Kopitar will center stripped captain Dustin Brown and Devin Setoguc

The Golden State Warriors have gone 96 regular-season games without losing two games in a row, which is an NBA record.Yet its not quite enough to hike the Warriors back into the top two of ESPN.coms weekly NBA Power Rankings, which are suddenly more crowded at the top than anyone expected.The Cleveland Cavaliers and LA Clippers, at least for now, have combined to keep the Warriors stuck at No. 3 for three successive weeks, even though the Warriors are starting to find an offensive groove. ESPNs trusty Basketball Power Index, for the record, doesnt even agree with the Committee (of One) about our placement of the Clippers at No. 2. (For the record: BPI tends to focus strictly on the basketball weve seen so far this season; your trusty committee always factors in each teams big-picture outlook to balance out whatevers happening in the short-term present.)Such debates, of course, are what make the Power Rankings so fun. And naturally theres plenty more for you dissect and discuss throughout our 1-30 ladder, which reflects the usual volatility we get every November when we have only a handful of games to analyze. Profuse thanks, as always, go to ESPN Stats & Information and the Elias Sports Bureau -- particularly research ace Micah Adams -- for supplying much of the background data that helps the Committee (of One) arrange things.Previous rankings:?Week 3 |?Week 2 |?Week 1 |?Training camp1.?Cleveland Cavaliers 2016-17 record: 8-1 Previous ranking: 1The sting of losing ?their unbeaten record sure didnt last long for the Cavs, who clearly savored the privilege of proceeding to a White House visit that we know more about than any previous White House trip for an NBA team thanks to this revealing reporting from our intrepid pal Rachel Nichols and The Jump cameras. Its clearly a good time to be The King when LeBron James becoming the youngest player to crack the 27,000-point plateau is the sidebar story of the week.2.?LA Clippers 2016-17 record: 9-1 Previous ranking: 2Remember when the Clippers lost four of their first five road games last season? We frankly didnt because theyve been so good so far, assembling the first 9-1 start in franchise history and bolting to a nightly average margin of plus-15.1 thanks to back-to-back victories at home last week (over Detroit and Portland) by a combined 63 points and what ranks as -- by far -- the NBAs most withering defense (tops in the league in defensive efficiency at 92.7 points allowed per 100 possessions).3.?Golden State Warriors 2016-17 record: 8-2 Previous ranking: 3Routs of Dallas and Denver in what they feared to be a rather unfriendly back-to-back have restored the Warriors average nightly point margin to something closer to the level (plus-8.2) so many of us expected. And Steph Currys Super Villains party ensured that the drama lovers out there (raises hand sheepishly) will keep our radar fixed firmly on the Bay Area despite the fact that the pesky Cavs and Clippers -- to the Committees surprise -- still wont let the Dubs back in our top two.4.?Toronto Raptors 2016-17 record: 7-2 Previous ranking: 6We seem to say it every week, but that summer with Team USA has clearly hiked DeMar DeRozans confidence to new levels. DeRozan, whos still leading the NBA in scoring, just became the first player since Michael Jordan in 1986-87 to notch at least 30 points in eight of the first nine games of the season. A serious question, by the way, for Raptors Nation: Isnt there a part of you that wishes, like us, that the whole Toronto Huskies look was more than a one-night thing?5.?Atlanta Hawks 2016-17 record: 7-2 Previous ranking: 10?One great game in November obviously doesnt mean much, but the impact Dwight Howard had in Cleveland with his 17 boards was a new look for the Hawks against the Cavs ... after the reigning champs had won the teams previous 11 meetings. You certainly arent wrong to say its early, but you also have to start considering the possibility that the retooled Hawks, relying so heavily on Howard and young Dennis Schroder, got it very right with their bold changes.6.?Charlotte Hornets 2016-17 record: 6-3 Previous ranking: 7You could downgrade the Hornets early success, if you wish, by focusing on what ranks as a fairly friendly schedule so far, but dont forget that Steve Cliffords team -- not exactly known for its depth -- has mostly had to cope without the injured Roy Hibbert and Jeremy Lamb and sports the best start in franchise history regardless. Kemba Walker will be an?All-Star if he keeps this up, while Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is making the defensive difference Clifford predicted he would.7.?San