The Oklahoma City Thunder (21-4) are the NBA’s hottest team, winners of 12 consecutive games, and have managed to hold off a surging Los Angeles Clippers squad in the Western Conference standings in the process.
2012 NBA standings: Thunder atop Western Conference, Knicks best in East
With a little more than a quarter of the 2012-13 NBA season in the books, the Thunder and Knicks are emerging as the teams to beat in their respective conferences.
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Kevin Durant and company hold a two-game lead over the Clippers (19-6) in the Western Conference standings, despite the Clippers rattling off 11 wins in a row since Nov. 26. After starting the season hot, the Memphis Grizzlies (17-6) and San Antonio Spurs (19-8) have cooled off a bit lately and are tied for third place in the conference, with each of them posting a 6-4 mark over their last 10 games.
The Thunder have a comfortable 7.5-game lead over the Denver Nuggets (14-12) in the Northwest Division, while the Clippers have a 2.5-game cushion over the Golden State Warriors (17-9) in the Pacific. The Grizzlies and Spurs are knotted at the top of the Southwest Division.
The complete Western Conference standings are as follows:
In the Eastern Conference, the New York Knicks (19-6) have a 1.5-game lead over the defending champion Miami Heat (16-6). The Atlanta Hawks (15-8) are lurking in third place in the conference, three games back of the Knicks, while the Chicago Bulls (14-10) have a one-game lead over the Milwaukee Bucks (13-11) for fourth place.
The Knicks have a healthy six-game lead over the Brooklyn Nets (13-12) in the Atlantic Division, while the Bulls lead the Bucks by a game in the Central. Miami has extended its lead over Atlanta in the Southeast Division to 1.5 games with two wins in a row.
The complete Eastern Conference standings appear below.
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