Power Rankings, Week 10: Where things stand as Christmas games loom

Victor Wembanyama has dazzed on defense with his play and has 100 straight games with a block.

The Atlanta Hawks have dropped to .500, having lost their last three games. That leaves us with 15 teams with winning records as we enter Week 10.

But with the season only 34% complete, there’s a disparity in how many games those 15 teams have played against each other. The Boston Celtics have played 19 games against the other 14, while the Oklahoma City Thunder have played only seven.

That means that we’re going to see the Thunder tested a lot more over the final 16 weeks of the season than they’ve been over the first nine. They remain No. 1 in the Power Rankings, but they look a little less dominant than they did two weeks ago.

Records in games played between the 15 teams currently over .500

Team
GP
W
L
PCT

Denver
10
8
2
.800

Oklahoma City
7
5
2
.714

Detroit
10
7
3
.700

L.A. Lakers
11
7
4
.636

New York
15
9
6
.600

Houston
12
7
5
.583

San Antonio
12
7
5
.583

Boston
19
11
8
.579

Orlando
17
8
9
.471

Phoenix
12
5
7
.417

Philadelphia
13
5
8
.385

Toronto
13
5
8
.385

Cleveland
12
4
8
.333

Minnesota
11
3
8
.273

Miami
16
4
12
.250

Plus-Minus Players of the Week

Teams of the Week

• Make It Last Forever: New Orleans (2-0) — The Pelicans are healthy and they’ve won four straight games.
• Something Just Ain’t Right: Atlanta (0-3) — Trae Young is back and the Hawks are back at .500.

* * *

East vs. West

• The West is 62-48 (.564) against the East in interconference games after going 7-3 last week.

Schedule strength through Week 9

• Toughest: 1. Sacramento, 2. New Orleans, 3. Orlando
• Easiest: 1. Oklahoma City, 2. Denver, 3. Detroit
• Schedule strength is based on cumulative opponent record.

* * *

Movement in the Rankings

• High jumps of the week: New Orleans (+3), Philadelphia (+3)
• Free falls of the week: Milwaukee (-5), Houston (-3), LA Clippers (-3)

* * *

Week 10 Team to Watch

• San Antonio — The Spurs have won their last six games that count in the standings, including a huge upset of the Thunder in Las Vegas. They’ll face the champs two more times this week, playing host on Tuesday and then visiting Oklahoma City on Christmas.

* * *

Previously…

OffRtg: Points scored per 100 possessions (League Rank)
DefRtg: Points allowed per 100 possessions (League Rank)
NetRtg: Point differential per 100 possessions (League Rank)
Pace: Possessions per 48 minutes (League Rank)

The league has averaged 114.7 points scored per 100 possessions and 100.8 possessions (per team) per 48 minutes this season.

NBA.com’s Power Rankings, released every Monday during the season, are just one man’s opinion. If you have an issue with the rankings, or have a question or comment for John Schuhmann, contact him via Bluesky.

#1

Oklahoma City ThunderLast Week:1

Record: 25-3

OffRtg: 119.0 (5) DefRtg: 103.2 (1) NetRtg: +15.8 (1) Pace: 101.5 (10)

The Thunder remain the best team in the league by a wide margin, but they’ve suddenly lost two of their last three games, struggling a bit offensively.

Three takeaways

• Maybe there wasn’t enough emphasis on schedule strength as the Thunder won 24 of their first 25 games, outscoring their opponents by a ridiculous 17.2 points per 100 possessions. Only five of those 25 games were against the other 14 teams that currently have winning records, and only three were against teams that currently rank in the top 10 offensively. They’re now halfway through a stretch where they’re playing six of eight against winning teams.

• The last three games have been the Thunder’s worst stretch of offense (106.6 points scored per 100 possessions) this season. That includes just 6-for-23 shooting (5-for-10 from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 1-for-13 from everybody else) with the score within five points in the last five minutes in their two clutch losses.

• The Thunder’s three losses have still come by a total of just nine points, and they still have the best point differential for a team’s first 28 games in NBA history. With the Nuggets’ loss to Houston on Saturday, the champs are the only team that hasn’t lost a game that wasn’t within five points in the last five minutes. Their worst three-game stretch of defense this season was 109.7 points allowed per 100 possessions, what the second-ranked Pistons’ defense has allowed for the season.

Coming up: The Thunder will have two chances to avenge their Emirates NBA Cup loss to the Spurs this week, with the second (in Oklahoma City) being their first Christmas game since 2018.

Week 10: vs. MEM, @ SAS, vs. SAS, vs. PHI

#2

Denver NuggetsLast Week:2

Record: 20-7

OffRtg: 123.7 (1) DefRtg: 115.1 (17) NetRtg: +8.6 (3) Pace: 100.1 (20)

The Nuggets split their two games with the Rockets last week, seeing their six-game winning streak come to an end on Saturday.

Three takeaways

• According to the Last Two Minute Report, the Nuggets benefitted from two calls and a no-call in their overtime win over Houston last Monday. Their loss over the weekend was both their worst offensive game of the season (101 points on 97 possessions) and their first loss in a game that wasn’t within five points in the last five minutes. Denver is now 4-2 in games played between the top six teams in the West, with five of those six games having come against the Rockets (2-1) and Wolves (2-0). They’ll face Minnesota again this week.

• In between the two games against the Rockets was a win over Orlando in which the Nuggets took control with a 35-7 run to close the first half. Jamal Murray scored 20 of those 35 points on 7-for-8 shooting and finished with 32. Over the previous two seasons, only one of Murray’s 19 3-point games came before Christmas, and that was on Dec. 22, 2023. He’s got seven 30-point games already this season, and his true shooting percentage of 63.1% would be the highest mark of his career by a healthy margin.

• The offensive struggles on Saturday came with Nikola Jokić playing just 29 minutes, due to foul trouble. But the Nuggets were also outscored by 20 points in those 29 minutes with the three-time MVP on the floor. They’re now missing three of their top six guys, with Peyton Watson having missed the last 2 1/2 games with a “trunk contusion.” But they’ve still outscored their opponents with Jokić off the floor in eight of their last 11 games.

Coming up: The Nuggets are home for their Christmas game against the Wolves, but have some tough travel (a home-Dallas back-to-back) first, and they’ll begin their longest road trip of the season (seven games over 12 days) on Saturday.

Week 10: vs. UTA, @ DAL, vs. MIN, @ ORL

#3

New York KnicksLast Week:5↑

Record: 20-8

OffRtg: 121.7 (2) DefRtg: 114.0 (15) NetRtg: +7.7 (4) Pace: 99.1 (26)

The Knicks are the Emirates NBA Cup champs, and their only loss in their last nine games (if you count the Cup final) was a rest-disadvantage game against the Sixers on Friday.

Three takeaways

• OG Anunoby has been back for eight games (including the Cup final). The first of those games was a blowout win over the Jazz and the Knicks have been without at least one starter in two of the other seven. In the other five, their starting lineup (with Josh Hart) has been outscored by 23 points in its 76 minutes, having allowed an alarming 136 points per 100 possessions.

