The Blazers have regained the best record in the West after beating the Spurs. Portland has two wins over the Spurs already. Meanwhile, Kevin Durant has been scoring in bunches but OKC is only 7-5 without Russell. Marc Gasol came back after missing over 20 games and has helped the Grizzlies win 5 straight.
Hero team of the week: The Grizzlies have won 5 straight and are back into playoff contention.
Sucky team of the week: The Bucks, Magic and Pelicans all have lost at least 8 straight games.
The standings are current up to January 19, 2014 and the rankings from Last Week refer to Week 11.
Please hit the comments and follow me on Twitter @rollzter
 |
| Blake Griffin has kept the LA Clippers soaring even without Chris Paul (Image by: Associated Press) |
1. Indiana Pacers | 32-7 | Last Week: 1 | Same
The Pacers have won 8 of 10 and are unstoppable at home (21-1). They blasted the Clippers at home by double digits and Paul George came up with an amazing slam that you need to WATCH!
2. Portland Trailblazers | 31-9 | Last Week: 3 | +1
The Blazers have 2 wins over the Spurs, 2 over the Thunder and a win vs the Pacers. LaMarcus Aldridge is keeping his name in the hat among potential MVP candidates.
3. San Antonio Spurs | 31-9 | Last Week: 2 | -1
Coach Gregg Popovich was ejected for the first time since March 2013 in a loss to Portland. Danny Green injured a finger on his non-shooting hand and will be out 4 weeks.
4. Oklahoma City Thunder | 30-10 | Last Week: 5 | +1
Kevin Durant was unstoppable vs the Warriors as he poured in a career-high 54 points on 19-28 shooting. The leading scorer in the NBA has scored at least 30 points in 6 straight games.
5. Los Angeles Clippers | 26-13 | Last Week: 7 | +2
The Clippers are 5-2 without Chris Paul, thanks in large part to Blake Griffin who is averaging over 26 points and shooting over 75% with his FTs.
6. Miami Heat | 29-11 | Last Week: 6 | Same
Greg Oden made his season debut last week in a bad loss to the Wizards. He has played in 2 of their past 3 games. Ray Allen is in the worst shooting slump of his career (last 10 games: 24% shooting).
7. Golden State Warriors | 26-16 | Last Week: 4 | -3
New acquisition, Jordan Crawford has played 2 games and contributed 9 points off the bench. Steph Curry is on a "minor" shooting slump. Curry is at 34% from threes in January.
8. Houston Rockets | 27-15 | Last Week: 8 | Same
Terrence Jones had a career-high 36 points (14-20 FG) and 11 rebounds vs the Bucks. Jones has 4 double-doubles in his last 5 games.
6. Miami Heat | 29-11 | Last Week: 6 | Same
Greg Oden made his season debut last week in a bad loss to the Wizards. He has played in 2 of their past 3 games. Ray Allen is in the worst shooting slump of his career (last 10 games: 24% shooting).
7. Golden State Warriors | 26-16 | Last Week: 4 | -3
New acquisition, Jordan Crawford has played 2 games and contributed 9 points off the bench. Steph Curry is on a "minor" shooting slump. Curry is at 34% from threes in January.
8. Houston Rockets | 27-15 | Last Week: 8 | Same
Terrence Jones had a career-high 36 points (14-20 FG) and 11 rebounds vs the Bucks. Jones has 4 double-doubles in his last 5 games.
9. Dallas Mavericks | 24-18 | Last Week: 9 | Same
Shawn Marion has played the last 3 games after missing 4 straight. Devin Harris finally made his season debut with 6 points and 2 assists in 17 minutes.
10. Phoenix Suns | 22-17 | Last Week: 10 | Same
The Suns are 3-6 since Eric Bledsoe was injured. Leandro Barbosa was signed to help bolster their backcourt but he missed the last 2 games with a shoulder injury.
11. Toronto Raptors | 20-18 | Last Week: 13 | +2
Kyle Lowry has been very good in January where the Raps are 6-3. Lowry is averaging 17 points, 8 assists and 5 boards for this month.
12. Memphis Grizzlies | 20-19 | Last Week: 16 | +4
Marc Gasol has played their last 3 games and the Grizzlies have won 5 straight to get back into playoff contention in the West. Courtney Lee is averaging 14 points in 6 games.