Antonio Spurs 2016-17 record: 7-3 Previous ranking: 4Although the Spurs did manage to avoid their first four-game home losing streak since way back in 2002 by beating Detroit on Friday night, theyve still got us asking an unusually high number of Spurs questions. Namely: Is Tony Parkers slow start just a slow start? And: Are Pau Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge likely to prove theyre a good fit together on the same front line? Most of all: Why havent we seen more of the team that utterly smoked Golden State on opening night?8.?Utah Jazz 2016-17 record: 7-4 Previous ranking: 8The Jazz have already played a whopping eight road games and had to finish Saturday nights win at Miami without the ailing Derrick Favors, George Hill and Boris Diaw. So theyre certainly thrilled to be 7-4, thanks to the most successful road trip spanning five or more games that Utah has enjoyed since a similar 4-1 excursion early in 2000-01. Gordon Hayward, meanwhile, is the first Jazzman to score at least 20 points in his first five games since Karl Malone in that same 2000-01 season.9.?Oklahoma City Thunder 2016-17 record: 6-4 Previous ranking: 5As if the prospect of the seasons first Russell Westbrook vs. James Harden showdown wasnt enticing enough, Wednesday nights reunion for both of Kevin Durants former sidekicks comes with the bonus subplot of?Angry Russ nemesis Pat Beverley trying to make it back into the Rockets lineup in time for that one. Its another huge week for Angry Russ, who will be ushered into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame by special guest Michael Jordan on the night after his get-together with The Beard.10.?Portland Trail Blazers 2016-17 record: 7-4 Previous ranking: 9The Blazers obviously wont be losing many games when both Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum stay in 30-point territory, which actually happened twice last week. ?But heres the thing: Do you really want to ask those two to do that much? Fears coming into the season that the Blazers supporting cast around their backcourt studs isnt quite as good as advertised persist, but then again: Maybe this is the new normal. McCollum has scored 30-plus points in three of his last five outings.11.?Houston Rockets 2016-17 record: 5-4 Previous ranking: 16?No player in history has ever averaged 30-plus points, 12-plus assists and 7-plus rebounds over the course of an entire season. James Harden is on that precise pace at this early juncture, despite the fact Houston surprisingly ranks only 17th in pace leaguewide. No Mike DAntoni team has ever finished outside the leagues top 10 in pace. Back to Harden: Hes quickly upped his collection of triple-doubles to 10 as a Rocket, which is just four shy of matching Hakeem Olajuwons franchise record.12.?Boston Celtics 2016-17 record: 5-4 Previous ranking: 11?The Celtics get their second crack at Golden State on the Warriors upcoming four-game swing through the Eastern Conference that also includes stops in Toronto, Milwaukee and Indiana. Boston has actually played the Warriors tough in each of the last two seasons, but itd be a shame if Jae Crowder -- dealing with an ankle issue while Al Horford continues to recover from a concussion -- cant play after his memorable offseason rant about Kevin Durants decision to join the Dubs.13.?Chicago Bulls 2016-17 record: 6-4 Previous ranking: 19?Eight players in history have led a franchise in scoring by racking up at least 20,000 points. Dwayne Wade just became the eighth of them to win his first game against his old team when the Bulls won in Miami, thus joining an impressive list and keeping Jimmy Butlers hot start in the background. The others: Karl Malone (Utah), Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston), Michael Jordan (Chicago), Patrick Ewing (New York), Dominique Wilkins (Atlanta), Alex English (Denver) and Oscar Robertson (Cincinnati).14.?Detroit Pistons 2016-17 record: 5-5 Previous ranking: 12?Taking our cue from Stan Van Gundy, well go back to talking about Reggie Jacksons health status, Detroits long-awaited first road victory (Saturday night in Denver) and Pistons basketball in general in this cyberspace next week. Wed prefer, on this occasion, to simply tip our Committee of One cap to SVG, as well as Golden States Steve Kerr and San Antonios Gregg Popovich, for the candor and conviction with which they spoke out last week -- consequences be damned.15.?Los Angeles Lakers 2016-17 record: 6-5 Previous ranking: 15?Luke Walton understandably doesnt want this to be all about him. And there so many great little stories happening with the Lakers that we could focus on -- whether its Nick Youngs renaissance, Julius Randles increased