We are about a month into the 2024-25 NBA season, and so much has happened already. We’re seeing teams traverse the ebbs and flows of their expectations during lulls and high points. Players have stepped up in the absence of stars. There have been players we’d forgotten about getting signed just to help field a rotation. We’re already seeing teams fall apart right in front of our eyes. That massive gulf between the East and West? It’s still there! All of this, and a really fun second year of the NBA Cup, is happening so far.
Here’s your latest NBA Rewind!
Stock Report extended
Teams like the Milwaukee Bucks and LA Clippers have been written off because of injuries or poor coaching (Doc Rivers, not Ty Lue) or just poor attention to detail. The Orlando Magic were briefly written off after Paolo Banchero went down. Now, we’re singing their praises while wondering what’s wrong with an Eastern Conference finalist and two teams now dealing with big injuries to major players. It’s the NBA Stock Report, extended addition!
📈 Milwaukee Bucks (8-9): Remember that one-point Bucks loss to Charlotte that Doc Rivers blamed solely on the refs because accountability is a myth? That’s the only thing keeping the Bucks from having won seven straight games. Instead, they’re at four straight wins and just about even on the season after starting 2-8. This is a big step forward for the Bucks, who have wins over Houston, Chicago and Indiana during this streak. Over the last seven games, the Bucks are ninth in offense and seventh in defense. The schedule doesn’t look like the toughest, but Milwaukee is still currently beating the teams in front of it. During this stretch, Giannis Antetokounmpo is averaging 33.4 points. 10.9 rebounds, 7.9 assists and shooting 60.8 percent from the field.
GO DEEPER
Antetokounmpo-Lillard combo finding its groove as ‘vibes … are high’ after Bucks top Pacers
📉 Indiana Pacers (7-10): The Pacers are not in a good place. Remember that free-wheeling, historically high-powered offense from last season? It was the second-best offense in NBA history, only bested by last year’s Celtics. Remember Tyrese Haliburton playing like a mutated X-Men version of Steve Nash? He was averaging 23.8 points, 12.5 assists and just 2.5 turnovers with 49.7/40.3/86.8 shooting splits before his hamstring injury last season. All of that has normalized in a bad way. The Pacers are 16th in offense this season and have lost five of their last seven, and Haliburton still doesn’t look recovered from that hamstring injury. He’s averaging 15.8 points, 8.5 assists and 1.8 turnovers with putrid 37.8/30.7/83.3 shooting splits this season. Where have the Pacers gone?
📈 LA Clippers (11-7): Don’t look now, but the Clippers have become a defensive juggernaut over the last week. Actually, I don’t know why I’m telling you not to look now. Clearly, this is something I deem noteworthy and think you should look at. Hey, look! The Clippers have become a defensive juggernaut over the last week!
After a rough defensive road trip, the Clippers have limited the Jazz to 105 points, the Warriors to 99, the Magic to 93, the Kings to 88, and what’s left of the Sixers to 99. All wins. The Clippers put up an unbelievable 98.4 defensive rating during that five-game stretch. For a reference point, the Thunder have the best defensive rating on the season, giving up 102.7 points per 100 possessions. Ty Lue has this team fifth in the league in defensive rating for the season.
The Clippers’ defense has been a terror. (Kyle Ross / Imagn Images)
📉 New Orleans Pelicans (4-13): The Pelicans have been so bad, because of injuries, in the first month of the season that I checked to see if they have their first-round pick in 2025. They do, by the way. The Pelicans are so injured, they signed Elfrid Payton before a game last week. He hadn’t played a game since April 2022. He started for the Pelicans after they signed him. They were 3-3 on Nov. 1. They’ve lost 10 of 11. During these 11 games, their top six in minutes played are Brandon Boston Jr., Brandon Ingram, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Javonte Green, Yves Missi and Jaylen Nowell. As if it can’t get worse, Zion Williamson’s PR team can’t let that video go out. The internet has not been kind to it.
📈 Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic: Not only are the Magic on a great run, winning eight of their last nine, but also Wagner has enjoyed a level of dominance we haven’t seen him sustain before. Over these nine games (all without Banchero), Wagner is averaging 28.3 points, seven assists and 6.3 rebounds. Most importantly? He’s shooting 47.7 percent from the field, 36.2 percent from 3 and 90.2 percent from the line.
