Record: 25-4

OffRtg: 120.9 (1) DefRtg: 109.5 (7) NetRtg: +11.4 (2) Pace: 100.6 (9)

The Cavs aren’t slowing down. They’ve won eight of their last nine games, a stretch that includes wins over the Celtics, Nuggets and Bucks.

Three takeaways

• The Cavs beat the Bucks by 23 (leading by as many as 36) in Milwaukee’s first game after capturing the NBA Cup. It was just the second time this season that Cleveland held its opponent under a point per possession. They rank no higher defensively than they did last season (seventh) and have seen much bigger improvement on the other end of the floor, but the Cavs have also improved defensively when you consider their drop in points allowed per 100 possessions (-2.6) vs. the league average (-2.2).

• Defensive improvement has come with forcing more turnovers, and the Cavs have forced 18.3 per 100 possessions over their four-game winning streak. Thanks to the light schedule, Evan Mobley missed just one game after his ankle turn, returning as a defensive menace in Brooklyn on Monday. The Cavs have allowed just 96.3 points per 100 possessions in Mobley’s 225 minutes on the floor over this 8-1 stretch.

• Max Strus made his season debut (off the bench) on Friday, when Isaac Okoro was out with a shoulder injury suffered earlier in the week. The Cavs played 10 guys (before garbage time) in the win over the Bucks, and eventually, Kenny Atkinson will need to make some tough choices with his rotation. The league’s second-ranked bench has been critical to this team’s success.

The Cavs have yet to play West of New Orleans but will begin a four-game, post-Christmas trip in Denver on Friday. They’ll play as many games against teams currently over .500 on that trip (four) as they’ve played in the last six weeks.

Week 10: vs. UTA, @ DEN

Record: 22-5

OffRtg: 114.7 (7) DefRtg: 103.0 (1) NetRtg: +11.7 (1) Pace: 100.0 (12)

The Thunder lost the Emirates NBA Cup Championship game, but they won the Thursday-Saturday, Miami-Oklahoma City-Orlando round-robin, sweeping their Florida back-to-back.

Three takeaways

• If you count the ugly NBA Cup loss to Milwaukee, the Thunder have scored less efficiently than the league average in each of their last four games. Jalen Williams had shot 29-for-76 (38%) over his previous four before scoring a season-high 33 points in Miami on Friday. For the season, Williams has seen a drop in efficiency with another big jump in usage rate (and a big jump in 3-point rate), registering career-low marks in 2-point percentage, 3-point percentage and free throw rate.

• The Thunder are still getting it done with defense, holding their opponents to 101.4 points per 100 possessions over their seven-game winning streak (in games that count toward the regular-season standings). The Heat had a top-10 offense before Friday, but scored just a point per possession (turning the ball over 19 times), tied for their worst offensive performance at home.

• The Thunder have three players — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Alex Caruso and Jalen Williams — who rank in the top seven in steals per game. Cason Wallace (5.1) and Kenrich Williams (4.3) are (with Caruso) in the top 20 in deflections per 36 minutes, and Isaiah Hartenstein tied his career high with four steals in Orlando on Thursday. Caruso and Hartenstein have played just 87 minutes together, but the Thunder have allowed just 98.4 points per 100 possessions in 664 total minutes with one or both on the floor.

A stretch where the Thunder will have played 12 of 15 games (including the NBA Cup final) on the road comes to an end in Charlotte on Saturday. But that’s the start of their first stretch of five games in seven days. They’ll be at a rest disadvantage when they host the second-place Grizzlies (their first meeting with Memphis) on Sunday night.

Week 10: vs. WAS, @ IND, @ CHA, vs. MEM

Record: 22-6

OffRtg: 119.6 (3) DefRtg: 109.5 (8) NetRtg: +10.0 (3) Pace: 99.0 (21)

The Celtics split their home-and-home set with the Bulls last week, going cold from 3-point range, but dominating inside on Saturday.

Three takeaways

• The Bulls haven’t done so bad trying to match Boston from beyond the arc. In the first two games of the season series, the two teams combined for 105 and 108 3-point attempts, respectively, with the 108 on Thursday tied for the third-most combined attempts in NBA history. Each team won one of those two games by nine points, with the loss on Thursday being just the third time this season that the Celtics (14-for-56, 25%) were outscored from 3-point range (57-42).

• The Celtics didn’t shoot much better from deep (15-for-45, 33%) two nights later, but outscored the Bulls by 24 points (50-26) in the restricted area in a 25-point win, turning 17 offensive rebounds into a season-high 25 second-chance points. That improved them to a league-best 9-5 when shooting worse than the league average (36.0%) from 3-point range.

• The three games against the Bulls have been the three times this season that the Celtics have had all five of their starters and Al Horford. Their starting lineup (with Kristaps Porziņģis) has been outscored by 4.0 points per 100 possessions in its 85 total minutes.

This is the ninth straight year with the Celtics on the Christmas Day schedule, though their game against the Sixers on Wednesday will be just the fourth of their 38 Christmas games that have come at home.

Week 10: @ ORL, vs. PHI, vs. IND, vs. IND

Record: 20-9

OffRtg: 117.0 (4) DefRtg: 107.7 (4) NetRtg: +9.4 (4) Pace: 105.1 (1)

The Grizzlies have won 12 of their last 14 games, a stretch that includes a 5-0 mark without Ja Morant after a wire-to-wire blowout in Atlanta on Saturday.

Three takeaways

• The Grizzlies have the league’s top-ranked offense (120 points scored per 100 possessions) over this 12-2 stretch, with the context that eight of the 14 games have come against teams that rank in the bottom 12 defensively. They’ve had 12 guys play at least 75 minutes over the 14 games and all 12 have averaged at least 14.5 points per 36 minutes.

