The West is in a mess: the top eight points are the three echelons, the Clippers create an NBA miracle, and the Warriors overtake the Rockets
On February 7, Beijing time, the NBA arranged a total of 7 games, of which the Western team participated in 6 games, the specific situation is: the Rockets lost to the Pacers, the Grizzlies lost to the Knicks, the Mavericks defeated the Nets, the Timberwolves lost to the Bulls, the Jazz upset defeated the Thunder, and the Suns beat the Bucks.
According to the difference in win, we can divide the top eight in the West into three echelons, with the Clippers, Thunder, Timberwolves and Nuggets in the first echelon, the Kings, Suns and Pelicans in the second echelon, and the Mavericks in the third echelon. Today the Thunder lost to the Jazz 117-124, the two sides played fiercely, the first quarter Thunder led by 5 points, the second quarter was still the Thunder dominant, the third quarter Jazz overtake, the Jazz hit three points at the critical moment in the final quarter, and finally the Thunder lost. In terms of statistics, Alexander had 28 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 turnovers, Holmgren had 22 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 4 blocks, and Jalen Williams had 26 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 turnovers.
The Thunder lost, but I didn't expect the Timberwolves to lose to the Bulls 123-129, the process of this battle was full of ups and downs, the Timberwolves led by 11 points in the first quarter, and the difference in the second quarter came to 20+, the Timberwolves suddenly lost power in the third quarter, the Bulls narrowed the difference, and the Timberwolves offense still did not warm up in the final quarter, and was dragged to overtime by the Bulls, DeRozan suddenly broke out, and scored 8 points in overtime, and finally the Timberwolves could only accept the fate of losing. In terms of statistics, Edwards scored 38 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 5 turnovers, Towns scored 33 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 2 turnovers, and the dual-core 30+ still lost, Gobert had 12 points and 16 rebounds.
After today's game, the Clippers were undoubtedly the biggest winners, as the Thunder and Timberwolves both lost, so the Clippers managed to top the Western Conference standings. According to statistics, the Clippers have created an NBA miracle, from December to the present, their record (26-5) is the first in the league, not only that, since December in the league's offensive efficiency rankings, the Clippers 127.1 points are also the first in the league, and it is the lead of the break, the second ranked Green Army is 123.6 points, these two data fully prove that the Clippers have strong strength, as the season progresses, they should have no problem holding the top spot in the West.
The Suns defeated the Bucks 114-106, the process of ups and downs, the first quarter of the Sun only 1 point behind, the second quarter of the two sides of the difference is still not open, the third quarter of the Suns successfully overtaken, the last quarter of the Bucks repeatedly launched counterattacks, the first three quarters of the poor feel Durant suddenly broke out, a single quarter scored 14 points, plus the critical moment Beal three points also hit, the final Sun has a thrilling win. In terms of statistics, Durant had 28 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks and 5 turnovers, Booker had 32 points and 4 assists, and Beal had 25 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 4 turnovers. With this victory, the Suns are still in 6th place in the West, but they have tied the Kings in 5th place.
The Mavericks defeated the Nets 119-107, the suspense of this battle was not big, the Mavericks led by 7 points in the first quarter, and the score difference came to double digits in the second quarter, and the Mavericks continued to press the Nets in the third quarter, and the Nets fought back in the final quarter. In terms of statistics, Irving had 36 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 3 turnovers, and Doncic had 35 points, 18 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 steals. After this battle, the Mavericks continue to rank 8th in the West, why they are alone in the third echelon, because there is a large gap with the team in front of them, it is difficult to catch up in a short time, and the Mavericks have to be careful of the Lakers behind them. Only the top 6 in the division can directly get a playoff spot, and the Mavericks will most likely play the play-offs.
The Rockets lost 129-132 to the Pacers, the process was quite intense, the Rockets only trailed by 2 points in the first quarter, overtook the score in the second quarter, and the Pacers had the advantage in the third quarter, and the Rockets launched counterattacks many times in the final quarter, but the Pacers could always respond, and the Rockets lost in the end. In terms of statistics, Jalen Green scored 30 points, 3 rebounds and 4 turnovers, Dillon 23 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists, Jabari 20 points, 9 rebounds and 3 turnovers, Shen Jing 20 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists, and Amen 13 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks and 3 turnovers. The loss in this game dropped the Rockets to 12th in the West and was overtaken by the Warriors.
In fact, so far this season, it is basically certain that the Lakers can enter the play-offs, only the 10th place in the West is still variable, the Jazz, the Warriors and the Rockets will compete for the last play-off spot, the Warriors have shown signs of strength during this time, and they may rush to the 10th position in the future. Finally, predict the final standings in the West (after the play-offs): Clippers, Timberwolves, Nuggets, Thunder, Kings, Suns, Lakers, Warriors.