• Though Miles McBride and Landry Shamet remain out, bench minutes have generally been terrific, with Jordan Clarkson, Tyler Kolek and Mitchell Robinson all contributing to the win over the Spurs on Tuesday. Hart, Robinson and Karl-Anthony Towns all missed the Knicks’ game in Indiana two nights later, but Kolek had 16 points and 11 assists, and (in a one-point victory) the Knicks outscored the Pacers by 17 points in Jalen Brunson’s 14 minutes off the floor. Brunson returned to the floor, of course, and he hit the game-winning, step-back 3 with 4.4 seconds left.

• Kolek’s biggest play in the Cup final was a strong drive and back-hand assist on an Anunoby corner 3 for an eight-point lead with a little less than two minutes left. The Knicks then went 9-for-14 from the corners in their win in Indiana and 10-for-14 from the corners in their win over the Heat on Sunday. Their 5.3 corner 3s per game would be the most in the 47 seasons of the 3-point line and they’ve got seven guys who’ve made at least 10, with six of those seven players shooting better than 40% from the corners.

Coming up: It was this time (Dec. 19) last year when Towns made his return to Minnesota and scored 32 points (on 10-for-12 shooting) in a 26-point win for the Knicks. They’re back at the Target Center on Tuesday and will then look to get their third straight Christmas win when they host the Cavs two days later. Mikal Bridges led the way with 41 points on 17-for-25 shooting in last year’s win over the Spurs.

Week 10: @ MIN, vs. CLE, @ ATL

#4

Detroit PistonsLast Week:4

Record: 22-6

OffRtg: 116.5 (9) DefRtg: 109.7 (2) NetRtg: +6.8 (5) Pace: 101.4 (14)

The Pistons suffered their first loss against the Western Conference on Thursday, coming up short in Dallas in overtime after erasing an 18-point deficit. But they remain at the top of the East, having picked up a big win (with another comeback from double-digits) in Boston earlier in the week.

Three takeaways

• In the previous 29 seasons of play-by-play data, there have been 12 teams with winning regular-season records in games they trailed by double-digits, and eight of those 12 (including last season’s Thunder) have gone on to win the championship, while two of the other four lost in the Finals. The two teams with winning records after trailing by at least 10 points this season are the Thunder (6-0) and the Pistons (8-4), with the comeback in Boston giving Detroit as many wins after trailing by double-digits as it had all of last season (8-33).

• It’s not necessarily a make-or-miss league (from beyond the arc) when the Pistons are playing. They’ve been involved in seven of the 25 worst 3-point shooting games (26.5% or worse) for winning teams this season. Two of those (including their game in Dallas on Thursday) were losses where their opponent shot under 20%, but they’ve also won five games while shooting under 27% from beyond the arc. They were 6-for-28 (21%) from deep on Saturday, but outscored the Hornets by 45 points (90-45) in the paint or at the free throw line.

• The Hornets shot 14-for-45 (31%) in the paint, the worst paint shooting game for any team in the last two seasons. The Pistons have now outscored their opponents by 13.9 points in the paint per game, what would be the third biggest differential in the 30 seasons of shot-location data.

Coming up: The Pistons will spend Christmas out West, with their longest road trip of the season (five games over nine days) beginning Monday in Portland.

Week 10: @ POR, @ SAC, @ UTA, @ LAC

#5

San Antonio SpursLast Week:6↑

Record: 21-7

OffRtg: 118.2 (6) DefRtg: 112.2 (5) NetRtg: +6.1 (7) Pace: 101.1 (16)

The Spurs came up short in the Emirates NBA Cup final on Tuesday, but they’ve won their last six games that count toward the regular-season standings. They’re second in the West and one of three teams that rank in the top six on both ends of the floor.

Three takeaways

• The Spurs hadn’t played De’Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle together through the first three games that all three were available. But when the Cup final went to clutch time, it was those three plus Devin Vassell and Victor Wembanyama who were on the floor together. That group couldn’t get the job done (it was outscored, 14-8, in the final 4:09) against the Knicks, but it could be the lineup that the Spurs call on in big moments going forward.

• There were no big moments over their next three games, with the Spurs leading all three by at least 24 points. They had everybody available for both games of their Thursday-Friday back-to-back, and they were their two biggest wins (combined margin of 53 points) since opening night in Dallas.

• Wembanyama has been back for just four games (that count), and he’s played just 81 minutes (all off the bench) in those four games. But that’s all it’s taken for the Spurs to climb from 16th (before his return) to fifth in points allowed per 100 possessions. They’ve allowed just 88.3 per 100 in those 81 minutes with him on the floor, with the context being that 39 of the 81 came against the Wizards.

Coming up: The Spurs and Thunder are playing five times this season because they met in the NBA Cup semifinals. All five meetings are in the span of six weeks (Dec. 13 to Feb. 4), and the second and third are this week as the Spurs are in Oklahoma City on Christmas. Wembanyama had 42 points, 18 rebounds and four blocks in his Christmas debut, a three-point loss in New York last year.

Week 10: vs. OKC, @ OKC, vs. UTA

#6

Houston RocketsLast Week:3↓

Record: 17-9

OffRtg: 121.0 (4) DefRtg: 112.1 (4) NetRtg: +8.9 (2) Pace: 97.7 (28)

The Rockets have suddenly lost three of their last four games, sliding from third to sixth place in the West. But all three losses came in overtime and they remain in the top four on both ends of the floor.

Three takeaways

• Two of those overtime losses came against the Pelicans and Kings, with the Rockets suffering some brutal collapses both nights. Their 25-point lead in New Orleans was the largest blown lead in the league this season, and they were up 14 with less than 10 minutes left in Sacramento. The Rockets (two) and Wizards (two) have four of the league’s five losses after leading by at least 14 in the final 12 minutes of regulation. Tari Eason returned from a 14-game absence on Sunday and scored 16 points in less than 16 minutes, but left Dennis Schröder alone in the left corner for the game-winning 3-pointer.

• Those were also two games where the Rockets allowed bottom-five offenses to score efficiently. They’ve allowed more than 120 points per 100 possessions in four of their nine December games, having done so zero times through 17 games in October and November. Reed Sheppard is near the top of the league in deflections per 36 minutes, but despite their size everywhere else in the rotation, the Rockets just don’t force many turnovers (just 11.1 per 100 possessions over this 1-3 stretch).

• These last four games have also been a wild road stretch where the Rockets went from Denver to New Orleans, back to Denver, and then on to Sacramento for the second game of a back-to-back, with Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson both playing more than 45 minutes on Sunday. The Rockets have played the league’s most road-heavy schedule to date, with only 10 of their 26 games having come at the Toyota Center, and they still have two more games on their current trip.

