Last week was an interesting week, but just a portion of how weirdly twisted the start to the 2022-23 NBA season has been to date.
Who would have thought we would see the unanimous favorite to repeat as NBA champions – the Golden State Warriors – fall apart at the seams a few nights after Klay Thompson and Devin Booker were seen and overheard jawing about who they were going to vote for on Election Day.
The Warriors ten proceeded to go on a five-game skid on their trip out east that surely left road rash on the defending champs at the very least.
Still counting them in as the contending back-to-back champs?
Stranger things have happened.
Like the Utah Jazz becoming the first team to notch 10 wins – odds had them as the first to 10 in losses before the season tipped off.
The Milwaukee Bucks followed suit, notching their 10th win last night in a narrow win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, bouncing back from their first loss of the season to the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night.
The Denver Nuggets went undefeated in Week Three, while five teams finished the week with an impressive 4-1 run … Boston, Los Angeles (the Clippers, not the Lakers), Memphis, Milwaukee, and Utah.
Meanwhile, the Charlotte Hornets and San Antonio Spurs fell flat and lost every game they played this week.
And, of course, the Los Angeles Lakers continue to flounder … or flop, depending on whether you’re talking to or about LeBron James and his alleged inability to get the number of fouls called his way, or the way he is accustomed to.
| ATLANTIC | AFTER 3 WEEKS | |
| Celtics
(56-26) |
Celtics
(8-3) |
The boys in green started the week losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road, but ran off four straight over the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Memphis Grizzlies, and Detroit Pistons to remain atop the Atlantic Division. Jayson Tatum (6th in the league) is leading the team with 31.2 points per game, while Jaylen Brown isn’t far behind with 25.4 a night. Tatum is third in the league with total points with 343 total points. |
| Nets
(54-28) |
Raptors (7-5) |
The Raptors went W-L-W-L-W in their last five games, with wins over the San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, and Houston Rockets; their losses were to the Bulls and the Dallas Mavericks. It’s nice to see Pascal Siakam back healthy and at full strength this season. Siakam leads Toronto with 24.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 7.7 assists through a dozen games. |
| 76ers
(54-28) |
Knicks (5-6) |
The Eastern Conference is beginning to look like the NFL’s NFC South with all the sub-.500 records. Count the Knicks among those, as their only win this week came against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night on the road. The trio of Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, and newcomer Jalen Brunson are beginning to post similar numbers, but may not be gelling quickly enough to save Tom Thibodeau from being considered for removal, at least on Knicks’ message boards and social media. Was the grab for Brunson a move to get Rick Brunson the head coaching gig? Hmmm … |
| Raptors
(44-38) |
Sixers
(5-6) |
The Sixers continue to disappoint, which may cause rumors about Doc Rivers’ tenure sooner than later. Sure, the win over the Phoenix Suns was nice, but should a team of this alleged caliber be losing to the Washington Wizards and New York Knicks? James Harden has seemingly slid into playoff mode already, scoring less and dishing more; he leads the NBA in assists over Chris Paul now, but 5-6 isn’t really where the Sixers should be with the talent on this roster, now is it? |
| Knicks
(42-40) |
Nets (5-7) |
The Nets have gone 3-2 under Jacque Vaughn, the lifelong understudy to two of the NBA’s greatest points guards – John Stockton as a player, and Steve Nash as the Nets’ head coach. Understudies can learn quite a bit if they pay attention, but you might recall Vaughn was 58-158 (.269) as a head coach in Orlando. I guess we’ll see what he’s learned through the years. Kevin Durant leads the NBA in total points scored with 370 this season and is right behind Jayson Tatum at 7th in the league with 30.8 points a night. |
| SOUTHEAST | AFTER 3 WEEKS | |
| Heat
(56-26) |
Hawks (7-4) |
