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I think it is apparent where San Antonio and Cleveland are this week. Meanwhile, the New Orleans Hornets and Portland Trail Blazers made a rise in the rankings, while Toronto and Utah regressed.

All this and more in this week’s edition of Slam Dunk Central’s NBA Power Rankings:

Listed below are the teams, their win-loss record as of January 23 and last week’s ranking:

1. San Antonio Spurs (37-7) (1) For most teams, winning two of three would be considered a success. The Spurs? Not so much, especially with their lone loss coming at the hamds of the New Orleans Hornets – by 24  points, no less. Just a mere hiccup there, really. Other than Richard Jefferson being in a scoring slump lately, this team hasn’t changed much.
2. Boston Celtics (33-10) (2) Other than a loss to the Washington Wizards, a typicla week for the Celtics. Other than Cleveland, Boston has a challenging schedule this week: @Portland, @ Phoenix and @the Lakers.
3. Los Angeles Lakers (32-13) (3) Other than winning two of three this past week, Kobe Bryant decided to open his trap and diss the Denver Nuggets fanbase – and silence them at the same time. Just another typical week in LaLaLand.
4. Miami Heat (31-13) (4) An interesting week as Chris Bosh missed games while Wade sat one out with a migraine, with the end result being a 1-1 week. But Mike Miller stepped up, which is bad news for the Heat’s opponents, assuming Miller continues his hot shooting. Both Wade and Bosh are day-to-day.
5. Chicago Bulls (30-14) (6) Defense once again would be the Bulls’ saving grace this week as the offense just wasn’t there, as evidenced by their 96 points scored against Memphis last Monday. And they did this without Carlos Boozer in the starting lineup for three games. A little more offense and this squad can be an elite team, by NBA standards.
6. Orlando Magic (29-15) (10) They won three of four this week, which is good. But at the same time, they’re opting to use an eight-man rotation rather early in the season, which may come back to haunt them. That’s something that you usually do near playoffs time.
7. New Orleans Hornets (29-16) (8) Right now, they’re the hottest team in the league; give props to their defense as they gave up 78.5 PPG this past week. That defense should be tested as they face Oklahoma City, Golden State, Sacramento and Phoenix this week.
8. Oklahoma City Thunder (28-15) (5) While they lost two of three this past week, all the games were competitive. And there’s no tension or injuries of note to report on, so consider this just a speed bump for this team. Two big games await them this week: New Orleans on Monday and Miami on Sunday.
9. Atlanta Hawks (29-16) (9) A good week for the Hawks, save for last Friday when they lost by 41 to the New Orleans Hornets. This squad, with the trading deadline fast approaching, needs to decide if waiting to be completely healthy or trade for a player are the best options available.
10. Dallas Mavericks (28-15) (11) Mixed results is the theme here, even with Dirk Nowitzki back as the Mavs managed to beat the Lakers and lose to Detroit. Meanwhile, a possible trade which sends Peja Stojakovic to Dallas from Toronto is being held up.
11. Denver Nuggets (25-18) (12) With the Carmelo Anthony-to-the-Nets trade now dead, the Nuggets can now concentrate on winning some games. While they’re on the East Coast this week, the schedule couldn’t get any sweeter than this: Washington, Detroit, Cleveland and Philadelphia.
12. Utah Jazz (27-17) (7) It’s hard to imagine a Jerry Sloan-coached team having a four-game losing streak, yet that’s where there at right now. Sloan is tinkering with the starting five and as of right now, the results are mixed.
13. Portland Trail Blazers (25-20) (14) The Blazers’ fanbase, besides being one of the more knowledgeable fanbases around, have coined a phrase for their team: the Frail Blazers. And it’s appropriate as they find ways to win even with the mounting injuries. Wesley Matthews should improve over previous weeks.
14. Memphis Grizzlies (21-23) (16) They’re finally close to full strength, and at the right time, to boot. Tony Allen’s back as is Xavier Henry, so the team has more flexibility in terms of the rotation. And yes, O.J. Mayo is still coming off the bench; is a trade in the horizon?
15. Phoenix Suns (20-22) (15) They would be at .500 right now, except for that 75-74 loss to Detroit last Saturday. Otherwise, a pretty good week for the Suns. A message to Alvin Gentry: Start Marcin Gortat. Robin Lopez is not the answer at center.
16. New York Knicks (22-21) (13) The Knicks seem snakebitten, as of late. Which may explain their current six-game losing streak. Wilson Chandler’s probably the most snakebitten of the current roster as his offense has taken a dump. Then there’s the persistent Carmelo Anthony rumors.