Coming up: The Rockets are now 1-4 within the top six in the West, though they’ve been outscored by a total of just four points over those five games. Their first game against the Lakers will also be their first Christmas game since 2019 and the end of their five-game road trip. It’ll be the 44th career meeting between Kevin Durant and LeBron James, with James having a 24-19 edge to date.

Week 10: @ LAC, @ LAL, vs. CLE

#7

Los Angeles LakersLast Week:7

Record: 19-8

OffRtg: 118.0 (7) DefRtg: 116.9 (23) NetRtg: +1.1 (14) Pace: 100.0 (23)

After closing November with seven straight wins, the Lakers are 4-4 this month, with the four wins having come by a total of 17 points and the four losses having come by a total of 66.

Three takeaways

• The Lakers have been without Austin Reaves for the last three games, and they were without Luka Dončić (leg contusion) for the second half of their loss to the Clippers on Saturday. LeBron James has averaged 30 points over Reaves’ absence, but the game at the Intuit Dome was the second time this season that the Lakers have scored less than a point per possession. They’ve now been outscored by 4.1 points per 100 possessions in 521 total minutes with Reaves off the floor.

• Dončić’s injury came two nights after one of his best games in a Lakers uniform: 45 points, 11 rebounds, 14 assists and five steals in a comeback win in Utah. His 54.6 points per game via his own points or assists would be the fourth-highest mark in the 30 seasons of play-by-play data. (His own mark of 57.2 points per game two seasons ago is the record.)

• For the season, 48.4% of Dončić’s assists, the highest rate of his career, have come on dunks or layups. In an eight-point win, the Lakers outscored the Jazz by 20 points in the restricted area, their best differential of the season. They’ve still been outscored by 1.9 points per game in the restricted area overall, but the last three games are the first time they’ve had a positive differential at the basket in three straight.

Coming up: This will be the 27th straight year that the Lakers are playing on Christmas, with James set to be the first player to have played in 20 Christmas games. It’ll be their first meeting with the Rockets and their spot in the top four in the West could be on the line.

Week 10: @ PHX, vs. HOU, vs. SAC

#8

Boston CelticsLast Week:8

Record: 17-11

OffRtg: 121.3 (3) DefRtg: 114.7 (16) NetRtg: +6.6 (6) Pace: 96.2 (30)

The Celtics looked like they were coming back down to earth, but they caught flight again over the weekend, scoring 124.9 points per 100 possessions as they beat the Heat and Raptors, two teams with top-10 defenses.

Three takeaways

• The Celtics are now 12-4, having outscored their opponents by 10.1 points per 100 possessions over their last 16 games. Statistically, only the Thunder have been better over that stretch, and eight of those 12 wins have come against teams that currently have winning records.

• The Celtics had been playing without a backup center for much of the last month, playing Josh Minott or even Brown at the five when Neemias Queta wasn’t on the floor. That worked OK for a while, but Queta’s on-off differential started climbing back up over the four games prior to Saturday. That put Luka Garza in the rotation in Toronto and the bench minutes were the difference. The game turned for good with a 22-4 Celtics run spanning the third and fourth quarters and Garza registered a plus-22 (grabbing nine offensive rebounds) in his 26 minutes.

Coming up: For the first time in 10 years, the Celtics aren’t playing on Christmas. Their next seven games are against teams with losing records, and the five-game road trip that begins in Indiana on Friday is their longest of the season.

Week 10: vs. IND, @ IND, @ POR

#9

Minnesota TimberwolvesLast Week:10↑

Record: 19-10

OffRtg: 116.7 (8) DefRtg: 112.3 (6) NetRtg: +4.4 (8) Pace: 100.8 (17)

Anthony Edwards made a triumphant return from a three-game absence on Friday, making three huge plays — a step-back 3 for the lead, a block on a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drive and a strip of the MVP — in the final 40 seconds of the Wolves’ win over the Thunder.

Three takeaways

• Edwards shot just 16-for-44 (36%), Julius Randle shot even worse (7-for-24), and the Wolves scored just 106.4 points per 100 possessions over his two games back. But they won them both, holding the Thunder and Bucks to just 102.5 per 100. Over the last 18 days, Minnesota has climbed from 13th to sixth in defensive efficiency. The context is that seven of the Wolves’ nine December games have come against teams that rank in the bottom 10 offensively.

• With Mike Conley also out, Bones Hyland started those three games that Edwards missed, and he continued to play ahead of Rob Dillingham in the Wolves’ two wins over the weekend. Hyland was 4-for-6 from 3-point range against Oklahoma City and (on just 85 field goal attempts and 18 free throw attempts thus far) he’s registering a career-high true shooting percentage of 64.6%. The Wolves have outscored their opponents by 8.2 points per 100 possessions in his 244 minutes.

• The Wolves are building up their clutch reps, with 12 of their last 15 games having been within five points in the last five minutes. Edwards is now 20-for-30 (including 7-for-12 from 3-point range) in the clutch this season, the best mark among 42 players with at least 20 field goal attempts with the score within five in the last five. It hasn’t just been the Ant Show, though; He ranks just 17th in clutch usage rate (31.1%).

Coming up: The Wolves’ defense will now be seriously tested, as they face the league’s top two offenses in the next four days. Their win over Milwaukee on Sunday was the start of a stretch where they’re playing 10 of 11 against the Eastern Conference, with the one exception being their Christmas game in Denver. They’re 0-2 against the Nuggets, though both losses were rest-disadvantage games and the first was played without Edwards.

Week 10: vs. NYK, @ DEN, vs. BKN

#10

Phoenix SunsLast Week:9↓

Record: 15-13

OffRtg: 113.7 (17) DefRtg: 113.7 (12) NetRtg: -0.1 (16) Pace: 100.0 (22)

The seventh-place Suns split their home-and-home set with the eighth-place Warriors last week, so they remain a game and a half ahead of Golden State. They’re three behind the Rockets for a top-six spot in the West.

Three takeaways

• The Suns have scored just 104.5 points per 100 possessions over their last six games. Devin Booker missed the first three of those games and has also shot just 4-for-18 from 3-point range over the last three. But they were able to beat the Warriors on Thursday while scoring less than a point per possession, having gone 0-6 when they scored less than a point per possession last season.

• The Suns have still seen the league’s biggest improvement in shot-opportunity differential, from minus-4.3 per game (28th) last season to plus-2.4 per game (eighth) this season. But they rank last in rebounding percentage (45.8%) over their last eight games and were outscored by 17 points (26-9) on second chances in their five-point loss at Golden State on Saturday.

• The Suns trailed their win over the Warriors by 14 points early in the third quarter, and they led their loss at Golden State by 14 points early in the second. But they remain a front-running team, with the league’s biggest differential between their record in games they led by double-digits (13-2) and their record in games they trailed by double-digits (4-13).

Coming up: The Suns will host the Lakers for the second time this month on Tuesday, but their post-Christmas schedule will be pretty road-heavy for about four weeks. They’ll begin a four-game trip with a weekend back-to-back in New Orleans, after which they will have played 16 of their 28 scheduled games against the eight teams behind them in the West standings. They’re 9-5 against that group thus far.