• Jaren Jackson Jr. had just one of the Grizzlies’ franchise-record 27 3-pointers in their 51-point win over the Warriors on Thursday. But he’s been the team’s leading scorer (total points) by a wide margin over these last 14 games. This season, he’s registering a career-best effective field goal percentage of 57.1%, even though the percentage of his buckets that have been assisted (56.7%) is lower than it was last season (when he often wasn’t getting much help offensively). He’s shot 101-for-187 (54%) on 2-point shots outside the restricted area, by far the best mark of his career and up from 43.6% last season.

• Zach Edey was back in the starting lineup for his second and third games back from a 12-game absence. The 51-point win came with Golden State shooting just 15-for-41 (37%) in the paint, and the Grizzlies have now allowed just 94.6 points per 100 possessions in 162 minutes with Jackson and Edey on the floor together.

The Grizzlies have played just two games against teams that rank in the top seven defensively. They’ll play two more this week, hosting the Clippers (sixth) on Monday and visiting the Thunder (first) in the second game of a five-game trip that takes them out West and into 2025.

Week 10: vs. LAC, vs. TOR, @ NOP, @ OKC

Record: 18-10

OffRtg: 116.9 (5) DefRtg: 111.0 (10) NetRtg: +5.9 (7) Pace: 100.8 (7)

The Mavs played two games against the Clippers without Luka Dončić last week, losing the one in which they were also without Kyrie Irving and winning the one with Irving in the lineup (even though he shot just 6-for-25).

Three takeaways

• The Mavs are now 7-2 in games in which they’ve had only one of their two stars, 6-1 with only Irving and 1-1 with only Dončić. They’ve scored 119.5 points per 100 possessions over those nine games, with their win on Saturday just the seventh time this season that the Clippers’ sixth-ranked defense has allowed more than 115 per 100.

• Quentin Grimes scored 20 points (on 7-for-8 shooting) off the bench on Saturday and is registering career-high marks in both points per 36 minutes (16.0) and effective field goal percentage (61.0%). That’s come with a career-best 42.3% from 3-point range but with a big drop in the percentage of his shots that have come from beyond the arc (from 73% last season to 58%). So he’s also doubled his free throw rate and has made more free throws in 26 games (35) than he did in 51 games last season (34).

• Overall, the numbers haven’t been much different in 683 total minutes with only one of Dončić or Irving on the floor (118.1 points scored, plus-6.5 points per 100 possessions) than in 471 minutes with both playing (118.6, plus-8.9). And it’s best to have them both available so that the Mavs can have at least one on the floor for all 48 minutes.

Dončić is listed as questionable for the Mavs’ game against Portland on Monday. Their Christmas game against the Wolves will be the teams’ first meeting since Week 2 when Irving had his second-highest-scoring game of the season (35 points) in a six-point victory in Minnesota.

Week 10: vs. POR, vs. MIN, @ PHX, @ POR

Record: 19-9

OffRtg: 112.0 (14) DefRtg: 105.5 (2) NetRtg: +6.5 (6) Pace: 99.8 (13)

The Rockets took care of business against the Pelicans and Raptors last week, though they had to come back from 16 points down in Toronto.

Three takeaways

• The win over New Orleans was easily the Rockets’ best offensive game of the season (133 points on 100 possessions). Their much bigger improvement from last season has been on defense, but when you take the league average into account, they’re slightly better on offense. This would be the first time in the last five seasons (since Mike D’Antoni was the coach) that they ranked in the top half of the league on that end of the floor.

• Dillon Brooks totaled 53 points over the two wins, his second and third-highest-scoring games of the season. Amazingly, the first game with zero free-throw attempts and the second came with 14. For the second straight season, Brooks is registering the best true shooting percentage of his career, though that mark (55.7%) is still below the league average (57.4%).

• With Tari Eason out, Jae’Sean Tate got some rare rotation minutes on Sunday. He was also used as a defensive sub when an 11-point, fourth-quarter lead was cut to three in the closing seconds. When the Raptors had a chance to tie, he forced a turnover to seal the win. Houston has won five of its last six games that were within five points in the last five minutes, having allowed just 49 points on 55 clutch defensive possessions over that stretch.

Every other team had at least one rest-advantage game before Thanksgiving and nine teams have had five already. The Rockets haven’t had a rest-advantage game yet, but they’ll have two on the five-game homestand that begins Friday, with the first coming Sunday against the Heat.

Week 10: @ CHA, @ NOP, vs. MIN, vs. MIA

Record: 18-10

OffRtg: 119.7 (2) DefRtg: 112.3 (13) NetRtg: +7.5 (5) Pace: 97.4 (28)

Karl-Anthony Towns had a pretty successful return to Minnesota, scoring 32 points (on 10-for-12 from the field), grabbing 20 rebounds and dishing out six assists as the Knicks handed the Wolves their worst loss of the season.

Three takeaways

• It was also Minnesota’s worst defensive game (133 points allowed on 103 Knicks possessions) of the season. The Wolves had allowed just 92.8 per 100 over their previous seven games and got eviscerated by New York’s offense. There was a lot more ball movement compared to the Knicks’ previous six games and they recorded assists on 39 of their 50 field goals.

• The Knicks’ defense has, seemingly, been much improved. They’ve allowed just 104.4 points per 100 possessions (third in the league) over their 10 games since Thanksgiving, down from 116.6 (24th) before then. But nine of those 10 games have come against teams that currently rank in the bottom 10 offensively, and the other was against the 19th-ranked Pistons. Amazingly, they still have six more games on a stretch of 16 straight against teams in the bottom half of the league on that end of the floor.

• The Knicks are the only team that’s played just two back-to-backs thus far. They’ll have four in the next five weeks, though the second games of those back-to-backs are against Washington, Chicago, Detroit and Brooklyn. They haven’t been as good against bad teams as they were last season, just 12-6 against the 14 teams that are currently at or below .500.

The Knicks’ game against the Spurs on Wednesday will be their 57th Christmas Day game. They’ve split their two with Jalen Brunson, who has shot well (25-for-47) over the two games. It will be Towns’ first Christmas game since 2017.

