A brief recap of last week in the NBA. See who came out as winners and those who weren't so lucky.
*All stats and records recorded prior to Monday night's games
Winners
San Antonio Spurs
If someone told you that nearly halfway through the 2015-2016 season the Golden State Warriors would have just two losses-topping the pace of the 1996 Chicago Bulls-but that the Spurs would be just three and a half games out of first place in the Western Conference, would you believe them?
Well, it's true and Gregg Popovich snuck into the top spot on NBA.com's power rankings a week ago. The Spurs have put the pressure on the defending champions and currently stand at 33-6 amidst an eight-game winning streak. They have continued their dominance at the AT&T Center and are an NBA-best 22-0 on their home floor. The Spurs continue to be the top defensive team in the league and the only team allowing fewer than 90 points-per-game to opponents.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Over in the East, the reigning conference champs have a win streak of their own. The Cavs have won seven straight and sit four games ahead of the Toronto Raptors atop the conference. LeBron James has continued to lead the team and averaged a team-best 26.0 points-per-game in the Cavaliers' four wins last week.
He also averaged 7.0 assists-per-game and 7.8 rebounds-per-game while improving his shooting. James has been inconsistent from the field throughout the season, but seems to have righted the ship and shot nearly 60 percent from the floor and his 40 percent shooting from three-point range was a drastic increase from his season average (28.8%). Second to James has been J.R. Smith as of late. Smith averaged 22.5 points-per-game last week which was fueled by a 52.4 percent shooting effort from deep.
Los Angeles Clippers
Keeping with the trend, the Clips have won their last nine games, the highest active streak in the league. What's more impressive is they've done it all with Blake Griffin on the sideline.
New York Knicks
The Knicks have quietly made moves in the Atlantic Division and are now one game below .500. With a struggling Boston Celtics team coming to Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, they have a chance to move into second place in the division. Carmelo Anthony is playing good ball and is sharing the ball more than expected.
Kristaps Porzingis has been a force and is officially in good graces with Knicks fans. Godzingis took a selfie with the young boy who was seen crying when the 20 year-old center was selected with the fourth overall pick in the NBA Draft. Another putback dunk was the icing on the cake as the Latvian continues his candidacy for Rookie of the Year.
Stephen Curry's Eyes
Chef Curry didn't need his eyes this week as he put on one of his more impressive displays of no-look passes and look-away shots of the season. An over-the-shoulder lob to Andrew Bogut was sweet enough. But, when Curry went to visit his brother and the Sacramento Kings, it was the older sibling who got the better hand yet again.
Seth Curry nearly came up with a steal on his big bro but, instead, put the reining MVP in perfect position to launch a quick three-pointer. Later, Curry started off a Warriors' possession with a behind-the-back pass to Draymond Green, then went baseline before a quick catch-and-shoot from long range. The Baby-Faced Assassin didn't even need to watch as he turned to his bench before the shot even hit net.
Losers
Philadelphia Rim
The Philadelphia 76ers were one of the many teams to fall into the Cavaliers' path over the past few weeks. It wasn't pretty at the Wells Fargo Center and LeBron had no mercy on the rims. King James had several monster slams that shook the arena and reminded the NBA world why he teases us by not participating in the Slam Dunk Contest.
LeBron's Face
It wasn't all pretty for LBJ last week as a video of him in warmups went viral for the wrong reasons. In case you missed it, here is The King taking one right to the kisser.
Brooklyn Nets
The Nets fired Lionel Hollins last week while simultaneously reassigned former General Manager Billy King. The team has now lost five straight and does not have much brightness in their future. The search for a new GM and coach is on. It will take a lot for both to be successful seeing as the Nets hardly have any draft picks over the next few years. Keep an eye on them going forward as they are in a bad spot and could be major sellers at the trade deadline.
Boston Celtics
The Celts have slipped out of a playoff spot and are one loss away from hitting .500 for the first time since late November. After losing to the Warriors on December 11, the Celtics lost three of their next four before finding a brief four-game win streak. Since that time, however, Brad Stevens has lacked a consistent rotation and has now lost five of the last six. A blown 21-point lead against the Memphis Grizzlies in the Grindhouse was the latest defeat and the Celtics are in dire need of getting back on track.