NBA Standings 2017: Warriors Pass Rockets, Cavaliers, Celtics Behind Raptors In East

The 2017 NBA standings saw some major changes on Christmas Day. The Golden State Warriors (27-7) are the new No.1 seed in the Western Conference, while the Toronto Raptors (23-8) hold the top spot in the East.

Golden State has the best record in basketball after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers (24-10) in a nail-biter Monday afternoon. Cleveland missed their chance to gain ground on the Boston Celtics (27-10), who were defeated at home by the Washington Wizards (19-15). The Oklahoma City Thunder (19-15) handed the Houston Rockets (25-7) their third straight loss.

Kevin Durant led Golden State past Cleveland by scoring 25 points and playing elite defense on LeBron James. The power forward has allowed the Warriors to not miss a beat without Stephen Curry, who hasn’t played since Dec. 4 because of an ankle injury. The defending champs are 8-1 without their star point guard, having won 12 of their last 13 games.

The Warriors moved past the Rockets, who have hit their first rough patch of the season. Houston won 25 of their first 29 games to start the year before losing to the Lakers (11-21), Clippers (13-19) and Thunder. Chris Paul suffered an injury against the Lakers and has missed the last two games. The Rockets are 15-1 when Paul plays.

James Harden is responsible for much of Houston’s success, leading the NBA in scoring and ranking second in assists only to Russell Westbrook. Harden and LeBron James are the top two MVP candidates, carrying teams that have dealt with injuries at point guard. Cleveland is only 1.5 games out of the No.1 seed, even though Isaiah Thomas probably won’t start his season until 2018 because of a hip injury.

Boston had the East’s best record for most of the season. That is until they lost six of their last 11 games.

The Toronto Raptors slid into first place in the East without playing on Christmas. The team is on a six-game winning streak and they’ve won 12 of their last 13 games.

The Celtics elevated to the top of the East standings with the conference’s best defense. They lost to Cleveland in five games in last year’s conference finals, though the addition of Kyrie Irving gives Boston a better chance to reach the 2018 NBA Finals. The point guard leads the team with 24.7 points per game.

Boston is the only team with a top-five NBA record that doesn’t rank in the top five in offensive efficiency. Houston is the NBA’s No.1 offensive team, scoring 113.6 points per 100 possessions.

Golden State is second in offensive efficiency and first in defensive efficiency.