Week 10: vs. TOR, vs. SAS, @ ORL, @ WAS

Record: 15-12

OffRtg: 112.8 (12) DefRtg: 112.1 (12) NetRtg: +0.8 (15) Pace: 99.5 (15)

The Bucks are the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup champions, having shut down the Thunder in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Three takeaways

• The story of the NBA Cup final was Oklahoma City shooting 5-for-32 from 3-point range, but the Thunder also shot just 17-for-39 (44%) in the paint, which would have been their second-worst paint performance of the season if the game counted toward regular-season stats. Even with that game not counting, the Bucks lead the league with nine games of holding their opponents below 50% in the paint.

• Delon Wright was, seemingly, a nice offseason addition on a minimum contract. But he’s struggled offensively and didn’t see the floor in the first half in Cleveland on Friday, when the Bucks were playing without Damian Lillard and started AJ Green at point guard. Wright did start the second half (with his team already in a big hole) and the Bucks outscored the Cavs and Wizards by 26 points in his 34 minutes over the weekend.

• Khris Middleton played both games of the back-to-back and got his first start (in his seventh game) of the season on Saturday, when the Bucks beat the Wizards without Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo, improving to 2-1 without the latter. They’ve won nine of their last 10 games against teams that are currently at or below .500, with the Washington win being the start of a stretch of eight straight games against that group.

The Bucks’ 1-6 start to the season included losses to both the Bulls and Nets, who they will face this week. This is the first year since 2017 that Milwaukee isn’t playing on Christmas.

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

Record: 18-12

OffRtg: 110.2 (23) DefRtg: 106.5 (3) NetRtg: +3.8 (8) Pace: 97.5 (27)

The Magic, now without their four leading scorers, remain afloat after a miraculous comeback against the Heat on Saturday.

Three takeaways

• The Magic bench has been solid, but not as good as it was last season, when it ranked seventh, in part because the team’s stars were healthier. The most productive player off the bench has been Moe Wagner, who was lost to an ACL tear in the first quarter on Saturday. Cole Anthony, meanwhile, hasn’t shot well (effective field goal percentage of just 45% before the weekend) and has even been DNP’d a few times.

• But it was the bench – the deep bench – that was on the floor for most of the fourth quarter on Saturday, when the Magic outscored the Heat, 37-8, to come back from 22 down at the start of the period and win by seven. It was the first win for any team this season (teams are otherwise 0-151) when trailing by at least 20 points in the fourth and the first win for the Magic when trailing by 20-plus in the fourth since Nov. 19, 1997. Anthony (the 11th Magic player to see the floor) had 13 points, four rebounds and four assists in the final period, finishing with 35, eight and nine. Trevelin Queen (the 12th man) played more in the fourth quarter (11:52) than he had played through the Magic’s first 29 games (6:32).

• So the Magic are 2-3 (all five games decided by single-digits) since losing Franz Wagner to injury. That’s great considering the strength of the schedule, and it’s kept them six games over .500 overall. The offense hasn’t really fallen off (it didn’t have far to fall anyway), and the other end of the floor (111.3 points allowed per 100 possessions over the five games) is still better-than-average defense against five teams that rank no worse than 12th offensively.

The Magic have four games left on their seven-game homestand and three left on a stretch of eight straight against teams with winning records. They’re 0-4 within the top five in the East, set to face the Celtics for the first time on Monday.

Week 10: vs. BOS, vs. MIA, vs. NYK, vs. BKN

Record: 15-11

OffRtg: 115.5 (6) DefRtg: 113.1 (17) NetRtg: +2.4 (11) Pace: 102.5 (5)

It hasn’t been easy, but the Nuggets have won four of their last five games to stay in the top five in the West.

Three takeaways

• The Nuggets trailed by double-digits in the fourth quarter in all three of their games last week and erased each of those deficits. They lost at the buzzer in Portland on Thursday but got the comeback wins in Sacramento and New Orleans. Jamal Murray hit the game-winner against the Kings with 8.6 seconds left and sent the game against the Pelicans to overtime with another jumper with 8.8 seconds left. He and Nikola Jokić (both 4-for-8) are two of the four players with a league-high four buckets to tie or take the lead in the final minute of the fourth quarter or OT.

• The last two of those comebacks began with Jokić off the floor. DeAndre Jordan has been in the rotation for the last six games and Denver has been outscored by just 1.5 points per 100 possessions in his 65 minutes over that stretch, with even better numbers when Peyton Watson (who had a pair of incredible blocks in the fourth quarter on Sunday) has been out there with him.

• Russell Westbrook gave up the game-winner on Thursday, allowing Anfernee Simons to drive right and then reaching for the ball instead of making him try to score over him. But Westbrook continues to be on the floor down the stretch of the Nuggets’ close games, and the Nuggets have outscored their opponents by 73 points (22.4 per 100 possessions) in 135 total minutes with him on the floor with Jokić and three of the other four starters.

Having just completed a stretch where they played 12 of 16 games on the road, the Nuggets will be home for eight of their next 11. But their win in New Orleans on Sunday was the start of their first stretch of five games in seven days, and they’ll be at a rest disadvantage against Phoenix on Monday night.

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

Record: 15-12

OffRtg: 111.9 (16) DefRtg: 109.6 (9) NetRtg: +2.2 (12) Pace: 100.7 (8)

After losing by 51 points in Memphis on Thursday, the Warriors got a much-needed win in Minnesota, with Stephen Curry providing the heroics after they blew a 21-point lead.

Three takeaways

• With the Warriors up two with less than four minutes left on Saturday, Curry outscored the Wolves, 11-2, by himself over the next 90 seconds. He’s averaged just 20.5 points per 36 minutes (on an effective field goal percentage of 52.7%) before halftime, but 32.6 per 36 (on 60.9%) after halftime this season.

• With that, the Warriors have scored just 105.3 points per 100 possessions (28th) in first halves, but 118.8 (sixth) in second halves. That’s the biggest league’s half-to-half differential on offense.

