Paul George Stephen Curry
Paul George #13 of the Oklahoma City Thunder is guarded by Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors at ORACLE Arena on October 16, 2018 in Oakland, California. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

The 2018-2019 NBA season is nearly two months old, and the Western Conference remains as competitive as ever. Fourteen teams are only separated by six games in the standings, though most of the conference’s big names are close to the No.1 seed.

Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder (17-8) have the West’s best record. With Stephen Curry and Draymond Green back in the lineup, the Golden State Warriors (19-9) are only a percentage point behind Oklahoma City. LeBron James has the Los Angeles Lakers (17-10) just one game out of the top spot in the West.

The Thunder started the season with four straight losses as Westbrook recovered from an injury, but they’ve rebounded with Paul George playing arguably the best basketball of his career. Kevin Durant moved up to second in the league in scoring when the Warriors dealt with their injuries, and Curry has been the league's most impactful player when healthy. The Lakers have won 15 of their last 20 games.

James is third in scoring and 11th in assists. His 28.3 points per game are his most since his first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and his 34.9 minutes per game are a career low. Kyle Kuzma is second on the Lakers with 17.9 points per game.

The Houston Rockets (12-14) remain the sport’s most disappointing team. Even after a win over the Portland Trail Blazers (15-12), the team that led the NBA with 65 wins a season ago is only ahead of the Phoenix Suns (4-24) in the conference standings. James Harden leads the league in scoring, but Chris Paul has his worst scoring average in eight years.

The New Orleans Pelicans (14-15) are below .500 despite Anthony Davis’ MVP-caliber numbers. The Minnesota Timberwolves (13-14) and Utah Jazz (13-15) also have losing records after making the playoffs last season.

The Denver Nuggets (18-9) are a half-game behind the Warriors. The Los Angeles Clippers (17-10) spent a short time atop the West, but they’ve since lost four of their last six games.

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