So far in the Western Conference, three teams have begun to slightly separate themselves from the pack. The Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets and LA Clippers are all riding winning streaks of six or more games to establish themselves as the top three so far. Now at 12-6 after Wednesday’s victory over Miami, the Houston Rockets are sitting in the second tier of the West’s best so far, along with the Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz.
The acquisition of Russell Westbrook has mostly been a positive so far in the young season, as he’s been pushing the pace with reckless abandon (but sometimes too recklessly).