• Dennis Schröder shot just 5-for-20 (including 0-for-8) from 3-point range over his first two games with his new team, with the Warriors scoring just 86 points on 108 possessions (79.6 per 100) in his 50 minutes. Very little went right in Memphis, but Brandin Podziemski had his highest-scoring game of the season (21 points on 9-for-13 shooting) and his minutes off the bench were critical two nights later in Minnesota.

The Warriors will play their next nine games in California, with eight of those at home. Stephen Curry has shot just 32% (including 23% from 3-point range) over 10 Christmas games, with the Warriors set to host the Lakers on Wednesday.

Week 10: vs. IND, vs. LAL, @ LAC, vs. PHX

Record: 14-13

OffRtg: 110.6 (21) DefRtg: 108.0 (5) NetRtg: +2.6 (9) Pace: 98.2 (24)

The Wolves’ run of great defense came to an end last week when they lost a big game narratives-wise and standings-wise.

Three takeaways

• After allowing 92.8 points per 100 possessions over their previous seven games, the Wolves allowed 123 per 100 over their two losses last week, with their loss to Karl-Anthony Towns’ Knicks on Thursday being their worst defensive game of the season.

• They’re still the only team that ranks in the top five regarding both opponent 3-point percentage (34%, fourth) and the (lowest) percentage of their opponents’ shots that have come from 3-point range (40.8%, fourth), but that latter rate has been climbing over the last few weeks. The two losses last week were just the seventh and eighth times they’ve been outscored from beyond the arc and they’re now 1-7 in those games.

• Mike Conley shot just 2-for-11 over the two games and now has an effective field goal percentage of just 46.2%, down from a career-best 59.5% last season. That’s the biggest drop-off among 227 players with at least 200 field goal attempts in 2023-24 and at least 100 in ’24-25.

Conley has shot much more effectively on the road (52.4%) than he has at the Target Center (40.6%), and the Wolves will play seven of their next 10 games on the road. That includes their first Christmas game (in Dallas) since 2017.

Week 10: @ ATL, @ DAL, @ HOU, vs. SAS

Record: 13-13

OffRtg: 113.3 (10) DefRtg: 111.2 (11) NetRtg: +2.0 (13) Pace: 97.8 (25)

The Heat have followed a four-game winning streak with three straight losses, blowing a 25-point lead in Orlando on Saturday.

Three takeaways

• It was a week of runs. On Monday in Detroit, the Heat forced overtime with a 26-7 run to close regulation and then scored the first eight points of the extra period … only for Tim Hardaway Jr. to make three straight 3-pointers. Tyler Herro had drained a contested 3 to force OT and now leads the league with three 3-pointers to tie or take the lead in the final minute of the fourth quarter or overtime. But he missed two for the lead in the final minute of the extra period.

• The Heat didn’t have a chance to tie or take the lead in the final minute in Orlando on Saturday, when (playing without Jimmy Butler) they scored just eight points on 24 fourth-quarter possessions, blowing a 22-point lead at the start of the period. That’s tied for the least efficient quarter for any team in any game in the last three seasons (since April 8, 2022). Overall, the three-game losing streak has been the Heat’s worst three-game stretch of offense (107.4 points scored per 100 possessions) this season.

• Most of the Heat’s fourth-quarter run in Detroit came with Butler at the four. For the season, the Heat have outscored their opponents by 67 points (scoring 132 points per 100 possessions) in about 90 total minutes with Butler and Bam Adebayo on the floor without one of their nominal power forwards (Haywood Highsmith, Nikola Jović, Jaime Jaquez Jr. or Kevin Love).

Including their loss to the Thunder on Friday (when he left with an illness after the first quarter), the Heat are 2-6 when Butler hasn’t been available or when he’s played fewer than 10 minutes. He’s listed as questionable for their game against Brooklyn on Monday.

Week 10: vs. BKN, @ ORL, @ ATL, @ HOU

Record: 16-13

OffRtg: 110.8 (20) DefRtg: 108.4 (6) NetRtg: +2.5 (10) Pace: 98.7 (23)

The Clippers remain afloat and Kawhi Leonard just might make his season debut this week.

Three takeaways

• The Clippers’ win over the Jazz’s 30th-ranked defense last Monday was their best offensive performance of the season (144 points on 103 possessions), and James Harden led the way with 41 points on 11-for-17 from the field and 12-for-14 at the line. After registering a usage rate of just 20.2% last season, Harden is at 30.2% this season, with that being his highest rate in the last five seasons (since his last full season in Houston). Of course, his efficiency has taken a big hit and that was just the fifth time (in 28 total games) that he made at least half of his shots from the field.

• The Clippers split two games in Dallas last week, taking advantage of the absences of both Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving on Thursday. With Irving back two nights later, the score was tied early in the second quarter. But the Mavs outscored LA by 14 points over the next 11 minutes and never led by less than five after that. The Clippers are now 13-2 when they’ve led at the half and 1-11 when they’ve trailed at the half, with that being the league’s biggest such differential.

• They’ve generally been a comeback team, holding the league’s second-best record (70-139, .335) when trailing by double-digits over the previous five seasons. But they’re just 2-12 (seventh-worst) with a double-digit deficit this season.

The Clippers are just two games into a stretch where they’re playing eight of 10 on the road. One of the lone home games is against the Warriors on Friday, which might be when Leonard suits up for the first time. The Clippers are 2-0 against Golden State, even though they’ve scored just 104.4 points per 100 possessions over the two games.

Week 10: @ MEM, vs. GSW

Record: 16-12

OffRtg: 111.3 (18) DefRtg: 114.3 (20) NetRtg: -2.9 (20) Pace: 99.3 (18)

The Lakers have won three straight (and four of their last five) games to climb into the top six in the Western Conference.

