play1:13LA Clippers vs. Detroit Pistons: Game HighlightsLA Clippers vs. Detroit Pistons: Game Highlights
play1:18Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Philadelphia 76ers: Game HighlightsCleveland Cavaliers vs. Philadelphia 76ers: Game Highlights
play1:14Toronto Raptors vs. Indiana Pacers: Game HighlightsToronto Raptors vs. Indiana Pacers: Game Highlights
play1:38Why Stephen A. won’t ignore Rich Paul’s take on Austin ReavesStephen A. Smith explains why LeBron James is separating himself from Rich Paul’s take that the Lakers should trade Austin Reaves to the Grizzlies for Jaren Jackson Jr.
play1:30Pelicans hold on late to knock off NetsTrey Murphy III leads the way with 34 points as the Pelicans defeat the Nets.
KD makes it clear that he still brings the energy (0:56)Kevin Durant joins “SportsCenter” to explain how he and his teammates reciprocate each other’s energy. (0:56)
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Philadelphia 76ers: Game HighlightsCleveland Cavaliers vs. Philadelphia 76ers: Game Highlights
Toronto Raptors vs. Indiana Pacers: Game HighlightsToronto Raptors vs. Indiana Pacers: Game Highlights
Why Stephen A. won’t ignore Rich Paul’s take on Austin ReavesStephen A. Smith explains why LeBron James is separating himself from Rich Paul’s take that the Lakers should trade Austin Reaves to the Grizzlies for Jaren Jackson Jr.
Stephen A. Smith explains why LeBron James is separating himself from Rich Paul’s take that the Lakers should trade Austin Reaves to the Grizzlies for Jaren Jackson Jr.
Pelicans hold on late to knock off NetsTrey Murphy III leads the way with 34 points as the Pelicans defeat the Nets.
play1:08Phoenix Suns vs. Miami Heat: Game HighlightsPhoenix Suns vs. Miami Heat: Game Highlights
With the NBA’s regular season just past its halfway point, we’ve already seen plenty of stellar action. The Atlanta Hawks kicked off trade season by sending Trae Young to the Washington Wizards, ending his seven-plus-season tenure. It seems Ja Morant and Anthony Davis could be the next stars on the move.
We’ve also seen some surprises in the standings, with the young Detroit Pistons leading the East and the Boston Celtics refusing to fall without Jayson Tatum. And in the West, the San Antonio Spurs have given the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder a new rivalry.
My grades, based on performance to date, are strongly influenced by a team’s expectations entering the season. For context, I’ve included preseason win projections for each team alongside the current projection provided by ESPN’s Basketball Power Index, which incorporates win-loss record and accounts for injuries.
Beyond wins and losses, I’m also considering how well teams are executing their goals, including developing young talent and securing lottery positioning. Generally speaking, meeting expectations thus far results in a “B” or “C” grade, meaning overperformance is required to get an A.
I’ve handed out four of those, plus two more “A-minus” grades, starting with two surprising teams battling for top seeds in the Eastern Conference. Check out where all 30 teams landed on my midseason grades. (Teams are in alphabetical order within each grade.)
Brown has leveled up as a scorer (averaging a career-best 29.7 PPG); Neemias Queta has filled the void left at center with Al Horford, Luke Kornet and Kristaps Porzingis all departed; and Jordan Walsh has been a revelation in Tatum’s spot in the starting five. Joe Mazzulla deserves credit for pulling everything together and should be a strong candidate for Coach of the Year. (Mea culpa for leaving him out of my midseason awards check-in.)
LA Clippers vs. Detroit Pistons: Game HighlightsLA Clippers vs. Detroit Pistons: Game Highlights
Second, the Rockets have been one of the league’s unluckiest teams thus far. Houston’s record (25-15) is fifth in the West by virtue of a 9-12 record in games that qualify by the NBA’s definition of clutch time (within five points in the last five minutes of regulation). The Rockets are 24th in clutch defensive rating, which seems unlikely to persist given their talent at that end.
Despite having Joel Embiid and Paul George together for just 15 games, the Sixers are battling for a top-four spot in the East. That’s reflective of Philadelphia’s growth around the backcourt of Tyrese Maxey, who’s playing at an All-NBA level, and exciting rookie VJ Edgecombe. Dominick Barlow has also emerged as a starting power forward for the Sixers while playing on a two-way contract.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Philadelphia 76ers: Game Highlights
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Philadelphia 76ers: Game Highlights
Given their long injury list, the Blazers have perhaps overachieved more than their preseason line would indicate. Portland has yet to get guard Scoot Henderson on the court, played nearly two months without Jrue Holiday and also saw reserve guards Matisse Thybulle and Blake Wesley simultaneously sidelined. Deni Avdija has filled the void by emerging as the Blazers’ primary ball handler and performing at an All-Star level, averaging 26.1 PPG, 7.1 RPG and 6.9 APG.
