There was a point last season where the Golden State Warriors were going to be a near-permanent fixture atop the Power Rankings. And they ranked No. 1 for 10 of the last 11 weeks, briefly sliding to No. 2 after losing in San Antonio in mid-March.
We may have reached that point of no descent this season. The Warriors played three of the best teams in the league last week and beat them all handily. They crushed the Cavs on Monday, blew past the Thunder in the second half on Wednesday, and had another big third quarter in Houston on Friday. They’re putting it together, more consistently, on both ends of the floor.
For the first time this season, a team ranks No. 1 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. The Warriors were in that position at times two seasons ago, but the last team to rank No. 1 on both ends of the floor over a full season was the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls. Last year’s Warriors topped that Bulls team in regard to wins, and maybe these Warriors can match them in regard to two-way success.
We’ve had the Spurs, Cavs and Clippers atop the rankings at points this season. Though the Rockets haven’t been able to reach the top, they’re an elite team. But none of those teams have nearly as high a ceiling as the Warriors do. And none can rest two of the league’s 20 best players and still have two more to rely on.
The Warriors have hit their stride and there may be no catching up.
- Last week: Warriors and Cavs face off again at midway point
- This time last year: Spurs, Warriors finally square off — The Cavs fired David Blatt, the Clippers traded Josh Smith to Houston, Archie Goodwin hit a game-winner against the Hawks, and the Spurs had won 13 straight games going into their first meeting with the Warriors.
- Plus-minus stud: Kevin Durant (GSW) was a plus-112 in four games last week.
- Plus-minus dud: Aaron Gordon (ORL) was a minus-63 in four games last week.
- Hero team of the week: Golden State (4-0) — The Warriors did what they needed to do against the Cavs, coming out strong early and never letting their foot off the gas. There could have been a letdown later in the week, but they picked up two more quality wins and took care of business in Orlando on Sunday.
- Zero team of the week: Milwaukee (0-4) — The Bucks 0-4 week included three losses to teams’s – Philadelphia, Orlando and Miami – from last week’s bottom 10.
- East vs. West: The West is 139-115 (.547) against the East in interconference games after going 12-11 last week (4-1 against Cleveland, Toronto and Boston).
- Toughest schedules through Sunday: 1. Phoenix, 2. Portland, 3. Brooklyn
- Easiest schedules through Sunday: 1. Indiana, 2. LA Clippers, 3. Golden State
- Schedule strength is based on cumulative opponent record, and adjusted for home vs. away and days of rest before a game.
- High jumps of the week: Philadelphia (+6), Miami (+5), Charlotte (+3), Denver (+3), Utah (+3)
- Free falls of the week: Milwaukee (-4), Orlando (-4), New York (-3), Portland (-3), Sacramento (-3)
- Team to watch this week: Washington — The fifth-place Wizards play games against the sixth-place Hornets (Monday), third-place Celtics (Tuesday) and fourth-place Hawks (Friday), before finishing the week in New Orleans.
* * *
Pace: Possessions per 48 minutes (League Rank)
OffRtg: Points scored per 100 possessions (League Rank)
DefRtg: Points allowed per 100 possessions (League Rank)
NetRtg: Point differential per 100 possessions (League Rank)
The league has averaged 98.7 possessions (per team) per 48 minutes and 105.6 points scored per 100 possessions this season.
* * *
1 – Golden State Warriors
Last week: 1
Golden State Warriors
Record: 38-6
Pace: 103.1 (2) OffRtg: 113.6 (1) DefRtg: 101.0 (1) NetRtg: +12.6 (1)
After flattening two other MVP candidates earlier in the week, the Warriors took it easy on James Harden on Friday, though they allowed him only 13 shots and five free throws in 35 minutes. In their last three games, they’ve outscored the Thunder, Rockets and Magic 116-68 in the third quarter, pushing their third-quarter NetRtg to plus-23.0 points per 100 possessions, which (over a full season) would be the best mark for any team in any quarter in the last 20 years. Their upcoming schedule got a little less interesting with Chris Paul’s injury, as they’re playing the Clippers three times in the next month.
