NBA 2018-19 Power Rankings: Western Conference Week 2 edition

Another week of NBA action has flown by, and left us with as much more to talk about as it did during the opening section of the season. The Lakers and the Rockets are 2 teams everyone expected to be playoff-bound, but their play thus far betrays a clear lack of cohesion and defensive spine - which has resulted in knocking Houston out of our top-ranked Western Conference team list.

Who replaces them at the #2 spot? Has any team displayed the ability to knock the Warriors off their perch right at the top of the pecking order? How are the Blazers and the Pelicans faring thus far? Read on to find out!

#5 Portland Trail Blazers

The Blazers clearly have a vendetta on their mind, coming out of the gate at an impressive pace to start the season. Week 1 action aside, they have held their own against playoff opposition, and today, they knocked last season's #1-seeded Houston Rockets off on their own backyard with a blowout win at the Toyota Center.

As expected, their big 3 of Lillard, McCollum and Nurkic have been their keys to success, but their role players have been much better than advertised in the preseason. Seth Curry has quietly settled into an accomplished backup role, while Nik Stauskas has provided the spacing that he was signed for.

Zach Collins has emerged as a viable starting candidate, while Al-Farouq Aminu has continued in the same vein as before. All told, the Blazers look capable of snagging home court once again - just like last season.

#4 San Antonio Spurs - NEW!

If at all there was a doubt that a Popovich-led squad would not make the playoffs this time around, they were all erased within the first 2 weeks of this season. The Spurs have gotten off to a 4-2 start that is much more impressive than it looks, as it involves Ws at home and on the road against the Lakers.

DeMar DeRozan looks like his best self and has been a much better defender in the Spurs system than he was with the Raptors. His offensive stats really are eye-popping, as he's turned into a playmaker and a scorer par excellence in the absence of a recognised point guard on the available roster - he's a low-key MVP candidate so far.

Around him, the rest of the team has fallen in place. Aldridge has been at his imperious best on both ends of the floor, while role players like Bryn Forbes, Bertans and Rudy Gay have all been pivotal in their campaign. Expect them to stick around on this list.

#3 Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets hold on to their 3rd position by virtue of getting the job done as required of them from last week. A win over the Pelicans was preceded by a loss to the Lakers at the Staples Center, which itself was a follow-up to a dominant win over the Kings at the Golden One Center.

Jokic's hot start to the season has rather cooled off, while Paul Millsap has started showing clear signs of ageing. The rest of their team, however, has been pivotal in setting up their 5-1 start to the campaign. Gary Harris and Jamal Murray have been absolute studs in the backcourt, especially on offence.

#2 New Orleans Pelicans

A 4-0 start to the season has been rather dampened by a 2-game losing streak, but there's one and only one reason for those losses - the absence of a leading MVP candidate in Anthony Davis due to elbow injury concerns.

What has transpired in his absence, though, should be really encouraging. Jahlil Okafor, who started against the Nuggets yesterday, finally looked like an NBA player after 3 seasons in the league. 18 minutes of passable defence and offence while subbing in for AD may not seem like much, but there were genuine questions as to whether he belonged at this level or not.

Julius Randle has been the Pelicans' best player in AD's absence, while Holiday is yet to get his offence really going this season. All in all, there's a really rosy picture to be painted of this fast-paced version of the Pelicans, as signified by Elfrid Payton's improved play.

#1 Golden State Warriors

Washington Wizards v Golden State Warriors

*sigh* We already knew the Warriors were the most overwhelming favourites to win it all at the start of the season, but the last week's games put them in a whole other stratosphere to the rest of the league. It really feels as if they're playing a different game right now - the ease with which they've dismantled teams left, right and centre whenever they're feeling it.

In the span of a week, we've seen some memorable performances from their offensive big 3 of Steph, KD and Klay - all against different teams. Steph blew the Wizards away with a 51 point display in 3 quarters at the Oracle, knocking down 11 3s. KD gave the Warriors a W all on his own with 18 straight points and 41 total against the Knicks at the Madison Square Garden, while Klay had the greenest of green lights in 3 quarters against the hapless Bulls, who watched him knock down 14 of his 24 3-point attempts and pile up 52 points in half the minutes.

They are just unfair.