1. Minnesota Timberwolves (19-5)

The red-hot T-Wolves have won 11 of the last 13 games. The No. 1 defense in the NBA remains in the wilderness of Minnesota.

Ant-Man and KAT are coexisting the best they ever have. Exhibit A can be Saturday night: Ant scored 37 points (7-of-10 from 3) and KAT scored 40 (15-of-25 from the field). Even more encouraging were Ant’s post-game words, stating that he and KAT are “super cool” with each other. Music to Minnesota’s ears.
This team seems to have found itself and knows who they are now. They are bought in. Depending on the night and matchup, Gobert might play less minutes in favor of Naz Reid, who can unlock so much more spacing, shooting a career-high 39 percent from 3 on 4.8 attempts per game.
It’s also encouraging that they were able to continue their winning ways while Jaden McDaniels missed a couple of weeks. Nickeil Alexander-Walker stepped into the starting lineup and was up to the task. When NAW scores 8+ points, the Wolves are 9-1.

The upcoming schedule until New Year’s is hellacious and should tell us a lot: at Miami, at Philly, Lakers at home, at Sac, at OKC, then back home for the Mavs and Lakers.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder (16-8)

The Oklahoma City Thunder are HERE, announcing their arrival on Saturday night in Denver with a late comeback win fueled by an SGA mid-range game-winner.

The Thunder still have a top-10 offense (No. 7) and a top-10 defense (No. 6), the No. 4 net rating in the NBA behind the Sixers, Celtics and T-Wolves.

SGA is averaging over 30 points per game again. He’s also still leading the league in steals and averaging the most assists per game of his career and shooting a career-high 58 percent on 2s.
Chet is fresh off an insane 9-block game against the Nuggets. Yes, nine blocks. NINE. (Well, it looks like he was stat corrected to 8, but it will always be 9 in our hearts.)
We previously stated in this space that the Thunder are at their best when Jalen Williams is involved and scoring from all three levels to lighten SGA’s load. J-Dub has scored 20+ points four times in the last seven games, all Thunder Wins.

A 5-game homestand awaits: Grizzlies, Clippers, Lakers, T-Wolves and Knicks. OKC is currently 8-4 at home and also 8-4 on the road.

3. Denver Nuggets (17-10)

The Nuggets have been sliding a little bit, losing 4 of the last 7 games, including a blown late-game lead to the Thunder as aforementioned. It’s worth pointing out that KCP didn’t play in that game, and the Nuggets sure missed him in that matchup.

Jokic has had some very uncharacteristic Jokic games recently and they unsurprisingly have led to Nuggets losses. The Joker hasn’t scored more than 26 points since Dec. 2nd… And it becomes a shock now when he doesn’t have a nutty triple-double. He’s set the expectations so damn high.
Speaking of high expectations, Jamal Murray’s return to the lineup hasn’t exactly lit this offense on fire. He’s had some inefficient shooting nights. We haven’t seen a true Blue Arrow game in a while.
It deserves its own line: the Reggie Jackson and DeAndre Jordan revenge game against the Clippers on a random Monday night in late November was one of our favorite games of the season.

The Nuggets are 10-2 at home and 7-8 on the road. After the Mavs at home on Monday night, it’s a 3-game East road trip: at Toronto, at Brooklyn and at Charlotte.

4. Dallas Mavericks (16-9)

The Mavs have won 5 of the last 6 games and have both a top-10 offense (No. 6) and top-5 defense (No. 5) over the last two weeks.

Over his last eight games, Luka is averaging 37 points, 11.8 assists and 9.0 rebounds a game. Absurd numbers with no end to LukaMagic in sight.
Kyrie (heel contusion) has missed four games in a row and it just hasn’t mattered. Tim Hardaway Jr. deserves praise for being the 6th Man gunner, averaging 17 points per game and firing from 3.
Something to monitor, however, is Derrick Lively going down with an ankle injury on Saturday night. Lively’s rim-running and rim protection have been a huge component to the Mavs’ early-season success.

The Mavs have some more upcoming spicy Western Conference opponents: at Denver on Monday night, back to Dallas for the Clippers, at Houston, home for the Spurs and then a trip to the desert to take on the Suns for the Christmas nightcap.

5. Los Angeles Lakers (15-11)

The 2023-24 Inaugural In-Season Tournament Champs!

It’s a reminder that when the Lakers lock in and take games seriously, they are a dangerous team a la last year’s run to the West Finals. A perfect 7-0 IST record.

LeBron averaging 25/7/7 with 40 percent shooting from 3 and 61.6 percent on 2s… it’s ridiculous. Bonkers. It can’t be said enough! We won’t stop!
IST AD sure looked a lot like the Bubble AD, the backbone of a championship defense and a monster on the interior on both ends. The Lakers need it in May and June. And the Lakers did lose to the lowly Spurs without AD on Friday night, reinforcing his vital importance to the success of this team.
The fact that Cam Reddish has started 14 games for the Lakers and is a key player for this team is not talked about enough given how many teams gave up on him.

The Lakers’ offense is just No. 20 currently for the season. But they are top 10 at No. 9 over the last two weeks and their defense is holding strong in the top 10 at No. 9.