The Hawks continue to defy expectation of melding in a new talent like Dejounte Murray, and downed the East-leading Milwaukee Bucks by 19 points – sans Trae Young and his shin splints – Murray leading the way with 25 points and 11 assists. Young is averaging 27.6 points, while Murray isn’t far behind at 22.6 a night. The two other wins came against the New York Knicks and New Orleans Pelicans. |
| Hawks
(51-31) |
Wizards (5-6) |
Washington beat the Philadelphia 76ers and Charlotte Hornets this past week, and fell to the Brooklyn Nets and Memphis Grizzlies. A game under .500, the Wizards have a lot of work to do to be relevant in the Eastern Conference, while there continues to be chatter about moving Kyle Kuzma (17.2 points, 7.4 rebounds). |
| Wizards
(47-35) |
Heat (4-7) |
The Heat continue to be another team that is well below expectations at a 36 percent success rate. The win against the Golden State Warriors seemed to be a move in the right direction, and it is expected you would beat the Sacramento Kings. But losses to the Indiana Pacers in Indy and to the Portland Trailblazers at home had to hurt. When is it time to think about blowing it up in Miami – Christmas? Stay tuned. |
| Hornets
(46-36) |
Magic
(3-9) |
Yes, with wins over the playoff-bound Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks this past week, the Magic somewhat overachieved, doubling their win output by the end of Week Three. No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero is solidifying his leadership role on the team with 23.5 points per game, including 22 against the Warriors Thursday night, while a left ankle sprain kept him out of last night’s win over Dallas. Franz Wagner took the lead with 22 last night. |
| Magic
(38-44) |
Hornets
(3-9) |
With LaMelo Ball still sidelined with what’s being called a left ankle sprain, Terry Rozier and Kelly Oubre, Jr. are taking their turns to shine, though there’s nothing pretty about the 0-5 record the Hornets posted this week. Shouldn’t they at least be featuring Gordon Hayward for trade audition(s) like Oubre and Rozier? Still like to see Hayward, Oubre, and PJ Washington go to L.A. for Russell Westbrook (16.1 pts, 5.1 reb, 6.3 ast), Damion Jones, and Troy Brown, Jr., though. |
| CENTRAL | AFTER 3 WEEKS | |
| Cavaliers
(55-27) |
Bucks
(10-1) |
Milwaukee’s only blemish came from a visit to Atlanta, where the Hawks put the first smudge in the loss column for the Bucks. The Detroit Pistons, Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Oklahoma City Thunder two times took the horns in Milwaukee’s wins this week. Giannis Antetokuonmpo’s 31.8 ppg is fourth in the league, while his 12.2 rebounds is second only to Rudy Gobert. I also now have six pairs of Antetokuonmpo’s shoes with this week’s shipment. |
| Bucks
(54-28) |
Cavaliers (8-3) |
JB Bickerstaff continues to have phenomenal success with the Cavs, the team going 3-2 this past week with losses to Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento Kings, but three consecutive wins over the Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, and Los Angeles Lakers (on the road in L.A.) before that. Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Caris LeVert are developing nicely into a very dangerous triple threat; factor in the height of Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, and the experience of Kevin Love and the wine and gold will rule on their own merits, without mention of Akron’s native son. |
| Pistons
(43-39) |
Bulls
(6-7) |
The Bulls only went .500 through six games this week winning against the Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, and Toronto Raptors. Losses came at the hands of the Raptors, the Boston Celtics, and the New Orleans Pelicans. DeMar DeRozan continues to lead the team with 24.5 points and 4.2 assists, but the team’s overall assists is low, which is why their record is what it is. They miss Lonzo Ball’s career 6.2 a night. |
| Bulls
(42-40) |
Pacers
(5-6) |
Indiana was above .500 at .667 this week as they posted quality victories over the Miami Heat and New Orleans Pelicans, while taking the ‘L’ against the visiting Denver Nuggets last night in two old ABA teams squaring off. Tyrese Haliburton continues to put his stamp on this team with 21.6 points to lead the Pacers three weeks in, but I’m sure there are teams looking at Buddy Hield’s 18.5 points (and his 44 three-pointers made) as well as Myles Turner’s 8.5 boards per outing. |
| Pacers
(30-52) |
Pistons (3-9) |
