1

Thunder
Anthony Edwards called Shai Gilgeous-Alexander “unguardable” while touting him as the league’s MVP — pretty high praise from one of the league’s most physical perimeter defenders. SGA will likely win the award if the Thunder continue to do what they’re doing — that is, never losing basketball games. Thirteen straight entering Friday’s showdown with the Knicks. Should be a fun one. — 30-5
2

Cavaliers

Make it eight in a row for the Cavs, who have outscored opponents by a ridiculous 17 points per 100 possessions during the streak. The offense is virtually unguardable right now with Evan Mobley getting more comfortable from deep, going 12 for 24 from 3-point range during the eight games. — 31-4
3

Celtics
Boston pulled out a big win over the Wolves on Thursday to stay JUST ahead of the Knicks in the East, as Jayson Tatum put on a signature performance of 33 points, nine assists and eight rebounds with Jaylen Brown sidelined. We all know how great the Celtics can be when healthy, but if they keep losing winnable games they could realistically enter the playoffs as a No. 3 seed. Crazy to think about. — 26-10
4

Knicks
An overtime scare against the Wizards aside, the Knicks have been utterly dominant over their nine-game winning streak with a plus-13.5 net rating. They became the first team in NBA history to have four players (Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby) score at least 40 points in a game before Jan. 1, which shows just how dangerous this team is. When you factor in their 106 defensive rating over the winning streak, the Knicks have become the two-way monster their potential indicated they could be. 2 24-12
5

Grizzlies

If there’s one thing that terrifies Grizzlies opponents, it’s an aggressive Jaren Jackson Jr., who’s scored 30-plus in two of his last three games, including 38 in a New Year’s Eve win over the Suns with Ja Morant and a large chunk of the roster unavailable. As Desmond Bane also continues to heat up, Memphis is looking scarier by the day. — 23-13
6

Rockets
The story for the Rockets remains the same — they’re 15-1 when they score at least 114 points (and the one loss came in overtime). The defense is so suffocating that they don’t even have to light up the scoreboard in order to be dominant. Lacking a true offensive supernova, the Rockets need a least one of Jalen Green, Fred VanVleet and Alperen Sengun to be great each game. 1 23-12
7

Nuggets
The Nuggets have given up 122 points per 100 possessions over their last four games, which is terrible, but they’ve won three of them thanks to an unfathomable 130 offensive rating. We’ve grown accustomed to Nikola Jokic’s greatness, but my goodness — 31 points, 15.5 rebounds and 12 assists per game over his last four on 53/44/83 splits. Meanwhile Jamal Murray is cooking, putting up 24 points per game on 47/43/93 shooting in his last 10 games. 4 20-14
8

Mavericks

That’s four losses in five games without Luka Doncic, if you count Christmas Day when he only played 16 minutes before injuring his calf. The Mavericks have understandably struggled to generate offense, with little working on that end outside of tremendous individual play from Kyrie Irving. Guys like P.J. Washington, Klay Thompson and Spencer Dinwiddie are going to have to step up if Dallas is going to stay afloat with Doncic on the shelf. 4 20-15
9

Magic
The comeback kids erased deficits of at least 15 points in three consecutive wins, then nearly came back from 18 points down in a close loss to the Pistons. Even without their two best starters and top bench scorer, Orlando will never stop fighting. Let’s take this opportunity to shout out Goga Bitadze, who has averaged 13 points and 11 rebounds on 61% shooting over his last 10 games. 1 21-16
10

Clippers
The Clippers have lost their last two games by an average of 32 points — OK, not ideal — but overall they’re still four games above .500, toeing the Play-In line. If there weren’t so many other spectacular candidates, Ty Lue would be receiving a lot more Coach of the Year buzz. Oh and hey, good news — Kawhi Leonard might play next game. Stay tuned! 3 20-15
11

Lakers

That’s wins in three of four and four of six for the Lakers, who picked up some depth by swapping D’Angelo Russell for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton. In two games as a 40-year-old, LeBron James is averaging 30.5 points and 7.5 assists on 57/62/75 shooting splits. Fine wine, indeed. 6 20-15
12

Warriors
Well, if you’re going to criticize your team for being “average,” then you better be the one to do something about it. Steph Curry did just that, making all eight of his 3-point attempts (something he’s never done before) in a much-needed win over the Sixers on Thursday. Also of note, Jonathan Kuminga had what Steve Kerr called his “fifth straight great game,” as the budding star continues to see consistently significant minutes. — 18-17
13

Heat
The final straw has finally been reached, as Jimmy Butler has reportedly asked out of Miami. Where things go from here is anyone’s guess since Pat Riley has already publicly stated that he won’t trade his superstar forward. If there’s one thing we know, though, it’s that the Heat don’t rebuild. So any deal they make would have to bring back win-now players to join Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo. 1 17-16
14

Timberwolves

The Wolves got a reality check with losses to two teams in the NBA’s upper tier — the Thunder and the Celtics — but have been playing better of late overall. The offense is averaging 117 points per 100 possessions over the last five games, compared to their season average of 111. 5 17-17
15

