The latest SB Nation NBA Power Rankings came out today and the Denver Nuggets' Northwest division foe, Utah Jazz, make a jump from just outside the playoff picture, ninth in the West, to fourth in the conference.
Despite a Nuggets victory over the Los Angeles Lakers last Thursday, the Lakers retained the top spot, while the Nuggets dropped a spot from fifth to sixth.
6. Denver Nuggets: Record - 5-4
Last Week's Ranking: 5, SB Nation Blog: Denver Stiffs
Three weeks into the season, and the Nuggets are as much of an enigma as ever. One second, they look like a contender, beating opponents like the Mavericks and Lakers. The next, they look like a pretender, losing to teams like the Pacers and Bulls. It's clear that they have the talent to be good, but the looming trade of Carmelo Anthony may be scaring this team away from winning. Also, they're pretty dependent on both Anthony and Chauncey Billups to score well. If either of them has an off night, it's usually bad news for the Nuggets.
In the East, the Boston Celtics remained as the clear-cut number one, followed by the second-tier pack of the Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks.
The Nuggets' Tuesday night opponent, the New York Knicks, took the biggest tumble of the week, falling five spots from sixth in the East to 11th.