This week: @ MIA, @ CHA, vs. LAC, @ POR
2 – San Antonio Spurs
Last week: 2
San Antonio Spurs
Record: 34-9
Pace: 96.2 (27) OffRtg: 111.7 (4) DefRtg: 102.0 (3) NetRtg: +9.7 (2)
The Spurs lost Pau Gasol to a broken hand on Thursday and were also without Tony Parker against the champs on Saturday. But with the best bench in the league, they always have somebody to step up. David Lee (who has started the last two games) is still a very good offensive player and Dejounte Murray had a big game (14 points and six assists). Of course, Kawhi Leonard has shown that he can take his game to a new level no matter who’s in the lineup, scoring 30-plus points in six straight games, with a career-high 41 in the overtime win in Cleveland.
This week: @ BKN, @ TOR, @ NOP, vs. DAL
3 – Houston Rockets
Last week: 3
Houston Rockets
Record: 34-13
Pace: 101.3 (4) OffRtg: 112.1 (3) DefRtg: 105.4 (14) NetRtg: +6.6 (3)
James Harden was the first-half MVP, but the minutes he’s off the floor and the play of the bench continue to be important for the Rockets. Since returning from a two-game absence, Sixth Man of the First Half Eric Gordon has averaged 23.3 points on 50 percent shooting in the Rockets’ three wins and just 8.7 points on 21 percent in their three losses. Starting Corey Brewer for a couple of games didn’t work out so well, but Ryan Anderson’s absence allowed Sam Dekker to shine over the weekend. In his first career start, he went for a career-high 30 points, shooting 6-for-11 from 3-point range, in Saturday’s big win in Memphis.
This week: @ MIL, @ BOS, @ PHI, @ IND
4 – Cleveland Cavaliers
Last week: 4
Cleveland Cavaliers
Record: 30-12
Pace: 99.1 (14) OffRtg: 109.1 (5) DefRtg: 105.5 (15) NetRtg: +3.7 (7)
The Cavs might be going through a little mid-season malaise (they’re just 7-6 with the league’s 23rd-ranked offense since Christmas), but they couldn’t break out against two best teams in the West, getting blasted by the Warriors on Monday and losing at home to the Spurs on Saturday. Their bench came up empty in that loss and they rank 26th in aggregate bench NetRtg over the last month. Russell Westbrook is coming to town for another big game on Sunday, but six of their next seven games are against teams with losing records.
This week: @ NOP, vs. SAC, vs. BKN, vs. OKC
5 – Utah Jazz
Last week: 8
Utah Jazz
Record: 29-16
Pace: 93.4 (29) OffRtg: 107.0 (9) DefRtg: 101.3 (2) NetRtg: +5.6 (5)
Though Rodney Hood has missed the last three games, the Jazz have won six straight, with Gordon Hayward (23.5 points per game on 54 percent shooting) and Rudy Gobert (16.7 points and 16.0 rebounds) both making their All-Star cases. The streak includes three wins in games that were within five points in the last five minutes, improving them to 16-9 (the fourth best mark in the league) in those situations (after struggling in close games last season). With George Hill fouled out in Dallas on Friday, Quin Snyder had got creative (playing without a point guard) in overtime. And then Hill came back to score a season-high 30 points against his former team a night later.
This week: vs. OKC, @ DEN, vs. LAL, vs. MEM
6 – Toronto Raptors
Last week: 5
Toronto Raptors
Record: 28-16
Pace: 98.0 (20) OffRtg: 112.3 (2) DefRtg: 105.9 (17) NetRtg: +6.4 (4)
The offense that ranked No. 1 just five days ago has scored just 92.3 points per 100 possessions over a three-game losing streak, with Kyle Lowry and the Raptors’ role players going so cold that DeMar DeRozan has been their best 3-point shooter over the last five days. Toronto needs an upgrade at power forward, but still misses Patrick Patterson and Lucas Nogueira when they’re out. Jared Sullinger made his regular-season debut last week, but didn’t make much of an impact and the losing streak got so bad that Raptors’ fans were ejected from Sunday’s loss to Phoenix.
