TITLE: Thunder surge to 23–1, Pistons top East in NBA standings for Dec. 9
SLUG: thunder-surge-23-1-pistons-top-east-dec-9-standings
CONTENT:
The NBA released its latest standings for games played through December 9, highlighting a dominant start by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference and a strong run by the Detroit Pistons in the East.
Eastern Conference
Detroit leads the field at 19–5, holding a 2.5-game edge over the New York Knicks (16–7). Boston sits third at 15–9, four games off the pace. Toronto (15–10), Orlando (14–10) and Miami (14–10) round out the top six, while Philadelphia (13–10), Cleveland (14–11) and Atlanta (14–11) remain within striking distance.
Milwaukee (10–15) and Chicago (9–14) trail the leaders by 9.5 games. Charlotte (7–17), Brooklyn (6–17), Indiana (6–18) and Washington (3–19) occupy the bottom spots, with the Wizards 15 games back.
Western Conference
Oklahoma City owns the league’s best record at 23–1 and has built a 5.5-game cushion over both the Los Angeles Lakers (17–6) and the Denver Nuggets (17–6). Houston (15–6) and San Antonio (16–7) are next, followed by Minnesota at 15–9.
Phoenix (14–10) and Golden State (13–12) round out the top eight. Memphis is 11–13, while Portland (9–15), Dallas (9–16) and Utah (8–15) sit further back. Sacramento and the LA Clippers share identical 6–18 marks, and New Orleans is last at 3–22, 20.5 games behind the Thunder.
The standings will continue to shift as teams approach the midway point of the season.
Source: Hoops Wire
