2014-15 NBA Power Rankings at the End of November
We all have something to be thankful for: friends, family, good fortune, the basic fact of drawing breath and being alive.
The NBA, too, has plenty to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.
LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers are still in search of their mojo, but at least he's back home. The Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans have been feasting on the transcendence of Marc Gasol and Anthony Davis, respectively. The Philadelphia 76ers remain winless, but at least they have a rebuilding blueprint in place—unlike the Los Angeles Lakers, who must be glad that Kobe Bryant is back to putting behinds in the seats at Staples Center. Soon enough, the Oklahoma City Thunder will thank their lucky stars that Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are back.
I, for one, am thankful that all of you keep coming back for more power rankings, week after week. For that, here's yet another edition, with the league's 30 teams stacked—according to what we know about how good (or bad) they are so far—just in time for you to stuff your face.
With words and food, that is.
30. Philadelphia 76ers
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Have the Philadelphia 76ers won a game yet? No.
Are they getting closer? Seems like it. Their last three losses have each come by 10 points or fewer, including a respectable 114-104 shortfall to the Portland Trail Blazers. Their most promising youngsters (Michael Carter-Williams, Nerlens Noel, Tony Wroten, K.J. McDaniels and Henry Sims) have all had their moments along the way.
But will the Sixers snap their skid before sharing (or surpassing) the then-New Jersey Nets' record for season-opening futility (0-18)? Maybe. They'll be hard-pressed to top the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs at home but could conceivably overcome the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road in Game No. 18 and, if need be, avoid having a dubious piece of history all to themselves when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Dec. 5.
29. Minnesota Timberwolves
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The Minnesota Timberwolves' injury curse could prove to be a blessing in disguise over the long haul.
They've already seen their top creator (Ricky Rubio), top interior option (Nikola Pekovic) and top perimeter scorer (Kevin Martin) succumb to injury. The former two absences, while devastating in the interim, have opened up more minutes for Gorgui Dieng and rookie Zach LaVine to strut their stuff and suffer through the growing pains that tend to plague young players.
But it's Martin's wrist surgery that could pay the most dividends of all. With so many scorers out, Andrew Wiggins has been thrust into the role of go-to guy on offense. It's not one for which the 19-year-old is currently prepared, as his stats to date (12.6 points on 41.3 percent shooting, 2.4 turnovers) and the team's record (3-10) would suggest.
Nonetheless, it's a role that Wiggins, as a No. 1 pick, will be expected to shoulder at some point down the line.
And, for what it's worth, this is just the sort of opportunity Wiggins had hoped for when it became clear that he wasn't going to be a Cleveland Cavalier.
"When all this trade stuff started, I talked to Andrew, and Andrew told me, 'I hope I get traded,'" said Bill Self, Wiggins' coach at Kansas, via ESPN. "And I'm like, 'No you don't.' And he said, 'Coach, I do. It's better for me, knowing my personality and what I need to do, to go somewhere where I'm forced to be something as opposed to going in there where they're going to be patient with me and I'm going to be a piece.'"
Now that Wiggins has gotten what he wished for, he'd better take care to follow through.
28. Los Angeles Lakers
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So much for Swaggy P saving the day. The Los Angeles Lakers have lost three in a row since their two-game spurt to celebrate Nick Young's return from a finger injury.
The losing might be bearable if the Lakers actually seemed to be building toward something. But, as Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding lamented, the lack of young, healthy talent (i.e. injured rookie Julius Randle) on the roster means that even Kobe Bryant's myriad misses have no higher, long-term purpose:
"There's something innately encouraging about watching kids play, from Little League to college ball. There would've been something special about every moment Randle was on the court this season, no matter the Lakers' record in those moments.
Without him, it's inescapable just how much the Lakers these days are biding their time instead of growing their future.
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27. Detroit Pistons
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Terrible starts are nothing new for the Detroit Pistons. Last year, they were 6-9 through their first 15 games—4-11 the year before that, 3-12 the year before that, 5-10 before that...well, you get the point.
But that doesn't make this season's 3-12 record easier to swallow. If anything, that pattern makes the Pistons' current run of futility all the more disappointing. This was the year that Detroit was supposed to turn things around, with Stan Van Gundy solving the crowding problem posed by Josh Smith, Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe with a slew of perimeter shooters.
To be sure, the Pistons' ongoing problems aren't beyond explanation. Their projected starting backcourt of Brandon Jennings and Jodie Meeks has been battling injuries, and it's tough to expect a team that has lost as much as the Pistons have for as long as they have to simply figure things out.