This week: vs. SAS, @ MEM, vs. MIL, vs. ORL
7 – Boston Celtics
Last week: 6
Boston Celtics
Record: 26-17
Pace: 98.4 (18) OffRtg: 108.7 (7) DefRtg: 106.3 (21) NetRtg: +2.4 (8)
Isaiah Thomas has had a heck of an offensive month, but so have the Celtics’ opponents. Boston ranks 28th defensively over the last month, having allowed 112 points per 100 possessions (116 with Thomas on the floor and 100 with Thomas off the floor) in their last 14 games. And it was their defense that allowed the Knicks and Blazers – two teams that had been struggling – to get wins at TD Garden (where the Celtics had won seven straight games) last week. The Knicks registered 24 second-chance points and the Blazers got to the line 36 times.
This week: @ WAS, vs. HOU, vs. ORL, @ MIL
8 – LA Clippers
Last week: 7
LA Clippers
Record: 29-16
Pace: 98.6 (17) OffRtg: 109.0 (6) DefRtg: 103.5 (6) NetRtg: +5.5 (6)
Chris Paul is out 6-8 weeks with a torn ligament in his left thumb and the loss would be easier to take if Jamal Crawford could make a shot. But Crawford has shot 25 percent (5-for-36 from 3-point range) since late December and has the league’s worst effective field goal percentage (27.3 percent) by a wide margin (among players who have taken at least 100 shots) over that time. With 12 of their next 15 games against teams with winning records (and 10 of the next 12 on the road), a big slide could be coming. But the Clips definitely won’t be falling any further than seventh in the West.
This week: @ ATL, @ PHI, @ GSW
9 – Oklahoma City Thunder
Last week: 9
Oklahoma City Thunder
Record: 25-19
Pace: 100.2 (7) OffRtg: 104.9 (16) DefRtg: 104.6 (10) NetRtg: +0.3 (13)
With Steven Adams (concussion protocol) out last week, the Thunder started small (with a frontline of Jeremi Grant and Domantas Sabonis), got outscored by 36 points in the paint, and couldn’t get stops against the Clippers or Warriors. For the season, they’ve been 8.5 points per 100 possessions better defensively with Adams on the floor (having allowed 101.1) than with him off the floor (109.6). With his team off since Wednesday, Russell Westbrook’s first chance to avenge his All-Star (starting lineup) snub will be Monday in Utah.
This week: @ UTA, @ NOP, vs. DAL, @ CLE
10 – Atlanta Hawks
Last week: 11
Atlanta Hawks
Record: 26-18
Pace: 99.7 (11) OffRtg: 102.9 (24) DefRtg: 102.3 (4) NetRtg: +0.6 (12)
The Hawks got thumped in Detroit on Wednesday, but have won 11 of their last 13 games, with the league’s No. 1 defense in that time. Tim Hardaway Jr. has helped make up for the departure of Kyle Korver, with an effective field goal percentage of 61.7 percent in January. That’s up from 42.1 percent in December and is the fourth best mark among players who have taken at least 100 shots this month. Hardaway didn’t shoot well in Saturday’s win over Philadelphia, but he dished out a career-high six assists.
