Which teams are off to a good start?

10.26.2021

Chicago Bulls and Charlotte Hornets, two teams that missed the Eastern Conference playoffs last season, are each off to 3-0 starts (the latter spoiled the Brooklyn Nets’ home opener on Sunday). Meanwhile, New York Knicks fans were already calling for a championship run after a season-opening double-overtime victory over the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden.

In the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Lakers finally got their first win of the season, overcoming a 40-point game from Ja Morant on Sunday night. And Stephen Curry leading the way, the Golden State Warriors are off to a 3-0 start.

Which teams are up and down after the first week of NBA action? We analyze all 30 teams.

  1. Milwaukee Bucks
    Record: 2-1
    Previous ranking: 2

An opening night win against the Nets reminded the league why the Bucks are the defending champs. Milwaukee made an argument by blitzing Brooklyn to start the season with 32 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists from Giannis Antetokounmpo. Injuries have depleted the Bucks’ rotation early on, but Jrue Holiday and Rodney Hood returned Saturday. Brook Lopez (back pain) will miss at least Monday’s game against Indiana.

  1. Utah Jazz
    Record: 2-0
    Previous ranking: 5

Hassan Whiteside, the veteran big man who came on a max contract and joined the Jazz for the minimum, has gotten off to an encouraging start as Rudy Gobert’s backup. He had a total of 14 points, 19 rebounds and three blocks in 34 minutes in the first two games as Utah outscored opponents by 19 points with Whiteside on the court.

  1. Denver Nuggets
    Record: 2-0
    Previous ranking: 7

Michael Malone has to be pleased with how his team has started the season without Jamal Murray. The Nuggets have given up no more than 98 points in their first two games, both wins over Suns and Spurs. And reigning MVP Nikola Jokic has picked up where he left off, averaging 29.5 points and 14.5 rebounds. Michael Porter Jr. has gotten off to a slow start with just 22 points and seven rebounds in two games, but it shouldn’t be long before he surpasses those numbers in a single game.

  1. Brooklyn Nets
    Record: 1-2
    Previous ranking: 1

It’s been a slow start to the season for Brooklyn, which is not only playing without Kyrie Irving, but treating the season opener as an extension of the preseason. Coach Steve Nash has said as much about how he’s handling his rotations, and James Harden said after Sunday’s loss to Charlotte that he’s still adjusting in-season after a long offseason break recovering from a hamstring injury.

  1. Golden State Warriors
    Record: 3-0
    Previous ranking: 11

Everything is clicking early for Stephen Curry’s group, which comes into this week with a 3-0 record. Curry continues to shine as he begins the quest for his third MVP award. He scored 45 points in Thursday’s win over the Clippers and continues to provide confidence to a deeper group that is getting contributions up and down the roster. Veterans Nemanja Bjelica, Andre Iguodala and Damion Lee have given Steve Kerr good minutes off the bench and third-year guard Jordan Poole continues to elevate his game offensively.

  1. Miami Heat
    Record: 1-1
    Previous ranking: 6

The Heat started strong with a demolition of the Bucks to open their season, but faded in an overtime loss to the Pacers on Saturday. The good news for Miami is that three-pointer Tyler Herro seems to be back in rhythm. He has 57 combined points in Miami’s first two games.

  1. Philadelphia 76ers
    Record: 2-1
    Previous ranking: 9

Philadelphia came within five horrible final minutes against Brooklyn of a 3-0 week to start the season. Things with the 76ers, even without Ben Simmons, remain where they’ve always been: if Joel Embiid is healthy and available, Philadelphia will win a lot of games.

  1. Los Angeles Lakers
    Record: 1-2
    Previous ranking: 3

What a night for Carmelo Anthony. The 19-year veteran moved up to No. 9 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list in impressive fashion, scoring 28 points coming off the bench, including two free throws to secure the win over Memphis, Los Angeles’ first of the season. “He didn’t crawl to that milestone, he blew the doors off,” Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said.

  1. Atlanta Hawks
    Record: 1-1
    Previous Rank: 8

It may be a small sample size, but Cam Reddish picks up where he left off during Atlanta’s postseason. In four games in the last playoffs, Reddish shot 9-of-14 from the three-point arc and averaged 12.5 points per game. To start this season, the third-year player is 6-of-9 from deep in two games and averages 19.5 points per night.

