Even with the All-Star break still a couple of weeks away, the midway point of the NBA season has come and gone for most of the league's teams. While the playoff race is beginning to take shape in the East, the standings have tightened toward the bottom of Western Conference where just three games separate the fourth-seeded Portland Trail Blazers from the 11th-seeded New Orleans Hornets.

• Rankings as of Jan. 25, 2010

• 1
  

  Cleveland Cavaliers (31-11) Last Week: 1

  Despite playing without Mo Williams and Delonte West, the Cavs were able to fend off a feisty Thunder squad thanks to strong defense and timely buckets down the stretch from a variety of sources. The season sweep over the Lakers could also pay dividends down the line.

• 2
  

  Denver Nuggets (29-14) Last Week: 6

  Even with the Carmelo injury and issues with J.R. Smith, the Nuggets have won six straight behind stellar play from Chauncey Billups and Kenyon Martin.

• 3
  

  Atlanta Hawks (28-14) Last Week: 5

  The Hawks have won five of six games, and the Southeast Division title is well within reach.

• 4
  

  L.A. Lakers (33-11) Last Week: 2

  The eight-game road trip is off to a bumpy start after losses in Cleveland and Toronto.

• 5
  

  Boston Celtics (28-13) Last Week: 3

  Kevin Garnett is back just in time for Boston's brutal task of playing the Magic, Hawks and Lakers all between Thursday and Sunday.

• 6
  

  Orlando Magic (29-15) Last Week: 4

  Charlotte is one of the tougher road venues in the league, so don't discount the OT win over the Bobcats that gave Orlando a three-game winning streak.

• 7
  

  Dallas Mavericks (29-15) Last Week: 7

  The 50-point win over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden — the worst loss ever suffered by New York at the famed venue — was a nice way to wrap up the five-game road trip.

• 8
  

  Utah Jazz (25-18) Last Week: 12

  Utah is coming on strong with six wins in its last seven games. The surge has catapulted the Jazz to the sixth seed in the West heading into tonight's showdown with the Suns.

• 9
  

  Memphis Grizzlies (23-19) Last Week: 13

  The Grizzlies are 16-5 at FedEx Forum and haven't lost there since Dec. 14. Meanwhile, Rudy Gay, who hit the game-winner against Oklahoma City on Friday, has put up 27.3 points in Memphis' last three games.

• 10
  

  San Antonio Spurs (25-17) Last Week: 8

  San Antonio's inconsistent play has continued with four losses in five games including home defeats to Utah and Houston.

• 11
  

  Oklahoma City Thunder (24-20) Last Week: 9

  OKC's last four losses — at San Antonio, at Dallas, at Memphis and at Cleveland — have come by a combined five points. Despite the heartbreakers, the Thunder is quickly earning respect around the league.

• 12
  

  New Orleans Hornets (23-20) Last Week: 14

  Despite the disappointing overtime loss in Denver, the Hornets are playing winning basketball once again. The 9-4 January record proves New Orleans is capable of making a playoff push as long as CP3 stays healthy.

• 13
  

  Portland Trail Blazers (27-18) Last Week: 10

  Nate McMillan allowed that his team was "running on fumes" in Saturday's win over the Pistons after playing without Brandon Roy (hamstring) and Jerryd Bayless (ankle).

• 14
  

  Phoenix Suns (26-19) Last Week: 11

  Phoenix suddenly can't buy a win against a decent team, and the news that Leandro Barbosa will be on the shelf for a month with a wrist injury doesn't help.

• 15
  

  Toronto Raptors (23-22) Last Week: 15

  Will the Raptors stay over .500 this time? A big win over the Lakers on Sunday gave Toronto the winning record it relinquished four days earlier in Milwaukee.

• 16
  

  Charlotte Bobcats (21-21) Last Week: 16

  With the nine-game home winning streak now history, the Bobcats embark upon a six-game road trip that will test their mettle. It's been over three weeks since Charlotte's last road victory, but it did come in Cleveland, one of the toughest places in the league to play.

• 17
  

  Miami Heat (23-20) Last Week: 18

  It was an odd week for Miami which won three of four by an average of 28.3 points but also lost in Charlotte by 39. Between now and March, the Heat will play just five games at home.

• 18
  

  Chicago Bulls (20-22) Last Week: 17

  The real test for whether or not the Bulls had turned it around was going to be the seven-game road trip. It got off to a shaky start with losses to the Warriors and Clippers, but wins in Phoenix and Houston were huge.

• 19
  

  Houston Rockets (24-19) Last Week: 19

  The win in San Antonio which snapped a five-game road losing streak was supposed to be a sign of good things to come, but losing to Chicago got the six-game homestand off to a bad start.

• 20
  

  L.A. Clippers (20-23) Last Week: 20

  The Clips have won three of four with six games remaining on the season-long eight-game road trip.

• 21
  

  Milwaukee Bucks (18-24) Last Week: 21

  Carlos Delfino has become the Bucks' third scoring option behind Bogut and Jennings, averaging 18.8 points per game in Milwaukee's last five outings.

• 22
  

  Philadelphia 76ers (15-28) Last Week: 25

  The Sixers are after their first three-game winning streak of the season, and they'll have it if they can complete a home-and-home sweep of the Pacers tonight from the Wachovia Center.

• 23
  

  New York Knicks (17-26) Last Week: 22

  Not only were the Knicks ravaged by 50 points on their homecourt, but everyone from the Mavs to the Knicks to Mike D'Antoni agreed on one thing afterward: the Knicks quit trying.

• 24
  

  Indiana Pacers (15-29) Last Week: 23

  All signs point to T.J. Ford getting shipped out of Indiana despite Larry Bird's denial to the contrary. Benched in favor of Earl Watson and A.J. Price, he has not played since Dec. 30.

• 25
  

  Detroit Pistons (15-28) Last Week: 24

  Detroit has dropped three of four, including two straight on its six-game homestand. The loss to the shorthanded Blazers on Saturday was particularly discouraging.

• 26
  

  Golden State Warriors (13-29) Last Week: 27

  Monta Ellis' ankle sprain leaves the injury-riddled Warriors with Stephen Curry, Cartier Martin and C.J. Watson in the backcourt.

• 27
  

  Washington Wizards (14-29) Last Week: 28

  In spite of Sunday's lackluster performance, Randy Foye's emergence at the point has helped Washington deal with Gilbert Arenas' absence on the court.

• 28
  

  Sacramento Kings (15-28) Last Week: 26

  Think the Kings are happy to be home? They've dropped 12 of 13 including every game on their recently completed six-game road trip which was punctuated by a 31-point thumping in Miami.

• 29
  

  Minnesota Timberwolves (9-36) Last Week: 29

  Losers of 14 of their last 16 games, the Wolves rank 28th in points allowed (106.6 points per game) and just 25th in points scored (96.9).

• 30
  

  New Jersey Nets (3-40) Last Week: 30

  With every loss, the Nets are inching closer and closer to the '73 Sixers' record of 73 losses. For now, however, they'll settle for a win in 2010; New Jersey is 0-11 thus far in the new year.