This week: vs. LAC, @ CHI, vs. WAS, vs. NYK
11 – Washington Wizards
Last week: 13
Washington Wizards
Record: 23-20
Pace: 99.0 (15) OffRtg: 106.6 (11) DefRtg: 106.0 (18) NetRtg: +0.6 (11)
The Wizards got a rare road win in New York on Thursday, but Sidney Lowe wasn’t on the floor to defend Marcus Morris’ game-winning tip-in in Detroit on Saturday. They had made a 15-6 run playing small, but got caught with Marcin Gortat on the bench for the final possession, in which Detroit got four chances at the game-winner. After that loss, they’re 12-6 (9-0 at home, 3-6 on the road) against the other seven teams that sit between the 3 and 11 seeds in the East, with three big games against that group (two on the road) this week.
This week: @ CHA, vs. BOS, @ ATL, @ NOP
12 – Memphis Grizzlies
Last week: 10
Memphis Grizzlies
Record: 26-20
Pace: 95.5 (28) OffRtg: 102.5 (25) DefRtg: 102.3 (5) NetRtg: +0.2 (14)
The Grizzlies still aren’t getting much offense from Chandler Parsons, but defense has been the bigger issue as they’ve lost three of their last four games. They rank 20th defensively over the last month, in part because seven of their 15 games in that stretch were against top-10 offensive teams. With two more top-10 offenses on the schedule this week, better defense has to start in the first half. They’ve trailed at halftime by at least six points in nine of their last 14 games.
This week: vs. TOR, @ POR, @ UTA
13 – Charlotte Hornets
Last week: 16
Charlotte Hornets
Record: 23-21
Pace: 98.8 (16) OffRtg: 105.9 (14) DefRtg: 103.6 (7) NetRtg: +2.3 (9)
After allowing more than 112 points per 100 possessions over an 0-5 road trip, the Hornets allowed just 89 over the first three games of their five-game homestand. Kemba Walker had a huge game (32 points, 6-for-9 from 3-point range) against Toronto on Friday, but the scoring has been otherwise balanced, with three bench guys – Frank Kaminsky, Marco Belinelli and Ramon Sessions – among the six averaging double-figures over the winning streak. Roy Hibbert even scored a season-high 16 points (two of them by accident) in Wednesday’s win over Portland.
This week: vs. WAS, vs. GSW, @ NYK, vs. SAC
14 – Indiana Pacers
Last week: 15
Indiana Pacers
Record: 22-21
Pace: 100.0 (9) OffRtg: 104.5 (17) DefRtg: 105.6 (16) NetRtg: -1.1 (16)
After winning in Sacramento with a big second half on Wednesday, the Pacers got back to their road woes, losing in L.A. and Utah over the weekend, with their old point guard (George Hill) thoroughly outplaying their new point guard (Jeff Teague) on Saturday. Though turnovers were a problem in both of those games, the bigger difference between the 16-5 Home Pacers and the 6-16 Road Pacers has been on the other end of the floor. They have the league’s fourth best home defense and the league’s third worst road defense. Home for 10 of their next 15 games and with a pretty weak schedule over the next couple of weeks, they have the opportunity to solidify their playoff position heading into the All-Star break.
This week: vs. NYK, @ MIN, vs. SAC, vs. HOU
15 – Chicago Bulls
Last week: 14
Chicago Bulls
Record: 22-23
Pace: 96.9 (23) OffRtg: 103.8 (19) DefRtg: 104.7 (12) NetRtg: -0.9 (15)
With Rajon Rondo back in the rotation, Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade controlling the offense, and the starting bigs needed to generate offense via second opportunities, the Bulls only have so much playing time to give to their young guys. Right now, Paul Zipser is the guy getting more minutes as Denzel Valentine goes to the back of the line and Doug McDermott has a hard time producing consistently (he has just 12 total points in his three games since scoring a career-high 31). After Friday’s loss in Atlanta, the Bulls are 6-14 (0-10 on the road) against the other teams between the 3 and 11 seeds in the East, facing the Hawks again this week.
