As the NBA enters All-Star Weekend, there isn’t much drama at the top of the Eastern and Western Conference standings.
The Cavaliers (44-10, first in Eastern Conference) and Thunder (44-10, first in Western Conference) hold sizable leads, but things are tighter further down.
Here are five races to watch when the season’s second half tips off on Wednesday.
Eastern Conference No. 4
Current leader: Indiana Pacers (30-23)
Competition: Milwaukee Bucks (29-24, 1 GB); Detroit Pistons (29-26, 2 GB)
Barring collapses, one of the Pacers, Bucks or Pistons will host a first-round playoff series.
Indiana is coming off a run to the Eastern Conference Finals a season ago and has gone 14-5 since Jan. 1. Milwaukee has used the Emirates NBA Cup as a springboard to bounce back from an ugly 2-8 start. Detroit is the league’s most pleasant surprise, already more than doubling its 2023-24 win total (14) at the mid-season break.
The Bucks have the most difficult remaining schedule of the three. Entering Thursday, their remaining opponents had a .523 win percentage, while the Pacers and Pistons’ remaining opponents had a .498 win percentage.
East No. 10
Current leader: Chicago Bulls (22-33)
Competition: Philadelphia 76ers (20-34, 1.5 GB)
When Philadelphia signed forward Paul George to a four-year, $211.6M contract, few predicted it would lead to the Sixers fighting with the Bulls for the conference’s 10-seed.
The Sixers have been dreadful this season, and they’re running out of time to snap out of their season-long funk.
Chicago is on a four-game skid. The Bulls launch the second-most threes per game (43) and must continue shooting their way into the postseason. Entering the All-Star break, the Bulls allow the league’s second-most points per game (120.7) and are No. 26 in defensive rating.
Western Conference No. 2
Current leader: Memphis Grizzlies (36-18)
Competition: Denver Nuggets (36-19, 0.5 GB); Houston Rockets (34-21, 2.5 GB); Los Angeles Lakers (32-20, 3 GB)
Memphis is again a West contender after injuries wrecked its 2023-24 season. The Grizzlies lead the NBA in pace and scoring, averaging 123.3 points per game.
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, fresh off his third MVP trophy in four seasons, is averaging a triple-double — 29.8 points, 12.6 rebounds and 10.2 assists per game.
The young Rockets have faded recently, going 2-7 in their last nine games. Basketball Reference only gives the Lakers, two games behind Memphis in the loss column, a 0.5% chance of earning the No. 2 seed despite their recent acquisition of five-time All-NBA guard Luka Doncic.
West No. 6
Current leader: Los Angeles Clippers (31-23)
Competition: Minnesota Timberwolves (31-25, 1 GB), Dallas Mavericks (30-26, 2 GB)
On Thursday, the Timberwolves kept pace in the race to avoid the play-in tournament with a 116-101 win over the Thunder to match the Clippers’ 120-116 overtime win over the Jazz.
The Mavs also beat the Heat, 118-113, continuing their admirable on-court response to the Doncic trade, having won four of five.
West No. 10
Current leader: Golden State Warriors (28-27)
Competition: Phoenix Suns (26-28, 1.5 GB)
Forward Jimmy Butler and guard Stephen Curry are finding their footing. They played their fourth game as Golden State teammates on Thursday against the Rockets, a 105-98 win, and combined for 46 points. Since the trade, Curry is averaging 31 points and 5.8 threes per game.
The Warriors’ competition for the West’s final play-in spot is the Suns, whose roster could look much different next season if the current core, including forward Kevin Durant and guards Devin Booker and Bradley Beal ends the season outside of the top 10.