efficiency or the damage off the bench coming from Lou Williams and Jordan Clarkson. The problem, of course, is that we end up back at Luke Talk no matter which direction we choose, since the new coach has had such a big hand in changing the entire atmosphere in Lakerland.16. Minnesota Timberwolves 2016-17 record: 3-6 Previous ranking: 25?Andrew Wiggins fell just one 3-pointer shy of joining Russell Westbrook (51) and Anthony Davis (50) in delivering this seasons third 50-point game in Sunday nights home rout of the Lakers. Thats the same Andrew Wiggins whos quietly shooting a robust 57.7 percent from deep this season (17-for-31). Now to see if Wiggins breakout performance, along with the return of steadying force Ricky Rubio, can be the spark that gets Tom Thibodeaus youthful crew playing with some consistency.17.?Milwaukee Bucks 2016-17 record: 5-4 Previous ranking: 20?No team played Golden State tougher in the regular season in 2015-16 than the Bucks. On Saturday night, Milwaukee will play host to the Warriors in eerily similar circumstances to last season, with the matchup falling on the second half of a back-to-back set that begins for Steph Curry & Co. in Boston. The Dubs, in case youve somehow forgotten, won a double-OT thriller on the Celtics floor on Dec. 11, 2015, before losing the next night in Milwaukee to bring a halt to their 24-0 start.18.?Brooklyn Nets 2016-17 record: 4-5 Previous ranking: 28?The Nets are 4-5. The Nets are 3-0 when Brook Lopez scores at least 25 points. The Nets are making Kenny Atkinson a legit contender for Eastern Conference coach of the month honors. Its all almost as difficult to process as this surprising stat that came up around the office before the Nets visited their crosstown rivals last Wednesday night: Brooklyns Jeremy Lin amazingly played only 15 games at Madison Square Garden as a Knick. Thats it. Thats as long as Linsanity lasted.19.?Indiana Pacers 2016-17 record: 4-6 Previous ranking: 13?The Pacers, at 0-5 on the road, are off to their worst start outside city limits since the 1990-91 season, when they dropped their first 11 road games. Larry Bird & Co. can only hope that last week was the low point, after the troubling bookends of an eyebrow-raising Paul George rant about trust and team chemistry and an ankle tweak for PG-13 were sandwiched around the Pacers frustration of finding themselves in back-to-back overtime games with the struggling Sixers.20.?Memphis Grizzlies 2016-17 record: 4-5 Previous ranking: 18?Fridays Parsons Bowl in Dallas naturally stands out from a headline perspective, with Chandler Parsons poised to take on his old Mavs friends, but the Grizzlies have two daunting road games before that one that will require their full attention. Memphis plays Monday in Utah, then Wednesday in Los Angeles against the Clippers, with neither assignment looking especially appealing when the Grizz are unhappy with their defense and still dont have Tony Allen back.21.?Orlando Magic 2016-17 record: 4-6 Previous ranking: 21?Weve had so many high-profile reunion games already this month that Orlandos trip to Oklahoma City on Sunday night sneaked up on us completely. Figures, then, that it turned out to be maybe the best one of the lot so far, with Serge Ibaka finally showing Orlando what he can do with the game of his life (31 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks, game-winning jumper) to preserve a win for the Magic after they squandered a 21-point lead with Russell Westbrook (41 points, 16 assists, 12 rebounds) going bonkers.22.?Miami Heat 2016-17 record: 2-6 Previous ranking: 17?Apologies to Dwyane Wade, as well as Hassan Whiteside amid a stats-fest from the Miami big man that probably isnt getting the attention it deserves, but the email Pat Riley sent to D-Wade last week is the only thing we want to know about, talk about, etc., when it comes to the Heat right now. Do we, at the very least, get points for honesty? P.S.: OK, OK. If you know the Committee by now, youre calling us out on the fact that, yes, were plenty worried about Goran Dragics ankle, too.23.?Dallas Mavericks 2016-17 record: 2-6 Previous ranking: 26?A new week begins with Harrison Barnes leading the league in terms of the biggest points-per-game increase from where he was last season, up nearly 11 points a night to 22.6 PPG as a Maverick to land narrowly ahead of DeMar DeRozan (up to 34.0 from 23.5). The new week will reach a climax for Barnes and the Mavs on Friday night, when they play host to Memphis in Chandler Parsons return to Big D, with Dirk Nowitzki (Achilles) hopeful hell be back at work by then, too.24.?Denver Nuggets 2016-17 record: 3-7 Previous ranking: 14?The Nuggets play their next four games at