This week: @ ORL, vs. ATL, vs. MIA, vs. PHI
16 – Milwaukee Bucks
Last week: 12
Milwaukee Bucks
Record: 20-23
Pace: 97.4 (21) OffRtg: 107.0 (10) DefRtg: 106.1 (19) NetRtg: +0.9 (10)
A five-game losing streak (featuring a team meeting that may have done more harm than good) has dropped the Bucks from fifth to 10th in the East. They’ve allowed 115.4 points per 100 possessions during the streak and have dropped from ninth to 19th in defensive efficiency over the last three weeks. And when they can’t get stops, their inability (or unwillingness) to shoot from the perimeter becomes a bigger problem. Khris Middleton could be back next month and with the way his team has been playing, his season debut can’t come soon enough.
This week: vs. HOU, vs. PHI, @ TOR, vs. BOS
17 – Detroit Pistons
Last week: 19
Detroit Pistons
Record: 21-24
Pace: 96.5 (26) OffRtg: 103.3 (22) DefRtg: 104.8 (13) NetRtg: -1.5 (18)
In the midst of trade rumors, the Pistons have won three straight games, highlighted by Marcus Morris’ game-winning tip-in over his twin brother on Saturday. Stanley Johnson, who was in and out of the rotation early in the season, has been giving them good minutes of late, and the team’s best minutes over the winning streak have been with Johnson and Morris on the floor together. They’re a game out of eighth place in the East and have a relatively soft schedule over the next 2 1/2 weeks, with a rare, four-day break after Monday’s game against the Kings.
This week: vs. SAC, @ MIA
18 – Denver Nuggets
Last week: 21
Denver Nuggets
Record: 18-25
Pace: 100.8 (5) OffRtg: 107.7 (8) DefRtg: 110.1 (29) NetRtg: -2.4 (20)
Nikola Jokic had the three highest scoring games of his career (30, 29, and 35 points) last week and for the season, the Nuggets have scored 10.7 more points per 100 possessions with him on the floor (113.3) than with him off the floor (102.6). But they can’t build a comfortable lead for eighth place in the West or anything close to a .500 record if they can’t get stops, which they haven’t been able to do whether he’s on the floor or not. They rank second offensively (ahead of the Warriors), but 30th defensively since Jokic was moved into the starting lineup on Dec. 15.
This week: vs. UTA, vs. PHX, @ PHX
19 – Philadelphia 76ers
Last week: 25
Philadelphia 76ers
Record: 15-27
Pace: 99.6 (12) OffRtg: 98.3 (30) DefRtg: 104.3 (9) NetRtg: -6.0 (28)
Having allowed just 98.2 points per 100 possessions (87.5 with Joel Embiid on the floor), the Sixers have the No. 1 defense in January. They’re 8-1 with Embiid since Dec. 30, coming back from 10 or more points down in four of the eight wins (something they had done just once prior). They had big second halves in Milwaukee on Monday and against Portland on Friday last week, with Robert Covington capping off the latter rally with the game winning 3-pointer. Embiid sat out the second game of a back-to-back in Atlanta on Saturday and the Sixers have four more back-to-backs in the next 18 days, so hold off on ordering playoff tickets.
20 – Portland Trail Blazers
Last week: 17
Portland Trail Blazers
Record: 19-27
Pace: 99.9 (10) OffRtg: 106.3 (12) DefRtg: 108.9 (27) NetRtg: -2.6 (21)
During the course of a four-game losing streak (in which they scored a paltry 95 points per 100 possessions and trailed games by 17, 30 and 25 points), the Blazers got desperate, starting Evan Turner and Noah Vonleh in Philadelphia and Boston over the weekend. Both games went down to the wire, but the Blazers didn’t break out offensively until Saturday, with C.J. McCollum getting to the line a career-high 13 times. They now have a five-game homestand and don’t have any back-to-backs over the next five weeks.