  1. Chicago Bulls
    Record: 3-0
    Previous ranking: 19

The revamped Bulls couldn’t have asked for a better start. They have a 3-0 record for the first time since the 2016-17 season, which was also the last time they made the playoffs. Their offense has still had some clunky moments, but Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball have played exciting basketball. They have been more feisty than expected defensively, led by Ball and Alex Caruso’s constant niggles. The early part of their schedule was soft: they faced the Pistons, who are without Cade Cunningham, and the Pelicans, who are without Zion Williamson, twice, so tougher opponents this week in Knicks and Jazz should provide a better idea of how good Chicago could really be.

  1. New York Knicks
    Record: 2-1
    Previous Rank: 14

It’s only three games, but one trend to watch for the Knicks is the decrease in minutes for Kemba Walker, who went from 36 in New York’s double-overtime win to 22 and 19, respectively, in a pair of games against Orlando. He and Derrick Rose will spend time alternating as point guards all season long.

  1. Phoenix Suns
    Record: 1-2
    Previous ranking: 4

Suns point guard Chris Paul became the first player in NBA history with 20,000 points and 10,000 assists in his career by reaching the point total against the Lakers on Friday night. (Paul became the 47th player in NBA history to score 20,000 points, while notching his 10,000th assist last season).

  1. Dallas Mavericks
    Record: 1-1
    Previous ranking: 10

The Mavs’ offense faltered for most of the first six quarters of the season as Jason Kidd tried to find a way to reduce the burden on Luka Doncic despite Dallas’ failure to add another playmaker this offseason. Dallas scored 58 points on 52.3 percent from the field in the second half of Saturday’s win at Toronto with a proven approach: spread the court and let Doncic cook.

  1. Charlotte Hornets
    Record: 3-0
    Previous ranking: 17

Charlotte couldn’t have asked for a better start, punctuating a 3-0 mark with a win over Kevin Durant and the Nets on Sunday. LaMelo Ball has 48 points, 13 assists, 12 rebounds and seven steals in the first three games. The Hornets have an interesting matchup with Jimmy Butler and the Heat on Friday, a game that should be a good measuring stick for what appears to be a young team on the rise.

  1. Memphis Grizzlies
    Record: 2-1
    Previous ranking: 16

Ja Morant has picked up where he left off in his brief but brilliant playoff debut, averaging 35 points and eight assists per game in the first week of the season. De’Anthony Melton has also impressed, taking advantage of the opportunity to be Morant’s defensive partner in Memphis’ starting lineup by averaging 18.3 points while shooting for 52.4% from the floor and 57.9% from three-point range.

  1. Washington Wizards
    Record: 2-0
    Previous ranking: 21

Don’t look now, but the Wizards are off to a 2-0 start. And it looks like Bradley Beal has veteran help around him. General manager Tommy Sheppard added depth. Spencer Dinwiddie scored 34 points and had nine assists to lead Washington to an overtime win over Indiana with Beal out (hip), while Kyle Kuzma averaged 18.5 points and 13 rebounds in two games. The Wizards will look to stay undefeated with a road test at Brooklyn.

  1. Portland Trail Blazers
    Record: 1-1
    Previous ranking: 15

The Chauncey Billups era didn’t get off to the start the new head coach had envisioned with a season-opening loss to the Kings, but the Blazers bounced back with a resounding 134-105 victory of the defending Western Conference champions. Norman Powell left that game with a left knee injury, but ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Powell has avoided serious injury. CJ McCollum is averaging 31 points in two games and may have to do even more while Powell is out.

  1. LA Clippers
    Record: 0-2
    Previous Rank: 12

Paul George is off to a good start, including a 41-point performance against the Grizzlies on Saturday, but the Clippers are 0-2 after two close losses to Memphis and Golden State. Eric Bledsoe has been better than expected and the Clippers are going to battle every night, but expect these first two games to not be indicative of how things will go until Kawhi Leonard returns.

