NBA Standings 2019: Lakers, Celtics, Bucks Have Top Records, Clippers, Rockets, Heat Not Far Behind

The 2019-2020 NBA season is a month old, and most of the teams that started the year with high expectations are near the top of the standings. Both Los Angeles teams own top-four seeds, and the East favorite is tied for the conference’s best record.

The Los Angeles Lakers (12-2) continue to roll with the best record in basketball. LeBron James and Anthony Davis have led the team to 12 wins in their last 13 games. The Lakers are dominating the soft part of the schedule, going 8-0 against teams that are below .500. They have the second-best defense in the league.

The Denver Nuggets (10-3) are back where they were a season ago as the No.2 seed in the West. Denver is an NBA-best 5-1 against teams that have winning records. Five Nuggets are averaging more than 10 points per game.

Like Denver, the Houston Rockets (11-4) are 1.5 games behind the Lakers for the No.1 seed. James Harden is off to a historic start, averaging 38.4 points per game. With Russell Westbrook adding 21.8 points and 6.9 assists per game, Houston has the NBA’s No.3 offense.

The Los Angeles Clippers (10-5) are the No.4 seed in the early going. Paul George has been on fire since his return from offseason shoulder surgery, averaging 28.3 points on just 16.5 field-goal attempts per game.

George and Kawhi Leonard finally played together for the first time Wednesday night. The Clippers needed overtime to defeat the Boston Celtics (11-3). Boston is tied with the Milwaukee Bucks (11-3) atop the East.

After losing Kyrie Irving and Al Horford in free agency, the Celtics look like a much better team than they were last year. Kemba Walker, Gordon Hayward—he’s currently out with a fractured hand—Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are all scoring more than 18 points per game.

The East might not simply be a two-team race between Milwaukee and the Philadelphia 76ers (9-5) as many anticipated. Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat (10-3) are only a half-game out of the No.1 seed. Pascal Siakam has emerged as an All-NBA candidate, keeping the defending champion Toronto Raptors (10-4) near the top of the conference.

Giannis Antetokounmpo remains the best player in the East. The superstar makes the Bucks the favorites to reach the 2020 NBA Finals, and he might be headed for a second straight MVP award.

Milwaukee is the only NBA team that has a top-five offense and a top-five defense.