Week 10: vs. LAL, @ NOP, @ NOP

#11

Orlando MagicLast Week:11

Record: 16-12

OffRtg: 115.6 (10) DefRtg: 112.6 (10) NetRtg: +3.0 (9) Pace: 101.4 (13)

The Magic are 1-1 on a four-game trip out West, having blown two double-digit leads but escaped Utah with an overtime win on Desmond Bane’s scoop shot with 0.6 seconds left.

Three takeaways

• The game-winner gave Bane 18 points in the paint (9-for-13) on Saturday, tied for his third most paint points in 372 career games (including postseason). His finishing (54.3% shooting in the paint) hasn’t been as good as it was over his last two seasons in Memphis (56.6%), but he’s now taken 53% of his shots in the paint, easily the highest rate of his career. His 3-point rate is way down, but his free-throw rate is up and he’s now 93-for-100 (93%) from the line, the second-best mark among 88 players with at least 75 attempts.

• The Magic still rank as the league’s most improved offensive team, but they’ve also seen their sixth biggest jump in points allowed per 100 possessions from last season (109.1, second). They’ve seen the second biggest drop in opponent turnover rate, from 16.8 per 100 possessions (second) last season to 14.9 per 100 (12th) this season.

• Last season, the Magic allowed more than 120 points per 100 possessions just twice before Jan. 1, but they’ve done so six times already this season. All six of those games (including their loss in Denver on Thursday) have been on the road and, overall, they’ve allowed 6.9 more per 100 on the road (115.7, 17th) than they have at home (108.8, third). That’s the league’s biggest home-road differential on defense.

Coming up: The Magic will face the league’s 21st and 18th-ranked offenses in the last two games of their four-game trip, but they’ll face the Nuggets’ top-ranked offense again on Saturday.

Week 10: @ GSW, @ POR, vs. CHA, vs. DEN

#12

Philadelphia 76ersLast Week:15↑

Record: 16-11

OffRtg: 114.7 (13) DefRtg: 113.3 (11) NetRtg: +1.4 (13) Pace: 100.4 (19)

The Sixers still have players in and out of the lineup (Joel Embiid missed both of their weekend games), but they’re 6-2 in December and five games over .500 for the first time this season.

Three takeaways

• The Sixers allowed 116.6 points per 100 possessions (21st) before Thanksgiving, but have allowed just 107.7 (fourth) over their 10 games since. It’s helped that only two of those 10 opponents have shot the league average or better from 3-point range (the Knicks and Mavs were a combined 11-for-50 last week), but the Sixers have also been forcing more turnovers and defending the paint better.

• The Sixers’ rest-advantage victory in New York on Friday was their first win over a team that’s currently over .500 since Nov. 11. They closed it with their young trio of Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and Jared McCain alongside Paul George and Andre Drummond. The Sixers have outscored their opponents by 22 points in just 34 total minutes with three young guards on the floor together, though it’s helped that the opponents have shot just 3-for-16 from 3-point range in those minutes.

Coming up: After Christmas, the Sixers will begin the first of two five-game trips in Chicago, where they lost in early November after blowing a 24-point lead.

Week 10: vs. BKN, @ CHI, @ OKC

#13

Toronto RaptorsLast Week:13

Record: 17-13

OffRtg: 113.4 (19) DefRtg: 112.3 (9) NetRtg: +1.0 (15) Pace: 99.7 (24)

The Raptors got an important win in Miami last Monday, but they’re still just 3-8 since (American) Thanksgiving, a stretch that includes three losses to the Hornets (two) and Nets.

Three takeaways

• The Raptors rank last in the league offensively (106.1 points scored per 100 possessions) since Thanksgiving, and their loss in Brooklyn on Sunday (a rest-disadvantage game) was the nadir. They scored just 81 points on 98 possessions, with four points on a stretch of 12 trips down the floor after they took a brief lead in the fourth quarter. They shot less than 50% in the paint for the sixth time this season, had just eight free throw attempts, and registered just a single second-chance point.

• With their wins in Miami and Milwaukee earlier in the week, the Raptors are 10-5 in games that were within five points in the last five minutes, matching their clutch win total from last season (10-22). Neither of those games was close for more than a couple of possessions and they’re still one of seven teams that have scored less than a point per possession in the clutch.

• Jakob Poeltl has been in and out of the lineup all season and could only play seven minutes after trying to return from a two-game absence on Sunday. So Sandro Mamukelashvili is already 84% of the way to his career-high minutes total (681 last season), and he scored a season-high 24 points in the Raptors’ loss to the Celtics on Saturday. With Mamukelashvili in the starting lineup, bench minutes were bad as the Celtics had a 16-0 run to close the first quarter and a 22-4 run spanning the third and fourth.

Coming up: The Raptors have another big game in Miami on Tuesday, with their win last week happening as the Heat had their worst offensive game of the season.

Week 10: @ MIA, @ WAS, vs. GSW

#14

Miami HeatLast Week:12↓

Record: 15-14

OffRtg: 114.3 (15) DefRtg: 112.3 (7) NetRtg: +1.9 (10) Pace: 104.7 (1)

The Heat ended their five-game losing streak with a win in Brooklyn on Thursday, but they lost the two more important games on their three-game trip, allowing the Celtics and Knicks to score 127.9 points per 100 possessions over the weekend.

Three takeaways

• Kel’el Ware has averaged 24.7 points, 15 rebounds and 1.7 blocks as he’s started the last three games. He ranks fourth in rebounding percentage (19%) among 290 players who’ve averaged at least 15 minutes in 12 games or more, and the Heat outscored the Celtics and Knicks by 30 points (48-18) on second chances over the weekend. But they’ve still been much better in 542 minutes with Bam Adebayo on the floor without Ware (plus-10.9 points per 100 possessions) than they’ve been in 177 minutes with the two bigs on the floor together (minus-10.6 per 100), with the much bigger difference having been on defense.

• Tyler Herro has been available for just six games, and he’s missed the last four with a big toe contusion. The Heat miss his shooting, as they’ve seen the league’s fourth biggest drop in 3-point rate from last season (also related to their new offense) and have now been outscored from beyond the arc in eight straight games.

• The Heat won four of their first seven games against the other Eastern Conference teams that are currently at or above .500, but with six straight losses, they now have the worst record (4-9) in games played within that group.

Coming up: The eighth-place Heat are halfway through a stretch of four straight games within the top nine in the East, set to host the Raptors for the second time in nine days. After a two-day break for Christmas, they’ll have their first meeting with the ninth-place Hawks, whom they lead by a half game.

Week 10: vs. TOR, @ ATL, vs. IND

#15

Golden State WarriorsLast Week:17↑

Record: 14-15

OffRtg: 113.0 (21) DefRtg: 111.5 (3) NetRtg: +1.5 (12) Pace: 100.7 (18)

A three-game losing streak had the Warriors two games under .500 for the first time. But they earned a split in their home-and-home set with the Suns, coming back from an early, double-digit deficit on Saturday.