This week: vs. LAL, vs. MEM, vs. GSW
21 – Sacramento Kings
Last week: 18
Sacramento Kings
Record: 16-27
Pace: 96.8 (24) OffRtg: 104.4 (18) DefRtg: 108.7 (26) NetRtg: -4.2 (25)
Rudy Gay is out for the season after tearing his Achilles in Wednesday’s loss to the Pacers, the Kings have dropped five straight games, and they’re 2-10 (with the league’s second worst defense) over the last 3 1/2 weeks. They can blame the refs for Saturday’s loss in Chicago, but DeMarcus Cousins’ phantom foul on Dwyane Wade wasn’t the only time they’ve been beat down the floor over the last couple of weeks. They’ve allowed 19 or more fast break points in five of their last seven games and, even though they’ve had the league’s biggest decrease in pace from last season, they rank in the bottom five in regard to the percentage of opponent possessions that have been in transition and in points allowed per possession in transition. They’re just two games into an eight-game trip.
This week: @ DET, @ CLE, @ IND, @ CHA
22 – New Orleans Pelicans
Last week: 20
New Orleans Pelicans
Record: 17-27
Pace: 100.1 (8) OffRtg: 101.6 (27) DefRtg: 103.8 (8) NetRtg: -2.3 (19)
The Pelicans’ improved defense had been allowing them to take care of business against bad teams … until Friday, when they somehow allowed the Nets to scored 143 points, the latest shake-your-head moment in the fascinating race for eighth place in the West. As they try to stay in it, the Pels still have four more games on their six-game homestand, but they’re all against teams with winning records. They’re just 5-16 against that group thus far, having scored less than a point per possession over the 21 games.
This week: vs. CLE, vs. OKC, vs. SAS, vs. WAS
23 – Minnesota Timberwolves
Last week: 24
Minnesota Timberwolves
Record: 16-28
Pace: 96.8 (25) OffRtg: 106.2 (13) DefRtg: 107.4 (23) NetRtg: -1.3 (17)
The latest Ricky Rubio rumors hit the day after the Wolves won a close game (against the Clippers in L.A.) with Kris Dunn and Tyus Jones on the floor with the team’s three young stars for the last six minutes. That was the first time that lineup had played together, but Tom Thibodeau go back to it in Sunday’s win over Denver, even though Rubio was out for personal reasons. The two wins (the Wolves have won five of their last seven games) got them to within 2 1/2 games of the eighth-place Nuggets, and they’ll be home (against mostly Eastern Conference teams) for nine of 11 games after Tuesday’s visit to Phoenix.
This week: @ PHX, vs. IND, vs. BKN
24 – Miami Heat
Last week: 29
Miami Heat
Record: 14-30
Pace: 97.1 (x) OffRtg: 101.2 (x) DefRtg: 104.7 (x) NetRtg: -3.5 (x)
After playing some good teams tough through a brutal stretch of schedule and finally getting a few days off, the Heat broke through with a three-game winning streak at home last week. Dion Waiters tied a career high with 33 points in Saturday’s win over Milwaukee and James Johnson has evolved into some sort of point forward/center, averaging a team-high 6.8 assists over the last five games. Their lack of depth will probably keep them from making a serious run, but this team is better than its record and, after hosting the Warriors on Monday, it plays 10 of 11 games against teams that are also below .500.
This week: vs. GSW, @ BKN, @ CHI, vs. DET
25 – New York Knicks
Last week: 22
New York Knicks
Record: 19-26
Pace: 99.5 (13) OffRtg: 105.2 (15) DefRtg: 108.2 (25) NetRtg: -3.0 (22)
The Knicks have been only slightly worse (minus-3.2 points per 100 possessions) as they’ve gone 5-16 over their last 21 games than they were (minus-2.8 points per 100 possessions) when they went 14-10 to start the season. The big difference has been in close games. They’ve lost nine of their last 11 games (after starting 9-5) that were within five points in the last five minutes, losing three nail-biters last week, with Derrick Rose getting stuffed by Paul Millsap on Monday, Sidney Lowe scaring Courtney Lee on Thursday, and Carmelo Anthony’s game-winning three spinning off the rim Saturday.
