NBA Western Conference Latest Rankings: Warriors Create NBA Miracle, Rockets Rise to Second, Suns Drop to Twelfth
Beijing Time January 5, 2025, Today there are 9 NBA games involving the Warriors, Clippers, Nuggets, Suns, Spurs, Grizzlies, Timberwolves, Trail Blazers, and Jazz. After the games, the Western Conference rankings have changed.
The Spurs hosted the Nuggets at home. The two teams just played yesterday, with the Spurs winning by 3 points on the road. Today, in a back-to-back matchup, the Nuggets were eager for revenge. Gordon was still out for the Nuggets, while Sohan returned for the Spurs. In the first quarter, the Nuggets took a 3-point lead. In the second quarter, the Spurs won by 4 points to take the lead. In the third quarter, the Spurs had a clear advantage, winning by 10 points. At the end of three quarters, the Spurs led by 11 points. In the fourth quarter, the Nuggets caught up and dragged the game into overtime. In overtime, Jokic was unstoppable, scoring 9 points alone, leading the Nuggets to an 11-point victory. Jokic made 19 of 35 shots for 46 points, 9 rebounds, and 10 assists. Porter made 9 of 17 shots for 28 points and 10 rebounds. Wen Banyama made 7 of 19 shots for 20 points, 23 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 blocks. Barnes made 8 of 14 shots for 22 points and 3 assists.
After the win, the Nuggets improved to 20-14, surpassing the Lakers to rank fourth in the West, while the Lakers dropped to fifth, although both teams have the same record. The Spurs fell to 18-17 after the loss, dropping from eighth to ninth in the West.
The Warriors hosted the Grizzlies at home. The Warriors were without Curry, and the Grizzlies were without Morant. It was expected that the Warriors would be at a disadvantage, as they had been struggling recently and lost their last matchup against the Grizzlies by 51 points. However, the Warriors without Curry put on an impressive performance, dominating the Grizzlies throughout the game and ultimately winning by 8 points. Wiggins made 9 of 17 shots for 24 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals. Waters made 6 of 7 shots for 16 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists. On the Grizzlies side, Jackson made 11 of 21 shots for 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 assists. Bane made 9 of 20 shots for 22 points, 4 rebounds, and 10 assists.
With the win, the Warriors improved to 18-16, moving up from ninth to eighth in the West. The Grizzlies fell to 23-13 after the loss, giving a gift to the Rockets, who did not play today. The Rockets, with a record of 22-12, moved up to second in the West, while the Grizzlies dropped to third.
The Clippers hosted the Hawks at home. Leonard returned for his season debut, while the Hawks were playing back-to-back and were without Jalen Johnson. In the first quarter, the Hawks could still keep up with the score, trailing by only 1 point. In the second quarter, the Clippers won by 19 points, leading by 20 points at halftime. In the second half, the Clippers maintained a big lead and eventually won by 26 points over the Hawks. Leonard played 19 minutes, making 4 of 11 shots (3 of 5 from three-point range) for 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist. Harden made 3 of 9 shots for 10 points, 2 rebounds, and 15 assists. Zubac made 9 of 11 shots for 18 points and 18 rebounds. Trae Young made 7 of 16 shots for 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 14 assists.
After the win, the Clippers remained seventh in the West with a record of 20-15, although their record is now tied with the sixth-place Mavericks.
The Suns faced the Pacers on the road. In the first half, the Suns and Pacers were evenly matched, ending the half tied. In the second half, the Suns struggled to compete, losing by 12 points in the third quarter and by 6 points in the fourth quarter, ultimately falling by 18 points. Durant made 9 of 14 shots for 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. Booker made 7 of 15 shots for 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists. Beal made only 3 of 12 shots for 8 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists, performing poorly. Haliburton made 8 of 19 shots for 27 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists. Turner made 9 of 17 shots for 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
After the loss, the Suns dropped to 15-18, falling from 11th to 12th in the West. The Kings, with a record of 16-19, moved up to 11th. The Suns have lost 7 of their last 8 games, with a bleak outlook.
The Timberwolves faced the Pistons on the road. The Pistons were playing back-to-back and were without Ivey. It was expected that the Timberwolves would win the game, but the Pistons had a clear advantage, dominating the Timberwolves throughout and leading by as many as 24 points at one point, ultimately winning by 14 points. Cunningham made 15 of 29 shots for 40 points, 6 rebounds, and 9 assists. Beasley made 8 of 17 shots for 23 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 steals. Edwards made 16 of 31 shots (10 of 15 from three-point range) for 53 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists. Randle made 6 of 12 shots for 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists. After the loss, the Timberwolves remained 10th in the West with a record of 17-17.
In addition to the above games, the Jazz and Trail Blazers also played today, both pulling off upset victories. The Jazz defeated the Heat by 35 points. Sensabo made 12 of 18 shots (7 of 11 from three-point range) for 34 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists. Jovic made 7 of 14 shots for 17 points and 3 rebounds. After the win, the Jazz remained 14th in the West with a record of 8-25.
The Trail Blazers defeated the Bucks by 3 points today. Simmons made 9 of 20 shots for 28 points, 3 rebounds, and 8 assists. Antetokounmpo made 14 of 27 shots for 31 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 assists. After the win, the Trail Blazers remained 13th in the West with a record of 12-22.
After today's games, the rankings of the Rockets, Grizzlies, Nuggets, Lakers, Warriors, Spurs, Suns, and Kings have changed, with a total of 8 teams seeing shifts in their positions. Below is the latest ranking situation in the West:
Western Conference Standings:
- Warriors (18-16)
- Rockets (22-12)
- Grizzlies (23-13)
- Nuggets (20-14)
- Lakers (20-14)
- Clippers (20-15)
- Spurs (18-17)
- Suns (15-18)
- Kings (16-19)
- Timberwolves (17-17)
- Jazz (8-25)
- Trail Blazers (12-22)