home, which ranks as one of the few positives they can point to after a long, fruitless week. Kenneth Faried forced his way back into the starting lineup over the weekend ahead of Nikola Jokic, but Farieds trademark energy can only overcome so much when Denver has as many injuries as it does (Will Barton, Darrell Arthur and Gary Harris) as well as a turnover problem (Emmanuel Mudiay has 44 for the season, compared with 32 assists).25.?Sacramento Kings 2016-17 record: 4-7 Previous ranking: 23?Worrisome stat: Sacramento has sunk to 0-4 when DeMarcus Cousins scores at least 30 points. Promising stat: Cousins ?ranks third in the league in getting to the free throw line, trailing only Anthony Davis (11.3) and Russell Westbrook (10.9) with 10.7 FTs attempted per game. ?What we cant quantify: how long the playoff-starved Kings will show patience with this roster, knowing that internal expectations are higher than what were seeing, irrespective of a road-heavy schedule thus far.26.?New York Knicks 2016-17 record: 3-6 Previous ranking: 24?Instinct tells us that the Knicks and Derrick Rose dont have a Super Villains soiree of their own in the works. Not with the team D that Kurt Rambis has been assigned to oversee still in tatters in pretty much any category you wish to highlight. Not with five of New Yorks six losses to date coming by double digits. Not with frustration mounting for Carmelo Anthony, Brandon Jennings and presumably Joakim Noah, who has only intermittently looked like a $72 million center.27.?Washington Wizards 2016-17 record: 2-7 Previous ranking: 27?Just two wins in their first nine games -- with as many John Wall ejections already and fresh Bradley Beal injury concerns to ponder -- have nudged the Wizards past Indiana and New York into the unwanted lead in the race for Novembers Biggest Disappointment in the Eastern Conference. As if all that werent enough, Marcin Gortat had to apologize via Twitter on Saturday night after his uncontainable honesty led to some harsh words about the state of the Wizards unproductive bench.28.?Phoenix Suns 2016-17 record: 3-8 Previous ranking: 22?Awfully rough weekend for the Suns. They surrendered a crushing 17 straight points late Saturday night in a home crumble to beatable Brooklyn. Then Phoenix was forced to settle for nothing more than giving Golden State a good scare before the Warriors -- despite their middle-of-the-pack team defense -- pulled away Sunday night in Oakland. Devin Booker has been drawing a lot of Klay Thompson comparisons lately; maybe it was Bookers presence that finally got Klay going.29.?New Orleans Pelicans 2016-17 record: 1-9 Previous ranking: 29?The Pelicans indeed edged Philly in the sprint to avoid ranking as the NBAs last team to win a game, but the honeymoon was short-lived, even with badly missed point guard Jrue Holiday said to be just days away from a return to the court. The briefest of exits for Anthony Davis in Saturdays heavy home loss to the Lakers due to some back pain, even if he did return to the floor, is enough to make the alarm bells chime, given how great The Brow has been amid the Pels gloom.30.?Philadelphia 76ers 2016-17 record: 1-8 Previous ranking: 30?Michael Carter-Williams, James Anderson, Evan Turner, Spencer Hawes and Daniel Orton. That was the last Sixers starting lineup, before Friday nights Joel Embiid-led breakthrough against the Pacers, to know how it feels to win a game in October or November after 44 Ls in a row. Youll note that two of those players, Anderson and Orton, arent even in the NBA right now. The win also halted a run of nine successive overtime defeats for Philly, including Wednesdays OT setback at Indiana. Ultra Boost Cheap Real . Mitch Holmberg added a goal and three assists. Connor Chartier also scored for the Chiefs (3-0-0). Luke Harrison spoiled Garrett Hughsons shutout bid with a power-play goal at 13:17 of the third period. The Spokane goaltender finished with 28 saves, including a Brandon Fushimi penalty shot in the second period that would have tied the game 1-1. Stan Smith Discount . "I dont know that were close," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "I just think, right now, the acquisition cost just doesnt work for us right now. I dont know if I can quantify how far off or things like that that they might be but I would say we continue to have dialogue. http://www.stansmithdiscount.com/ . P.A. Parenteau scored early in the third period to help the Avs edge Toronto 2-1 on Tuesday night. Cory Sarich also scored for Colorado (3-0-0), which is off to its best ever start. Buy Adidas Nmd . