Overview
- USA TODAY Sports places Oklahoma City No. 1 at 13-1, followed by Denver (10-2), Detroit (11-2), Houston (9-3) and the Lakers (10-4) based on results through Nov. 16.
- Houston climbs to No. 4 behind a league-best 123.4 offensive rating, with Kevin Durant’s gravity highlighted by a 35-point outing in a Nov. 16 overtime win over Orlando.
- Detroit holds the NBA’s longest active winning streak at nine, reinforcing its No. 3 slot.
- Los Angeles Clippers slide with an NBA-worst 16.9% turnover rate, while Washington owns the worst net rating at -16.1 during an 11-game skid and Indiana sits 1-12 with league-worst shooting marks.
- New Orleans fires head coach Willie Green, and LeBron James is ramping up practice with a reported possibility of returning for the Lakers as soon as Tuesday.