Patience, then, will be key to Detroit's prospects of success. But patience is difficult to muster when every year seems to yield the same results.
26. New York Knicks
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It's only fitting that the New York Knicks, for whom Patrick Ewing once starred, would come so close to being the benefactors of Bill Simmons' Ewing theory.
Case in point: Wednesday's 109-102 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. The Knicks held the mighty Mavs offense to 40 percent shooting and took Dallas to overtime, despite Carmelo Anthony sitting with back spasms. Six Knicks scored in double figures, with Quincy Acy falling two points shy of becoming the seventh.
This isn't to say that Anthony is the biggest problem in the Big Apple, but perhaps his absence will help to snap New York's supporting cast to proper attention and (maybe, just maybe) yield a more competitive product—win or lose.
25. Charlotte Hornets
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Things are already going from bad to worse for the Charlotte Hornets. They've now lost seven in a row, with a 105-97 home defeat to the Portland Trail Blazers extending that dubious slide.
That result saw Lance Stephenson chip in just eight points on 4-of-11 shooting—the eighth time in 16 games this season he's failed to score in double digits. Compare that to 2013-14, when Stephenson scored fewer than 10 points 14 times in 78 games with the Indiana Pacers.
As if that weren't problematic enough, Marvin Williams, the Hornets' starting power forward, left the loss to the Blazers with a shoulder injury.
Still, it's far too early for Charlotte to panic. This team, now 4-12, was eight games below .500 as late as Jan. 25 last season. There's plenty of time for the Hornets to turn things around, though the early returns aren't encouraging.
24. Brooklyn Nets
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You know you're not in the best shape as a team when you're counting on the short-handed Thunder and the winless Sixers to offer reprieve. But that's where the Brooklyn Nets are right now.
They've won two of their last three since dropping five in a row, though those W's have come against OKC and Philly.
But wins are wins, and for the struggling Nets, those results are enough to keep them in the playoff picture in the weak Eastern Conference.
23. Utah Jazz
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The Utah Jazz are starting to settle in as the plucky lottery team for which they had widely been pegged prior to the 2014-15 campaign. Four losses in a row, including a 15-pointer to the short-handed Thunder, have dropped the Jazz to 5-11 on the season.
This isn't to say, though, that the Jazz won't have bright spots in the weeks and months to come. Their gritty, two-point loss to the Chicago Bulls, who had Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol on hand, reminded the league that the Jazz have the talent to hang with the big boys on any given night.
Once Utah's youngsters get the seasoning they need, this team should cook up more victories to show for its improving effort.
22. Oklahoma City Thunder
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Things are looking up for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
After coming oh-so-close to tasting victory five times during a six-game slide, the Thunder finally broke through with a 97-82 win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday. Reggie Jackson, Jeremy Lamb and Serge Ibaka all topped 20 points—and in fairly efficient fashion, no less.
And just in time, too. As it happens, OKC's cavalry could be back on the court in relatively short order: The Oklahoman's Anthony Slater says it's not out of the question that Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook will play Friday.
The rest of the West had better take notice.
21. Orlando Magic
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Victor Oladipo has a long way to go if he's to become a quality NBA point guard. That much was clear during the Orlando Magic's blowout loss to the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night.
Stephen Curry, Oladipo's opposite number, was a picture of efficiency as a scorer. The Warriors' All-Star point guard piled up 28 points on 9-of-13 from the field, making six of eight from three along the way.
Oladipo, on the other hand, racked up more misses (13) than points (12).
Curry did plenty to make plays for his teammates as well, tallying eight assists against a single turnover.
Oladipo? Three assists, two turnovers and a stagnant offense that didn't so much as sniff the century mark.
Of course, it's not exactly fair to compare Oladipo, a sophomore who fits more naturally at the 2, to Curry, a sharpshooter in his sixth season. But if the Magic are going to win games with 'Dipo doing work as their floor general, they'll need him to come up bigger against the best players at his position than he did with Curry staring him down.
20. Boston Celtics
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In case anyone was wondering, Jeff Green does not want the Boston Celtics to trade him.
"Before you start, I just want to clear the air about some B.S. rumor that came out," Green said after the Celtics' 94-88 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, responding to an article that someone had apparently sent to him, via ESPNBoston.com's Chris Forsberg.
"I don't know if the person who made this article is in this [group of reporters], but the rumor about me wanting to get traded is definitely false. I said that I was frustrated with losing, not frustrated with the team. So if the words didn't come from my mouth, I'd appreciate if you do not write a dumb--- article like that."
