1. San Antonio (3-0) (40-7) -7.64 (2)
2. Miami (3-1) (33-14) -7.30 (1)
3. Boston (3-1) (36-11) -6.98 (4)
4. LA Lakers (1-2) (33-15) -5.81 (3)
5. Chicago (3-0) (33-14) -5.67 (6)
6. Orlando (2-2) (31-17) -5.50 (5)
7. New Orleans (2-2) (31-18) -3.89 (7)
8. Dallas (3-0) (31-15) -3.50 (9)
9. Denver (3-1) (28-19) -3.36 (8)
10. Oklahoma City (2-2) (30-17) -2.22 (11)
11. Atlanta (1-2) (30-18) -1.80 (10)
12. Memphis (3-1) (24-24) -1.53 (12)
13. New York (3-1) (25-22) -1.14 (16)
14. Houston (2-2) (22-27) -1.07 (15)
15. Portland (0-2) (25-22) -0.73 (13)
16. Philadelphia (3-1) (21-26) -0.65 (17)
17. Utah (1-3) (28-20) -0.31 (14)
18. Milwaukee (3-1) (19-26) -0.13 (18)
19. Phoenix (2-2) (22-24) 0.61 (19)
20. Indiana (1-2) (17-27) 0.93 (20)
21. LA Clippers (1-2) (18-28) 1.57 (21)
22. Golden State (1-3) (20-27) 2.15 (22)
23. Charlotte (3-1) (20-26) 3.36 (24)
24. Detroit (1-3) (17-31) 3.52 (23)
25. Minnesota (1-3) (11-36) 4.18 (27)
26. Sacramento (3-1) (12-33) 4.61 (29)
27. Toronto (0-4) (13-35) 5.14 (25)
28. New Jersey (2-2) (14-34) 5.47 (26)
29. Washington (0-4) (13-33) 5.66 (28)
30. Cleveland (0-4) (8-39) 9.80 (30)
All-Stars
The Sacramento Kings have won 3 of 4 for the first time since the season's opening weekend, and all three of those wins came against teams that are currently in playoff position in the West, including games at Portland and Los Angeles. 9 of their next 10 games are against likely playoff teams, so it's a very good time to be getting hot.
The San Antonio Spurs came back out of the cold this week with three straight wins, making that 11 wins in their past 12 games. They are now the 7th team in history to reach 40 wins with 7 or fewer losses, and five of those teams won the championship. The Spurs are now embarking on their 9-game rodeo road trip, mostly against weak Eastern Conference teams, so they should be looking very good at the All-Star break.
The Chicago Bulls own the league's longest current winning streak, 5 games, and the last two games were very impressive. First, they overcame Dwight Howard's 40 points and beat the Magic by 9, then they blew out the Indiana Pacers by 21. They will be on the road for the next two weeks, facing mostly the weaker members of the Western Conference.
Benchwarmers
The Utah Jazz ended their 6-game losing streak this week with a win over the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves, but the bleeding still hasn't stopped. Their road problems continued with a loss to Golden State last night, and they are now clinging to the 7th seed in the West.
The New Orleans Hornets, the league's hottest team just a week ago, saw their 10-game winning streak end in stunning fashion in Sacramento, then lost again the next night in Phoenix. It seems strange that a team can go from blowing out the Spurs to losing in Sacramento in the space of just 7 days.
The Portland Trail Blazers were one of just 4 teams to finish the week winless, and the only one of those with any playoff aspirations. The biggest reason they are included in this group is that they lost a home game to Sacramento by 15 points, something no other team has managed to do this year.
NBA Player of the Day
Amare Stoudemire - NYK - 33 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast, 11-19 FG, 11-12 FT
Amare had another monster game at home last night as the Knicks pulled away from the Detroit Pistons with a huge 4th quarter. Despite playing on a sprained knee, Stoudemire scored 26 points in the second half and New York solidified its hold on the 6th spot in the East.
Predictions - 31 Jan
Upset picks are in italics.
NBA
Raptors at Pacers - Pacers by 7
Nuggets at Nets - Nuggets by 6
Cavaliers at Heat - Heat by 20
Magic at Grizzlies - Magic by 1
Wizards at Mavericks - Mavs by 12
Bobcats at Jazz - Jazz by 7
Bucks at Clippers - Clippers by 2
College Basketball
(8) Texas at (11) Texas A&M - Texas by 2
(19) Louisville at (20) Georgetown - Georgetown by 7
Prediction Results - 30 Jan
NBA: 3/7 (.429) 377/523 overall (.721)
College Basketball: 2/4 (.500) 347/429 overall (.809)
Upsets: 0/1 (.000) 92/149 overall (.617)
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