Three takeaways

• The Warriors have now been within a game of .500 after 20 of their 29 games, and nine of their last 10 have been within five points in the last five minutes. They’ve allowed 105 points on 81 clutch defensive possessions (130 per 100) over that stretch, but scored efficiently enough in the closing minutes on Saturday to hold off the Suns’ late-game comeback. Stephen Curry had a big 3 with less than two minutes left and now has four more clutch 3-pointers (11) than anybody else in the league.

• They’re still just 6-10 in clutch games and 8-5 otherwise. The Warriors are six games behind the fourth-place Lakers, but basically even in regard to point differential (+1.2 points per game).

• The Warriors played 12 players in both of their games against the Suns last week. That included Jonathan Kuminga on Thursday, but he shot 1-for-5 in less than 10 minutes and then missed the home game with an illness. Will Richard took his place and scored 20 points in less than 20 minutes off the bench. This would be the fourth time in the last five seasons that the Warriors ranked second in the league in minutes per game from bench players.

Coming up: The Warriors are playing on Christmas for the 13th straight year, hosting the Mavs (the first of three meetings) in what could, ultimately, be a pretty important game in the Western Conference Play-In picture. They’ll then have a second straight two-day break before heading East for a three-game trip.

Week 10: vs. ORL, vs. DAL, @ TOR

#16

Atlanta HawksLast Week:14↓

Record: 15-15

OffRtg: 114.8 (12) DefRtg: 115.5 (18) NetRtg: -0.7 (17) Pace: 102.6 (5)

Trae Young is back, but the Hawks have lost three straight games to fall back to .500 for the first time since they were 5-5.

Three takeaways

• The Hawks were having issues before Young’s return, particularly in two of the last three games. They’re 2-7 this month, with the league’s 27th-ranked December defense. They’re last in opponent effective field goal percentage (59.2%) over these three weeks. Their 152-150 loss to the Bulls on Sunday afternoon (the highest-scoring game in the league over the last two seasons) was the fourth time this month that the Hawks have allowed more than 125 points per 100 possessions.

• They had some rough starts last week, going down 24-9 in Charlotte, scoring just six points on their first nine possessions against the Spurs, and trailing 21-10 against the Bulls. The Hawks won five of their first 10 games that they trailed by double digits, but are 0-9 when trailing by double digits since mid-November. The loss to the Hornets on Wednesday was their fourth where they never held a lead, a total that’s tied (with Brooklyn and New Orleans) for the most this season.

• The Hawks remain the only team with a winning record (10-7) on the road and a losing record (5-8) at home. The opponents have been tougher at home, but that 5-8 mark includes losses this month to the Clippers and Bulls. The Hawks have three games left on their five-game homestand, with the first being a rematch of Sunday’s barn burner.

Coming up: The biggest of those three games is a visit from the eighth-place Heat (who the Hawks trail by half a game) on Friday. That’s the start of a stretch of seven straight games against teams with winning records.

Week 10: vs. CHI, vs. MIA, vs. NYK

#17

Cleveland CavaliersLast Week:16↓

Record: 15-14

OffRtg: 115.4 (11) DefRtg: 113.9 (14) NetRtg: +1.6 (11) Pace: 102.0 (8)

The Cavs have seemingly hit the nadir of their season (thus far), three straight losses to the Hornets and Bulls, with the two losses to Chicago having come by double-digits.

Three takeaways

• With Evan Mobley out, the Cavs have still had their four core players for just four of their 29 games. It’s clear at this point that their issues go beyond their injuries, and they also don’t pass the eye test regarding defensive effort or offensive intentionality. There have been occasions when the offense looks sharp, but there have also been too many possessions where the Cavs don’t put much pressure on the defense and are too quick to launch 3s.

• After starting his first 23 games, De’Andre Hunter came off the bench for the home-and-home set with the Bulls last week. The Cavs started strong, building double-digit leads in both first quarters, even with Donovan Mitchell (illness) missing the game in Cleveland on Friday. But both leads disappeared pretty quickly and the Cavs have now lost five of their last six games against teams that are currently below .500. (They were 9-0 against that group through Dec. 1.)

• The good news is that Darius Garland has played in five straight games and scored a season-high 35 points on Friday. But the Cavs have still been outscored by 13.2 points per 100 possessions in Garland’s 169 minutes on the floor without Mitchell.

Coming up: It turns out that the Cavs’ opening night loss in New York was a harbinger of struggles to come. They’ll return to Madison Square Garden on Thursday, their first Christmas game without LeBron James on the roster since 1989.

Week 10: vs. CHA, vs. NOP, @ NYK, @ HOU

#18

Memphis GrizzliesLast Week:18

Record: 13-15

OffRtg: 112.5 (24) DefRtg: 113.8 (13) NetRtg: -1.3 (18) Pace: 101.4 (12)

The Grizzlies had won nine of their last 12 games and had a great opportunity to get to .500 (and eighth place in the West) when they hosted the Wizards on Saturday. They led by as many as 20 points and were up 15 at the half, but couldn’t get stops in the second half (allowing 77 points on 50 possessions) and have now lost to both Utah and Washington at home in the last 10 days.

Three takeaways

• Brandon Clarke made his season debut on Wednesday and (with Zach Edey out) was immediately in the starting lineup. But he left his second game (Saturday vs. Washington) after just four minutes, dealing with a sore calf. Despite the Edey and Clarke absences, Jaren Jackson Jr. has played only 21 (3%) of his 770 minutes as the lone big on the floor. He’s played almost four times as many minutes (75) with Santi Aldama and another big (Edey, Clarke, Jock Landale or Charles Bassey), and the Grizzlies have been outscored by 68 points (scoring just 85.5 per 100 possessions) in those 75 minutes.

• But that’s the way the Grizzlies closed their game in Minnesota on Wednesday, and Jackson assisted Landale (with a sharp, lefty, one-handed pass) on a huge corner 3 with 1:09 left as they got their best win of the season. It was the second-worst performance (110 points on 107 possessions) for the Wolves’ eighth-ranked offense, with Minnesota shooting just 23-for-45 (51%) in the paint.

• The Grizzlies are forced to play big because they remain low on guards. Ty Jerome and Scotty Pippen Jr. still haven’t played this season, and Ja Morant has now missed 12 of the last 14 games. Memphis is 5-8 when Morant has been fully available and 8-7 (with better defensive numbers) in games he’s missed (8-6) or played fewer than 10 minutes.

Coming up: The Grizzlies will have opportunities to avenge their two bad losses of the last 10 days this week, visiting the Jazz and Wizards as they continue a stretch where they’re playing seven of 10 on the road.