It's certainly understandable for Green to be frustrated with losing. He suffered through Boston's 25-57 campaign in 2013-14 and can't be pleased with the team's 4-8 mark so far this season.
On the bright side, the C's aren't getting blown out left and right. In fact, five of their eight losses have come by six points or fewer.
Green, meanwhile, has averaged a career-high 18.4 points per game and could opt out of the final year of his contract and into free agency this summer.
19. Indiana Pacers
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The Indiana Pacers, like the Thunder, are a perfect example of just how important a strong organizational culture can be to a team's fortunes, through good times and bad. The Pacers learned plenty about what it takes to win (toughness, defense, togetherness, belief, good coaching) over the last four seasons, during which they made four playoff appearances and two trips to the conference finals.
Apparently, those lessons have stood the tests of time and hardship. The Pacers have thus far managed to swipe games in Miami, Chicago and Dallas (among others) and stay on the fringes of the East's playoff pictures, despite a never-ending string of injuries.
First, there was Paul George in the summer. Then, David West, George Hill and C.J. Watson went down during the preseason. Now, Indy has seen Roy Hibbert, Rodney Stuckey and C.J. Miles miss time.
And yet, here the Pacers sit, a respectable 6-9, thanks in no small part to the rock-solid foundation this franchise has laid over the past half-decade.
18. Denver Nuggets
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Inconsistent starts have become something of a specialty for the Denver Nuggets over the last three years.
In 2012, they alternated three-game skids with four-game spurts through the end of November. Last year, they lost four of five and six of 10 out of the gate. This time around, the Nuggets slid to 2-7 amidst talk of the franchise's imminent demise.
As in seasons past, the Nuggets bounced back this year, winning five in a row to return to .500 before Wednesday's 120-112 defeat in Phoenix. The question is, where will Denver go from here? Closer to its 57 wins in 2012-13 or its 36-46 finish last season?
Well, with a middling offense and a bottom-10 defense, it's probably closer to the latter.
17. Miami Heat
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There's no real mystery about what the Miami Heat are and can be.
If Dwyane Wade is healthy and Chris Bosh is carrying the load, this team could be good enough to sneak into the East's top four. If not, the Heat risk missing the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
As it happens, Wade has attended Miami's last seven games in street clothes on account of a tight hamstring.
But the Heat haven't quite fallen apart. Instead, they've gone a respectable 3-4.
And wouldn't you know it? Bosh has done his duty as a scorer in those games, putting up 21.6 points over that stretch.
If Wade can find a way to get himself back on the court and stay there, the Heat just might be a relevant force in the Eastern Conference without LeBron James.
16. Milwaukee Bucks
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This just in: The Milwaukee Bucks don't look like Eastern Conference contenders.
OK, so maybe that doesn't come as some shocking newsflash. After all, the Bucks were hardly considered playoff hopefuls in the wake of an abysmal 15-win campaign, with the NBA's second-youngest roster tasked with leading them back from oblivion.
But the fact that the Bucks have nine wins already, after not hitting that mark until Feb. 3 last season, says plenty about how far they've come. So what if they got torn apart by the Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards? At least they're taking care of the Minnesotas and Detroits of the basketball world, since they now have clear inferiors in the Association.
And, as Grantland's Chris Ryan put it, Milwaukee's vast potential for long-term improvement makes it a must-watch:
"Even though the names Jason Kidd and [O.J.] Mayo have not always been synonymous with team building, there's something about the Bucks "oh, they have that guy, too?" roster that feels comforting. It seems like Giannis [Antetokounmpo] and Jabari [Parker] have a really good bedrock of competent pros, and a coach who knows they are the future and is building the team around that idea while not abandoning them at sea. Sure, they'll get torched some nights, but in a league of major franchise overhauls, Milwaukee has put together the best rebuilding project.
"
15. Atlanta Hawks
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The Atlanta Hawks have been a bit inconsistent so far this season, but they have to like what they've seen from Jeff Teague, particularly from a scoring perspective. The sixth-year guard out of Wake Forest is averaging about 18 points per game, with 20-plus-point efforts in each of his last four outings and eight such performances on the year.
Teague's various assist indicators are down slightly, but that's hardly impacted the Hawks' ball movement. According to NBA.com, Atlanta ranks fourth in assist ratio (i.e., the percentage of its baskets that are assisted), second in assist opportunities and fourth in points per game created by assist.
