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We have some unexpected squads atop the NBA standings as we wrap up the final full week of November on the hardwood. Thunder are boomin; T-Wolves have a killer growl; and the Magic are on their carpet ride. Who would have picked them to be some of the biggest players in the standings nearing December? Naaa, don't cap. You can't fool.
The Thunder are straight BOOMIN' to begin the new campaign. Oklahoma City has the third best record in the league at 11-4, ranking second atop the Northwest & the Western Conference behind the Timberwolves. Thunder are the hottest team on the hardwood right now as they ride a 6 game winning-streak and have the second best points differential in the league (+9.1). OKC is powered by the electric duo of big-man Chet Holmgren and star-guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who have elevated themselves as a top duo in the league.
Both cats are playin' next level ball to help build this win streak for the Thunder. Gilgeous-Alexander has been a maestro on the offensive droppin' three 40-pieces in November and currently sittin' with the 4th best PPG in the league at 30.4. SGA will pull up and knock down, but it's his slashing that is becoming to be game-breaking for defenses. SGA has been stellar at creatin' fouls and gettin' to the stripe. He is 42-44 from the free-throw line including a rock solid 17-for-18 in the dub over the Bulls. His ability to attack the teeth of defenses and slash is impeccable. Shai has an elite arsenal to explore after creatin' his slash: he can finish; hit from mid; or dish to an open sharpshooter for three. Doing so better than most players in the league, SGA is provin' to be a top offensive player all-around. Skim thru the montage of highlights from his last 40-piece and adore his slashin' masterclass:
video via NBA//X
Gilgeous-Alexander doesn't just shine on the offensive; he flips the switch and creates major production on defense too. He leads the league in steals per game (2.4), has posted at least one steal in every game this season including 5 games with more than three & had 7 versus the Spurs which was three shy of tying Gus Williams' franchise record (set when team was in Seattle). Pure assassin on the defensive and his duo mate Homgren, is just as big a force on defense as Shai. Chet has the 4th best blocks per game average (2.3) and has major steals numbers as well. You take away the duo's production on defense and the Thunder are not a 11-4 team. Outside of Luguentz Dort, the rest of the Thunder have been lackluster in creatin' turnovers. I guess that can be said all around- the duo IS the Thunder.
OKC has argubably the weakest roster and rotation on paper. Unquestioned one of the worst, yet head coach Mark Daigneault and the Holmgren/SGA duo has the Thunder 11-4. I think it's remarkable. The schedj has been light, but they are gettin' business done. The more Holmgren gets comfortable and progresses in the NBA, the better the Thunder will get. Holmgren can have that it factor. We see SGA already possesses it. Chet needs to find a better clip from the field, but Daigneault and Thunder nation will take these moments with a warm heart:
video via NBA TV//X
The light is brighter in OKC than many expected this quick into the season. They have a sharp thorn of comp coming up on the schedj with the 76ers and T-Wolves up next and the Mavs; Kings; and Nuggets waiting in the distance. A big time chance for them to hit the next gear and prove early season legitimacy atop the Western Conference. I am excited to see how they fare against the highest comp. The T-Wolves game is a major one to highlight on the big board- should be a banger of a battle between the West's two top teams currently.
Orlando has been just as surprising as the Thunder have been to start the campaign. Magic sit in a four-way tie for second atop the Eastern Conference as they ride a 5 game-winning streak and have won 6 of their last 7 on the hardwood. The winnin' streak slayed the Nuggs; Pacers; Raptors; and Bucks. Huge wins against high level comp. It's not even December and the Magic have already won 1/3 of the games they had won at the end of last season.
Orlando's starting five isn't one that jumps off the paper, nor does the roster in whole. Despite that, Orlando's bench is playing the best of any bench in the league. Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley utilizes the bench heavily, and has played 13-14 players twice across the win streak. Not a bad recipe with how good the bench is playing in all fashions of the game. This squad does the important things to help secure wins. A must as they are in the bottom tier of field-goal shooting percentage; three-point shooting percentage; and overall poor three-point shooting.
Wondering what I mean by "important" things? They are takin' control of aspects that can alter the result of games. Magic have been excellent on the offensive glass ranking 8th in total offensive boards per game. Orlando uses their strong offensive rebounding to score a high amount of second-chance points. A massively important aspect of the game to control. They are also a FORCE on defense: ranking 5th in team takeaways, 2nd in team steals per, 9th in blocks per, and 5th in points allowed. Having the advantage in those fields allows a team to scale out poor shooting. That's why the Magic are 10-5 and are beating some of the better teams in the league.
They have a lot to improve on, no doubt. Especially their shooting and their three-point shooting. All in all it has been a great start in Orlando. The Magic's play amongst the Eastern Conference has been huge as they are 5-1 in conference play thus far. They get a chance to create some MAJOR seperation to stay atop the conference with their schedule going into the new year. Outside of the New Year's eve bout with the Suns; the Magic play their next 13 games against East teams to close out 2023. 5 of the 13 games are against Southeast division teams as they are ready to elevate their 0-1 division record. Orlando has the oppurtunity to go from a great start to a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference.
Easy Money Sniper Kevin Durant is back to being a gamebreaker on the offensive as he has put the Suns on his back to turn around their rough start to the campaign. Phoenix has won 5 in a row and 7 of their last 9 behind the heatwave of KD in the box scores.
Durant is back to snipin' and now is second behind Joel Embiid in PPG. KD's shootin' at a high clip on the streak including 34-for-34 from the stripe and 17-for-25 from deep. Suns needed Durant to get back to scoring with Devin Booker shootin' a poor 45% from the field and with Bradley Beal only playing in three games; being scratched since November 12th. It's not just shootin' the rock that Durant is thriving at, he is playin' exceptional all-around. His work on the boards has gone up in stock and has allowed Jusuf Nurkić to step up his stock as well. Same to say in regards to Durant's assists numbers. KD has been the leading assists man for the Suns in three of their five dubs on the win streak. Helping elevate the offense for Phoenix to the standard we all expected entering the season.
Phoenix turned the ship around in the nick of time, before the waters got too choppy. Now they sit atop the Pacific and are right back in the fray atop the Western Conference. Suns have a pretty light slate of comp' coming on the schedj- a perfect slate to exploit for them to continue their heatwave. Durant being an electric scorer is good for both the Suns and the NBA. Easy Sniper is back.
The standings have seen some shuffles with the top 5 flippin' and the 'teens being a bloodbath. Both conferences are quite even in regards to comp between the two. The East is 28-28 against the West. My top ten on the latest Power Rankings is made of five Western teams & five Eastern teams. Each conference has three bad teams with the rest being solid to good comp. Expect more flips and shuffles in the NBA standings as we start to roll into December on the hardwood. Power Rankings:
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