17. Golden State Warriors (19-24) (19) The Warriors looked like Don Nelson’s version this past week as offense trumped defense, but with much different results: they won three of four. Yet coach Smart may want to look into not giving his starters the heavy minutes and use his bench a little more.
18. Houston Rockets (20-25) (17) They have a critical stretch of games – three on the road – facing Minnesota and the Clippers along with the Mavericks and Spurs. To risk being repetitive, I’m going to say this again: Chuck Hayes and Jordan Hill aren’t the answer at the 5. Trade for a center.
19. Philadelphia 76ers (18-25) (18) Andre Iguodala is slowly reverting to his old self since his return, averaging 17.4 PPG, 6 RPG and 5.8 APG. If he continues that production, along with Jrue Holiday’s contributions, the Sixers may be a team to reckon with. Some help from Elton Brand could benefit this team, as well.
20. Los Angeles Clippers (17-26) (22) It isn’t every day that the Clippers win three of four in any given week, yet they did. With Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon’s play on the hardwood and Baron Davis getting more assists, this team is realizing more wins than they would have earned in seasons past.
21. Charlotte Bobcats (17-25) (20) The go-to guys for the Bobcats, Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace, have been slumping. With this offensively-challenged team, that’s never a good sign. Which makes it all the more amazing that they earned a split this past week, going 2-2.
22. Milwaukee Bucks (16-25) (24) It’s the little injury or ilness issues that can slow down a team, and the Bucks are no different. You have John Salmons’ hip issue and Andrew Bogut’s “virus” (my bet is mononucleosis) that come to mind. fortuantely, Carlos Delfino is slowly getting into game shape with his recent return to the hardwood. Which is good as the Bucks’ offense is not unlike the Charlotte Bobcats’.
23. Indiana Pacers (16-25) (21) Could you just imagine how good this team could be if they simply were able to close out games? They recently lost three games in which they gave up double-digit leads. That seems to indicate that coahc Jim O’Brien has lost his team; I may be wrong, but that’s the sense that I am getting.
24. Detroit Pistons (16-28) (23) Although the win-loss record doesn’t show it, this squad is slowly getting their act together. But at the same time, it is sad to see Rip Hamilton riding the pine. It doesn’t have to really do with his basketball skills insomuch as he is being made a scapegoat. Hopefully, there’s a team looking for a 2 that still can chip in 15-20 a night when called upon.
25. Washington Wizards (13-29) (25) They split this week, which is always good, albeit none of the wins were on the road. That makes them 0-20 on the road, which is unheard of these days. John Wall got some help recently with the signing of Mustafa Shakur. For those who are wondering, Shakur is no relation to the deceased hip-hop artist.
26. New Jersey Nets (12-32) (29) Well, the Nets have equaled their win total for all of last season, yet I don’t see the improvement in this team at all. Certainly the Carmelo Anthony trade rumors played a part, but still. Now they have no alibi ot fall back on from this point forward.
27. Minnesota Timberwolves (10-33) (28) Nothing of note to report on the team except that they went 0-2 this week and lost Darko Milicic for the short-term with a sprained left ankle. Winters are brutal in Minnesota this time of the year. But then again, so ae the Timberwolves.
28. Toronto Raptors (13-31) (26) Racked with injuries, the Raptors will be mentally tested in terms of which players are hungry. As in hungry for wins. Yet, general manager Bryan Colangelo would pull the trigger on the players he feels aren’t mentally up to  it. Bujt to be fair, I am not sure that trades this eason are going to help as they’re not visiting the postseason.
29. Sacramento Kings (9-32) (27) Nothing went right for the Kings this week as they lost three straight (all of them close, but losses all the same) and also lost Francisco Garcia for a couple of weeks with a calf strain. Maybe Sacramento needs a “Power Balance” (true fans of the Kings know what I am referring to).
30. Cleveland Cavaliers (8-35) (30) ”We’re not giving ourselves a chance to win. We have to do a better job valuing the ball. We have to play harder, smarter and tougher. That’s the bottom line.” Those are the word of coach Byron Scott, reprising the role of Mr. Obvious. It gets better; team owner Dan Gilbert, in a tweet, said this: “You don’t panic when things get tough. You think. You examine. You calculate. THEN you strike. And we will strike.” All I have is one word: Huh?