It's certainly smart of head coach Mike Budenholzer to put more of the onus for the team's performance on Teague. Until Al Horford finds his rhythm again, particularly in tandem with Paul Millsap, the Hawks will need Teague to serve as the focal point in their Spurs-esque offense.
14. New Orleans Pelicans
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Tell me if you've heard this before: Eric Gordon is out indefinitely with an injury. This time, though, it's a torn labrum in his shoulder—not a knock to his knees or ankles—that's put him out of commission.
There's plenty of room for silver lining around this dark cloud, though. For one, Gordon had been in the midst of his worst campaign to date, posting career lows across the board, including in points (9.5), assists (two) and field-goal percentage (.398).
On the flip side, Gordon's absence should yield more minutes for Austin Rivers, who's actually looked like an honest-to-goodness NBA player this season after a subpar start to his pro career.
Still, if the New Orleans Pelicans are to reach their true ceiling as a team, they'll need Gordon to compete at a high level, and that won't happen if he's not fit first.
13. Cleveland Cavaliers
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It's tough to tell where, exactly, the Cleveland Cavaliers are as a team right now. They clearly have a ton of individual offensive talent—between LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and (to some extent) Dion Waiters—but the overall results have been mixed.
Just as they were this past week. They were blown out in Washington on Friday and at home by the Raptors on Saturday before doing the same to the Magic on Monday and turning the tables on the Wizards on Wednesday.
All of which leaves the Cavs at 7-7, with many of the same concerns that have plagued them from the get-go.
"They've got too much offense, with not enough unselfish mentality," longtime NBA coach George Karl told Bleacher Report's Howard Beck. "They have scorers, and they don't have playmakers. ... They will get better. But there is a foundation, a fundamental foundation they might be missing."
Then again, holding consecutive opponents to less than 90 points could be a step in the right defensive direction for King James and company.
12. Washington Wizards
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The Washington Wizards looked nothing on Wednesday like they did the prior Friday, despite facing the same opponent (the Cavs) on both occasions.
To be sure, that makes intuitive sense. For one, Bradley Beal was in the starting lineup in Washington's most recent outing, after coming off the bench during his first four games of the campaign. More importantly, Nene missed his second game in a row on account of plantar fasciitis.
And, well, John Wall might as well have been an entirely different person between the two games. He torched Cleveland for 28 points at home but managed just six when he faced Kyrie Irving again on the road.
Wall, though, has clearly improved by leaps and bounds in recent years, most notably in the way he's come to conduct himself as a leader.
"Last year, [Wall] had those days where he would let it slip," teammate Marcin Gortat told Bleacher Report's Ethan Skolnick. "Maybe he'd be a few minutes late to practice, or wouldn't be there from the first minute, or maybe he wouldn't be tying his shoes until he got out there on the court. As the leader, you always have to be the first guy to set an example.
"Last year, he didn't really lift a lot. This year, he is in there lifting with us every day. This is really huge. And on the court, he is leading much better. His decision-making is much better. Everything he does is much better. Overall, he's on a good path, to become a good leader."
With Nene out, Wall will have to step up his efforts in that regard even more to keep the Wizards on the winning track.
11. Los Angeles Clippers
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It's too soon to say the Los Angeles Clippers have "found" themselves after winning four of their last five games—not when those W's have come at the expense of subpar Eastern Conference competition.
And when the lone loss was a blowout in Memphis.
That being said, the Clippers have been playing with noticeably better tempo since they hit the road about a week ago. More pace-pushing means more easy baskets for Blake Griffin, who, as Grantland's Kirk Goldsberry examined, hasn't been getting to the cup nearly as much this year as he had in years past:
"Last year, Griffin was the most prolific interior scorer in the NBA. He led all scorers inside eight feet from the basket, and he converted 65 percent of those close-range shots. But that was last year. This year, his interior conversion rate is down to 57 percent and Griffin is relying more and more on his so-so jumper.
"
Griffin's reliance on his newly sharpened jumper hasn't helped that, but neither has L.A.'s heretofore lack of offensive continuity. A return to the Lob City days—and better defense to spark the Clippers' fast break—should change that.
10. Sacramento Kings
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The Sacramento Kings have more in common with the Bucks than just their nine wins before Thanksgiving. Like Milwaukee, Sacramento came into this campaign with the look of a likely lottery team and, thus far, has easily outpaced expectations.
To be sure, the Kings are probably a better team overall than the Bucks. Milwaukee doesn't have anyone who can measure up to DeMarcus Cousins' superstar-caliber production on a game-to-game basis. Heck, the Bucks don't even have a Rudy Gay type who can explode on any given night.