There are rumors that Danilo Gallinari might miss the whole season due to an ACL injury. JaVale McGee is not expected to be back until around mid-February.
14. Atlanta Hawks | 20-19 | Last Week: 12 | -2
The Hawks are #1 in team assists even without Al Horford. Paul Millsap has not stepped up his scoring lately even without Horford. Kyle Korver has made a three in 108 straight games.
15. Washington Wizards | 19-20 | Last Week: 17 | +2
The Wizards have won 3 of 4 and they beat up Miami last week after the Heat visited the White House. John Wall is averaging 25 points, 9 assists and 4 boards over the last 5 games.
16. Chicago Bulls | 19-20 | Last Week: 15 | -1
The Bulls lost 2 games vs the Wizards last week. Joakim Noah has been a beast lately with 16 points and 15 rebounds over his last 5 games. Bulls are 3-2 in that span.
17. Minnesota Timberwolves | 19-21 | Last Week: 14 | -3
The Twolves are 2nd in team scoring but they are the only team in the top 12 with a losing record. They are also the only non-playoff team in that group.
18. Detroit Pistons | 17-23 | Last Week: 18 | Same
Rodney Stuckey is back from injury and scoring heavily off the bench. He had back-to-back games of at least 20 points on 59% shooting.
19. Brooklyn Nets | 16-22 | Last Week: 19 | Same
The Nets are 7-3 in their last 10 games with Joe Johnson providing the scoring punch (24 ppg over last 5 games). Deron Williams is expected to play this coming week.
20. Charlotte Bobcats | 17-25 | Last Week: 22 | +2
Al Jefferson has been a force over the last 5 games: 26 and 11 on 57% shooting. Unfortunately, Kemba Walker went down with a sprained ankle vs Miami and could miss several games.
21. Cleveland Cavaliers | 15-25 | Last Week: 23 | +2
Anderson Varejao has been impressive since getting more minutes when the Cavs traded Bynum. Andy has been getting 10 points and 15 boards with 4 double-doubles in January.
22. New York Knicks | 15-25 | Last Week: 20 | -2
JR Smith was benched twice in the last 10 days due to disciplinary reasons. In the games that he played, Smith averaged 15 points and shot 51%.
23. Sacramento Kings | 14-24 | Last Week: 25 | +2
The Kings are a pedestrian 8-10 with Rudy Gay but that's already an improvement without him (6-14). Isaiah Thomas averages 2 more assists when they win, 7.5 while 5.5 on losses.
24. Los Angeles Lakers | 15-25 | Last Week: 24 | Same
Nick Young got ejected vs the Suns and then suspended 1 game. He is their leading scorer. Kendall Marshall has 4 straight games with double digit assists but the Lakers lost 3 of 4.
25. New Orleans Pelicans | 15-25 | Last Week: 21 | -4
The Pellies have lost 8 straight and are dealing with injuries. Back-up center Jason Smith is the newest hurt player with an injured right knee. He is out indefinitely.
26. Boston Celtics | 14-27 | Last Week: 28 | +2
Rajon Rondo made his season debut last Friday and finished with 8 points and 4 assists on 19 minutes. The Celtics still lost that game vs the Lakers even with Kelly Olynyk posting a career-high 25 points.
27. Utah Jazz | 14-28 | Last Week: 26 | -1
Trey Burke visited Michigan (his college) and defeated the Pistons with 20 points and 12 assists. Enes Kanter had a monster game of 25 and 11 vs the Spurs.
28. Philadelphia 76ers | 13-27 | Last Week: 27 | -1
Rookie MCW had one of his best games vs the Heat during opening week. In their 2nd meeting, MCW struggled with just 7 points and 5 turnovers as the Sixers got blown out.
29. Orlando Magic | 10-30 | Last Week: 29 | Same
The Magic has lost 10 straight but they will play their next 6 games vs teams with losing records. Now, who will be with the team or who will be gone is the big question.
30. Milwaukee Bucks | 7-32 | Last Week: 30 | Same
The Bucks have lost 8 straight and tied with the Sixers with the lowest point differential. After they play the Spurs, their next 3 games are winnable... maybe not.
Biggest Jump of the Week: Grizzlies +4
Biggest Drop of the Week: Pelicans -4
Tweet
0 Comment