Week 10: @ OKC, @ UTA, vs. MIL, @ WAS

#19

Dallas MavericksLast Week:19

Record: 11-18

OffRtg: 109.0 (28) DefRtg: 112.3 (8) NetRtg: -3.4 (20) Pace: 102.1 (7)

The Mavs have wins over the Nuggets, Rockets and Pistons this month, having edged Detroit in overtime on Thursday. But that win was sandwiched by losses in Utah and Philadelphia, and they remain in the bottom five in the West.

Three takeaways

• The Mavs have now played 22 clutch games, and their late-game possessions are mostly running through Cooper Flagg. He was just 3-for-13 on clutch shots last week, but that included two huge buckets in the final minute of regulation against the Pistons.

• There have been seven games this season where the winning team made just five (or fewer) 3-pointers. The Mavs are the only team with two of those seven wins, with the second being their overtime victory over the Pistons on Thursday, when Detroit was just 6-for-33 from deep. But they couldn’t overcome making just only three 3s (on 18 attempts) in Philadelphia two nights later. Over their last five games, the Mavs have taken just 27% of their shots from 3-point range and shot just 28% from beyond the arc.

• Danté Exum and Dereck Lively II are out for the season, but for the last two games, the Mavs have been as healthy as they’re going to get until Kyrie Irving returns. Their latest starting lineup — Ryan Nembhard, Naji Marshall, Flagg, P.J. Washington and Anthony Davis — was terrific (plus-25 in 21 total minutes) in the two games, but bench minutes were an issue. On Thursday, the Pistons began the fourth quarter on a 22-6 run. Two nights later, the Sixers started the fourth on a 24-7 run.

Coming up: The Mavs have won four straight games at home, and they’ll host the Nuggets as they play on Christmas for the sixth straight year. Their win in Denver at the start of the month was one of their best offensive games of the season.

Week 10: @ NOP, vs. DEN, @ GSW, @ SAC

#20

Portland Trail BlazersLast Week:20

Record: 12-16

OffRtg: 113.5 (18) DefRtg: 116.4 (21) NetRtg: -3.0 (19) Pace: 103.3 (3)

The Blazers lost their first two games on a stretch of five straight against teams with losing records, but they won the last three (by a total of 11 points), sweeping a home-and-home set with the Kings last week.

Three takeaways

• The Blazers did everything to give away the first of their two games against the Kings, shooting 3-for-10 on free throws in the final minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime combined. They blew a 10-point lead with a minute left in regulation and a six-point lead with a minute left in the extra period. But Deni Avdija was able to draw a (soft) foul on Russell Westbrook and made both of his free throws with 1.5 seconds left to get the win. Their teammates weren’t good down the stretch on Thursday, but Jerami Grant and Avdija are a combined 39-for-43 (91%) on clutch free throws, ranking third and fifth among 24 players with at least 15 attempts.

• Avdija ranks seventh in the league in total minutes (971), and for good reason. The Blazers have scored 18.4 more points per 100 possessions with him on the floor (117.1) than they have with him off the floor (98.7). That’s the biggest on-off differential on offense among players who have played at least 200 minutes this season.

• The Blazers have played the league’s sixth-toughest schedule in regard to cumulative opponent winning percentage (.537) and its second-most road-heavy schedule, with only 11 of their 28 games coming at the Moda Center.

Coming up: They’ll now play 13 of their next 18 games at home, with a five-game homestand beginning with a visit from the Pistons on Monday. They had a five-point lead with a little more than three minutes left in Detroit 17 days ago, but then saw the Pistons go on a 14-2 run.

Week 10: vs. DET, vs. ORL, vs. LAC, vs. BOS

#21

Charlotte HornetsLast Week:22↑

Record: 9-19

OffRtg: 113.1 (20) DefRtg: 117.1 (24) NetRtg: -4.0 (23) Pace: 100.1 (21)

The Hornets have been relatively competitive over the last few weeks, and their win over the Hawks on Thursday was their first wire-to-wire victory of the season.

Three takeaways

• Before Thanksgiving, the Hornets were 0-10 against the 16 teams that are currently at or above .500. Since Thanksgiving, they’re 4-3 against that group, and their win over the Hawks on Thursday was their best offensive game (133 points on 104 possessions) since opening night. LaMelo Ball led the way with 28 points and 13 assists and (though he had a quiet night in Detroit on Saturday) has shot 15-for-35 (43%) from 3-point range over his last four games, up from 28% prior.

• The Hornets followed that up with the worst offensive performance for any team this season, scoring just 86 points on 107 possessions (80.4 per 100) in Detroit. They’ve still seen the league’s third biggest jump in field goal percentage in the paint, but their 14-for-45 (31%) in the paint on Saturday was the worst paint shooting game for any team in the last two seasons.

• Shooting 31% in the paint is how you lose when you outscore your opponent by 21 points from 3-point range. The Hornets remain one of three teams without a win (they’re 0-10) when they’ve made fewer 3s than their opponent, but they’ve outscored their opponent from beyond the arc in each of their last seven games.

Coming up: The Hornets are 2-2 (1-0 at home) against the three teams behind them in the Eastern Conference standings, and they’ll be at a rest disadvantage when they host the Wizards on Tuesday.

Week 10: @ CLE, vs. WAS, @ ORL

#22

Utah JazzLast Week:23↑

Record: 10-17

OffRtg: 114.3 (14) DefRtg: 121.0 (29) NetRtg: -6.6 (26) Pace: 102.9 (4)

The Jazz were competitive against good teams in two games without Lauri Markkanen late last week. But they lost them both, sliding out of the top 10 in the Western Conference.

Three takeaways

• Prior to Thursday, the Jazz had been outscored by 16.4 points per 100 possessions in Markkanen’s 372 minutes off the floor, and they had lost to the Thunder by 30 in the only game he had missed. They had one of their best offensive games of the season against the Lakers and then erased a 19-point deficit before losing in the final second in overtime to the Magic, but have now lost 20 of their last 22 games (dating back to March 1) without the seven-footer.

• After Keyonte George’s amazing four-point play that put them up one in overtime on Sunday, the Jazz kept Kevin Love on the floor for the ensuing defensive possession. He didn’t provide much resistance on Desmond Bane’s game-winning drive, and Utah has allowed an amazing 134 points per 100 possessions in Love’s 273 minutes on the floor this season. That’s the highest on-court mark by a wide margin among 356 players who’ve averaged at least 10 minutes in 10 games or more.

• Even before Markkanen missed the two games, the Jazz had seemingly turned the needle a little more toward development. In their overtime win over Dallas (who they trailed by a game) last Monday, Brice Sensabaugh got his first start, with Svi Mykhailiuk getting DNP’d. Taylor Hendricks was also back in the rotation and Cody Williams played a season-high 22 minutes. They currently rank fifth in the percentage of their minutes (35%) that have come from rookies or second-year players.

Coming up: The Jazz are two games into a stretch where they’re playing six of seven against teams that rank in the top 10 offensively. They’ll face the Nuggets’ top-ranked offense for the first time on Monday.

