Mavs move ahead of Suns thanks to long win streak

The start of the new year brings a new (but familiar) team atop this week's Power Rankings. The Mavs, who took down the Suns last Thursday on Dirk Nowitzki's last-second shot, have returned to the top spot they owned for several weeks earlier this season. But can Dallas, riding a 10-game win streak through Monday, continue its red-hot play when it travels to San Antonio on Friday for a matchup with the Spurs?

This week's high riser: Nets (No. 14 from No. 24)
This week's big drop: Heat (No. 21 from No. 13)

NBA Power Rankings Rank LW Team 1 2 Dallas Mavericks Avery Johnson is now the fastest coach to 100 wins in NBA history, running his record to 100-31 with Sunday's win at Denver. It beat the previous mark set by the late Red Auerbach, who went 100-35. 2 1 Phoenix Suns Don't put too much stock in their 0-5 record so far vs. the Western elite (Mavs, Spurs, Jazz). Three of those losses came during that 1-5 start, and altogether they have been by a combined average of 4.2 points. 3 3 San Antonio Spurs Two nights after Gregg Popovich labeled them his worst defensive squad in eight years, they held the Jazz 20 points below their season average in a 106-83 rout. Now that's a coach who knows how to push the right buttons. 4 5 Utah Jazz Rookie forward Paul (Don't Call Me Ronnie) Millsap continues to play a winning tune off the bench. The 6-8 Louisiana Tech product, drafted in the second round (No. 47 overall), is averaging six points and four boards in 15 minutes. 5 6 Washington Wizards Gilbert Arenas has been the engine behind their revved-up play of late, scoring 30 or more points in 12 of 15 games before Saturday's loss at Milwaukee. Looks like Agent Zero is bucking for another trip to the All-Star Game. 6 7 Chicago Bulls Ben Gordon (eight straight games with 20 or more points) has joined Luol Deng in a formidable 1-2 punch. Meanwhile, the Bulls went 14-3 in December, their most wins in any month since November 1996. 7 4 Detroit Pistons Without Chauncey Billups (strained calf), they fell to the Suns on Sunday for their first three-game losing streak since 2004-05. They hope their veteran QB can return for Saturday's big showdown against Ben Wallace's Bulls in Chicago. 8 8 Cleveland Cavaliers Their three-game win streak ended in Chicago on Saturday, dropping them to 4-9 on the road and 1-7 in the second game of back-to-backs. Larry Hughes continues to run hot and cold with his shooting. 9 10 Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant has been scoring (58 points in a three-overtime loss to the Bobcats last week), but he hasn't had many chances to win games at the buzzer. In fact, the Lakers are the only team that hasn't played a game decided by three points or fewer. 10 12 Houston Rockets Tracy McGrady has returned to keep them afloat in Yao Ming's absence. But the real story has been their defense, which held foes to a combined 34 percent shooting in the first three games without their All-Star center.