The NBA regular season is in full swing, and another game day has come to an end. On this game day, many teams in the West faced off against each other, but many popular teams ultimately lost, causing some subtle changes in the standings. With the current ranking situation showing some changes, let's take a look at the latest rankings in the NBA Western Conference. The Western Conference standings are as follows: Thunder in a league of their own, Lakers still in seventh, Suns on a losing streak at 12th.
Ranks 11 to 15 in the standings are the Suns, Kings, Trail Blazers, Jazz, and Pelicans; the rankings and positions of these last five teams have not changed, but there have been some subtle changes. The last three teams can basically be ignored, while the Kings recently won a game with a record of 14 wins and 19 losses, placing them 12th in the standings. The Suns were originally ranked quite high, but they have recently suffered a losing streak. Earlier, they surprisingly lost to a weakened Grizzlies team upon Booker's return, suffering a three-game losing streak with just 15 wins and 17 losses. Currently, they can't even hold onto the 11th spot. In fact, the Suns' problems cannot be solved simply by changing coaches, and the same goes for the Kings.
Ranks 5 to 10 in the standings are the Nuggets, Clippers, Lakers, Timberwolves, Spurs, and Warriors; there is a maximum difference of only 2.5 games between these teams. The Warriors have also been losing more than winning recently, and the team's problems are equally obvious. Although they traded for Schroder, after seven games, it was found that he did not bring about any change. From the current situation, Schroder is completely unsuitable for the Warriors' tactical system. Coupled with Curry's recent slump in form, the Warriors need to make many adjustments.
The Spurs, led by Wenyambo earlier, defeated the Clippers by a large margin, and after the victory, their record closely followed the Timberwolves ahead of them. The Timberwolves, Lakers, and Clippers ahead of the Spurs all suffered defeats, with the Lakers losing to the Eastern Conference's first-place Cavaliers and remaining in seventh place as they were the day before. The gap between these teams is small, and the outcome of one game will change their positions. The Nuggets showed signs of breaking away from this group and moving up. After winning their last game, their record came to 18 wins and 13 losses, with two consecutive victories. Their ranking also rose to fifth, just one win behind the Mavericks ahead, who suffered two consecutive losses. The Nuggets have a good opportunity to further improve their ranking.
Ranks 2 to 4 in the standings are the Grizzlies, Rockets, and Mavericks; these teams are in the same tier, after all, the difference in wins and losses is not great. The Rockets and Mavericks have already shown signs of falling behind with two consecutive losses, while the Grizzlies, despite being weakened earlier, pulled off a surprise win and temporarily stabilized their second-place position in the standings. This season, the Grizzlies will be one of the most unpredictable teams in the Western Conference standings.
The Thunder are in a class of their own at number one, and they easily defeated the Timberwolves earlier under the leadership of Alexander, winning the game and achieving a 12-game winning streak with Alexander contributing 40+ points. They currently have a record of 27 wins and 5 losses, ranking first in the Western Conference standings. Their record is far ahead, and for them, this season is also about going for results.
As the games continue, the Western Conference standings are gradually becoming clearer. Currently, the Suns and Kings still have a chance to make a push for the play-in tournament, but if these two teams want to go further in the long run, subsequent adjustments are a must. Of course, the same goes for the Warriors. Besides the Thunder's solid position in the top tier, whether the remaining teams can hold their positions and maintain their records will depend on their future performances. In summary, the battle for Western Conference rankings continues, and it remains to be seen who will have the last laugh.