Three takeaways

• The Lakers rank last offensively since Thanksgiving, but as has been the case for most of the Anthony Davis era in L.A., when they win, they win with defense. The last five games have been, by far, their best stretch of defense (99.2 points allowed per 100 possessions) this season. The first two games were against bad offenses, but the last three have come against teams – the Grizzlies and Kings (x 2) – that rank in the top 10 on that end of the floor.

• They’ve benefited from those opponents shooting less than 30% from 3-point range over the five games. But the Lakers have also been better on the defensive glass, grabbing 73.4% of available defensive boards, up from 69.5% (25th in the league) prior. Overall, the Lakers have still seen the league’s third-biggest drop in defensive rebounding percentage from last season.

• The three-game winning streak coincides with a change in the starting lineup, with the new lineup (Max Christie with the Lakers’ four full-time starters) having outscored opponents by 24 points (allowing just 88 per 100) in 51 total minutes over the three games.

LeBron James is 10-8 all-time on Christmas, and this will be his fifth Christmas game (he’s 2-2) against Golden State, as well as the first Lakers-Warriors meeting of the season. The Warriors won three of the four meetings last season when no team scored more efficiently (126.2 points per 100 possessions) against L.A.

Week 10: vs. DET, @ GSW, vs. SAC

Record: 15-13

OffRtg: 111.7 (17) DefRtg: 113.0 (16) NetRtg: -1.4 (17) Pace: 99.5 (16)

The Spurs have won four of their last five games to climb back into the Play-In Tournament group in the West.

Three takeaways

• Victor Wembanyama had a pair of huge games last week, totaling 72 points and 14 blocks as the Spurs beat the Hawks and Blazers. After scoring at least 20 points in just three of his first nine games this season, he’s done so in 13 of his last 14. More than half of his shots (147/285) have come from 3-point range over that stretch, but his free throw rate (24.6 attempts per 100 shots from the field) is the same as it was over the first nine.

• Devin Vassell got his first two starts of the season last week, scoring 23 points (shooting 5-for-7 from 3-point range) against Atlanta on Thursday. The Spurs’ new lineup — Chris Paul, Vassell, Harrison Barnes, Jeremy Sochan and Wembanyama — outscored the opponents by 16 points in 25 total minutes over the two games, though Keldon Johnson was on the floor (instead of Barnes) down the stretch of the overtime win over the Hawks.

• That win improved the Spurs to 8-3 (second best) in games that were within five points in the last five minutes. With Wembanyama hitting the go-ahead 3 on Thursday, they’re 18-for-38 (47%) on clutch 3s and have seen the league’s biggest jump in clutch winning percentage from last season (13-28, third worst). The flip side of that is that they’re one of three teams — the Lakers and Suns are the others — with a winning record (overall) and a negative point differential.

The Spurs are the only team that hasn’t played in the Eastern time zone, but they’ll begin a four-game trip in Philadelphia on Monday and are playing 12 of their next 16 games outside of San Antonio. Wembanyama will make his Christmas debut at Madison Square Garden, where he shot just 4-for-14 in the Spurs’ visit last season

Week 10: @ PHI, @ NYK, @ BKN, @ MIN

Record: 14-15

OffRtg: 110.4 (22) DefRtg: 113.6 (18) NetRtg: -3.1 (21) Pace: 104.6 (3)

A three-game losing streak has dropped the Hawks below .500, leaving the Eastern Conference with just five teams with winning records.

Three takeaways

• The Hawks beat the Celtics in their first game without Trae Young (Nov. 12 in Boston), but got clobbered by the Grizzlies (no Ja Morant) without Young on Saturday. Dyson Daniels continues to lead the league in steals by a wide margin, but has also been responsible for a bunch of turnovers on the other side of the floor of late. He’s committed 15 over the last five games, including five of the Hawks’ 25 turnovers on Saturday.

• Those last five games have been the Hawks’ worst stretch of offense (104.3 points scored per 100 possessions) this season. The loss without Young wasn’t their worst offensive game in that stretch, but they’ve scored just 94 per 100 in his 97 total minutes off the floor over the last five.

• The Hawks have been outscored from 3-point range in each of the last five games and in a league-high 24 (83%) of their 29 games thus far. They were outscored from beyond the arc in just 37 (45%) of their 82 games last season.

A visit from the Wolves on Monday will be the end of a stretch of eight straight games against teams with winning records, and the Hawks’ game against the Heat over the weekend (their first meeting with Miami) could be for sixth place in the East.

Week 10: vs. MIN, vs. CHI, vs. MIA, @ TOR

Record: 14-15

OffRtg: 112.8 (13) DefRtg: 114.5 (21) NetRtg: -1.7 (18) Pace: 101.0 (6)

The Pacers have won four straight games and the defensive numbers just keep getting better.

Three takeaways

• The winning streak has been, by a healthy margin, the Pacers’ best stretch of defense (104.8 points allowed per 100 possessions) this season. The last two wins have come against teams — Phoenix and Sacramento — that rank in the top 10 offensively. With another good defensive game or two, Indiana will likely climb out of the bottom 10 on that end of the floor.

• The Pacers have still seen the league’s biggest jump from last season in the percentage of their opponents’ shots (41%) that have come from 3-point range. But that rate is just 35% during the win streak, with the Pacers outscoring their opponents by double-digits from beyond the arc in all four games. That’s as many times as they did in their first 25.

• It’s also been the Pacers’ best four-game stretch of offense since early November. Seven Pacers have averaged double-figures and they’ve recorded assists on 76% of their field goals over the four games.

Nine of the Pacers’ last 13 games have come against teams that currently rank in the bottom 10 defensively. They’ll now play four straight against teams that rank in the top 10 on that end of the floor, and they’ll be at a rest disadvantage twice this week.

Week 10: @ GSW, vs. OKC, @ BOS, @ BOS

Record: 14-13

OffRtg: 114.7 (8) DefRtg: 115.5 (24) NetRtg: -0.9 (16) Pace: 98.9 (22)

The Suns were 13-2 with Kevin Durant in uniform before Thursday, but doubled that loss total in the span of three days, falling to the Pacers and Pistons at home.