But the Kings and Bucks are both still learning how to win, particularly when matched up with strong squads. Sacramento has already blown big leads in Dallas and Memphis and struggled to survive sans Gay and Darren Collison in Houston.
All in all, though, the Kings can pleased with where they are—though, if they're truly ready to contend for a playoff spot, they should be far from satisfied by their 9-6 start.
9. Dallas Mavericks
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The Dallas Mavericks have sputtered a bit since their scorching-hot start.
Their offense, once on pace to shatter historic marks for efficiency, has fallen on hard times. The Mavs have failed to score more than 100 points in regulation during each of their last three games, despite facing a trio of severely short-handed opponents: the Rockets without Dwight Howard, the Pacers sans Roy Hibbert and the Carmelo Anthony-less Knicks.
Meanwhile, the defense, as Grantland's Zach Lowe noted, hasn't been much to write home about, particularly when it comes to rebounding:
"The Mavs start [Tyson] Chandler alongside four below-average defenders. [Dirk] Nowitzki, once a strong rebounder, has problems boxing out quicker brutes; Dallas is dead last in defensive rebounding rate, and the small-ball lineups it runs out while Dirk rests, with Al-Farouq Aminu or [Chandler] Parsons at power forward, are getting torched on the glass.
"
Surely, the Mavs can't count on Chandler to pile up 25 boards, as he did against New York, if they're to contend in the West. If Dallas can't figure out how to clean the glass consistently, its offensive fireworks could be all for naught.
8. Phoenix Suns
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Is it possible that Isaiah Thomas has taken on whatever bad mojo Rudy Gay took on when the Memphis Grizzlies shipped him out? Follow the bouncing ball if you can.
So Gay gets traded to Toronto in 2013, and Memphis goes on to play in the franchise's first conference finals. The very next season, the Raptors send Gay to Sacramento, thereby sparking a 42-22 finish, an Atlantic Division crown and a trip to the playoffs for Toronto—and an even stronger start to this season (more on that in a bit).
Now, the Kings are on the winning track, but Gay's still there. What's changed? No Thomas.
Not that Thomas has dragged down the Suns, per se. They were 9-6 with him prior to Wednesday night's win over the Nuggets.
But the Suns took care of Denver just fine without him, thanks in large part to their incumbent guard trio of Eric Bledsoe, Goran Dragic and Gerald Green topping 20 points apiece for the first time all season.
Adding Thomas to the mix could work out well for Phoenix in the end, but might there be too many cooks in the Suns' backcourt kitchen?
7. Chicago Bulls
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It's Groundhog Day in the Second City, at least as far as Derrick Rose is concerned. The Chicago Bulls' pivotal point guard once again failed to finish consecutive games, with his hamstring again hampering him during his team's 114-109 loss in Denver.
As has become the case in recent seasons, the Bulls are far from reliant on Rose to compete from night to night. Their frontcourt, for one, is stacked, led by 20-10 machine Pau Gasol.
What's different now, though, is that Chicago is no longer limited to one star guard. The Bulls can now lean on Jimmy Butler, the East's leading scorer at the 2, to carry them from night to night.
All the better for Butler, too, who has his eye on a hefty pay raise—and all the spoils that come with it—come July 2015.
"Why not have a [max contract] be a goal?" Butler told Sports Illustrated's Ben Golliver. "When I hear 'max player,' I just think about being able to take my family to Bora Bora or something, going on a nice vacation.
"Because I don't really pay attention to the money. I just love the game of basketball. As long as I'm happy and it's my job, I'm good. Money has never been too much of a thing for me. I grew up without it. I can manage with the amount of money I have now."
6. Houston Rockets
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No Dwight Howard? No problem for the Houston Rockets.
Not since losing at home to the Lakers, anyway. The Rockets have won three games in a row sans Howard, including a 102-89 win over the Kings on Wednesday.
How has Houston done it? With defense, strange as that may seem absent the services of the three-time Defensive Player of the Year. The Rockets held Dallas' door-busting offense to 92 points, limited the Knicks to 86 and kept Sacramento at 89.
Kevin McHale must be whipping up some serious sorcery in Pace City, especially when considering Patrick Beverley is also on the shelf with hamstring issues.
5. Toronto Raptors
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The Toronto Raptors are clearly the East's best team right now, and they owe that rise to their backcourt.