  1. Boston Celtics
    Record: 1-2
    Previous ranking: 13

Coach Ime Udoka got the first win of his career Sunday over the Rockets, but the biggest note in the win over Houston was the absence of Jaylen Brown with left knee tendinopathy. Boston is hoping Brown, who missed most of training camp after testing positive for COVID-19, can return to the court quickly after his 46-point outburst in the season opener against the Knicks.

  1. Minnesota Timberwolves
    Record: 2-0
    Previous ranking: 22

The Timberwolves are among the league’s unbeaten after Week 1, taking care of business with a pair of home wins against less talented Rockets and Pelicans opponents without Zion Williamson, leaning on stingy defense. The competition gets tougher in a hurry this week, with games against the Bucks and Nuggets.

  1. Indiana Pacers
    Record: 1-2
    Previous ranking: 18

After losing the first two games, the Pacers finally got their first overtime win over the Heat to start 1-2. They have to be encouraged by the early performance of rookie Chris Duarte. He looks like he belongs after his first week, where he averaged 20.3 points per game while shooting 40.4% from the field (45.8% three-pointers).

  1. Toronto Raptors
    Record: 1-2
    Previous ranking: 20

If he hadn’t already, rookie Scottie Barnes officially came through with his 25 points and 13 rebounds in Toronto’s win over Boston on Friday. While the Raptors’ roster doesn’t have the high ceiling this season that it has become accustomed to in recent years, it allows Toronto to ensure that Barnes has every possible opportunity to develop.

  1. Sacramento Kings
    Records: 1-2
    Previous ranking: 23

Aside from some Tar Heels fans convinced their guy was coming, who had Harrison Barnes averaging 28.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game through the first three games of the season? His production has been impressive, but the Kings lost two of their first three to start.

  1. San Antonio Spurs
    Record: 1-2
    Previous ranking: 25

San Antonio has had a balanced scoring punch to start the new season. Three different players have led the team in scoring in each of their three games – Devin Vassell (19 in the opener against Orlando), Keldon Johnson (27 against Denver on Friday) and Doug McDermott (25 against Milwaukee on Saturday). Johnson leads the team with 20.7 points per game and is one of six Spurs averaging at least 12 points per night.

  1. Cleveland Cavaliers
    Records: 1-2
    Previous ranking: 26th

ATAfter starting the season 0-2 with a pair of 11-point losses to Memphis and Charlotte, the Cavs moved into the ‘G’ column with an impressive win over last season’s surprise Eastern Conference finalist Atlanta. Rookie Evan Mobley (17 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks) is already showing signs of the promise that led Cleveland to take it in the third spot.

Houston Rockets
Record: 1-2
Previous ranking: 28th

No. 2 overall pick Jalen Green was limited to nine points in each of the Rockets’ first two games, but his explosive scoring ability was on display during his 30-point performance in Sunday’s loss to the Celtics. Green hit 8-of-10 from beyond the arc in that game, finishing one three-pointer shy of tying the NBA rookie record.

  1. New Orleans Pelicans
    Record: 0-3
    Previous ranking: 24

In three losses, the New Orleans bench struggled to provide its starters with a scoring boost. The bench unit has averaged a miserable 18.3 points per game, by far the worst mark in the league through Week 1, and that included garbage time minutes in the team’s first two games.

  1. Orlando Magic
    Record: 1-2
    Previous ranking: 29th

The Magic picked up a surprising win over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Sunday thanks in large part to an impressive performance from second-year point guard Cole Anthony. The New York native produced 29 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists in a 110-104 victory. With Markelle Fultz (ACL rehab) still out and rookie Jalen Suggs still trying to find a rhythm, Anthony has a chance to make his mark in the short term.

  1. Detroit Pistons
    Record: 0-2
    Previous ranking: 27
    Without Cade Cunningham (ankle), the Pistons lost their first two games of the season, both to the Bulls, looking competitive in the first game at home before getting blown out in the second in Chicago. However, Cunningham’s debut could be in sight. There is a possibility that the first overall pick will make his debut when the team returns home this weekend.
  2. Oklahoma City Thunder
    Record: 0-3
    Previous ranking: 30

The rebuilding Thunder have lost 29 of their last 32 games since late March. Twenty-two of those losses came by double-digit margins, including all three games this season. Oklahoma City is opening with four players 23 years old or younger.