Obviously, with a stellar and unprecedented 23-0 record, the Golden State Warriors are the #1 team in these NBA betting power rankings. They are only the fourth team in NBA history to open the season winning its first 10 games on the raod. The other three teams (Boston 1960-61, Boston 1961-62, New York 1969-70) won NBA titles. The Warriors are now 13-0 on the road after beating Indiana. Now, here are the rest of the rankings.
Philadelphia went 251 days between victories. During that time, Golden State won 44 games (including their playoff wins), and the entire 2015 MLB season, including the postseason, took place.
Kobe Bryant’s field goal percentage for the season is a hideous .296. When he went home for his retirement glory tour through Philly, his Lakers lost to a winless team. The Lakers had never, ever lost to a team with a record worse than 0-5. How’s that strategy working out for you, Coach Scott?
Getting rid of Deron Williams meant that the Nets would go through some growing pains. But would they be this sharp?
This team has two head cases in its star positions: Rajon Rondo and DeMarcus Cousins. I don’t know that mad wizard George Karl is the right leader for this ship.
When the Nuggets don’t score 100 points, they are 0-10. They have failed to score even 90 points six times. Be patient, though, because Emmanuel Mudiay is an immense talent.
Milwaukee was #2 in the Association last year in defensive efficiency. So far this season? #26.
Center Marcin Gortat is away in Poland on personal business. John Wall is killing it in December but has a bruised knee. Washington needs to buck up in this stretch against tough teams.
The Pelicans would be lower, but they stunned the Cavaliers in overtime last Friday. Will this be the spark that starts Anthony Davis and the Pelicans off on a tear.
Karl-Anthony Towns is already showing his starry side, going for 27 and 12 in an otherwise forgettable loss to the Trail Blazers. The Timberwolves need to learn how to hold leads.
Tyson Chandler is still on the shelf, and Markieff Morris is likely headed out of town. That means that the Suns basically have no interior offense, and it’s showing.
Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum are putting up terrific numbers. Now the Trail Blazers need to turn more late leads into wins.
As you might expect from a team that refuses to defend, the Rockets are 10-2 when they score 100 or more and 0-9 when they don’t.
Porzingis is the real deal. He will transform the center position with his handling skills and shooting behind the arc.
Remember when the DeAndre Jordan re-signing was supposed to make the Clippers a top team in the West? Still waiting.
Utah is one of a handful of teams that has almost beaten Golden State this year. The Jazz will suffer until defensive stalwart Rudy Gobert comes back from his sprained knee.
The Magic are 5-1 since they took Victor Oladipo out of the starting lineup. Could they be the foil to the Cavs in the East?
The Griz were 3-6, so they have righted the ship on offense. However, their defense is still porous.
Andre Drummond is the key here, with 18.5 points and 17.5 boards per game. The last player to average 18 and 17 in the NBA? Moses Malone (1978-79).
Atlanta is a throwback in the East, all about sharing the ball and playing suffocating defense. That’s why the last player they had to score 30 points was Paul Millsap at the start of the 2014-15 campaign.
The Hornets are the only team to beat Chicago on the road this year. Their home wins have been solid too.
The Celtics’ 11 wins have been by an average of 16.9 points. Their losses have also been by more than 10 points, though, so it’s feast or famine.
If the Raptors could stop playing down to softer competition, they would be a serious contender in this league.
The Mavs are +4 in the stat that subtracts home losses from road wins, good for third in the West.
Paul George has returned from wherever he had been hibernating and is an elite small forward again.
The Cavs have dropped four of six, putting up just 94.8 points per 100 possessions and shooting 40 percent during that stretch.
Yes, Durant and Westbrook are playing with all barrels firing. But why can’t they finish in a fourth quarter?
The Bulls are 3-0 against Oklahoma City, Cleveland and San Antonio. The rest of the league? 16-42 against that trio.
Who would have thought that a LeBron-less Heat would sit in the #1 seed in the East with a quarter of the season gone?
The Spurs have led during a greater percentage of the fourth quarters in their games this season than the Warriors have. Hmmm.
The Golden State Warriors haven’t lost a game yet. That’s all we have to say about that.
# 30 Philadelphia 76ers (1-21)
# 29 Los Angeles Lakers (3-18)
# 28 Brooklyn Nets (6-15)
# 27 Sacramento Kings (8-15)
# 26 Denver Nuggets (8-14)
# 25 Milwaukee Bucks (9-13)
# 24 Washington Wizards (9-10)
# 23 New Orleans Pelicans (5-16)
# 22 Minnesota Timberwolves (8-12)
# 21 Phoenix Suns (9-13)
# 20 Portland Trail Blazers (9-14)
# 19 Houston Rockets (10-12)
# 18 New York Knicks (10-12)
# 17 Los Angeles Clippers (12-9)
# 16 Utah Jazz (9-10)
# 15 Orlando Magic (12-9)
# 14 Memphis Grizzlies (12-10)
# 13 Detroit Pistons (12-10)
# 12 Atlanta Hawks (13-9)
# 11 Charlotte Hornets (12-8)
# 10 Boston Celtics (12-9)
# 9 Toronto Raptors (13-9)
# 8 Dallas Mavericks (13-9)
# 7 Indiana Pacers (12-8)
# 6 Cleveland Cavaliers (14-7)
# 5 Oklahoma City Thunder (13-8)
# 4 Chicago Bulls (11-7)
# 3 Miami Heat (12-7)
# 2 San Antonio Spurs (18-4)
# 1 Golden State Warriors (23-0)
