The Pacers and Lakers each suffered tough home losses on Christmas Day, but both clubs have reason for optimism in the New Year. They took the Heat and Pistons, respectively, to the wire while not having their full complement of players. The Pacers were still without Stephen Jackson, while the Lakers were missing Caron Butler (suspension), Vlade Divac (back) and Devean George (ankle).

Given the absence of key players all season, the Pacers and Lakers each have done a good job remaining competitive. Look for both teams to be a bigger factor as the season progresses.

This week's high riser: PACERS (No. 11 from 22).
This week's big drop: CLIPPERS (No. 24 from 18).

NBA Power Rankings Rank LW Team 1 1 Phoenix Suns They beat the Raptors on Sunday to make it 11 straight victories and 20 of 21 overall. Last week they won at Seattle. Can they make another statement Tuesday when they visit San Antonio? 2 2 Seattle SuperSonics Flip Murray had 15 points filling in for Antonio Daniels (tonsillitis) in last Wednesday's win over the Nuggets. That's the kind of bench help they will need as they begin a stretch of six of seven on the road. 3 4 Miami Heat With Dwyane Wade playing the role of Rudolph (the reindeer, not Mendy), Shaq-a Claus made his Christmas return to L.A. a happy holiday homecoming. With 11 straight wins, the big guy should be feeling jolly. 4 3 San Antonio Spurs They bounced back from last week's loss at Orlando by ripping the T'Wolves and Celtics at home. Now they put their 13-1 home record on the line in Tuesday's showdown with the Suns. 5 5 Minnesota Timberwolves Four straight road losses, including last Thursday's defeat at San Antonio, has Flip Saunders mulling changes to the starting lineup. Michael Olowokandi and/or Trenton Hassell could get the nod. 6 6 Sacramento Kings Some things never change: The Kings lost to Shaq on Thursday at Arco, and Bobby Jackson is hurt again. Jackson, who tore a ligament in his left wrist, might need surgery that would force him to miss three months. 7 7 Dallas Mavericks The Glove in Big D? Rumors of a Gary Payton trade have sprung up amid consternation over their erratic point guard play. It's one reason the Mavs haven't had a three-game win streak since mid-November. 8 14 Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James hasn't been their only star. Jeff McInnis (15.7 points and 5.3 assists while hitting 42.3 percent from 3-point range) and Drew Gooden (13.7 points and 10 rebounds) have raised their games. 9 10 Orlando Magic They beat the Spurs last Wednesday, their first victory against a top contender. With center Kelvin Cato (dislocated shoulder) set to return, and the schedule getting easier, they could hang up here for awhile. 10 13 Detroit Pistons Saturday's win over the Pacers should cool Larry Brown's jangled nerves. But the Pistons still aren't shooting the ball particularly well, and their bench has been inconsistent. 11 22 Indiana Pacers In what has to be a first in the Power Rankings history, the Pacers rose 11 spots despite losing their only two games (to the Sixers and Pistons). Jermaine O'Neal makes that big a difference. 12 11 Denver Nuggets Without Carmelo Anthony (sprained ankle), they lost to the Mavs on Sunday to make it five straight defeats. They hope to have 'Melo back for Monday's game at Golden State. 13 8 Washington Wizards They got waxed at Minnesota on Sunday to finish 2-3 on their West Coast road trip. Meanwhile, Jarvis Hayes has been in a shooting slump since spraining his right thumb last month. 14 9 Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant was a Corvette (42 points) in Saturday's home loss to the Heat, even if he couldn't get over the Wall. But with all the zooming around he does, how long before the 'Vette runs out of gas? 15 12 Portland Trail Blazers Shareef Abdur-Rahim is waiting for a trade. Nick Van Exel says he might retire. Zach Randolph is being criticized by teammates for not passing enough. Maybe the Blazers are just too volatile to put it together. 16 15 New York Knicks Like the Blazers, the Knicks seem to put together a winning streak of any length. They will need Allan Houston to continue to play strong, especially with Jamal Crawford (turf toe) out three-to-six weeks. 17 20 Houston Rockets The Rockets are hoping veteran guard Jon Barry, acquired in a trade with Atlanta, can provide some much-needed outside shooting off the bench. With a glut at point guard, they won't miss Tyronn Lue. 18 16 Boston Celtics Rookie power forward Al Jefferson is starting to come on strong. The 6-foot-10 rookie had 15 points and nine boards in Tuesday's loss at Miami, followed by 12 and 5 in Wednesday's win over the Knicks. 19 17 Memphis Grizzlies James Posey is still trying to work himself back after an early foot injury. He is shooting just 37 percent from the floor and 28 percent from 3-point range after hitting 48 and 39, respectively, a year ago. 20 19 Philadelphia 76ers Allen Iverson went for 51, 54 and 40 points in consecutive games last week, the best three-game spurt of his NBA career. Meanwhile, Glenn Robinson (ankle tendinitis) is dusting off the cobwebs at practice. 21 21 Chicago Bulls The Bulls lost at Milwaukee on Sunday to snap that five-game win streak. But Ben Gordon continues to impress with his shooting, and they play eight of their next games at the United Center. 22 23 Toronto Raptors Eric Williams is in and Jalen Rose is out as Sam Mitchell continues to preach defense. But with a 2-15 road record after Sunday's loss in Phoenix, what the Raptors really need is a few more home games. 23 24 New Jersey Nets The Vince Carter Era begins Monday in Detroit. Coming off two straight victories, and with Jason Kidd feeling better every day, there's reason for optimism -- especially if the Nets can add a big man. 24 18 Los Angeles Clippers So much for their promising start. Sunday's loss in Houston was their sixth in seven games. Perhaps more disturbing, they needed OT to defeat the Hornets at Staples Center last week. 25 26 Golden State Warriors They shocked the Kings at Sacramento on Sunday to make it four victories in eight games. Also, Derek Fisher is back in action after missing seven games with a sprained right knee. 26 25 Utah Jazz At week's end they were 3-10 without injured forward Andrei Kirilenko (knee) and off to the franchise's worst start since 1982. With five of their next seven on the road, it likely won't get much better soon. 27 27 Charlotte Bobcats Emeka Okafor has been racking up double-doubles, but Brevin Knight quietly has done the job as well. At week's end the veteran point guard ranked second to Steve Nash in assists per game with 9.3. 28 28 Milwaukee Bucks Michael Redd apparently isn't bothered by the recent trade rumors. He pumped in a season-high 39 points Sunday as they beat the Bulls to snap a five-game losing skid. 29 29 Atlanta Hawks Antoine Walker broke out of a mini-slump to score 25 points and lead them past his former Mavs team last Wednesday. It marked the first time the Hawks had scored 100 points in regulation all season. 30 30 New Orleans Hornets Baron Davis, out since November with a back injury, has returned to the lineup. Given the way Dan Dickau has played, maybe it's time for Baron to slide over to shooting guard.

Marty Burns covers pro basketball for SI.com.