שאלה שלי: מי היא הקבוצה החלשה ביותר ב-NBA נכון להיום?

1. Golden State Warriors
2021-22 record: 19-4
Previous ranking: 1

Stephen Curry and the Warriors caught a glimpse of the first team all season that appears to be playing on their level: Phoenix. The Suns have the same kind of deep and talented roster that has made these two teams the early favorites in the Western Conference. After dropping Tuesday's game to Chris Paul & Co., the Warriors responded by snapping the Suns' 18-game winning streak on Friday. They ran out of gas in a surprising loss to the Spurs on Saturday — capping a 19-for-69 week from the field for Curry. — Friedell

This week: ORL, POR, @PHI

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2. Phoenix Suns
2021-22 record: 19-4
Previous ranking: 2

Without Devin Booker (left hamstring injury), the Suns' franchise-record 18-game winning streak came to an end Friday night against the Warriors. The Suns had beaten Golden State last Tuesday to finish November with a 16-0 mark, becoming the seventh team in NBA history to go 16-0 or better in a calendar month. The 18-game streak was also a career best for coach Monty Williams as a coach or a player. His previous best was a 17-game winning streak as a player with San Antonio (1996). Williams and the Suns get a chance to start another winning streak Monday against the Spurs. — Lopez

This week: SA, BOS

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3. Brooklyn Nets
2021-22 record: 16-7

Previous ranking: 3

It continues to be a weird season in Brooklyn. The Nets remain atop the Eastern Conference but have now gone a combined 1-6 against teams currently in the top eight in the NBA standings, including losses to Chicago, Miami, Phoenix and Golden State at Barclays. Against the rest of the league, the Nets are 15-1. — Bontemps

This week: @DAL, @HOU, @ATL, @DET

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4. Chicago Bulls
2021-22 record: 16-8
Previous ranking: 7

The Bulls made an early-season statement with a sweep at Staples Center on back-to-back nights, and their performance in New York to sweep the Knicks and Nets last week was a worthy follow-up. Chicago has continued rolling, despite playing a bit short-handed recently. Coby White and Javonte Green have entered the NBA's health and safety protocols, and Alex Caruso was limited to just eight minutes Saturday because of a hamstring injury. — Collier

This week: DEN, @CLE, @MIA

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5. Milwaukee Bucks
2021-22 record: 15-9
Previous ranking: 4

Just when the Bucks started rolling, their roster took another hit with Giannis Antetokounmpo sitting out back-to-back games with a right calf injury. Milwaukee is hopeful this will be a short-term ailment for Antetokounmpo, who is registering another season at an MVP level. He's averaging 27.6 points and 11.8 rebounds per game to go along with a career-high 6.0 assists and 1.7 blocks. — Collier

This week: CLE, @MIA, @HOU, @NY

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6. Utah Jazz
2021-22 record: 16-7
Previous ranking: 6

Utah has by far the NBA's best offense — 116.2 points per 100 possessions, 3.7 more than the second-ranked Warriors — and Donovan Mitchell is in the midst of his best groove of the season. He has averaged 30 points on 56.3% shooting during the Jazz's four-game winning streak, the first time this season he has hit more than half of his shots from the floor in four consecutive games. Mitchell has scored 30-plus in the past three games, matching his total of 30-point performances in the first 20 games. — MacMahon

This week: @MIN, @PHI, @WAS

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7. Miami Heat
2021-22 record: 14-10
Previous ranking: 5

Miami was dealt a tough blow with the news that Bam Adebayo will miss time after having right thumb surgery. Jimmy Butler is still dealing with a tailbone contusion, as well. The Heat need to get healthy for an intriguing three-game home stretch this week, which includes matchups against the Grizzlies, Bucks and Bulls. — Friedell

This week: MEM, MIL, CHI

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8. Washington Wizards
2021-22 record: 14-10
Previous ranking: 8

The Wizards' defense has shown slippage in recent losses. Last week, Washington surrendered 116 points in both the 17-point loss to San Antonio and the 15-point loss to the Cavs. Worse, Washington trailed by as many as 36 to Cleveland. The Wizards started a brutal 10-game stretch on Sunday in Toronto in which they will play nine games on the road. We'll find out more about what the Wizards are made of during this road trip. — Youngmisuk

This week: @IND, @DET, UTAH

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9. Philadelphia 76ers
2021-22 record: 12-11
Previous ranking: 12

Philadelphia has dealt with more COVID-19 absences than any team so far this season, including losing superstar center Joel Embiid for nine games. But now Embiid is back, and the 76ers have a chance to build some consistency and momentum as the world continues to wait for a potential Ben Simmons trade to materialize. — Bontemps

This week: @CHA, @CHA, UTAH, GS

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10. Memphis Grizzlies
2021-22 record: 13-10
Previous ranking: 21

The Grizzlies have led their past four games wire-to-wire, the first team to have such a streak in the 25 seasons since play-by-play data has been tracked, according to Elias Sports Bureau data. That's a rather impressive response to losing star guard Ja Morant to a knee injury — fortunately for weeks, not months. "Everyone's done a great job of standing up to the challenge and believing in each other," said backup point guard Tyus Jones, who has 30 assists and only four turnovers during the winning streak. — MacMahon

This week: @MIA, DAL, LAL, HOU

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11. Boston Celtics
2021-22 record: 13-11
Previous ranking: 17

Boston emerged from the first few days of its brutal December with a pair of victories over Philadelphia and Portland and a strong performance in a close loss at Utah. Now comes a back-to-back in Los Angeles, followed by a game in Phoenix to round out this five-game West swing. — Bontemps

This week: @LAL, @LAC, @PHX

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12. Atlanta Hawks
2021-22 record: 12-12
Previous ranking: 13

The Hawks won eight of their first nine games inside State Farm Arena. Their past three home games, however, have not gone their way, with losses to the Knicks, Sixers and then a 130-127 loss to the COVID-19-depleted Hornets on Sunday. Against Charlotte, Trae Young did have 25 points and 15 assists — his 11th 25-point, 15-assist game since he debuted in 2018, the most of any player in the league since then. — Lopez

This week: @MIN, BKN