings and the runners-up are trying to run away with things. So, without further ado, here is our fourth NBA Perfect 10 of 2022-23.

Perfect Ten (Week of December 4th)

#10. Golden State Warriors (+330/+700) - The defending champs make their first but certainly not last appearance in the Perfect 10. They are a unique blend of veterans and youth this year and Klay Thompson seems to be rounding into form. Oh and, Steph Curry is pretty good. Strengths: Three-point shooting, floor spacing and interchangeable defenders. Weaknesses: Age, motivation. Last Week’s Rank: Unranked

#9. Atlanta Hawks (+2200/+5000) - The Hawks' ranking on this list may be tenuous. They have been hit with some injuries and the Sixers are welcoming back Harden. Strengths: Backcourt and efficiency. Weaknesses: Interior offense and lack of depth at the 4 and 5. Last Week’s Rank: 8

#8. Sacramento Kings (+4500, +10,000) - Golden State-lite has arrived in Sacramento. They spread the floor, interchange on defense and have a dynamic point guard. They aren’t quite ready for prime time but the playoffs are a reasonable goal. Strengths: Spacing and help defense. Weaknesses: Rebounding and on-ball defense. Last Week’s Rank: 10

#7. Memphis Grizzlies (+750/+1600) - Memphis closed the week with two straight wins to get back to .500 in their last ten games. Something about this team still feels a few years away. Consistency of play has been a concern this season. Strengths: Shooting and team rebounding. Weaknesses: Perimeter defense and depth. Last Week’s Rank: 6

#6. Denver Nuggets (+700/+1500) - The Nuggets remain one of the more intriguing plays with their current odds. When healthy, they stack up with anyone, although defense is always a major concern. Strengths: 3pt shooting and ball movement. Weaknesses: Health and interior defense Last Week’s Rank: 4

#5. Cleveland Cavaliers (+900/+2200) - Despite Allen missing the week, the Cavs have gone 7-3 in their last ten games and have the 4th best point differential in the NBA. Cleveland’s backcourt matches up with anyone’s in the league. Strengths: Scoring and backcourt play. Weaknesses: Interior defense. Last Week’s Rank: 7

#4. New Orleans Pelicans (+1200/+2,800) - Ingram remains out but the Pelicans keep winning. They have won four straight games heading into this week and have the third best point differential in the league. Strengths: Ball movement, bench Weaknesses: Health and interior defense Last Week’s Rank: 7

#3. Phoenix Suns (+450/+950) - The Suns keep winning, even without two starters - Paul and Johnson. They have the best point differential in the league and went 8-2 this week. Strengths: Depth and offensive efficiency. Weaknesses: Size off the bench and play away from home. Last Week’s Rank: 3

#2. Milwaukee Bucks (+300/+600) - The Bucks are 6-4 in their last ten games and are getting Middleton back now. They have the fifth best point differential in the league thus far, a number that should go up with Middleton’s return. Strengths: Giannis Antetokounmpo and floor spacing for shooters. Weaknesses: Reliable and consistent offensive weapons other than Antetokounmpo. Last Week’s Rank: 2

#1. Boston Celtics (+165/+330) - The Celtics are 19-5. They have lost to Chicago twice, Cleveland twice and Miami once. Three of those games were in overtime. This team isn’t going away. Strengths: Scoring, depth at guard. Weaknesses: Rebounding and closing out games. Last Week’s Rank: 1

Top-Five MVP Candidates thus far:

1. Luka Doncic (+270) - It is hard to argue with our first major movement of the season in the MVP rankings. Watch any Mavs’ game and you’ll realize that the value of Doncic to that team is off the page. The Celtics can win some games without Tatum, the same for the Bucks without Antetokoumpo. The Mavs can’t win a quarter without Doncic’s presence. This will likely be the best odds you’ll see for him for the rest of the season. Last Week’s Rank: 2

2. Jayson Tatum (+270) - Tatum dropped 49 earlier this week in a win over the Heat but then had just 14 in the rematch. His ability to adjust to the way team’s play him could very well determine his MVP viability going forward. Last Week’s Rank: 3

3. Giannis Antetokoumpo (+280) - Antetokoumpo didn’t do anything to hurt his candidacy since last week. The play of the two in front of him caused the change. Like Doncic, this might be the best odds you’ll see for the Greek Freak this season. If you like him as your pick for MVP, strike while the odds are decent. Last Week’s Rank: 1

4. Steph Curry (+650) Curry’s MVP odds have gone down each week as he continues to put up eye-popping numbers. Still, +650 is still a pretty good number for him at this point. Golden State finally jumped over .500 and he will be a prime candidate if they approach 50 wins this season. Last week’s Rank: 4

5. Nikola Jokic (+2000) - He’s won back-to-back MVPs and this year’s team has a chance to be the Nuggets best of his career. His health is more likely than Embiid’s which keeps him ahead of Philly’s big man. Last Week’s Rank: 5

• In parenthesis, conference odds and finals odds. Player MVP props also in parenthesis. All Courtesy of Draftkings.com

By Mark Ruelle