Oh, and Portland has done it all after its head coach, Chauncey Billups, was arrested as part of an FBI investigation into gambling, with Tiago Splitter seamlessly sliding into the role of acting head coach. The only quibble is that the Blazers’ minus-1.9 point differential isn’t quite as strong as their record.
Toronto Raptors vs. Indiana Pacers: Game Highlights
Toronto Raptors vs. Indiana Pacers: Game Highlights
Phoenix Suns vs. Miami Heat: Game HighlightsPhoenix Suns vs. Miami Heat: Game Highlights
After spending much of December below .500, the Warriors are suddenly on track to hit their over/under total thanks to a 10-4 record in the last month.
Why Stephen A. won’t ignore Rich Paul’s take on Austin Reaves
It’s hard to believe now that only Oklahoma City had a higher preseason total than the Cavaliers’ 56.5 wins. We knew Cleveland would be without starting point guard Darius Garland to open the season and starting wing Max Strus for an extended period, but Garland’s play has been affected since he returned from toe surgery. The Cavaliers have played just 11 games with their starters besides Strus healthy, going 7-4.
Ah, preseason, when one of the concerns was whether Dallas would have enough playing time at center for Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II. Lively already underwent season-ending right foot surgery, and Davis will be sidelined at least six weeks after playing just 20 games (during which the Mavericks went 10-10). Add in Jason Kidd beginning the season with Cooper Flagg at point guard in place of the injured Kyrie Irving, and Dallas never stood a chance of reaching the postseason.
It would be one thing if the Clippers were struggling because Kawhi Leonard was injured. Instead, both Leonard and James Harden are playing at an All-NBA level, and yet the Clippers don’t have anyone else in the top 150 in my wins above replacement player (WARP) metric.
Trey Murphy III leads the way with 34 points as the Pelicans defeat the Nets.
The Pistons haven’t been as dominant since a 13-game winning streak left them 15-2 to start the season, but they are still comfortably atop the East after being picked to be in the middle of the pack. Detroit has built a top-10 offense after losing Malik Beasley, the team’s second-leading scorer last season, and truly excels with an elite defense (No. 2 in the league) built on size. Cade Cunningham has put himself in the MVP conversation, Jalen Duren should join him in the All-Star Game and J.B. Bickerstaff is the Coach of the Year favorite.
The Nuggets have had their preferred starting lineup (Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Cam Johnson, Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic) available for just 10 games, going 8-2 in them. Yet, Denver still finds itself battling for second in the West. The timing of Jokic’s left knee contusion with multiple other starters battling injuries seemed calamitous for Denver. Instead, the Nuggets’ young talent has stepped up to keep them rolling despite the absence of the three-time MVP. When Denver is at full strength, this looks like the NBA’s second-best team.
The Thunder boasted the highest preseason line for any team since the 2017-18 Warriors and spent November and December on pace to smash it. A 24-1 start will do that. And although the Spurs’ three head-to-head wins — plus recent back-to-back losses to Phoenix and Charlotte — have poked some holes in Oklahoma City’s seeming invincibility, the Thunder are still in the midst of a historic season. They set an NBA record with a plus-12.9 point differential last season and are currently ahead of that pace at plus-13.0 despite having their preferred starters together for just five games.
Why a B-plus for the Rockets, who are on track to finish almost exactly at their preseason line? First, I thought that expectations were inflated for Houston in the wake of Fred VanVleet’s September ACL tear, which left the Rockets without any proven point guard options. As Houston hoped, recent lottery picks Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard have solidified the position, with Sheppard making a leap in his sophomore campaign. And Kevin Durant has been the difference-maker the Rockets hoped, leaving Houston top-five in offensive rating despite a recent slump.
I was higher on the Raptors than their line, but even a rosy outlook didn’t include Toronto in a top-four spot in the East at midseason. The Raptors’ four perimeter starters have fit together better than expected, paced by Scottie Barnes playing at an All-NBA level. Plus, they’ve shrugged off an injury to center Jakob Poeltl (who hasn’t played since Dec. 21) with rookie Collin Murray-Boyles stepping into the starting five. Toronto might come back to its plus-1.3 differential, having gone 15-7 in clutch games, yet should still blow expectations away.
Evaluating rebuilding teams is challenging because their goals aren’t based on wins and losses. The Nets, who don’t control their first-round pick after this season, won’t want to win too many games. So far, they seem to be threading the needle well. Brooklyn is still in the mix for a bottom-four record but has been more competitive than the league’s other rebuilding teams with a minus-4.8 point differential. That’s largely thanks to Michael Porter Jr., who has elevated his trade value by playing like an All-Star for the Nets. Dealing Porter before the deadline could help Brooklyn sink in the standings while sending him to a team with greater aspirations.