NBA Standings 2021: Where The Lakers, Warriors, Nets, Suns, Knicks, Bucks Stand Before Christmas Games

The NBA’s best teams will be in action on Christmas Day 2021. The Phoenix Suns (25-5), Golden State Warriors (25-6), Brooklyn Nets (21-9) and Utah Jazz (21-9) lead the overall standings before their holiday games.

A few other teams featured on the schedule, however, are struggling to stay in the playoff picture. The Los Angeles Lakers (16-16) have a .500 record through nearly 40% of the regular season. The New York Knicks (14-17) and Atlanta Hawks (14-16) wouldn’t even make the play-in tournament if the playoffs started this week.

The contest between Los Angeles and Brooklyn was supposed to be the marquee Christmas Day matchup. The Lakers and Nets were heavy preseason favorites to meet in the 2022 NBA Finals.

Brooklyn has met expectations, even without Kyrie Irving, holding a 1.5-game lead over the Chicago Bulls (19-10) for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Los Angeles has yet to find its footing, holding the No. 6 seed and in a virtual tie with the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds in the Western Conference.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis have missed a combined 17 games. Russell Westbrook has started every game, but hasn’t been able to lead the Lakers to a winning record.

The Christmas game between Golden State and Phoenix has turned out to be the best matchup on the Dec. 25 schedule. The two teams have been neck and neck atop the West for the entire season.

The Suns are looking to make a second straight trip to the NBA Finals. With Stephen Curry aiming for his third MVP award and Draymond Green potentially on his way toward being named Defensive Player of the Year, the Warriors are yet again favored to win the conference title.

Utah is four games out of the No. 1 seed, one season after having the NBA’s best record. The Jazz host the Dallas Mavericks (15-15) in the Christmas nightcap. Dallas is the No. 7 seed with Luka Doncic currently in health and safety protocols.

The Milwaukee Bucks (20-13) are the East’s No. 3 seed and 2.5 games behind Brooklyn for the conference’s best record. Giannis Antetokounmpo has missed seven games, though he’s having another MVP-caliber season.

On Christmas, Milwaukee hosts the Boston Celtics (16-16). Boston is the No. 8 seed and in the latest play-in tournament field. The Celtics are only a half-game behind the No. 6 seed Washington Wizards (16-15). The No. 4 seed Cleveland Cavaliers (19-13) and No. 5 seed Miami Heat (19-13) are three games ahead of Boston.

The Hawks and Knicks are the No. 11 and No. 12 seeds in the East, respectively, after meeting in the first round of the 2021 playoffs. New York hosts Atlanta to start the Christmas schedule.

The No. 10 seed Toronto Raptors (14-15) and No. 9 seed Charlotte Hornets (16-17) are a half-game ahead of the Hawks for the final play-in tournament spots.