NBA power rankings: Warriors surge to the top

1. Golden State Warriors (5-1, Last week: 2)

The Warriors suffered their first loss of the season, but dropping one in Phoenix on the second game of a back-to-back sans Klay Thompson definitely softens that blow. Golden State looks like the real deal early on, with Thompson and Stephen Curry doing their usual fireball shooting. The three players to keep an eye on as the season progresses: Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and Harrison Barnes.

2. Houston Rockets (6-1, Last week: 3)

The Rockets dropped their first game as well, taking a loss at the hands of the aforementioned Splash Brothers while Dwight Howard sat out. They've got some minor bumps and bruises with Terrence Jones and Patrick Beverley missing time, but they're reaching into their depth and finding production. Isaiah Canaan has done a great job of stepping in and isn't trying to do more than he can handle. He's shooting 47 percent from deep en route to 9.7 points per game while keeping his turnovers limited.

3. Toronto Raptors (6-1, Last week: 10)

Their lone loss was against a quality Miami Heat team, and that was a five-point game on the second night of a road back-to-back. The Raptors are stylin' early on:

4. Memphis Grizzlies (6-1, Last week: 6)

The problem? Memphis's offensive rating overall is just 99.5 points per 100, in the bottom 10 of the league. Dave Joerger has his work cut out for him to find the right balance off the bench as the season rolls along.

The resilient Miami Heat round out the top five. There's a lot going right for Miami right now, with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh carrying the weight LeBron James left behind and Luol Deng filling in great at small forward, but Erik Spoelstra deserves a ton of credit too. The Heat are one of the best offensive teams in the NBA right now, and they have Shawne Williams -- yes, Shawne Williams -- starting and playing 28.6 minutes per game. The crazy part? It's working.

6. San Antonio Spurs (2-3, Last week: 1)

San Antonio is not playing well right now, but it always builds itself up slowly through 82 games. Players sit out games when Gregg Popovich feels a tingle in his right elbow, as he surely did Thursday against the Rockets. But they'll have to turn it up a bit to find their way back into the top of our power rankings. They probably deserve to be even further down this list, but they get one last "champions" benefit.

7. Sacramento Kings (5-2, Last week: 19)

Get out your party hats and kazoos because the Kings have joined the party in the top-10. This may not last, but while it does let's rock out with DeMarcus Cousins. Sunday's loss to Oklahoma City was certainly a deflating one, but these things happen. By this time next week, we should have a much better idea who the Kings really are after road games against the Memphis Grizzles and Dallas Mavericks, followed by a home game against the Spurs.

8. Chicago Bulls (5-2, Last week: 9)

The Bulls need to get it together early on. Sure, Derrick Rose is dealing with ankle injuries, but they should still be playing better than they've been lately. A narrow win over the Philadelphia 76ers followed by a loss at home to the Boston Celtics? You get a frowny-face sticker, Chicago.

9. Washington Wizards (5-2, Last week: 12)

The Wizards' schedule hasn't been strong to start the season and they've gotten smashed when facing quality opponents, losing by double-digits to the Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors. But they are 5-2 and it's hard to see how this team can expect much better while Bradley Beal sits. Forgive me for not buying into a bench unit featuring Drew Gooden, Kris Humphries, Andre Miller and Kevin Seraphin. Otto Porter is doing his best to contribute, but there's just not enough talent in the reserves right now until Beal comes back.

10. Cleveland Cavaliers (2-3, Last week: 8)

In the words of the great @AaronRodgers12 "RELAX"

— LeBron James (@KingJames) November 6, 2014

11. Los Angeles Clippers (4-2, Last week: 7)

The Clippers didn't have a good week for their power-ranking cause, getting spanked by the Warriors, picking up a close win over the Trail Blazers and edging out the Jazz. Their offense is barely -- barely -- outweighing their bottom-seven defensive efficiency and they're last in the league in second-chance points. Not a fantastic start to the season, but plenty of time to work things out and figure out how they'll make up for their lack of perimeter defense.