Detroit only notched one win this week, thanks to the visiting 4-7 Oklahoma City Thunder. But we all knew this was going to be a painful process with a talent-laden roster. Maturity takes time. Cade Cunningham and Bojan Bogdanovic are neck-and-neck in scoring, while Jalen Duren and Jaden Ivey come into their own roles. |
| NORTHWEST | AFTER 3 WEEKS | |
| Timberwolves
(56-26) |
Jazz
(10-3) |
The Jazz continue to surprise and open eyes to the new coaching tree of the NBA – the Brad Stevens coaching tree. Utah’s only loss came versus the Dallas Mavericks in Big D, while they won against the Los Angeles Clippers, thumped the Los Angeles Lakers not once but twice, and beat the Atlanta Hawks to be the NBA’s first 10-win team. Lauri Markkanen has finally found his niche in Salt Lake City after being drafted by the Chicago Bulls and spending a year in Cleveland. His 22.7 points are 7-8+ better than his previous stints, and 8.8 rebounds are up 2-3 plus. |
| Nuggets
(55-27) |
Trailblazers (8-3) |
Tough losses to the Memphis Grizzlies and Phoenix Suns smudged an otherwise nice start for Portland, who went without Damian Lillard (28.6 points, 5.1 assists) for a short stint due to a right calf strain. Three wins came over those same Suns (a night earlier, the Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets two games into their current four-game sojourn out east. |
| Trailblazers
(44-38) |
Nuggets (8-3) |
Having Jamal Murray (15.7 points, 4 assists) back in the fold is as nice as we envisioned it being, as the Nugs were the only flawless team in Week Three. Their four wins came over four sub-.500 teams – the Oklahoma City Thunder, Indiana Pacers, and the San Antonio Spurs twice in a home-and-home series. Their wins were by a combined 46 points, their largest margin a 25-point home win against San Antonio. |
| Jazz
(36-46) |
Timberwolves (5-7) |
A very disappointing week for the T’Wolves, their lone victory coming against the hapless Houston Rockets, as one would expect. But the three losses were played in the same Target Center, dropping to the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, and Phoenix Suns. A huge step backward for Minnesota, who was expected to compete in the West this year after the trade for Rudy Gobert, currently the league’s leading rebounder. |
| Thunder
(36-46) |
Thunder (4-7) |
After a nice 3-3 start, the Thunder are beginning to become who we thought they were – contenders in the Victor Wembanyana Sweepstakes. Losses to the Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, and the Milwaukee Bucks twice this week seemed to further cement their position in the NBA’s basement. How long will Shai Gilgeous-Alexander last if this is “his team?” Remember, this is Sam Presti’s team … at least until they get Wembanyana. |
| SOUTHWEST | AFTER 3 WEEKS | |
| Grizzlies
(60-22) |
Grizzlies (8-4) |
One of the most exciting stories in the NBA aside from the Utah Jazz, the Grizzlies are also becoming who we thought they were after their successful run in 2021-22. Desmond Bane is a sniper with 44 three pointers made so far this season, tied with Buddy Hield at second in the league. And Ja Morant, well he’s just Ja-dropping at 28.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 6.9 assists … yeah I went there … “Ja dropping.” |
| Mavericks
(58-24) |
Mavericks (6-4) |
The Mavericks went .750 this past week with wins over the Utah Jazz, Toronto Raptors, and Brooklyn Nets, before they fell to the Orlando Magic by seven last night in Orlando, snapping Luka Doncic’s streak of 30+ point games. Doncic is the NBA’s leading scorer at 34.8 points a night and has scored 348 points through 10 games, just a smidge behind Kevin Durant’s 370 total. He’s also leading the Mavericks with 8.2 rebounds, and 8.1 assists. LeBron who? |
| Pelicans
(48-34) |
Pelicans (6-5) |
The Pelicans had an off week, losing three and winning only two. It’s especially embarrassing when you give the Los Angeles Lakers their second win of the season in L.A., beat the Golden State Warriors, and then fell to the Atlanta Hawks and Indiana Pacers on the road. Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson are both averaging 22.7 point a night, while an assist by anyone other than CJ McCollum is lower than it should be for this team to rise up. Are they ready for Prime Time? Remains to be seen. |
| Spurs
(40-42) |
Spurs (5-7) |