6. Los Angeles Clippers (15-10)

Well well well. That’s three wells and the Clippers have now won 7 in a row and 12 of the last 15. It’s safe to say they have turned the ship around.

It only took hitting rock bottom. A loss to the Nuggets who were sitting Jokic, Murray and Aaron Gordon. It was the hands of ex-Clippers Reggie Jackson and DeAndre Jordan. Yeah, rock bottom.
Since that fateful night, Kawhi has been stuck in terminator mode, especially recently: Kawhi has scored 27+ points in three straight games and 30+ in four of five. Even better, he has yet to miss a game this season.
Harden has gotten his LA sea legs under him and PG is still averaging 22 a night. The Clippers have certainly figured some things out. Fun fact: Harden has already played more games with Kawhi and PG than he played with KD and Kyrie… LOL.

A road trip awaits: at Indiana, at Dallas and at OKC. Then it’s back home for the Celtics on a Saturday afternoon on Christmas Eve’s Eve.

7. Sacramento Kings (15-9)

Here’s a fun fact: since Nov. 7, the Kings have only lost to the Pelicans and Clippers. The only problem there is they’ve lost to the Pelicans three times and the Clippers twice during that span. Some good wins on the resume: Lakers, Mavs, T-Wolves (all on the road) and the Nuggets and Suns at home, where the Kings are 9-3.

The headliner here is Keegan Murray who just became the 7th player in NBA history to make 12 3-pointers in a game on Saturday night. Murray hit those 12 threes through three quarters. His 26 points in the third quarter are also a new Kings franchise record. To quote Mark Jones, “His unimpeachable and unassailable scoring skills were on full display tonight.”
Fox was out that night against the Jazz, but when Fox has been in, he’s been playing at an even higher level than last year, averaging 30 points per game, a top-6 scorer in the league.
The Kings’ offense has not been on the same level as last season, currently middle of the pack at No. 14. But the defense has been way better, also middle of the pack… at No. 14.

The Kings get four more at Golden 1: Wizards, Celtics, Suns and T-Wolves before a 3-game roadie to close the year: at Portland, at Atlanta and at Memphis.

8. New Orleans Pelicans (16-11)

The Pelicans are a team with incredible highs and incredible lows. The Pels have three wins against the Kings already and big wins against the Mavs, Sixers, Nuggets and T-Wolves. And they also have back-to-back losses to the Jazz and to the Bulls.

The No. 16 offense and No. 12 defense are both trending in the right direction over the last month and the Pelllies have currently won four straight and 7 of the last 10.

Zion obviously heard the recent public fat shaming and balled out for 36 points against the T-Wolves. It’s the kind of fire he needs to bring on a nightly basis. And he’s still healthy!
Speaking of health, the Pelicans have gotten better as they have gotten their guys back: Grand Theft Alvarado and Trey Murphy back in the mix is everything for this team, defensive intensity and much-needed floor spacing and shooting.
Valanciunas deserves some love, too. He’s had some monster games that have led to Pelicans W’s. When Valanchoony scores 16+ points, the Pels are 8-1.

The Pelicans get the Grizz on Tuesday night in NOLA, then a one-off in Cleveland before five straight at Smoothie King: Rockets, Grizzlies, Jazz, Lakers and Nets.

9. Houston Rockets (13-10)

After a 6-game winning streak to start November, the Rockets hit a rough patch of losing 6 of 8 games (mostly due to their struggles on the road), but then the Rox ripped off five straight before losing in Milwaukee last night.

The Rockets are the rare team without a player averaging over 20 points per game: Sengun (19.7), Jalen Green (17.7), VanVleet (16.6), Dillon Brooks (14.0) and Jabari Smith (12.7).
DILLON THE VILLAIN Brooks season-high 26 in points (after just two in the first half) against the Grizz in his return to Memphis was a movie, including the dagger 3 to ice the game. A cinematic masterpiece.
Tari Eason deserves his own line here, leading the Rockets in points and rebounds in two straight monster games: 18/14 and 25/14. His energy and relentlessness is Ime Udoka Rockets basketball.

The schedule the rest of 2023 is a vast mix of East and West: at Cleveland, Hawks, Mavs, at New Orleans, Pacers, Suns and Sixers. The Rox are 11-1 at home and 2-8 on the road.

10. Phoenix Suns (14-12)

UPDATE: 26 games into the season and the Suns Big 3 has played a grand total of 24 minutes together. Twenty. Four. That’s unreal.

The Suns had lost 6 of 9 before a 4th-quarter comeback against the Wizards got them a desperately needed W on Sunday night. Even so, the Suns’ numbers over the last two weeks are mighty concerning: No. 19 offense and No. 28 defense…

In 17 games with Devin Booker, the Suns are 11-6. They are 3-6 without him. He remains the most important player on the team, the engine that fuels them.
In 22 games with KD, the Suns are 10-11. They are 3-1 without him… do with that what you will.
In 6 games with Bradley Beal has played, the Suns are 2-4. Although the last game that Beal played, he only made it 5 minutes before an ankle injury took him out. The Suns went on to lose to the… Brooklyn Nets. At home.