There's reason to have faith in the Mavericks becoming the powerhouse team they should be under Rick Carlisle, but a 4-3 record to start the season without any high-quality victories is suspect. Chandler Parsons is having a hard time adjusting to playing five hours up the road in Dallas, shooting under 40 percent from the field and 30 percent from three-point range. This is not the player the Mavericks expected to get when they swiped him away from Houston.

The Blazers are in the top 10 in defensive and offensive efficiency, and their three losses all came against quality opponents (Kings, Clippers, Warriors). They also have some nice wins against strong opponents in the Thunder (with a healthy Russell Westbrook), Cavaliers and Mavericks. Portland didn't change the formula much from last year and they've been steady early on.

14. Brooklyn Nets (4-2, Last week: 18)

Things are about to get real for Brooklyn as it prepares to run through a gauntlet of Western Conference opponents. A three-game road trip to Phoenix, Golden State and Portland, followed by a home game against the Spurs, will be hard to come out of unscathed.

Still, they've actually been one of the better teams on offense this season, second to the Dallas Mavericks. Yes, a team coached by Lionel Hollins has been significantly better at scoring (109.5 points scored per 100 possessions) than defending (102 points allowed per 100 possessions).

16. New Orleans Pelicans (3-2, Last week: 17)

17. Charlotte Hornets (3-4, Last week: 18)

Still, being the first team to lose to the Lakers this season isn't a good look.

Boston is off to a 3-3 start, and even though Marcus Smart will miss time with an ankle injury the team shouldn't be affected too much by his absence. It ultimately depends on Rajon Rondo, who had the screw in his surgically repaired hand removed and already missed one game because of it. He's had a strong start to the season, and the Celtics backcourt, with Avery Bradley playing more, should be able to hold things together while Smart recovers.

19. Milwaukee Bucks (3-4, Last week: 25)

Brandon Knight is having quite a year as he heads into restricted free agency. Nearly 18 points, 7.3 assists, 6.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game is a great line. He, like the Bucks, have looked much better than they did last season. Will it matter? Not enough to make a playoff push, but the core of Knight, Jabari Parker and Giannis Antetokounmpo isn't a bad place to start.

All hail Gordon Hayward, crusher of LeBron James:

21. Atlanta Hawks (2-3, Last week: 15)

22. New York Knicks (2-5, Last week: 14)

What happened, New York? The 2-1 start was cool. The four straight losses afterward, though? Not cool at all. It's going to be a challenge for the Knicks to get through the next few weeks without Pablo Prigioni and Jose Calderon, but four straight home games against weak competition could help this team get back on track. Continuing to give up 109.6 points per 100 possessions, however, will not.

23. Minnesota Timberwolves (2-4, Last week: 24)

Ricky Rubio's ankle injury certainly doesn't help things in Minnesota, but at least they have Mo Williams to fill the role in the meantime. Andrew Wiggins isn't off to an eye-popping start but is finding his way little by little. It's probably for the best that Flip Saunders isn't thrusting him into a huge role, instead allowing him to adjust to the NBA pace at his own learning curve. In the meantime, Kevin Martin can go ahead and drop 20 points per game, which seems to be the norm for him throughout his career.

24. Detroit Pistons (2-4, Last week: 28)

Not much has been going right for Detroit, aside from Greg Monroe's 17.5 points and 11.8 rebounds per game and 51 percent shooting from the field. Enjoy the four-game road trip!

25. Orlando Magic (2-5, Last week: 27)

Nikola Vucevic signed a big extension to stick around in Orlando and he's fulfilling his end of the bargain early on. Vucevic is averaging 18.6 points and 12.3 rebounds per game while shooting 53 percent from the field. It isn't amounting to wins for the Magic, but he's clearly a foundational piece in their rebuild.

It's probably not a good sign for soon-to-be restricted free agent Reggie Jackson that he was frozen out of a game by his teammates when he's one five players on the roster who can actually score. Of course, maybe he should stop putting up 18.3 attempts per game while shooting 37 percent from the field:

27. Indiana Pacers (1-6, Last week: 23)

There's not much to say about the Pacers besides "injuries," but Chris Copeland is suddenly producing after being buried on the bench last season. He's averaging 16.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Get well soon, Pacers. In the meantime, embrace Copesanity.

28. Denver Nuggets (1-5, Last week: 21)