Three takeaways

• The Suns have the second-best record (12-6) in games played within the Western Conference but are now 2-7 (with seven straight losses) against the East. Five of those seven losses have come at home and three of them – all against East teams currently below .500 – have come with Durant in the lineup.

• Durant totaled 80 points on an effective field goal percentage of 61% over the two losses last week. All five Suns with more than 10 field goal attempts over the two games shot better than 50%. But Devin Booker wasn’t one of those five, leaving the loss to Indiana (just the Suns’ 11th game with Booker, Durant and Bradley Beal) with groin soreness and missing the loss to Detroit.

• The Suns also allowed almost 123 points per 100 possessions over the two games. They’ve now slid to 24th in defensive efficiency, with Mike Budenholzer having had just one worse-than-average defense in his previous 10 seasons as a head coach. The defense has been at its worst (118.4 allowed per 100) with Beal on the floor.

Booker will be out again when the Suns visit the Nuggets with a rest advantage on Monday. The Suns themselves are just 1-4 (with four straight losses) in the second games of back-to-backs, set to play a tough, home-road back-to-back (vs. Dallas, at Golden State) this weekend. They’re 3-0 against the Mavs (2-0) and Warriors thus far.

Week 10: @ DEN, vs. DEN, vs. DAL, @ GSW

Record: 13-17

OffRtg: 114.5 (9) DefRtg: 112.9 (15) NetRtg: +1.6 (14) Pace: 99.4 (17)

The Kings are 0-4 on a five-game homestand that concludes on Thursday, suddenly four games in the loss column out of the Play-In Tournament.

Three takeaways

• There are 13 teams currently under .500. The Kings are the only one that’s prioritizing this season (they traded for 35-year-old DeMar DeRozan in the summer) and haven’t had major injury issues.

• Of course, while the Kings have seen the league’s fourth-biggest drop in winning percentage, they’ve only been 0.2 points per 100 possessions worse than they were last season. The 27-point loss to Indiana on Sunday was the Kings’ worst margin of defeat, and they still have a positive point differential for the season. Their record (13-17, .433) would be the worst in NBA history for a team that outscored its opponents by at least one point per game.

• They’ve played a league-high 18 games that were within five points in the last five minutes and, with three narrow losses last week, are just 6-12 in those games. Teaming DeRozan with De’Aaron Fox was supposed to give them an edge in close games and the Kings rank sixth in clutch offense, but only the Raptors have been worse in games that were within five in the last five.

Entering this season, the Kings had won eight of their last nine (including five straight) games against the Lakers. But after two losses at home last week, they’re 0-3 vs. L.A. this season. They’ll finish the season series on Saturday, the Kings lone road game in a stretch where they’re playing eight of nine at the Golden 1 Center.

Week 10: vs. DET, @ LAL

Record: 13-16

OffRtg: 112.9 (11) DefRtg: 116.2 (25) NetRtg: -3.3 (22) Pace: 104.6 (2)

The Bulls won three straight games for the first time and split their home-and-home set with the Celtics, giving them wins against four of the top five teams in the East.

Three takeaways

• On Thursday, the Bulls and Celtics combined for 108 3-point attempts, tied for the third most in the 46 seasons of the 3-point line. With the Bulls shooting 19-for-52 (37%), it was just the third time (the first time in a loss) that Boston has been outscored from beyond the arc, but the 11th time that Chicago had taken more than half of its shots from 3-point range. It had done so nine times in the first 45 seasons of the 3-point line.

• With the 3-point volume down for both teams on Saturday, the Celtics were a plus-22 (60-38) in the paint. The Bulls have now been outscored by 9.9 points in the paint per game, which would be the biggest discrepancy for any team in the last 12 seasons.

• Lonzo Ball has now played in six straight games, and he logged a season-high 23 minutes in the Bulls’ win in Toronto last Monday, draining a big, pull-up 3 to put Chicago up six with a little more than a minute left. He’s still just 20-for-64 (31%) from the field and, even with Josh Giddey out the last two games, has played only seven total minutes with the other four starters all on the floor.

The Bulls are 1-1 against the Bucks, set to complete the season series with a pair of (separate) home games this week.

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

Record: 12-17

OffRtg: 111.0 (19) DefRtg: 113.9 (19) NetRtg: -2.9 (19) Pace: 99.2 (19)

The Pistons lost at home to the Jazz (somehow allowing 48 points in the first quarter) on Thursday, but began a four-game trip with a big win in Phoenix over the weekend.

Three takeaways

• The Pistons are now just two wins from being the first team to match its total from last season (14-68). They rank as the league’s fourth most improved team regarding winning percentage and its third most improved team regarding point differential per 100 possessions (+6.1).

• When you take the league average into account, the bigger improvement has been on offense, where the Pistons ranked 27th last season. Malik Beasley (16.4 points in just 28.6 minutes per game) has been a big addition and, while Tobias Harris and Tim Hardaway Jr. haven’t been nearly as prolific, having three capable vets around Cade Cunningham has been critical. Cunningham’s scoring has gone down on a per-minute basis, but he’s gone from averaging 8.1 to 9.7 assists per 36.

• Hardaway had one of the best moments of the season (for anybody) in the Pistons’ win over the Heat last Monday, draining 3-pointers on three straight possessions to turn an eight-point deficit into a one-point lead in overtime. The Pistons have, amazingly, alternated wins and losses in their last 14 games that were within five points in the last five minutes, with their seven clutch wins just one shy of their total from last season (league-worst 8-27).

Matching last season’s win total this week will be tough with the last three games of the trip coming against the Lakers, Kings and Nuggets. The Pistons did beat L.A. in early November behind a triple-double from Cunningham and 26 points from Jaden Ivey.