And not just the starting tandem of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan either. Their second-string pairing of Greivis Vasquez and Lou Williams is pretty darn good, too. Those two combined for 43 points to propel the Raptors to a 126-115 win over the Hawks on Wednesday.
That was just the latest in a string of impressive performances from Williams, in particular. The Georgia native chipped in 17 points against the Suns, 36 at Cleveland before that and another 22 prior to that at Milwaukee's expense.
It seems safe to say, then, that Williams has recovered from the ACL tear he suffered two seasons ago—and that the Raptors got the best of the summer trade that saw them send John Salmons to Atlanta.
4. Portland Trail Blazers
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Long winning streaks are all the rage in the Western Conference these days, but nobody is raging harder than the Portland Trail Blazers. Their 105-97 win in Charlotte was their ninth in a row, extending the longest streak the NBA has seen this season.
That's not bad for a team that was a popular pick to fall off its previous pace of success. At 12-3, Portland is but one game behind last season's starting pace, which saw the Blazers bust out for 31 wins in their first 40 games before falling off somewhat during the second half of 2013-14.
To be sure, Portland sports similar potential for regression this time around. Four of the recent victories have come in surprisingly close fashion against Philly, Boston and Charlotte (twice)—not exactly a murderers' row of competition.
But, on the whole, the Blazers are better now than they were a year ago. Their offense is back to being one of the NBA's three best. Their defense now belongs among the top 10, and their bench, once an absolute black hole, can now hold its own, at the very least, with help from Chris Kaman and Steve Blake.
3. Golden State Warriors
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The Golden State Warriors have become a popular subject for believable bravado.
Last year, then-head coach Mark Jackson declared that Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson constituted "the greatest shooting backcourt in the history of the game," via the Bay Area News Group's Monte Poole. They backed that up by finishing first and second in the NBA, respectively, in three-point makes.
This time around, current Warriors coach Steve Kerr has nearly upped the ante, touting Curry as the league's best point guard. "The guy has taken another level," Kerr declared, via CSNBayArea.com. "I think he's the best in the NBA right now at that position."
Normally, that would be a tough argument to back up when Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo are back on their games and the likes of John Wall and Damian Lillard are on the rise.
But, like Jackson before him, Kerr has a point. Curry ranks among the NBA's top five scorers, thanks to a 40-point explosion in Miami and a 28-point outburst in Orlando. His defensive effort has also improved vastly, though he'll always be at something of a disadvantage due to his slight frame.
Moreover, like any great floor general, Curry—a sharpshooter by trade—is making plays for everyone. As Grantland's Kirk Goldsberry pointed out:
"While he continues to set record books on fire by putting the ball into the basket, Curry has also become one of the league's best overall playmakers. This season, he is ranked in the top 10 in both assists and points per game — a distinction that puts him in some pretty good company. The only other player who can say the same: LeBron James.
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It certainly doesn't hurt Curry's case that his team has won its last seven games in a row to boost Golden State's franchise-record 12-2 start.
2. San Antonio Spurs
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The San Antonio Spurs are doing what they've always done, which is to say, Spursing.
If you're not familiar with the parlance of our times, that means they're winning...a lot.
The Spurs won their last five games in a row prior to Thanksgiving, largely in the fashion one might expect they would. They blew out the cupcakes (Philly, Minnesota and Brooklyn) and frustrated LeBron James (6-of-17 from the field, five turnovers) while eking out a win in Cleveland.
Granted, a close home win over the depleted Pacers doesn't quite fit that pattern, but sometimes even champions have to scrape by.
All of this, and San Antonio still sits in fifth place in the wildly competitive West. At this rate, though, the Spurs won't have to wait long before they return to the mountaintop.
1. Memphis Grizzlies
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The Memphis Grizzlies still own the best record in the NBA—and the top spot in these power rankings—but they came close to losing those dual distinctions in L.A. But Memphis managed to escape Tinseltown with a 99-93 win behind a strong second half from Marc Gasol.
The All-Star big man has been on a tear since the season began, posting a line of around 20 points, eight rebounds and three assists with nearly three combined blocks and steals.
Not surprisingly, the Grizzlies have been on a tear since Gasol returned from injury this past January, as Grantland's Kirk Goldsberry wrote: "Memphis has the best record in the NBA since January 14, when Marc Gasol returned from injury. Since then, the Grizzlies are 45-15 (as of Monday morning)....they are legitimate title contenders and Gasol could be the NBA's MVP."
Indeed, the best offensive and defensive player on the NBA's best team deserves plenty of pub for the sport's most coveted individual award.
Josh Martin covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.
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