Week 10: @ DEN, vs. MEM, vs. DET, @ SAS

#23

New Orleans PelicansLast Week:26↑

Record: 7-22

OffRtg: 112.1 (25) DefRtg: 118.9 (28) NetRtg: -6.8 (27) Pace: 101.5 (11)

The Pelicans have won four straight games, a streak that includes a comeback from 25 points down against the Rockets on Thursday. That was the largest deficit that any team has overcome to win a game this season.

Three takeaways

• Zion Williamson has come off the bench in each of his three games back from a six-game absence, and he wasn’t on the floor down the stretch of the Pelicans’ overtime win over Houston on Thursday. Saddiq Bey has been starting in Williamson’s place and had the two biggest buckets of the game, a drive for the tie in the final minute of regulation and an off-balance fadeaway for a four-point lead with 30 seconds left in OT. Bey didn’t play at all last season (recovering from a torn ACL), but has played in 28 of the Pelicans’ 29 games.

• While Williamson was quiet in the win over Houston, he scored 29 points in less than 24 minutes against the Pacers on Saturday, shooting 9-for-14 from the field and 11-for-13 from the line. His field goal percentage (51.1%) would still be the lowest mark of his career, but both his free throw rate (68 attempts per 100 shots from the field) and his free throw percentage (74.0%) would be the best marks of his six seasons.

• Their wins over the Rockets and the Pacers last week were just the sixth and seventh times that the Pels have outscored their opponent from 3-point range, though they’ve still made just 40 3-pointers over the four-game winning streak. For the season, 58.2% of their shots have come in the paint, which would be the highest rate for any team in the last 13 seasons.

Coming up: The Pelicans don’t own their 2026 first-round pick, so they might as well make a run for a SoFi Play-In Tournament spot, and their game against the Mavs on Monday could be important in that regard. They’ve split the first two meetings, which were both in Dallas and determined by three points or less.

Week 10: vs. DAL, @ CLE, vs. PHX, vs. PHX

#24

Brooklyn NetsLast Week:25↑

Record: 8-19

OffRtg: 111.6 (26) DefRtg: 116.3 (20) NetRtg: -4.7 (24) Pace: 98.0 (27)

The Nets are 5-3 in December, with all five wins having come by double-digits. They were the last team to get a rest-advantage game, and they made the most of their first one, beating the Raptors on Sunday with a 21-4 run in the fourth quarter.

Three takeaways

• The Nets ranked 29th defensively (just a hair better than the Wizards) through November 30, but have already managed to climb out of the bottom 10 on that end of the floor. Their last two wins (vs. the Bucks and Raptors) have been the second and third-best defensive games for any team this season. Rebounding is one big area of improvement, and Toronto had just one second-chance point (fewest for any team this season) on Sunday.

• Nic Claxton isn’t known for his passing, but he leads the Nets with 4.4 assists per game, including 5.8 per game in December. He’s one of six players who’ve played at least 500 minutes and averaged at least 15 points, nine rebounds and five assists per 36.

• The Nets’ current starting lineup has now played 220 minutes, second most for any lineup in the league. But the return of Cam Thomas (who’s missed the last 19 games) could be on the horizon, as he’s been cleared for five-on-five work. The Nets were outscored by 15 points per 100 possessions (allowing 125.6 per 100) in Thomas’ 226 minutes before he suffered a strained hamstring in early November.

Coming up: The win on Sunday was just the Nets’ second (they’re 2-15) against the 16 teams that are currently at or above .500, and they’ll have two more games against that group this week. They’ve scored just 104 points per 100 possessions over their two losses to the Sixers, who they’ll visit on Tuesday.

Week 10: @ PHI, @ MIN

#25

Chicago BullsLast Week:27↑

Record: 13-15

OffRtg: 113.9 (16) DefRtg: 117.7 (25) NetRtg: -3.8 (22) Pace: 103.9 (2)

The Bulls have woken up, winning three straight games for the first time since their 5-0 October, and they’re back in the SoFi Play-In Tournament club in the East.

Three takeaways

• The Bulls and Hawks needed just 48 minutes to register the highest scoring game of the last two seasons, a 152-150 Bulls win in Atlanta on Sunday afternoon. Both teams had worse-than-average offenses entering the weekend, but they’re both in the top five in pace and the defense probably could have been more stout on both ends of the floor. The Bulls had nine guys in double-figures, led by Matas Buzelis with 28 points on 10-for-11 shooting.

• The Bulls took 92 shots on Sunday, none of which came between the paint and the 3-point line. It was the first time this season that a team had zero mid-range attempts, though the Bulls have had fewer than five in 13 of their 28 games. In total, they’ve taken 4.8% of their shots from mid-range, which would be the lowest rate for any team in the 30 seasons of shot-location data.

• The Bulls are as healthy as they’ve been all season and they’ve started the same lineup – Josh Giddey, Coby White, Isaac Okoro, Buzelis and Nikola Vučević – for the last five games. It’s still played just 52 total minutes, but it’s played at a ridiculous pace (108.7 possessions per 48 minutes) and scored almost 134 points per 100 possessions.

Coming up: The 24-point hole that the Bulls were in before coming back to beat the Sixers on Nov. 4 was the second-largest deficit any team has come back from in a win this season. The Sixers are back in Chicago on Friday, the start of a six-game homestand for the Bulls.

Week 10: @ ATL, vs. PHI, vs. MIL

#26

Milwaukee BucksLast Week:21↓

Record: 11-18

OffRtg: 112.8 (22) DefRtg: 116.5 (22) NetRtg: -3.7 (21) Pace: 99.6 (25)

The Bucks played competitive games against the Raptors and Wolves last week, but lost them both and are now seven games under .500 for the first time since early March of 2017.

Three takeaways

• The Bucks are 2-10 without Giannis Antetokounmpo, having scored just 106.7 points per 100 possessions over those 12 games. They still rank second in the league in 3-point percentage (39.9%), having shot a solid 37.7% (on more attempts per 100 possessions) with Antetokounmpo off the floor. But all other aspects of their offense (unsurprisingly) atrophy without their star.

• Ryan Rollins came off bench for the first two times since opening night last week. Over Antetokounmpo’s current, six-game absence, Rollins has played 55 fewer minutes than Kevin Porter Jr., though the Bucks have actually outscored their opponents by six points in Rollins’ 51 minutes on the floor without Porter over that stretch. (They’ve been outscored by 47 in Porter’s 106 minutes without Rollins over the six games.)

• If this isn’t a winning season for the Bucks, it’s not much of a development season either. The 23-year-old Rollins has hit a new level, but they’ve gotten 26 total minutes from rookies (Mark Sears) or 2nd-year players (nobody). Every other team has gotten at least 419 minutes from first or second-year players.

Coming up: The Bucks’ loss in Minnesota on Sunday was the start of a stretch where they’re playing 11 of 14 on the road. They’ll have a rest advantage in Indiana on Tuesday night, having won the first meeting on Antetokounmpo’s buzzer-beater.

