On January 27, 2024, Beijing time, there are 8 games in the NBA today, with many Western teams participating, and there has been a big change in the Western rankings after the game, let's take a look.
The Mavericks played away against the Hawks, Irving was absent, and although Doncic scored 18 points in the first quarter, the Hawks still dominated the first quarter, leading the Mavericks by four points. Doncic played a full 12 minutes in the second quarter, scoring 23 points on 8-of-10 shooting, leading the Mavericks to tie the gap, Doncic scored 16 points in the third quarter, the Mavericks won 6 points in a single quarter, and Doncic scored another 16 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Mavericks to defeat the Hawks 148-143. Doncic shot 25-of-33 from the field (8-of-13 from three-point range), 15-of-16 from the field, and exploded with 73 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists, becoming the highest single-game scorer among active players and the first person in NBA history to score 70+ points and shoot more than 75% from the field. After the Mavericks win, they are 25-20 and still ranked eighth in the West, but the gap with the Lakers has widened, and the Lakers can't overtake the Mavericks in a short period of time.
The Suns played away against the Pacers, the Pacers lacked Haliburton, not the Suns opponent on paper, Booker turned on the scoring mode after the game started, scoring 29 points in the first quarter and 37 points at halftime, and the Suns have been suppressing the Pacers, leading by 17 points at one point and leading by 10 points at halftime. However, in the second half of the game, the situation began to reverse, the Suns lacked team cooperation, over-relied on Booker's singles, the Pacers blossomed more, the Pacers chased the difference closer, and tied the point difference with 1 minute left in the game, Booker shot, the Pacers scored 4 points in a row to overtake 2 points, there were 3 seconds left in the game, Booker missed three points, the game ended, the Pacers defeated the Suns 133-131 and completed the big reversal.
Booker scored 62 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists on 22-of-37 shooting in this game, setting a personal scoring record this season. Durant had 20 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists on 9-of-16 shooting, and Beal had 12 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists on 5-of-13 shooting, and the Suns' Big Three faced the Pacers without Haliburton, and were reversed when Booker exploded and the team led by 17 points at one point, setting a shameful record. After the Suns lost, they fell from fifth in the West to seventh in the West, but fortunately, the Pelicans also lost and the Suns returned to sixth.
The answer is the Thunder, the Pelicans played against the Thunder at home, the Pelicans had a slight advantage and a 2-point lead in the first quarter, and the Thunder completely suppressed the Pelicans from the second quarter, the Thunder won by 11 points in the second quarter, 4 points in the third quarter, and 11 points in the fourth quarter, and finally the Thunder beat the Pelicans 107-83. Alexander had 31 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists, and Chet had 20 points and 13 rebounds. No one on the Pelicans scored more than 15 points.
After the Thunder win, they went 32-13 and overtook the Timberwolves in the rankings and topped the West, with the Timberwolves becoming second in the West. The Pelicans moved up to fifth in the West after the Suns lost, but fell from fifth to seventh with their own loss, and the Suns fell back to sixth. The Kings, who did not have a game today, reaped the benefits and went from seventh in the West to fifth in the West.
The Clippers played away against the Raptors, the Clippers did not give the Raptors a chance, and comprehensively suppressed the Raptors from the first quarter, leading by 9 points in the first quarter, leading by 14 points at halftime, the two sides tied in the third quarter, and the Clippers won by 6 points in the fourth quarter, and finally the Clippers defeated the Raptors 127-107. The Clippers scored 15+ points in 5 people, Harden scored 22 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists in 8-of-14, Wei Shao scored 20 points, 5 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks in 7-of-14, George scored 21 points, 2 boards and 2 blocks, Leonard had 16 points and 7 boards, and Powell had 17 points and 4 boards.
After the Clippers won the game, they surpassed the Nuggets and came to third in the West, the Suns and Pelicans lost, making the Clippers' top four in the West more stable, and the Clippers can be described as double happiness, the Clippers have 21 wins and 4 losses since December last year, the record is the first in the league, and they have become the new hegemon of the league. As long as they stay healthy, the Clippers have the power to change the NBA landscape.
The Rockets played away against the Hornets, the Hornets could still compete with the Rockets in the first half, only trailing by 2 points at halftime, and the Rockets played intensity in the second half, winning 19 points in the third quarter and 13 points in the fourth quarter, and finally the Rockets beat the Hornets 138-104. Jalen Green finished with 36 points, nine rebounds and four assists on 12-of-20 shooting, while Whitmore had 24 points and 11 boards on 9-of-18 shooting. The Rockets went 21-23 after the win and remained in 11th place in the West.
The Grizzlies faced the Magic at home, the first quarter of the game was quite a tie, the Grizzlies won 9 points in the second quarter, the Magic recovered 3 points in the third quarter, and the Magic continued to chase points in the fourth quarter, but fell short, and finally the Grizzlies narrowly defeated the Magic 107-106, and the Grizzlies have an excellent record in recent times, which is admirable. The Grizzlies are 18-27 after the win and still sit in 13th place in the West.
The Spurs hosted the Trail Blazers, and the Trail Blazers had the upper hand in the first quarter, leading by 7 points, but the Spurs responded strongly from the second quarter, winning by 12 points in a single quarter, and the Spurs led by 5 points at halftime, and the Spurs widened the difference in the second half, and finally the Spurs defeated the Trail Blazers 116-100. Sochan finished with 31 points, 14 rebounds and two assists on 12-of-20 shooting, while Wembanyama had 23 points, 12 boards, four assists, two steals and two blocks. Simmons had 40 points and 10 assists. The Spurs remained at the bottom of the West after the win, while the Trail Blazers remained second-to-last in the West.
Here's how all the Western Conference teams standings after today's game.