Scary Hours: Five NBA Teams With Most To Lose After First Full Week Of Season

Halloween is fast approaching, and scary hours is in full effect for these five teams after dreadful performances to start their NBA season.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are in a bit of a bind after they traded for Russell Westbrook instead of Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield when the opportunity presented itself in the offseason.

Through five games, Westbrook is averaging 17.8 points on 42.2 percent shooting from the field, 9.4 rebounds, 9.4 assists, and two steals with six turnovers.

For context, Hield played a crucial role in his team’s comeback victory over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, October 27, scoring a game-high 26 points with seven three-pointers on just 11 attempts.

The Lakers are in dire need of floor-spacing and guys like Malik Monk and Carmelo Anthony have failed to provide reliable scoring from three, evidenced by blowing a 26-point lead to the lowly Oklahoma City Thunder.

Relying on superstars makes sense in the deeper stretches of the season, but their mishmash of personnel on the bench will also need to play their part moving forward.

Next four games: Cleveland Cavaliers (October 29), Houston Rockets (October 31), Houston Rockets (November 2), Oklahoma City Thunder (November 4)

Phoenix Suns

The reigning Western Conference champions have dug themselves a deep hole to start the season thanks to a disappointing 1-3 start.

However, they could very well have been 3-1 after blowing leads to the Denver Nuggets in the season opener and their recent outing against the Kings.

The Suns have failed to protect their first-half leads in both losses, allowing their opponents to go on big runs in the third quarter and needed a comeback in the fourth quarter to even have a shot at winning.

Teams have already found a way to break down the 28th ranked Suns defense this season after allowing 114.8 points per game, a far cry from their defensive rating of 98.8 through the same four-game opening stretch of last season.

Add in the Deandre Ayton situation in the offseason and the distractions seem to have mounted as the high from last season may have made its way to this season.

Losing to the Nuggets and being blown out by the Portland Trail Blazers have sent alarm bells ringing in most fans, but there is the confidence that they can bounce back.

Phoenix needs to get things together sooner than later if they hope to come out of the West again this season.

Next four games: Cleveland Cavaliers (October 30), New Orleans Pelicans (November 2), Houston Rockets (November 4), Atlanta Hawks (November 6)

Brooklyn Nets

Kyrie Irving’s situation is but a blip on Nets fans’ radars as their team is off to a subpar start, winning only two games out of five thanks to less than stellar performances from James Harden and Joe Harris.

Harden is averaging 16.6 points on 35 percent shooting, eight assists, seven rebounds, 1.2 steals, 2.6 threes per game, and 4.6 turnovers, with the most damning of them all being the lack of free throws at just three attempts per game.

The league’s crackdown on players explicitly looking for foul calls has worked so far, but to his detriment.

On the other hand, Harris has only shot 15-of-46 from deep through five games, further deepening the Nets’ problems on the offensive end.

Without a reliable perimeter shooter, the Nets offense stagnates.

Kevin Durant has been playing the hard carry thus far as his motivation from last season has carried over to this year, to the tune of 33 points, 10.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and one block per game.

The Nets are targeting an NBA Finals appearance as well, but if the trend continues, they could see a repeat of last season.

Next four games: Indiana Pacers (October 29), Detroit Pistons (October 31), Atlanta Hawks (November 3), Detroit Pistons (November 5)

Philadelphia 76ers

The Ben Simmons saga continues to roll on with no end in sight and the Philadelphia 76ers have a 3-2 record to show for it.

Simmons was kicked out of practice recently, further causing the situation to devolve into pettiness that the team cannot afford to have this season.

Despite Simmons not playing a game yet, Tobias Harris has helped steady the ship with averages of 19.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists along with Joel Embiid’s stellar numbers of 21.4 points, 9.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game.

As noted by Shaquille O’Neal in an episode of Inside the NBA, the 76ers barely played with any effort against a rejuvenated New York Knicks squad in a blowout loss.

With Simmons remaining on the sidelines, Tyrese Maxey has been named the starter, and his sophomore effort is off to a great start as he slots in perfectly in the starting lineup alongside Harris, Embiid, Seth Curry and Danny Green.

However, head coach Doc Rivers must find a way to incorporate more scoring across the board, especially from the bench, if they are to rack up more wins in the coming games and subsequent playoff success.

Next four games: Atlanta Hawks (October 30), Portland Trail Blazers (November 1), Chicago Bulls (November 3), Detroit Pistons (November 4)

Boston Celtics

Beantown is looking for success any way they can find it, but their most recent loss to the Washington Wizards could be telling of what lies ahead for them.

Head coach Ime Udoka took over the job after Brad Stevens was named to a front-office role in the offseason and is not afraid to call the team out in public or in private.

“It’s hard to explain this early in the season. We had a chance to rejuvenate but for whatever reason, they were lacking in intensity and focus this morning. I told him they’re going to get your (expletive) kicked tonight,” Udoka said about the loss to the Wizards.

The Celtics found themselves down big in the fourth quarter before they started showing some effort, ultimately failing to mount a comeback.

Adjusting to a new head coach does take time, but the lack of energy from the Celtics appeared as if they were uninterested in winning.

Jaylen Brown is quickly closing the gap on Jayson Tatum for the role of Celtics top star, but there is growing concern around a lingering knee issue this early into the season.

Getting out of the Eastern Conference should be far from their minds for now as they look to recalibrate themselves for a rematch against the Wizards on Saturday, October 30.

Next four games: Washington Wizards (October 30), Chicago Bulls (November 1), Orlando Magic (November 3), Miami Heat (November 4)