Week 10: @ IND, @ MEM, @ CHI

#27

LA ClippersLast Week:24↓

Record: 7-21

OffRtg: 112.7 (23) DefRtg: 118.2 (26) NetRtg: -5.4 (25) Pace: 97.4 (29)

The Clippers put an end to a five-game losing streak on Saturday, holding their opponent (the Lakers) under a point per possession for the second time this season. But they lost Ivica Zubac to a bad ankle injury in the process and could be without their starting center for several weeks.

Three takeaways

• Brook Lopez had been out of the rotation for much of the last month, but he started the second half in Zubac’s place on Saturday and had one of his better games of the season, scoring 11 points and blocking two shots in less than 25 minutes. The Clippers have still scored just 104.1 points per 100 possessions in Lopez’s 308 minutes, though that breaks down to 120.9 per 100 in 151 minutes with James Harden also on the floor and an anemic 87.7 per 100 in 157 minutes with Harden off the floor.

• Kawhi Leonard has now played in 12 straight games (including both ends of two back-to-backs in that stretch), and the win over the Lakers was the second time in 10 days that he played more than 40 minutes. He hasn’t been shooting very well from beyond the arc, but he’s up to 49% from mid-range and is now an amazing 90-for-92 (98%) from the free-throw line after going 12-for-12 on his way to 32 points on Saturday.

• Rebounding could continue to be an issue without Zubac. The Clippers were the league’s best defensive rebounding team (73.4%) last season, but they rank 16th in defensive rebounding percentage (68.8%) this year, and that mark has been much better with Zubac on the floor (71.6%) than it’s been with him off the floor (63.6%).

Coming up: The worst defensive rebounding game for any team this season (46.2%) was the Clippers’ two-point loss in Houston earlier this month, when they were outscored, 23-12, on second chances. They’ll face the Rockets again on Tuesday, the second game of a stretch where they’re playing seven of eight at home.

Week 10: vs. HOU, @ POR, vs. DET

#28

Washington WizardsLast Week:28

Record: 5-22

OffRtg: 109.2 (27) DefRtg: 122.7 (30) NetRtg: -13.5 (30) Pace: 102.2 (6)

The Wizards got clobbered in both of their games against the Spurs last week, but they got a win in Memphis in between, coming back from 20 points down late in the second quarter.

Three takeaways

• Before Saturday, the Wizards had lost their last 101 games in which they trailed by at least 20 points. But they scored 77 points on 50 possessions after halftime in Memphis, with Kyshawn George scoring 24 of his 28 points in those third and fourth quarters. Over their 27 games, the Wizards have actually outscored their opponents by 1.6 points per 100 possessions in the third period. (They’re minus-18.4 per 100 otherwise.)

• George (from 50.3% to 59.0%) and Alex Sarr (from 48.2% to 56.5%) have seen the fourth and sixth-biggest jumps in true shooting percentage among the 131 players with at least 200 field goal attempts in each of the last two seasons. They each had nowhere to go but up, but improvement is improvement, and, interestingly, both of those jumps have come with huge drops in the percentage of their shots that have come from 3-point range.

• Both Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly played in Memphis on Saturday, but sat out against the Spurs the following night. The Wizards are still just 1-8 when both Coulibaly and Sarr have been available, but they’ve been outscored by only 3.4 points per 100 possessions with both of them on the floor.

Coming up: The Wizards are just 1-3 within the bottom four in the East, with a 26-point loss to the Hornets in Week 1. They had a rest advantage that night and will have one again when they play in Charlotte on Tuesday.

Week 10: @ CHA, vs. TOR, vs. MEM

#29

Sacramento KingsLast Week:30↑

Record: 7-22

OffRtg: 108.8 (29) DefRtg: 118.8 (27) NetRtg: -10.0 (29) Pace: 101.5 (9)

It’s been a rough season in Sacramento. But the Kings got a thoroughly enjoyable win on Sunday night, coming back from a 14-point, fourth-quarter deficit to stun the Rockets in overtime on a Dennis Schröder 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds left.

Three takeaways

• Schröder continues to come off the bench (after starting the first 12 games), but he totaled 45 points in 63 minutes over the Kings’ weekend back-to-back and was on the floor down the stretch of both games, playing alongside Russell Westbrook, who assisted on the game-winning 3 against Houston. The Kings have generally been much better (though not good) with only one of Schröder or Westbrook on the floor (minus-7.6 points per 100 possessions) than they’ve been with them playing together (minus-16.8 per 100).

• The Kings remain Team Mid-range, having taken 88 more shots than any other team from between the paint and the 3-point line. But they’ve shot just 41.5% (16th best) from mid-range, with DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine a combined 46.1% and everybody else a combined 36.2%. DeRozan (5-for-9) outshot Kevin Durant (2-for-7) from mid-range on Sunday.

• The Kings lost their two games against the Blazers last week by a total of six points, getting outscored by 42 points (78-36) from 3-point range. Their 3-point rate (19 of their 94 field goal attempts) in their overtime loss on Thursday was the third lowest for any team in a game this season. They were playing without LaVine (first on the team in 3-point attempts) and DNP’d Malik Monk (third). They’ve now been outscored from beyond the arc in 17 of their last 20 games.

Coming up: The Kings’ schedule is gradually getting easier regarding the strength of the opponents. But their visit from the Mavs on Saturday is the start of their only stretch of five games in seven days.

Week 10: vs. DET, vs. DAL, @ LAL

#30

Indiana PacersLast Week:29↓

Record: 6-22

OffRtg: 108.1 (30) DefRtg: 116.1 (19) NetRtg: -8.0 (28) Pace: 101.3 (15)

Rick Carlisle got career win No. 999 two weeks ago, but the Pacers haven’t been able to get him to 1,000. They’ve dropped four straight games, a streak that includes 19-point losses to both the Wizards and Pelicans.

Three takeaways

• Bennedict Mathurin has shot just 14-for-44 (32%) over the losing streak and somehow has zero free throw attempts in 65 minutes over the last two games. His free throw rate (40.7 attempts per 100 shots from the field) is still up from last season (38.9 per 100), even though he’s seen the fourth biggest jump in 3-point rate (from 33.8% to 47.2% of his shots) among 131 players with at least 200 field goal attempts in each of the last two seasons.

• With their loss to the Knicks on Thursday, the Pacers remain the only team without a win (they’re 0-14) against the 16 teams that are currently at or above .500. Their offense hasn’t been that much worse in those 14 games (107.6 points scored per 100 possessions) than it’s been otherwise (108.6).

Coming up: Things are going to get ugly if the Pacers can’t find a way to beat one of those good teams, because 16 of their next 19 games are against the top 16. One of the exceptions (Tuesday vs. the Bucks) is a rest-disadvantage game.

Week 10: @ BOS, vs. MIL, vs. BOS, @ MIA