We have reached the halfway point in the 2015-2016 NBA season. The top dogs have been consistent through most of the season, while teams in the middle of the pack have fluctuated. Continue reading for a look at who emerged as winners from the first half of the season and those who weren't as lucky.
*All stats and records recorded prior to Tuesday night's games
Winners
San Antonio Spurs
The Golden State Warriors stole the headlines throughout the majority of 2015. They remain the best team at 38-4 atop the Western Conference. In 2016, however, it could be the Spurs' show. Already across the bridge into the back half of their schedule, Gregg Popovich's team is 36-6, just two games behind the defending champs. They enter this week on an 11-game win streak and have an NBA-best 24-0 home record this season. Popovich's defense is fueled by the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Kawhi Leonard, and allows the fewest points-per-game to opponents. Their defense and ability to rest starters throughout the season will be the biggest factors in their quest to dethrone the champs. The Spurs and Warriors have yet to play each other in 2015-2016, but they will meet four times in the second half of the season.
Toronto Raptors
The Cleveland Cavaliers have maintained their spot atop the Eastern Conference standings, but a blowout at home to the Warriors indicates that they are in no position to take the 2015-2016 season to the next level. They have a three-game lead over the Raptors in what has been a surprisingly competitive conference. The Raptors have reached the 41-game mark in the season on a five-game win streak. They have dealt with several injuries this season to Jonas Valanciunas and their prized offseason addition, DeMarre Carroll. Yet, the Raptors emerge as winners at the halfway point and will likely have Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan as the hometown representatives at the All-Star Game.
Utah Jazz
In a Western Conference that is weaker than it was a season ago, the up-and-coming Jazz have taken to a playoff spot. Although they currently have a losing record, Quin Snyder's team has battled adversity and was even as high as sixth in the conference standings.
The Jazz have been without their top draft pick from 2014, Dante Exum, throughout the season and most recently lost Alec Burks for the season to a fractured fibula. Gordon Hayward leads the young bunch and Snyder has done a great job molding the team for the future. As it stands, the Jazz would be swept by the Warriors in the first round of the playoffs, but the season has been a refreshing step forward for a team that has not been to the postseason since 2012.
C.J. McCollum
After losing four of their five starters this offseason the Portland Trail Blazers appeared doomed for the bottom of the West. But a third-year shooting guard who averaged just 6.8 points-per-game last season has saved the day and the Blazers are just a half-game back from the eighth seed in the conference at the midway point in the season.
McCollum has emerged as an explosive scorer and has been a great compliment to the Blazers' lineup alongside Damian Lillard. A series of offseason additions in attempt to dilute the many departures has provided balance, while McCollum's emergence has kept the team out of last place.
Stephen Curry
The reigning NBA MVP picked up right where he left off last season. Nevermind another MVP award, Curry deserves the Most Improved Player Award as well. He averaged close to 33.0 points-per-game for most of the first half of the 2015-2016 season and remains the NBA's top scorer.
An undersized point guard who may yet be one of the best three-point shooters in the history of the game has stripped LeBron James of his glory and it has been the most refreshing storyline in basketball. Curry is on pace to shatter a number of records and, on the best team in the game to this point, the Baby-Faced Assassin may also out-produce The King in rings.
Jimmy Butler
As Derrick Rose gets closer to the twilight of his carerr, the 2015 Most Improved Player continue to emerge as the future of the Chicago Bulls. Butler has drawn comparisons to Michael Jordan twice already this season, once for scoring 40 points in a half, the other for scoring over 50 points for the first time since 1997. The Bulls are Butler's team more and more every day and his ferocious scoring ability is the most encouraging sign as they sit in third place in the East.
Kristaps Porzingis
After crying and whining from New York Knicks fans when their favorite team selected some no-name Latvian center with the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Porzingis has silenced them all. Three Six Latvia aka Godzingis has far exceeded expectations, except for maybe that of those in the Knicks organization. Nevertheless, the 20 year-old center who looks as though he has never touched a razor in his life, has captivated the NBA world with his put-backs and shot-blocking. A gifted athlete no doubt, Porzingis is an early favorite for Rookie of the Year.
