NBA 2015-2016 Power Rankings Week 3: Warriors still on top of leaderboard as Spurs move up

The Golden State Warriors still sits atop of the NBA Power Rankings as the defending champs continue their historical start of the season, while the San Antonio Spurs climb up the leaderboard after starting to find team chemistry.

Week 3 of the NBA Power Rankings:

1. Golden State Warriors (13-0)

The Warriors remain perfect after staging a comeback win over the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Centre. They continue to demoralise opponents and pile up wins despite not having head coach Steve Kerr.

According to San Francisco Gate, Kerr, who is on a leave of absence while recovering from two offseason back surgeries, travelled with the Warriors team for the first time during the regular season and sent a message to the players and interim head coach Luke Walton.

The defending champs have been proving doubters that they are legitimate contenders to be back-to-back champions, and their perfect record is a testament of their strong campaign. The scariest part is the Warriors are yet to be maneuvered by Kerr.

2. San Antonio Spurs (9-2) (Last week: No. 4)

The Spurs have significantly climbed up this week’s power rankings after collecting their sixth straight win, putting them behind the Warriors in the league standings.

Kawhi Leonard continues to lead the Spurs in scoring with 21.4 points per contest, while LaMarcus Aldridge is starting to get into the Greg Popovich’s system, averaging 14.8 points and a team-high 9.8 rebounds.

Danny Green and David West have yet to contribute to the Spurs, but as the season goes on, expect them to be fully utilised and come up with quality minutes for San Antonio.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers (9-3) (Last week: No. 2)

The Cavs are still without Kyrie Irving but with Lebron James leading the way, the Eastern Conference champs seem to manage the absence of their All-Star point guard.

Cleveland is actually doing well as they lead the pack of surprisingly strong teams in the East, but James does not appear contented with the team’s performance, after slipping with two consecutive losses against the Milwaukee Bucks and the Detroit Pistons.

"I'm not sitting up here saying it's Armageddon or anything like that," James said before the Cavs' 115-110 win over the Bucks, reports ESPN. "But we need to play better ball. Until we own that, we won't get better."

4. Chicago Bulls (8-3) (Last week: No. 9)

Despite the speculations about Derrick Rose’s future with the Bulls and Joakim Noah’s increasing displeasure about his decreased playing time, the Bulls have surprisingly managed to jump into the fourth spot of this week’s power rankings.

The Bulls are on a four-game winning streak even with injuries on Rose and backup point guard Aaron Brooks. But Jimmy Butler’s continuous rise to stardom has been the key for Chicago to manage a winning slate.

5. Dallas Mavericks (8-4) (Last week: No. 21)

The Mavs are the more shocking team to land in the top-10 teams in the rankings and league standings. Ever since their impressive win against the Clippers, Dallas has been piling up W’s albeit over struggling teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and the Philadelphia 76ers.

So far, Rick Carlisle new mix of lineup is doing wonders for the one-time NBA champ team. Dirk Nowitzki seems to have turned back time as he leads Dallas in scoring with 18.5 points per game. The Mavs should be able to extend their winning streak with weaker teams ahead of their schedule.

6. Atlanta Hawks (9-5) (Last week: No. 3)

The Hawks have gone down the power rankings despite collecting nine wins in their 2015-2016 season bid.

Atlanta has lost three-straight games before bouncing back against the Sacramento Kings in their last outing. The slump was part of the team’s injured backcourt as Jeff Teague and Kent Bazemore remains on day-to-day status with both suffering an ankle injury.

The Hawks should be able to get back in their winning ways once Teague and Bazemore returns to roster.

7. Miami Heat (7-4) (Last week: No. 8)

Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat have climbed a notch in the power rankings, although struggles remain in the team after suffering defeat against the Minnesota Timberwolves prior to their victory over the Kings.

But the future is bright for the Heat with youngsters like Hassan Whiteside, Tyler Johnson, and Justise Winslow continue to cement their places in Erik Spoelstra’s rotation.

8. Indiana Pacers (7-5) (Last week: No. 15)

The Pacers have been able to pull off victories with the resurgence of star forward Paul George. After a gruesome injury that prevented him from playing last season, George looks to have found his old form, averaging 25.3 points and 8.6 rebounds in 12 games.

Indiana was on a three-game winning streak before losing a close game against the Bulls.

9. Oklahoma City Thunder (7-5) (Last week: No. 7)

Even without star Kevin Durant (hamstring), OKC has managed to get W’s with Russell Westbrook in charge. The Thunder loss against the Memphis Grizzlies and the Boston Celtics, but they have rebounded with a win against the lowly Pelicans.

Westbrook continues to play as the team’s alpha male with 28.1 points and an impressive 10.4 assists per game.

10. Washington Wizards (5-4) (Last week: No. 23)

After starting near the bottom of the league standings, the Wizards have recovered their magic by winning two straight games against Orlando and the Bucks.

John Wall continues to take charge with the absence of his backcourt tandem Bradley Beal. Wall is only averaging 17.6 points and 8.6 assists compared to Beal’s 22.7 points, but contributions from other key players keep the Wizards in the top 10 of the power rankings.

Full list of the NBA Power Rankings Week 3:

11. Utah Jazz (6-5)

12. Detroit Pistons (6-5)

13. Los Angeles Clippers (6-5)

14. Phoenix Suns (6-5)

15. Boston Celtics (6-5)

16. Toronto Raptors (7-6)

17. Memphis Grizzlies (6-6)

18. New York Knicks (6-6)

19. Orlando Magic (6-6)

20. Charlotte Hornets (6-6)

21. Denver Nuggets (6-6)