The 3-point shooting is the difference between him being guardable and him being a viable No. 2 on a serious team once Paolo is back. After shooting about league average his first two seasons, Wagner made just 28.1 percent of his 3-pointers last season. It was a massive and confusing regression. It didn’t deter the Magic from giving him a max contract extension this summer. Now, he’s showing that faith in him looks pretty good.
GO DEEPER
Hollinger: Franz Wagner is writing his All-Star origin story
📉 Detroit Pistons (7-11): Remember how we celebrated the Pistons for being on the way up last week? Welp! That’s not so much the case anymore. After being on the verge of .500 for the first time this late into the season since 2018, the Pistons lost three straight games to Chicago, Charlotte and Orlando. To add literal insult to injury, the Pistons lost Cade Cunningham to a hip injury after he had a hard fall at the end of the loss to the Hornets. Hopefully, it’s not serious and he’ll be back any game now. The Pistons are about league average defensively so far under J.B. Bickerstaff, but their offense has really come up short. It’s all relative, as it’s not anywhere close to approaching last season’s disaster, but the Pistons have to feel a little deflated here.
📈 San Antonio Spurs (9-8): I was a little skeptical about putting the Spurs into this going into Saturday night’s game, even though I really like what we’ve seen out of them recently. Then, they rallied to beat the Warriors. Their three wins this week are over the Thunder, Jazz and Warriors. That’s a great run for a team missing Victor Wembanyama for two of those wins. San Antonio is now above .500 on the season and has the league’s eighth-best defense. Rookie Stephon Castle looks really good and comfortable out there on both ends of the floor. The Harrison Barnes pickup has been tremendous for them.
Big Story: The East-West imbalance
One month into the season, there is so much to marvel at and celebrate. We’re seeing unreal individual performances, historic starts, dramatic storylines and, unfortunately, so many injuries. We’ve even had a great start to the second inaugural NBA Cup (more below). One of the bigger stories I keep seeing other people talk about, hear from friends and colleagues about, and can’t take my eyes off of is the imbalance between the Eastern and Western conferences. It’s almost alarming how big the gulf is.
Any of my friends who have allegiances to Western Conference squads will often lament the tough start of their team or a bad stretch for their beloved franchise, only to then exclaim what their positioning would be in the East. For friends of mine who root for a team in the East, almost any alarming moment or slow start will eventually get tagged with, “At least it’s the East and we have plenty of time to recover.” It makes me wonder how Pelicans fans feel just 17 games into the season, when their 4-13 start looks like they should already begin doing some scouting of Duke and Rutgers games.
Then, you have Philadelphia 76ers fans watching an incomprehensibly bad start (3-13), but they could very easily talk themselves into being right in the mix when they finally get healthy. Both the Sixers and the Pelicans have been decimated by injuries throughout their rotation. And yet, the Sixers know they can recover to make the top six in the East. The Pelicans hope they haven’t lost too much ground for just competing for a Play-In Tournament spot by April.
The West is 44-25 against the East so far. Here are more facts about the two conferences:
Eastern Conference
- Teams are 116-135 (46.2 percent).
- Five teams are .500 or better; 10 teams are below .500.
- Take away the top two teams, and the East is 85-131 (39.3 percent).
- The fourth team in the East (New York Knicks at 9-7) would be tied for eighth in the West.
- Ten of the 15 worst offenses in the NBA are in the East.
- Ten of the 15 worst defenses in the NBA are in the East.
Western Conference
- Teams are 134-115 (53.8 percent).
- 11 teams are .500 or better; four teams are below .500.
- Take away the top two teams, and the West is 110-107 (50.7 percent).
- The 13th team in the West (Portland Trail Blazers at 7-10) would be tied for seventh in the East.
- Ten of the 15 best offenses in the NBA are in the West.
- Ten of the 15 best defenses in the NBA are in the West.
As you can see, we’re almost talking about the difference between the big leagues and the minor leagues when it comes to how disparate these team conferences are. We expect teams like Philadelphia, Milwaukee and Miami to get their acts together. Maybe the Pacers will, as well? What about the Hawks? Outside of reaching with Atlanta, things in the East are mostly set for which teams will be good and in the postseason. That’s not the case in the West. Let’s do a little thought exercise here.
