The Phoenix Suns won their 10th straight game Sunday, cementing Monty Williams’ spot as head coach of the NBA All-Star Game’s Team LeBron as he leads the top squad in the Western Conference. The 40-9 Suns sit atop the NBA, ahead of the West rival Golden State Warriors, who own the league’s second-best record at 37-13.
The Warriors boast two All-Stars who will make the trip to Cleveland, as Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins were named starters on Thursday.
The head coach of Team Durant is still up in the air, as the Eastern Conference race remains tight. The Miami Heat are No. 1 in the standings, half a game ahead of the Chicago Bulls. The Philadelphia 76ers are 1.5 games back of the top spot, while the Cleveland Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks are each two games back, just half a game in front of the Brooklyn Nets.
While the Warriors and Suns have a hold on the West, the East race will continue to play out ahead of the Feb. 10 trade deadline.
1. Phoenix Suns
2021-22 record: 40-9
Previous ranking: 1
With their win at Utah on Wednesday, the Suns completed their second 8-0 run in road games in a calendar month this season. (They also went 8-0 on the road in November.) According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Phoenix became the first team in NBA history to go 8-0 or better on the road in multiple calendar months in a single season. Also, at 16-0 in November and 13-1 in January, Phoenix becomes the only team this season with a winning percentage of over .900 in two different months. In fact, no other team has done that once.
2. Golden State Warriors
2021-22 record: 37-13
Previous ranking: 2
The Warriors completed a 6-1 homestand with a win over the Nets on Saturday. The fact that Golden State did it without Draymond Green, who is still dealing with a disk issue in his back, and with Stephen Curry still in the midst of a shooting slump (just 36.9% from the field and 31.3% from beyond the arc in January) makes it that much more impressive.
3. Memphis Grizzlies
2021-22 record: 35-17
Previous ranking: 3
Ja Morant, voted in as a starter for his first All-Star selection, is in the midst of the best scoring binge in Memphis franchise history. He has scored at least 30 points in six straight games, the longest such streak by a Grizzlies player, and he had the highest-scoring triple-double in franchise history with 30 points in Friday’s win over the Jazz. Morant has scored 400 points in January — the most in any month by a Grizzly — and still has a game to go.
4. Miami Heat
2021-22 record: 32-18
Previous ranking: 4
Miami dropped a triple-overtime thriller to the Raptors on Saturday, but the Heat should be able to keep their strong momentum rolling into February, given how well Jimmy Butler is playing. The 32-year-old swingman is averaging 26.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 9.0 assists over his past four games.
5. Philadelphia 76ers
2021-22 record: 30-19
Previous ranking: 7
As Joel Embiid continues to dominate — and now has become the favorite to win this year’s NBA Most Valuable Player Award — the wait is on to see if the 76ers will do anything with Ben Simmons between now and the trade deadline. When Embiid plays this season, Philadelphia is 27-11 — and that’s with Simmons sidelined.
6. Milwaukee Bucks
2021-22 record: 31-21
Previous ranking: 5
Bucks guard Jrue Holiday has made a strong case to be named an All-Star reserve later this week. Holiday’s numbers have been consistent in his second year in Milwaukee, with averages of 17.9 points, 6.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds. But the Bucks are playing at a much higher level when he is on the floor, outscoring teams by 13.9 points per 100 possessions as compared to when he sits.
7. Chicago Bulls
2021-22 record: 31-18
Previous ranking: 6
DeMar DeRozan will become the first Bulls player to start the All-Star game since 2017, but he almost certainly will not be heading to Cleveland alone. Teammate Zach LaVine could be named an All-Star reserve this week, giving the Bulls a pair of All-Stars for the first time since Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol in 2015-16.
8. Denver Nuggets
2021-22 record: 28-21
Previous ranking: 12
Nikola Jokic was already putting up eye-popping MVP numbers, but now the Nuggets are backing up his campaign to repeat with the wins. Denver has won five straight games, a streak that includes decisions over Brooklyn and Milwaukee. Jokic has five triple-doubles in his past nine outings. Denver’s streak will be put to the test this week with a tough back-to-back at Minnesota and Utah. Michael Malone and the Nuggets deserve a ton of credit for being in the top five in the West without Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr.
9. Dallas Mavericks
2021-22 record: 29-22
Previous ranking: 9
Luka Doncic didn’t receive any media votes to be an All-Star starter, but if his recent performance is a sign of what’s to come the rest of the season, he will get plenty of All-NBA votes again after being a first-team selection the past two years. Doncic, who sources tell ESPN has dropped about 15 pounds during the season, has averaged 30 points, 9.9 rebounds and 9.3 assists over the past seven games.
10. Cleveland Cavaliers
2021-22 record: 30-20
Previous ranking: 11
It was the best of times: The Cavs beat defending champion Milwaukee by 16 on Wednesday for their eighth win in nine games at the time. It was the worst of times: The Cavs, with three days off following the Bucks win, lost by 10 to a Pistons team with the second-worst record in the league on Sunday.
11. Brooklyn Nets
2021-22 record: 29-20
Previous ranking: 10
Brooklyn has had its superstar trio of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden together for a little over a year. Remarkably, they have only played 10 regular-season games together for a grand total of 234 regular-season minutes, including just 32 this season. Those numbers won’t change for another several weeks, either, as Durant remains out with an MCL sprain.
12. Utah Jazz
2021-22 record: 30-21
Previous ranking: 8
January has been a miserable month for the Jazz, who have lost 11 of the past 13 games. COVID-19 has swept through the roster and coaching staff, hitting coach Quin Snyder on Sunday. Their franchise cornerstones, Rudy Gobert (strained calf) and Donovan Mitchell (concussion), have missed the past several contests. And Joe Ingles, a critical part of the Jazz’s success in recent years on and off the court, is feared to have suffered a serious knee injury Sunday night.
13. Charlotte Hornets
2021-22 record: 28-23
Previous ranking: 13
Charlotte had a 2-2 week but got blown out at home by an undermanned Clippers team on Sunday. The recurring issue for the Hornets remains the same: Are they going to have enough defensively to push them into the postseason? They have given up an average of 119.2 points over their past five games.
14. Toronto Raptors
2021-22 record: 24-23
Previous ranking: 14
While Toronto won a thrilling game in Miami in triple-overtime Saturday night, it was another reminder of the heavy minutes the team’s leading performers are playing each night. Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby are first, second and third in minutes per game this season, while rookie Scottie Barnes is 12th. At some point, Toronto might have to be concerned about the strain that’s putting on them. For now, though, the Raptors will be content with continuing to move up the East standings.
15. Atlanta Hawks
2021-22 record: 24-25
Previous ranking: 21
Atlanta ran its win streak to seven games on Sunday with a comeback victory over the Lakers. The Hawks also got a boost in the fourth quarter from Onyeka Okongwu, who scored 12 of his 16 points in the final frame. In 17 games this season, Okongwu is averaging 9.7 points and six rebounds on 74.4% shooting; he hasn’t shot below 50% from the field in any game.