Losers
Houston Rockets
A disastrous start to the 2015-2016 season led to the firing of head coach Kevin McHale. The Rockets dug themselves in a deep hole as a result of horrendous defense and McHale was to blame. However, after his firing, the Rockets struggled to get better and rumors began to swirl around Dwight Howard being on the trade block.
While he has since recovered and James Harden regained his footing as a top scorer in the league, defense continues to be an issue. The Rockets are one game above .500, but are in no position to make any noise in the playoffs, should they hold on to the seventh seed. The loss of Josh Smith had a larger effect than expected, while the trade for Ty Lawson has been a bust.
Brooklyn Nets
Head coach Lionel Hollins was recently fired while General Manager Billy King was simultaneously reassigned. The Nets have been a worse team since waiving Deron Williams and Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez have looked like shells of themselves. The firing of Hollins is certainly justifiable and the reassignment of King signals the Nets have hit the reset button. At 11-31, they are the third worst team in the NBA and have lost their last three games coming into the midway point in the season.
Los Angeles Lakers
With several games of this season under his belt, Kobe Bryant announced that he would retire in 2016. The third all-time scorer has battled injuries over the past three seasons and is clearly hurting. It has been sad to see him gut out his final games in away stadiums, but his will has allowed him to overcome poor shooting and lead the Lakers in scoring. On the flip side, the Lakers have given nothing to Kobe.
They are a dismal 9-34, the only team aside from the Philadelphia 76ers to have won less than ten games. Offseason additions Louis Williams, Brandon Bass, Roy Hibbert, and second overall draft pick, D'Angelo Russell, have hardly improved the Lakers. Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson have been the two bright spots as Nick Young continues to struggle while head coach Byron Scott has moved Julius Randle to the bench. The Lakers are one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA and are doomed without putting butts in seats.
Phoenix Suns
An eventful sequence of trades last season has been followed by the blowing up of the coaching staff nearly a year later. An angry owner dismissed several of the Suns' assistant coaches and, while Jeff Hornacek remains at the helm, the future is bleak. Eric Bledsoe was off to an incredible start to the season, as was fellow former Kentucky Wildcat, Brandon Knight, who was a saving grace amidst all of the Suns' trades last season.
Bledsoe, who leads the team in scoring, is out for the season with a torn meniscus. Management has been horrendous for the Suns, who let a strong start slip away quickly. They have now lost four straight and 24 of their last 30 dating back to November 22. Such a run has brought the Suns to the depths of the Western Conference, all while eliminating the glimmer of hope the team once had a year ago.
Milwaukee Bucks
Highly anticipated as one of the best up-and-coming teams in the NBA, the Bucks have silenced all supporters of last year's run. The Bucks held a winning record for all of three days this season. A return to the postseason in 2015 coupled with the return of Jabari Parker and addition of Greg Monroe had fans and analysts around the NBA drooling at what could be in 2015-2016. But it has gone all wrong.
The trade of Brandon Knight has come back to haunt the Bucks as their offense has sputtered. Monroe and Giannis Antetokounmpo have played well, but the loss of head coach Jason Kidd to hip surgery was a devastating blow. The Bucks hardly moved in the standings during the first half of the season and do not appear poised to do so in the second half.
Joakim Noah
Noah started just two games for the Bulls, averaging under 5.0 points-per-game as part of the second unit. Still a capable defender, Noah was prime trade bait for the Bulls until a dislocated shoulder required surgery. He will be sidelined for four to six weeks. Although the ninth-year center has provided quality minutes off the bench, he is not the player he once was and appears to be out the door in Chicago.
Anthony Davis
Under a new head coach, the New Orleans Pelicans were hampered by injuries to start the season. Still not fully healthy, they have struggled to climb out of their hole. Once thought to be an MVP candidate, Davis has regressed. He is averaging a solid 22 points and 10 rebounds, but was not easily acclimated to Alvin Gentry's new system. The fourth-year power forward has hardly been talked about and will need to find a groove in the second half to resurrect the Pelicans.