The Pacific Division remains to be there for the Warriors to take

By late January, the NBA begins to cease mendacity to you. The schedule has performed its injury, the accidents have informed their tales, and the standings have sufficient scar tissue to matter. You’ll be able to’t conceal anymore, you possibly can solely adapt, scramble, or fold. That is the purpose within the season the place illusions die quietly. No extra small-sample optimism, no extra “as soon as we’re wholesome” excuses. Simply information, tendencies, and groups revealing precisely who they’re.

Typically comparability actually is the thief of pleasure. However whenever you’re deep within the trenches of an NBA season, it helps to go searching and see the place everybody else stands. The Pacific Division as of January thirty first tells 5 very totally different tales with 4 groups combating for playoff positioning, and one franchise that’s principally waving the white flag earlier than February even begins.

The Lakers (29-18) and Suns (30-19) are locked in a correct division race, principally tied on the high. Each groups are rolling: the Lakers simply demolished Washington 142-111 behind Luka Doncic’s informal 37-point triple-double, whereas the Suns are using a three-game win streak regardless of Devin Booker nursing a sprained ankle. Dillon Brooks has been Phoenix’s unlikely savior, dropping 40 towards Detroit and 27 towards Cleveland whereas Booker recovers.

What’s wild is how totally different their paths look. The Lakers are 20-12 at house however a dismal 9-13 on the highway, which might hang-out them come playoff time. Phoenix doesn’t have that very same house/highway break up challenge—they’re simply profitable video games no matter venue, although their 2-3 division document suggests they wrestle when dealing with their neighbors.

Golden State (27-23) sits 3.5 video games again in third place, positively within the playoff dialog nonetheless trailing the highest two. The accidents to Jimmy Butler’s ACL (out for season) and Stephen Curry knee (left the loss vs Pistons early) have solely created a fever pitch for a commerce earlier than the deadline. The Warriors are what they’re at this level: a strong crew that may beat anybody on a superb evening however lacks the consistency to really compete with the division’s elite. Their 17-8 highway document is their saving grace, as a result of that ghastly 10-15 document on the highway is killing their season. However the crew that they’re now and who they are going to be on the commerce deadline may very well be two various things hmmmm.

In the meantime the Clippers (22-25) occupy that harmful fourth-place spot the place they’re shut sufficient to odor the playoffs, far sufficient to fret concerning the play-in event. They only noticed their spectacular 16-3 stretch over 19 video games get snapped by Denver, and now they head to Phoenix for a measuring-stick recreation Sunday. Kawhi Leonard (27.7 PPG) and James Harden (25.4 PPG, 8.1 APG) are doing their half, however Bradley Beal’s season-ending hip surgical procedure stripped away essential depth.

Even nonetheless, this crew was regarded as useless within the water till they apparently jettisoned Chris Paul and locked in.

Then there’s Sacramento (12-38), presently perfecting the artwork of shedding basketball video games. The Kings are on an eight-game skid, 0-5 on their present highway journey, and sporting a putrid 3-22 highway document general. They’ve handled accidents to key items like Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray, and Russell Westbrook. They’re 17 video games again of the Lakers and functionally eradicated from playoff rivalry earlier than Valentine’s Day.

That’s your Pacific Division, two groups battling for high 4 seeding, your Dubs making an attempt to determine what they’ve, the Clippers crawling again in to the perimeters of the dialog on sheer grit and swag, and the rolling dumpster hearth that’s Sacramento.