If the season ended today, we’d be shocked that the 2024-25 season didn’t even make it to Thanksgiving. Once we got past that massive abrupt stop to the season in this hypothetical, we are presented with the NBA deciding it’s only fair to eliminate conferences and go find the best 12 teams with an eight-team Play-In Tournament format. This is how that would look:
1. Cleveland Cavaliers | 17-1
2. Boston Celtics | 14-3 | 2.5 games back
3. Golden State Warriors | 12-4 | 4 games back
4. Oklahoma City Thunder | 12-4 | 4 games back
5. Houston Rockets | 12-6 | 5 games back
6. Los Angeles Lakers | 10-6 | 6 games back
7. LA Clippers | 11-7 | 6 games back
8. Orlando Magic | 11-7| 6 games back
9. Denver Nuggets | 9-6 | 6.5 games back
10. Memphis Grizzlies | 10-7 | 6.5 games back
11. New York Knicks | 9-7 | 7 games back
12. Phoenix Suns | 9-7 | 7 games back
———— Play-In Tournament —————-
13. Dallas Mavericks | 9-8 | 7.5 games back
14. San Antonio Spurs | 9-8 | 7.5 games back
15. Minnesota Timberwolves | 8-8 | 8 games back
16. Miami Heat | 7-7 | 8 games back
17. Sacramento Kings | 8-8 | 8.5 games back
18. Milwaukee Bucks | 8-9 | 8.5 games back
19. Portland Trail Blazers | 7-10 | 9.5 games back
20. Atlanta Hawks | 7-10 | 9.5 games back
The Pacers and Nets have the same record as the Hawks and Blazers, but they’d miss out on tiebreakers with the Blazers being 1-0 against Atlanta, the Nets being 0-1 against Atlanta, and the Hawks having a better conference record than the Pacers. We’ll pretend those are the tiebreakers in this dystopian, conference-elimination hypothetical. Maybe we’re getting too in the weeds on this now. The point is, the Blazers have a chance at the postseason in this scenario. So many East teams do not. Maybe things will start to even out over the next month or four. Who knows? This just feels like one of the most extreme chasms we’ve seen between the two conferences.
People have been wondering which Western Conference squad will be moved East if the NBA eventually adds Seattle and Las Vegas in expansion. Eventually, someone is going to start poking around the idea that the NBA needs to eliminate conferences for playoff purposes. The league has always been resistant to that because of tradition and logistics. The West has to hate that.
The Week Ahead: The NBA Cupdate we all needed!
We’ve had four NBA Cup nights so far, and we’re using this space to update what each group in the East and West is looking like. That’s just in case you’re still a little confused by this relatively new ordeal. Reminder: Each group consists of five teams, and they will all play four games in group play. The winner of each group moves on to single-elimination for the NBA Cup, along with one wild card from each conference (based on record and point differential as the top two tiebreakers). Also, overtime periods do not count toward the point differential. We didn’t have those numbers accurately last week because of it, but it has been corrected.
East Group A
Driver’s seat: Orlando Magic (2-0, plus-37), New York Knicks (2-0, plus-14)
Lingering: Brooklyn Nets (1-2, minus-16)
You’re basically out: Philadelphia 76ers (1-2, minus-9), Charlotte Hornets (0-2, minus-26)
What’s happening with this group? The Hornets and 76ers are effectively out because of tiebreakers. This is likely all going to come down to the Knicks and Magic game on Dec. 3. Assuming the Knicks beat Charlotte and Orlando beats Brooklyn, they’ll both be 3-0 in group play when they face off on the Knicks’ orange court. The Magic have a big advantage for getting through as the wild card, if they lose that possibly 3-0 matchup against New York. That plus-37 point differential is big right now. The Knicks need to blow out the Hornets.
Games this week: Knicks at Hornets on Friday | Magic at Nets on Friday
East Group B
Driver’s seat: Milwaukee Bucks (2-0, plus-26), Detroit Pistons (2-0, plus-4)
Lingering: Miami Heat (1-1, plus-13)
You’re basically out: Toronto Raptors (0-2, minus-18), Indiana (0-2, minus-25)
What’s happening with this group? The Pistons were in the driver’s seat, and now we see the Bucks pull ahead of them because of point differential, after double-digit wins over the Raptors and Pacers to start their group play. If the Bucks beat the Heat on Tuesday and the Pistons beat the Pacers on Friday, then we’ll have a 3-0 showdown between Milwaukee and Detroit on Dec. 3. If the Heat beat the Bucks on Tuesday, then they get thrust into the mix for winning the group. Miami would need some help via Detroit losing its final two group games, since the Pistons beat them already. Indiana will not be the NBA Cup darlings again this season.