This week: @ IND, @ DAL, vs. CHA, @ ATL
26 – Dallas Mavericks
Last week: 26
Dallas Mavericks
Record: 15-29
Pace: 93.3 (30) OffRtg: 103.0 (23) DefRtg: 106.3 (20) NetRtg: -3.4 (23)
The Mavs are 4-2 with a starting lineup of Deron Williams, Seth Curry, Wesley Matthews, Harrison Barnes and Dirk Nowitzki, and the two losses could have easily gone the other way. It’s been their best offensive stretch of the season (111.6 points scored per 100 possessions), Curry has shot 14-for-25 from 3-point range in the six games, and the Mavs have scored more than 109 points per 100 possessions in 428 minutes with he and Williams on the floor together this year. Somehow, they’re only three games in the loss column behind the eighth-place Nuggets.
This week: vs. NYK, @ OKC, @ SAS
27 – Orlando Magic
Last week: 23
Orlando Magic
Record: 18-28
Pace: 98.3 (19) OffRtg: 101.1 (29) DefRtg: 106.4 (22) NetRtg: -5.3 (27)
It’s a good night when you outscore the Bucks by 22 points in the paint, as the Magic did on Friday. But their offense hasn’t been able to hold up without Evan Fournier, their defense hasn’t been able to stop some of the league’s best offenses over the last nine days, and they even allowed New Orleans to have one of its best offensive games of the season on Wednesday. Fournier’s absence has allowed Mario Hezonja to get double-digit minutes in four straight games for the first time since early November
This week: vs. CHI, @ BOS, @ TOR
28 – Phoenix Suns
Last week: 27
Phoenix Suns
Record: 15-29
Pace: 101.7 (3) OffRtg: 103.4 (21) DefRtg: 107.8 (24) NetRtg: -4.4 (26)
The Raptors have now been swept by the Kings and the Suns, who got a career-high 40 points (26 in the paint or at the line) from Eric Bledsoe on Sunday. The Suns have definitely slowed down over the last few weeks. They still rank third in pace overall and still rank third in fast break points per game this month, but they’ve played the third slowest pace in the league since Jan. 3. A win against the Wolves on Tuesday would give them their first three-game winning streak since Nov. 2015.
This week: vs. MIN, @ DEN, vs. DEN
29 – Los Angeles Lakers
Last week: 28
Los Angeles Lakers
Record: 16-32
Pace: 100.3 (6) OffRtg: 103.5 (20) DefRtg: 110.5 (30) NetRtg: -6.9 (29)
With Tuesday’s loss to Denver, in which they almost came back from 19 points down, the Lakers have dropped 13 straight games that were within five points in the last five minutes, allowing their opponents to score 144 points per 100 possessions in the clutch over that stretch. So on Sunday, they made sure the game was over early, suffering the worst loss in franchise history (49-point margin of defeat) to the Mavericks. D’Angelo Russell is out with an MCL sprain and Julius Randle has been struggling a bit.
This week: @ POR, @ UTA
30 – Brooklyn Nets
Last week: 30
Brooklyn Nets
Record: 9-34
Pace: 104.2 (1) OffRtg: 101.6 (26) DefRtg: 109.5 (28) NetRtg: -7.8 (30)
After scoring less than point per possession over their 11-game losing streak, the Nets scored 143 points against a top-10 defense (New Orleans) on Friday in their first road win since Nov. 12. But more bad news came Monday morning, as they announced that Jeremy Lin is out another 3-5 weeks after re-aggravating his hamstring injury. In hindsight, signing Greivis Vasquez as Lin’s back-up looks like Sean Marks’ biggest mistake in Year 1, because Vasquez (still recovering from ankle surgery) was waived after hobbling through a few preseason games and the Nets were left with no NBA point guard experience behind Lin.
This week: vs. SAS, vs. MIA, @ CLE, @ MIN