Week 10: @ LAL, @ SAC, @ DEN

Record: 9-17

OffRtg: 107.5 (27) DefRtg: 112.5 (14) NetRtg: -5.0 (25) Pace: 97.2 (29)

The Sixers went 6-2 in their first eight games after Thanksgiving, though five of those six wins came against the Pistons, Hornets (x 3) and Bulls. They played in Cleveland (without Joel Embiid) on Saturday and lost by 27.

Three takeaways

• With their two wins over Charlotte last week, the Sixers continue to have the best record (8-3) in games played between the nine Eastern Conference teams currently below .500. They’re 1-14 against everybody else, with the bigger difference having come on defense.

• The Cavs’ 126 points on just 96 possessions (131 per 100) was Philly’s worst defensive performance of the season. The Sixers are 9-4 (with six straight wins) when they’ve allowed fewer points per 100 than the league average (112.4) and 0-13 when they’ve allowed more.

• Embiid didn’t play on Saturday because it was the second game of a back-to-back. He had 34 points (with improved shooting from outside the paint) and nine assists against Charlotte on Friday when the Sixers improved to 2-0 in games that Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey have all been available for all four quarters. The offense has been bad, but they’ve allowed just 88.4 points per 100 possessions in 71 total minutes with all three on the floor.

The Sixers are the only team that hasn’t won a game (they’re 0-7) against the opposite conference. They’ll host the Spurs on Monday, and the six-game trip that begins with their Christmas game in Boston will include four games in Western Conference arenas.

Week 10: vs. SAS, @ BOS, @ UTA

Record: 11-17

OffRtg: 111.9 (15) DefRtg: 116.6 (27) NetRtg: -4.7 (23) Pace: 97.0 (30)

The Nets got a win in Toronto on Thursday, but are still just 2-7 (only the Wizards have been worse statistically) since Thanksgiving.

Three takeaways

• The post-Thanksgiving slide has been entirely about offense: 115.5 points scored per 100 possessions (eighth) before Thanksgiving, 104.3 (28th) since. A lot of that is 3-point shooting, but the Nets have also seen a big jump in turnover rate. They committed 20 turnovers per 100 possessions as they went 1-2 in their first three games since trading Dennis Schröder.

• They even had more turnovers than the Jazz (who have the worst turnover rate for any team in the last 19 seasons) on Saturday. Ben Simmons recorded his first double-double (15 points and 10 assists) since January but had six of the team’s 19 turnovers as the Nets scored just 94 points on 101 possessions against the league’s worst defense.

• With Schröder gone, Simmons has been starting at point guard, with the Nets getting outscored by 33 points in his 48 minutes alongside Nic Claxton over these last three games. The offense struggling in those minutes is not a surprise, but the Nets also allowed 130 points on 99 defensive possessions with that duo on the floor last week.

The Nets will play five of their next six games on the road, with two games in Milwaukee over that stretch. They’ve scored just 99.3 points per 100 possessions over three losses to the Magic, who they’ll visit on Sunday.

Week 10: @ MIA, @ MIL, vs. SAS, @ ORL

Record: 7-20

OffRtg: 109.9 (25) DefRtg: 119.2 (30) NetRtg: -9.2 (28) Pace: 100.2 (11)

The Jazz have won two straight games for the first time, gaining some separation from the Pelicans at the bottom of the Western Conference.

Three takeaways

• With the two wins coming in Detroit and Brooklyn, the Jazz are 4-1 against the Eastern Conference, with four of those five games having been on the road. They were 15-15 (starting 12-5) against the East last season, so they have as many wins over the last two seasons against the East (19-16) as they do against the West (19-55). That’s the league’s biggest own-vs.-opposite-conference discrepancy.

• The win on Saturday came without Keyonte George (ankle sprain). The Jazz are now 2-0 without George, with the two wins (at San Antonio and at Brooklyn) accounting for two of the five times they’ve allowed fewer than 108 points per 100 possessions. In total, they’ve allowed 14.6 fewer points per 100 possessions with George off the floor (109.6) than they have with him on the floor (124.2), with that being the second-biggest differential among all players who’ve played at least 200 minutes.

• Not coincidentally, the Jazz have committed fewer turnovers than their opponent in both of their games without George. They’ve committed fewer turnovers than their opponent in zero of the 25 games that George has played.

These two wins were the start of the stretch where the Jazz are playing 11 of 14 against the East, but they’ll face their toughest Eastern Conference test when they visit the Cavs on Monday.

Week 10: @ CLE, @ POR, vs. PHI

Record: 7-22

OffRtg: 110.1 (24) DefRtg: 114.9 (23) NetRtg: -4.7 (24) Pace: 100.3 (10)

The Raptors have lost seven straight games for the second time this season.

Three takeaways

• Five of the last seven games have been within five points in the last five minutes, but the Raptors haven’t been able to close, scoring just 24 points on 28 clutch possessions over that stretch. They have the point differential of a team that’s 10-19 but are a league-worst 4-12 in games that were within five in the last five.

• Jakob Poeltl has missed the last two games with a groin injury, and the Raptors have started rookie Jonathan Mogbo in his place. They’ve been at their best offensively (112.7 points scored per 100 possessions) with Poeltl on the floor, but have scored just 107 points on 126 possessions (85 per 100) with Scottie Barnes and/or RJ Barrett on the floor and Mogbo as the lone big.

• That’s certainly not all Mogbo’s fault. Barnes has shot just 37% and has just 11 total free throw attempts over the five games he’s played during the losing streak. Fortunately, his 2-for-15 performance on Sunday was overshadowed by rookie Ja’Kobe Walter scoring a career-high 27 points, including all 14 of the Raptors’ points in the first four-plus minutes.

One of these last five clutch losses came (in Toronto) at the hands of the Knicks two weeks ago. The Raptors will be at a rest disadvantage in New York on Monday, 0-4 in rest-disadvantage games thus far.

Week 10: @ NYK, @ MEM, vs. ATL

Record: 9-19

OffRtg: 107.4 (28) DefRtg: 116.5 (26) NetRtg: -9.1 (27) Pace: 99.8 (14)

The Blazers put an end to a six-game losing streak with Anfernee Simons’ buzzer-beating game-winner against the Nuggets on Thursday, but followed one of their best offensive games of the season with one of their worst.