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. Stan Smith Shoes Cheap . The judges scored it 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 for Jones (19-1). It was the champions closest call. Despite the loss, it was a remarkable show by the confident Swedish challenger, who had the best of the early rounds and then hung on in the fourth and fifth. SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks renew their territorial and recent playoff rivalry Wednesday to open the 2016-17 NHL season.For the Sharks, its the first step in defense of their first Western Conference title while the Kings hope to spoil the home opener against the team that ended their season during a five-game first-round playoff series last spring.Were going to have a little bit of a target on our back, especially in the Western Conference having won it last year, San Jose coach Peter DeBoer said. And were going to get everyones best game.San Jose hopes to start off on the right foot at the Shark Tank where the team was only 18-20-3 last season. And the only game Los Angeles won in the playoffs last season came in San Jose.We were really exposed in the playoffs, Kings general manager Dean Lombardi told NHL.com. I also think we had some mental issues in terms of having dealt with success, and a good punch in the nose like we got in the playoffs hopefully woke us all up.The game will mark the San Jose debut of two newcomers -- left winger Mikkel Boedker and defenseman David Schlemko, who each signed four-year contracts on the first day of free agency. Boedker joins center Logan Couture and right winger Joonas Donskoi on the teams second forward line while Schlemko will partner with Brenden Dillon to give the Sharks a mobile defense.Its impressive what we were able to do this summer -- keep everyone, add a couple key pieces -- I think thats good for chemistry, Sharks defenseman Justin Braun said.For the record, San Jose did have three departures, all of whom were not part of their long-term plans. Forward Nick Spaling, defenseman Roman Polak and goalie James Reimer, all acquired at the trade deadline, moved on while 38-year-old Dainius Zubrus contemplates retirement.Conversely, the Sharks have a number of young players knocking on the door to give the franchise the best depth its enjoyed in its 26th season. Twenty-year-old Timo Meier, the ninth pick in 2015, looked to crack the deep group of forwards until he was diagnosed with mononucleosis late last month. He must avoid contact for approximately three more weeks, and will start his pro career with the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League.In addition, Swwedish winger Marcus Sorensen, 24, was a free-agent signing in the offseason, and hell start in the minors, too, despite showing flashes of skill and speed in the preseason.ddddddddddddFor now, Tomas Hertl will return to left wing alongside top-liners Joe Thornton and captain Joe Pavelski. Chris Tierney will center Patrick Marleau and Joel Ward on a third line and it some combination of Tommy Wingels, Matt Nieto, Melker Karlsson and Micheal Haley will comprise a fourth group.Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Braun form San Joses top shutdown pair on defense while veteran Paul Martin returns to support the creativity of partner Brent Burns, a Norris Trophy finalists with a franchise blue line record 27 goals and 75 points last season.You need quality players who are willing to accept roles in the depth of your lineup, and take pride in those roles, DeBoer said. The one team that was deeper than us was the team that beat us -- Pittsburgh.The Kings will feature a new look on their top line, the result of departure, suspension and injury. Newly anointed captain Anze Kopitar will center stripped captain Dustin Brown and Devin Setoguchi, who survived a tryout invite to camp to make the team and resurrect a career that got sidetracked due to substance abuse.Im excited for him, Kings coach Darryl Sutter told the teams website of the one-time Shark. I like to see guys like that bounce back. ... For me, it was no different evaluating him than it was players that we needed to be better than they were last year.Los Angeles is without scoring winger Marian Gaborik, who sustained a broken foot during the World Cup of Hockey tournament. Forward Tanner Pearson is suspended for the first two regular-season games for a preseason infraction, and winger Milan Lucic left the team via free agency.The Kings figure to line up Teddy Purcell-Jeff Carter-Tyler Toffoli, Dwight King-Nic Dowd-Trevor Lewis and Kyle Clifford-Andy Andreoff-Jordan Nolan up front with Jake Muzzin-Drew Doughty, Brayden McNabb-Alec Martinez, Derek Forbort-Matt Greene as the defense pairs.Jonathan Quick will tend the Los Angeles net with former King Martin Jones in goal for San Jose. ' ' '