NBA Standings 2019: Bucks, Raptors, 76ers Battling Atop East, Warriors Are Clear No.1 In West

With the 2018-2019 NBA season well beyond the midway point, there appear to be a few tiers separating the teams in each conference. In the West, it’s the Golden State Warriors (33-14) and everybody else. The East is much more competitive at the top with four teams that can all make a case to be considered a real NBA Finals contender.

The Milwaukee Bucks (34-12) own the league’s best record. They are just a few percentage points ahead of the Toronto Raptors (36-14) for the top spot in the overall NBA standings. The Philadelphia Sixers (32-17) are the No.4 seed, but they would have the second-best record in the West. Even though the Boston Celtics (30-18) have underachieved, they are on pace for 51 wins and should be dangerous in the playoffs.

The Indiana Pacers (32-15) had been making a case to be considered in that group as the East’s No.3 seed, and they even beat Toronto Wednesday night. That win came at a price as Victor Oladipo was stretchered off the court with a potentially season-ending knee injury. It’s hard to believe the Pacers can do much damage in the postseason without their best player.

Six other teams are essentially fighting for the final three playoff berths in the East. The Brooklyn Nets (26-23) have separated themselves as the best of the bunch with 18 wins in their last 23 games.

Brooklyn would be just out of the playoff picture in the West, where the No.3-No.8 seeds are separated by 3.5 games. The Los Angeles Lakers (25-23) are lurking as the No.9 seed with LeBron James likely set to return within a few games.

Golden State is 1.5 games ahead of the Denver Nuggets (31-15) for the No.1 seed. The defending champions are 10-1 in their last 11 games. They’ve been dominant with their starters on the court now that DeMarcus Cousins is healthy.

The Houston Rockets (27-20) are the only team that's beaten Golden State during their recent hot streak. They are arguably the biggest threat to the Warriors in the West because of the way James Harden is playing. The reigning MVP scored a career-high 61 points Wednesday, raising his scoring average to 45.3 points per game in January.

Despite Harden’s brilliance, the Rockets have gone just 5-5 in their last 10 games.