Three takeaways

• Matisse Thybulle remains out and plus-minus star Delano Banton missed their loss to the Spurs on Saturday, but the Blazers were otherwise healthy last week. Their most recent starting lineup (when everybody by Thybulle is available) eclipsed the 100-minute mark on Saturday, but has been outscored by 25.7 points per 100 possessions. That’s the worst mark by a wide margin among the 35 lineups that have played at least 100 minutes, with the second worst mark (minus-17.2 per 100) belonging to the Blazers’ previous lineup (Deni Avdija instead of Shaedon Sharpe).

• With everybody available, Robert Williams III and Donovan Clingan played 18 minutes together over the Blazers’ two games last week, and Portland was plus-9 in those 18 minutes, scoring 55 points on just 35 offensive possessions.

• Nine of those 55 came on second chances and the Blazers outscored the Nuggets by 13 (21-8) on second-chance points in the two-point win on Thursday. Portland ranks last in defensive rebounding percentage, but is sixth in offensive rebounding percentage, with Clingan ranking third among 340 players who’ve averaged at least 10 minutes per game. Two other rookies — Zach Edey and Yves Missi — are also in the top six.

The Blazers’ second best offensive game of the season game in a six-point loss to the Mavs earlier this month. They’ll face Dallas again two more times this week and will have a rest advantage in Portland on Saturday.

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

Record: 7-21

OffRtg: 108.4 (26) DefRtg: 114.8 (22) NetRtg: -6.4 (26) Pace: 97.7 (26)

The Hornets continue to deal with injuries and went 1-4 on a stretch of five straight games within the bottom eight in the East.

Three takeaways

• LaMelo Ball returned from a seven-game absence last Monday, but in the Hornets’ first game with Ball and Mark Williams both in uniform, they lost Brandon Miller to a left ankle injury. They’ve played 110 games since the start of last season and have had Ball, Miller, Miles Bridges and Williams on the floor together in just six of the 110, and for a total of just 65 minutes.

• Ball had one of the more remarkable lines you’ll see in the Hornets’ loss in Washington on Thursday. He had 13 assists (with just one turnover), while also taking 34 shots in less than 34 minutes. He’s had a usage rate of at least 40% in 10 of his 20 games, having done so in just two of his 186 games before this season. The Hornets are 4-3 when Ball has had a usage rate below 35%.

• The Hornets have shot just 24% from 3-point range over their four-game losing streak, with all seven guys with at least 10 attempts having shot worse than 30%. That includes Bridges shooting 3-for-25 (12%) from beyond the arc over the four games.

The Hornets have lost seven straight at home and will get visits from the league’s top two defenses this week. In between, they’ll visit Washington for the second straight Thursday.

Week 10: vs. HOU, @ WAS, vs. OKC

Record: 5-25

OffRtg: 106.3 (29) DefRtg: 117.7 (28) NetRtg: -11.5 (29) Pace: 99.2 (20)

The Pelicans were one stop or one shot away from a win on Sunday, but have lost seven straight games and are the first team to fall 20 games under .500.

Three takeaways

• Rookie Yves Missi has now started 23 (including the last 12) games and had one of his best performances against the best player in the world on Sunday. He had 21 points, nine rebounds, two steals and three blocks in the loss to the Nuggets on Sunday when the Nuggets scored just 85 points on 89 possessions in his 40 minutes on the floor. The highlight was an emphatic block of Nikola Jokić in overtime, giving the Pelicans a chance to tie in the final minute.

• The offense continues to be a struggle. The Pelicans’ loss to the Knicks on Saturday gave them more games of scoring less than a point per possession (7) than they had all of last season (6). They’ve scored 10.2 fewer points per 100 possessions than they did in 2023-24, which would be the fourth biggest year-to-year drop-off in the 29 seasons for which we have play-by-play data.

• The Pelicans have played the league’s second toughest schedule in regard to cumulative opponent winning percentage and they’re halfway through a stretch of six straight games against teams that currently have winning records. They’re 2-16 (with five straight losses) against that group thus far.

With Trey Murphy III having turned his ankle in the second half on Sunday, the Pelicans have another three-day break before facing the Rockets for the second time in eight days, Game 3 of their five-game homestand (longest of the season).

Week 10: vs. HOU, vs. MEM

Record: 4-22

OffRtg: 104.3 (30) DefRtg: 118.1 (29) NetRtg: -13.9 (30) Pace: 103.3 (4)

The Wizards got their fourth win of the season on Thursday, surviving a huge shooting-opportunity discrepancy to beat the Hornets.

Three takeaways

• The Wizards’ veterans finally won them a game. They trailed the Hornets by seven late in the third quarter but then went on a 15-0 run spanning the third and fourth, with Malcolm Brogdon, Corey Kispert and Jonas Valančiūnas on the floor for that entire run. Those three guys have played just 54 total minutes together (just 10 with Kyle Kuzma, who’s missed the last nine games), with the Wizards having outscored their opponents by 8.0 points per 100 possessions in that time.

• Valančiūnas and Alex Sarr haven’t played together in the last five games that both have been available, so the rookie has played almost exclusively at the five of late. The Wizards have been outscored by an amazing 60 points in 83 total minutes on the floor with Sarr on the floor with either Valančiūnas or Marvin Bagley III.

• Though their schedule has remained pretty tough, the Wizards have cut their point differential from -16.9 (through Dec. 6) to -14.7 points per game. That keeps them from having the worst differential in NBA history (-15.2, 1992-93 Mavs), and the schedule will get easier.

The Wizards will host the Hornets again this week, but their schedule doesn’t start to soften until the new year. They’re 1-17 against the 16 teams that currently have winning records, playing three of their next four against the Thunder and Knicks.

Week 10: @ OKC, vs. CHA, vs. NYK