Games this week: Bucks at Heat on Tuesday | Pistons at Pacers on Friday | Raptors at Heat on Friday
The Celtics and Hawks are battling it out for NBA Cup Group C. (David Butler II / Imagn Images)
East Group C
Driver’s seat: Atlanta Hawks (2-1, minus-1), Boston Celtics (2-1, plus-14)
Lingering: Cleveland Cavaliers (1-1, plus-15), Chicago Bulls (1-1, minus-4)
You’re basically out: Washington Wizards (0-2, minus-24)
What’s happening with this group? Despite having a better point differential, the Celtics are behind the Hawks because Atlanta beat Boston to tip off group play. However, both teams will be playing to advance in their final respective games on Friday. If the Hawks win, they win the group. If the Celtics win, they either win the group with an Atlanta loss or they could win the wild card if point differential helps them in that way. If the Cavs win over the Hawks, they need the Bulls to beat the Celtics. If the Bulls beat the Wizards and the Celtics, they need the Hawks to win against Cleveland and they get the group. The Wizards, as always, are already out.
Games this week: Bulls at Wizards on Tuesday | Cavs at Hawks on Friday | Celtics at Bulls on Friday
West Group A
Driver’s seat: Houston Rockets (2-0, plus-49)
Lingering: LA Clippers (1-1, minus-5), Portland Trail Blazers (1-1, minus-14), Minnesota Timberwolves (1-1, minus-14)
You’re basically out: Sacramento Kings (0-2, minus-16)
What’s happening with this group? This one is pretty simple. If the Rockets beat Minnesota on Tuesday, they win West Group A outright. Nothing else matters after that. That means the Clippers and Blazers need to up their game to try to win the wild card. If the Wolves beat the Rockets and the Clippers on Friday, they’ll win the group as long as Portland loses one more game. The Clippers can win the group if they win out and the Rockets lose both of their remaining games. Same for Portland.
Games this week: Rockets at Wolves on Tuesday | Clippers at Wolves on Friday | Kings at Blazers on Friday
West Group B
Driver’s seat: Los Angeles Lakers (2-0, plus-11)
Lingering: Oklahoma City Thunder (1-1, plus-10), San Antonio Spurs (1-1, plus-1), Phoenix Suns (1-1, minus-8)
You’re basically out: Utah Jazz (0-2, minus-14)
What’s happening with this group? No offense to the Spurs and the Jazz, but the fate of this group will be decided by the Lakers this week when they play their two toughest group play opponents: Phoenix and OKC. The Lakers have never lost an In-Season Tournament/NBA Cup game. The Suns look very vulnerable right now, but the Thunder still look very formidable without Chet Holmgren. If the Thunder beat the Lakers on Friday, they’ll have a chance to win the group at home against Utah on Dec. 3. The Suns can win the group if they win out and OKC loses a second game. If the Spurs win out, they need the Lakers to lose two for them to win the group.
Games this week: Spurs at Jazz on Tuesday | Lakers at Suns on Tuesday | Thunder at Lakers on Friday
West Group C
Driver’s seat: Golden State Warriors (3-0, plus-12)
Lingering: Dallas Mavericks (2-1, plus-41), Denver Nuggets (1-2, plus-2)
You’re basically out: New Orleans Pelicans (1-1, minus-38), Memphis Grizzlies (0-2, minus-17)
What’s happening with this group? The Warriors have already won the group! It doesn’t matter what happens in their game against Denver because they have a win over Dallas. Dallas is in great position to take the wild card thanks to its point differential. If the Mavs beat Memphis, they’ll probably snag the wild card. It depends on the Thunder, Spurs, and Lakers in their remaining games, as they have positive point differentials. The Pelicans could grab the wild card if they win their final two group play games by about 100 combined points.
Games this week: Pelicans at Grizzlies on Friday
(Top photo of Tyrese Haliburton and T.J. McConnell: Elsa / Getty Images)
