NBA Standings 2021: Warriors, Bulls, Jazz Undefeated, Knicks, Hornets, Bucks Among Best Records

The 2021-22 NBA season is one week old, and only a handful of teams remain undefeated. The Golden State Warriors (4-0) and Utah Jazz (3-0) sit atop the Western Conference. The Chicago Bulls (4-0) are the lone Eastern Conference team that hasn’t suffered its first loss.

The East standings look like they could be taken from a season in the mid-1990s. In the very early going, the New York Knicks (3-1) have been the conference’s second-best team, coming off an impressive 112-99 win over the Philadelphia 76ers (2-2) on Tuesday night.

The Charlotte Hornets (3-1) and Milwaukee Bucks (3-1) are the East’s other three-win teams. Charlotte missed the 2021 playoffs. Milwaukee won the championship in July.

Chicago entered the season with high expectations, making several key additions to the roster. The Bulls acquired Lonzo Ball and DeMar DeRozan in the summer, just a few months after landing Nikola Vucevic at the trade deadline in March.

The Bulls last made the playoffs in 2017. It’s been seven years since they won a playoff series.

After leading New York to the No. 4 seed a season ago, Julius Randle is the only NBA player averaging at least 25 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists per game. The Knicks ended their eight-year playoff drought. New York hasn’t reached the conference finals since the 2000 postseason.

Chicago hosts New York Thursday night.

The Warriors and Jazz are familiar with being at the top of the West standings. Golden State reached the NBA Finals every year from 2015 to 2019. Utah had the NBA’s best record last season for a fifth consecutive playoff appearance.

Stephen Curry won last season’s scoring title and ranks third with 29 points per game through one week. The Jazz are the only NBA team with both a top-five offense and top-five defense.

The Dallas Mavericks (2-1), Minnesota Timberwolves (2-1) and Memphis Grizzlies (2-1) are the only other teams in the West with a record above .500.

Memphis and Charlotte have the NBA’s top offenses. Ja Morant leads all players with 35 points per game. Second-year player LaMelo Ball is averaging 22.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game for the Hornets.

The Oklahoma City Thunder (0-4) and Detroit Pistons (0-3) are still searching for a win.