Bucks
The Bucks are looking way too much like the team that got off to a horrendous start this season, losing twice to the Nets and once to the Bulls in the last four games. There was minimal effort to contain penetration in Thursday’s loss to Brooklyn, but the real culprit has been the offense, which has put up fewer than 109 points per 100 possessions during the four-game stretch. 5 17-16
16

Hawks
Atlanta is 4-1 over its last five games, scoring an impressive 121 points per 100 possessions. Trae Young has been the catalyst, of course, averaging 26 points and 11 assists over that stretch on 45/42/86 shooting splits. When he’s knocking down 3s at that clip, the Hawks are extremely difficult to guard. — 18-18
17

Spurs

San Antonio is taking care of business against the lower half of the league, but struggling to beat the upper-echelon teams, which is fine at this stage. They’re 11-5 against teams below .500 and 6-11 against teams above that threshold. And by the way, Victor Wembanyama’s averages are now up to 26 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and four blocks — the only NBA player to do that for a full season is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. 2 18-17
18

Suns
That’s now six losses in seven games for the Suns, who have struggled offensively with Devin Booker missing the majority of the rough stretch. To say he was rusty in his return on New Year’s Eve would be an understatement, as the prolific guard went just 4 of 20 from the field in the loss to Memphis. Curiously, Phoenix has a minus-4.3 net rating this season with Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal on the floor together. 3 15-18
19

Pacers
Last season the Pacers were 24th in defense and second in offense, which led to 47 wins. This season they’re 23rd in defense but the offense has fallen to ninth, and they’re below .500. It just shows you how fine the line can be in the NBA sometimes. Tyrese Haliburton’s roller coaster season continued this week, as he followed up a 3-for-13 performance in a loss to the Bucks with a 33-point, 15-assist, 13-for-21 night in Thursday’s win over the Heat. 2 18-18
20

Kings

The Mike Brown firing was perplexing, to say the least, but the Kings responded with back-to-back wins in which they allowed an average of 103.5 points. The defensive progress is a positive sign for a team that already sits eighth in the NBA in offense. The task for Doug Christie, or whoever ends up taking over, will be sustaining that effort. 2 17-19
21

Pistons
The Pistons have developed into one of the best stories of the first half of the season, winning four of their last five games to crawl within three games of .500 — a year after finishing with the worst record in the NBA. Losing second-leading scorer Jaden Ivey for potentially the entire season will hurt, but this team has proven that it can win even with key players out of the lineup. 1 17-18
22

Bulls
The Bulls are one of the few teams in the NBA who can beat the Bucks and lose to the Wizards in the same week and you just say, “yeah, that makes sense.” Consistency has been elusive for Chicago this season, and the trade deadline will be extremely interesting for the future of the franchise. 2 16-19
23

76ers

When Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey are all in the lineup, the desired result is certainly not a 34-point loss. The Sixers have now dropped two straight to follow up their four-game winning streak, and overall they’ve averaged just 106 points per 100 possessions with their superstar trio on the floor together. 1 14-19
24

Nets
Just when it looked like the Nets were finally veering off into Tankville, they pull out a win in Milwaukee behind 50 combined points from the Cams — Johnson and Thomas. D’Angelo Russell has enjoyed being back in his old uniform, averaging 16.5 points and 10 assists in his first two games since being traded back to Brooklyn from the Lakers. 1 13-22
25

Trail Blazers
Scoot Henderson has scored in double-figures in five of his last six games after accomplishing the feat just 10 times all season before that. He’s also averaged nearly eight assists over his last four games as he attempts to seize the “point guard of the future” role in Portland. 2 12-22
26

Raptors

See, all the Raptors needed was Immanuel Quickley back in the lineup to end their losing ways. Toronto won for the first time in 12 attempts on Wednesday as Quickley posted 21 points and 15 assists (just one turnover!) in his first game since early November. With him, Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett in the lineup last season, the team had a plus-2.9 net rating in nearly 450 minutes. 1 8-27
27

Hornets
The Hornets are averaging barely over 100 points per 100 possessions during their eight-game losing streak, which makes some sense since LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller have missed the majority of the games. Miles Bridges has taken on the lead offensive role, averaging over 21 points during the skid, but he’s shooting just 20% from 3-point range. The Hornets now have just one more win than the Wizards this season. 1 7-27
28

Jazz
Utah has the worst defense in the NBA for the second straight season, and there may not be any immediate answers currently on the roster. The defense with rim protector extraordinaire Walker Kessler on the floor is actually worse, and none of the perimeter players have made a significantly positive impact on that end. Let’s just say the likelihood of the Jazz being active at the trade deadline seems high. — 9-25
29

Wizards

The Wizards have won their last two games against teams not named the Knickerbockers and also the last two games in which Jordan Poole has played (please, let Washington fans have this). The explosive guard has averaged 28 points in his last six games on 45% 3-point shooting, as he continues his bounce-back season. 1 6-27
30

Pelicans
As the Pelicans continue to lose games — 11 straight now — the Zion Williamson question grows louder and louder. They likely won’t waive him after the season to avoid guaranteeing his contract, but a trade is certainly a possibility if the front office sees an opportunity for a rapid rebuild. New Orleans is 29th in the NBA in both offense and defense. Truly awful after winning 49 games a season ago. 1 7-29