The Suns are just 7-8 at home — a rare team that’s been better on the road (7-4). A Northwest roadie awaits: at Portland and at Sac. Then it’s hosting a Christmas nightcap with the Mavs.

11. Golden State Warriors (12-14)

The hit/slap heard ‘round the world was a grand encapsulation of the Warriors struggles this season. Since No. 7, the only teams that the Warriors have more wins than include: Hornets, Grizzlies, Blazers, Wizards, Spurs and Pistons.

A middling offense and middling defense, both at No. 16, the Warriors just can’t get any momentum going. But they did just beat the Nets and Blazers, just their second time winning two games in a row this season.

When Steph scores 30+ points, the Warriors are 8-3. In all other games, they are 4-11. The good news is that one of those wins was last night when Steph only scored 7 and didn’t hit a 3 for the first time since Nov. 2018, ending his NBA record 268 straight games with a 3.
Klay stepped up and has been playing better over the last week after a miserable first month of the season. He did look washed, but looks can change. It’s easy to forget that Klay led the NBA in 3-pointers last season.
Speaking of changed looks: Wiggins looks like the old inefficient Minnesota version of himself. Long gone is the leading rebounder in the 2022 Finals… the Warriors could use that Wiggins in the worst way.

The schedule for the rest of the year for the Warriors isn’t pretty: Celtics, Wizards, Blazers (a nice 2-game stretch!), at Denver on Christmas, Heat and Mavs.

12. Utah Jazz (9-17)

The Jazz offense has regressed even further, now a bottom-5 mark at No. 26 and the defense is down there as well at No. 25. Only the Wizards, Hornets, Spurs and Pistons have a worse net rating. Not great company to be in.

Markkanen missed a chunk of time and the Jazz faired okay (4-5) without him. It’s more than fair to wonder if the Jazz (read: Ainge) will look to cash in on their No. 1 asset before the deadline.
John Collins is actually having his best 3-point shooting season in years, up to 38 percent after being down at 29 last year. He’s another piece that doesn’t feel at all like he’s in the Jazz’s long-term plans. (And they got him for nothing.)
What would be left? Give us Keyonte/Sexton, Clarkson, THT, Fontecchio and Kessler. And let’s see some more of Taylor Hendricks! It’s only a matter of time.

The Jazz are a 2-12 on the road and have a big road trip coming up. After the Nets at home on Monday night, it’s at Cleveland, at Detroit, at Toronto, at San Antonio and at New Orleans.

13. Memphis Grizzlies (6-18)

It’s official: the Memphis Grizzlies currently have the worst offense in the league. The defense, however, is a very respectable No. 11.

A fitting image for how this Grizz season has gone: Dillon Brooks drilling the dagger in Memphis last Friday night.

Two more games. Two more games until Ja Morant makes his return after doing his time/25-game suspension. His debut will be against the Pelicans in New Orleans on Tuesday night.
In Ja’s absence, Desmond Bane has been doing what he can, averaging a damn good 25/5/5. It’s not just Ja either, of course. The Grizz have been without Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke all season, and Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard over the last few weeks as well.
That’s led to deep-cut city / WHO HE!? territory. Vince Williams Jr., a 2nd-year player from VCU is getting a ton of run recently. He’s not half bad!

It goes without saying that it will be mighty interesting to see how this Grizz team looks with Ja back in the fold.

14. Portland Trail Blazers (6-19)

The Blazers have currently lost 7 in a row, but they have been a lot more competitive than some other bottom-feeding teams.

Simons returned after his opening-night injury and lit it up from the jump. Even last night after a scoreless first half against the Warriors, he scored 24 points in the second half. He’s a certified bucket.
Jerami Grant is putting up his first year in Detroit numbers and seems like the obvious asset that will be moved sooner rather than later.
Scoot has had some encouraging games after a bunch of inefficient ones. Shaedon Sharpe continues to impress, although he’s cooled down the scoring recently.

The Blazers do have some winnable games on the schedule before New Year’s: home against the Wizards and two at home against the Spurs.

15. San Antonio Spurs (4-21)

The Spurs snapped their 18-game losing streak (the longest in franchise history) on Friday night against the Lakers. After starting 3-2 with those two wins against the Suns, the Spurs are 2-19.

The Slenderman/Alien, Wembanyama has been moved to the 5 by Pop, a breath of fresh air but he’s still missing a true point guard in Tre Jones… WHY!? Wemby’s nightly 19 and 11 with 3 blocks is solid by any measure for a rookie. He’s still turning the ball over a lot and firing away from 3.
We have been singing the praises of Devin Vassell for some time and his 36-point performance against the Lakers raised a lot of eyebrows. Vassell and Wemby should be the new Spurs staples of the next decade.
Where does that leave Keldon Johnson? San An might want to cash in on more assets, focusing on the future. But KJ is a real one, yelling and screaming and soo fired up against the Lakers on Friday night. That’s what you want.

A 3-game road trip (at Milwaukee, at Chicago and at Dallas) proceeds a single game at home vs. the Jazz. Then it’s a trip to the Pacific Northwest for back-to-back games against the Blazers. Some winnable games ahead!

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