The NBA All-Star break is a time for teams to prepare for the final stretch of the regular season. It is weird that we refer to these next several weeks as the “second half” of the NBA season, especially since the halfway point has already passed.

The following players averaged the most fantasy points per game last week (two-game minimum): Towns made the most of his two times on the floor in Week 17, posting a pair of double-doubles where he hit the 40-point mark.

With teams gearing up for the second half of the season after the all-star break, here are the rankings for all 30 NBA teams after week 17.

Post-trade deadline, all eyes are on the Los Angeles Lakers . Not only have they won 12 of their last 14 games, climbing to fourth place in the Western Conference, but they added one of the top-three players in the league in Luka Doncic to their roster.

Welcome to a fresh set of HoopsHype Power Rankings! As always, these involve a proprietary mix of science, magic, herbs, and spices; they’re both reflective of the standings and forward-looking.

A peak into where league experts ranked Milwaukee during the preseason and heading into the season's final trimester.

Denver has won eight games in a row heading into the All-Star break and they seem to be figuring it all out. Veteran guard Russell Westbrook has looked great in this system and it has the Nuggets clicking on all cylinders. This team will be tough to deal with in the postseason, especially with Nikola Jokic dominating again.

So, with the wind no longer in their sails, the Blazers dropped in the latest NBA power rankings from NBA.com. NBA writer John Schuhmann moved Portland from No. 14 to No. 16. Schu