After a hot start to the first two weeks of the season, the Spurs began to show rust this week, going winless to presumably make the Houston Rockets feel a little bit better about themselves. While Keldon Johnson leads the team in scoring at 23.1 ppg, there is no clear leadership on this team whatsoever, outside of head coach Gregg Popovich. And with a 0-5 skidmark, that may even be in question. |
| Rockets
(39-43) |
Rockets (2-10) |
About the only thing that can be celebrated in Houston is that Stephen Silas still has a job and that these misfits can beat Paolo Banchero and the misfits from Orlando. Jalen Green is my pick for NBA’s Most Improved and his 20.8 points are trending that prognostication slowly but surely; but anyone can be King of the Mountain on a manure pile. |
| PACIFIC | AFTER 3 WEEKS | |
| Warriors
(64-18) |
Suns (8-3) |
A 3-2 mark this week is a black eye to the Suns, but that’s a good thing and a strong mentality to keep when you look at the tape of losses to the playoff-bound Portland Trailblazers and Philadelphia 76ers. They did turn around and defeat Portland the next night behind 24 from Devin Booker (who had 25 in Friday’s loss). Damian Lillard was out both games. The Suns need to make peace with Jae Crowder and bring him back into the fold. |
| Suns
(59-23) |
Clippers (7-5) |
The Clippers made an impressive 4-1 run this past week, after starting the season with an unimpressive 3-4 record. Though the only true competition came from the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers, a win is a win when it comes to the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, and of course your Stepbrother/Brennan Huff soft-ass Los Angeles Lakers. Paul George leads in scoring with 25.4 points and 6.1 rebounds, while John Wall is dropping five dimes a night. Kawhi Leonard still seems like a part-time player with 12.5 points and 6.5 rebounds, but I am appreciative of all the different colorways and number of his shoes I’ve acquired … just wish I’d get to see him play in them. |
| Clippers
(56-26) |
Kings (4-6) |
A .500 week is good for the Kings, considering that those two wins came against the Orlando Magic on the road and the much tougher Cleveland Cavaliers by seven last night at Golden 1 Center. And let’s not forget De’Aaron Fox’s game winner in Orlando is one that should be on loop for the foreseeable future. |
| Lakers
(55-27) |
Warriors (4-7) |
The Warriors had to pick on former Warriors assistant coach Mike Brown and his Sacramento Kings on Monday night to get back on the winning track. Their five-game brown-on-white briefs blemish on their ‘repeat’ aspirations had the entire NBA community upside down, as the entire five-game swing went into the toilet for Golden State. True, Stephen Curry went off for 47 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists against the Kings to get himself back on track … but there are a few other question marks that need flipped into exclamation points in the same vein … and with the same urgency. |
| Kings
(41-41) |
Lakers (2-9) |
Twice. By the Utah Jazz. The once-tongue-in-cheek trade destination for the Lakers to dump Russell Westbrook’s humongous contract has turned L.A. into its personal whipping boy (or bitch – which is least offensive?) LeBron James’ annual groin injury has come a month earlier than usual – weird because the Ohio State Buckeyes are ranked No. 2 this week; what’s going to happen with LeBron’s physical health in December/January, when his groin injury usually leads him to a Bowl game? Look for James to become an Oscar contender as he starts to teach flop school to get the calls he “usually gets.” In good news, a four-game home stretch this week should net the Lakers at least three wins – the Nets being the ‘net’ loss. |
********************
Tracy Graven is the Senior NBA Analyst for BackSportsPage.com.
He has written the NBA, done NBA Radio, and appeared as a guest for the last 21+ years for HoopsWorld, Swish Magazine, HoopsHype, the Coach Scott Fields Show, NBARadioShow.com, and is also tackling the NFL, NCAA, and will be pinch-hitting on some Major League Baseball coverage for BackSportsPage.
He’s spent 21 years in locker rooms in Orlando, Boise (CBA, G League), San Antonio, Phoenix, Denver, Oklahoma City, and Atlanta.
He also enjoys covering G League and The Basketball League, and provides content for the Owensboro (Ky.) Thoroughbreds.
A corporate trainer by day, he currently resides in SEC Country near Knoxville, Tennessee.
Reach him on Twitter at @RealTMoneyMedia
Featured Articles
Featured Writers
