Miami Heat news: How the major power rankings view the Heat on January 20th

With another week in the books across the NBA, it’s time to check in on the major power rankings to get a pulse on their perception of the Miami Heat.

All things considered, the Miami Heat had a solid week. They went 2-1 against tough competition including two games on the road. They split against the San Antonio Spurs in a home-road battle, and they beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in Oklahoma City.

In this weekly feature, we’ll take stock of the major power ranking outlets and their evaluation of the Heat. We’ll also take their total rankings and produce an average to give a clearer idea of how the group at large estimates them.

If there’s an outlet that we miss that you read regularly and would like to see it included, let us know on Twitter at @AllUCanHeat1.

Let’s get started.

NBA.com: 6th (previously 7th)

Performing well against tough opponents and coming away with two wins in three games is the kind of statement the Heat needed, and NBA.com’s power ranking took note by bumping them up one notch.

An excerpt from John Schuhmann:

"Only the Bucks (+18.4 points per 100 possessions) have been better in the first quarter than the Heat (+15.2), who have had a lead after the first quarter in each of their last seven games. Duncan Robinson‘s first-quarter effective field goal percentage of 75.5% is the best mark for any player with at least 100 field goal attempts in any quarter. Robinson made four 3-pointers in the first seven minutes in San Antonio on Sunday."

ESPN.com: 4th (previously 4th)

A week ago the Heat were coming off a miserable 0-2 New York swing, and ESPN bucked all logic and moved them up from fifth to fourth. Perhaps there is a method to their madness after all because the Heat remain in fourth this week.

An excerpt from ESPN staff:

"A couple of head-scratching losses last week had Heat coach Erik Spoelstra talking about focus and energy this week. An excellent road win in Oklahoma City that featured a frustrating zone and balanced scoring across the board was satisfying, but turning around and doing a lot of the opposite in a loss in San Antonio was less so."

CBS Sports: 9th (previously 9th)

CBS Sports had a more aggressive perspective on the Heat’s struggles a week ago, dropping them from seventh to ninth, and clearly, they want to see more from the Heat before they consider moving them back up. They sit behind both the Indiana Pacers (fifth) and the Philadelphia 76ers (7th) in CBS’s rankings.

An excerpt from Colin Ward-Henninger:

"The Heat split two games with the Spurs this week, while also picking up a win over the Thunder in OKC. Jimmy Butler has struggled shooting the ball, but Kendrick Nunn picked up the slack this week, averaging 24.3 points on 61.2 percent field goals and 62.5 percent 3-pointers for the week."

Yahoo Sports: 7th (previously 8th)

Yahoo gave the Miami Heat credit for a solid week, bumping them up one notch in their ranking.

An excerpt from Tommy Beer:

"The Heat wrapped up a road trip with a disappointing loss to the Spurs on Sunday. However, on Monday they host the Kings to begin a five-game homestand, their longest of the season. They don’t play another road game until February."

Bleacher Report: 9th (previously 10th)

Bleacher Report has been the lowest on the Heat of all our assembled power rankings, but they got an uptick this week.

An excerpt from Grant Hughes:

"Even with Sunday’s loss, Miami sits second in the East at 29-13. The Lakers are still the only team to beat the Heat on their home floor, and there’s room for improvement if Justise Winslow could ever get over the back injury that has kept him on ice for 20 of the last 21 games.The Heat’s defense remains just outside the top 10, and perhaps it’s troubling that they rank in the bottom three in opponent three-point-attempt frequency. Then again, maybe that’s not necessarily a harbinger of doom. The other two teams joining them down there: the Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks."

Make sure to check back next week for our power rankings breakdown.