The Rockets and Pistons are among the NBA’s best in both overall win-loss record and in games against teams over. 500.
The Golden State Warriors climbed back over .500 with a win in Brooklyn on Dec. 29. Since then, we’ve had 16 teams (eight in the East, eight in the West) with winning records.
A three-game winning streak has the Portland Trail Blazers (22-22) threatening to join the club, and they can do so with a win over the Miami Heat on Thursday.
For now, we have 16 teams over .500, and there have been 174 games played between them. Here are their records in those 174 games …
Games played between teams currently over .500
| Team | W | L | PCT | OffRtg | Rank | DefRtg | Rank | NetRtg | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Detroit | 12 | 4 | .750 | 115.1 | 7 | 110.0 | 3 | +5.1 | 3 |
| 2. | Houston | 13 | 6 | .684 | 116.2 | 6 | 109.5 | 2 | +6.7 | 2 |
| 2. | Oklahoma City | 13 | 6 | .684 | 117.3 | 4 | 105.6 | 1 | +11.7 | 1 |
| 4. | Denver | 13 | 7 | .650 | 121.7 | 1 | 118.5 | 15 | +3.2 | 4 |
| 5. | Boston | 13 | 11 | .542 | 119.2 | 2 | 117.2 | 13 | +1.9 | 5 |
| 5. | San Antonio | 13 | 11 | .542 | 114.5 | 11 | 113.6 | 4 | +0.9 | 6 |
| 7. | L.A. Lakers | 9 | 9 | .500 | 112.5 | 13 | 119.0 | 16 | -6.5 | 16 |
| 8. | Phoenix | 11 | 13 | .458 | 111.3 | 16 | 115.2 | 7 | -3.9 | 14 |
| 9. | Golden State | 10 | 12 | .455 | 112.2 | 14 | 115.0 | 6 | -2.8 | 12 |
| 9. | Orlando | 10 | 12 | .455 | 115.1 | 8 | 115.4 | 8 | -0.3 | 8 |
| 9. | Toronto | 10 | 12 | .455 | 114.6 | 10 | 116.7 | 11 | -2.1 | 11 |
| 12. | New York | 10 | 13 | .435 | 117.5 | 3 | 118.3 | 14 | -0.8 | 10 |
| 13. | Minnesota | 9 | 12 | .429 | 116.4 | 5 | 117.0 | 12 | -0.7 | 9 |
| 14. | Cleveland | 10 | 14 | .417 | 114.7 | 9 | 114.8 | 5 | -0.1 | 7 |
| 15. | Philadelphia | 9 | 14 | .391 | 112.7 | 12 | 116.3 | 10 | -3.6 | 13 |
| 16. | Miami | 9 | 18 | .333 | 111.7 | 15 | 116.1 | 9 | -4.4 | 15 |
Eastern Conference notes
Which teams in the East could stop Detroit's reign at the top?
1. Detroit Pistons (12-4)
- The Pistons have the best record in the top 16, which includes a 7-1 mark since Nov. 29. They’re 4-1 within the top four in the East, taking three out of four against the Celtics and beating the Knicks by 31 points in their only meeting. Defense has been their calling card, and they held New York’s third-ranked offense under a point per possession in the blowout.
- But they’ve played the fewest games within the group. The Pistons have yet to face any of the top three teams in the West (the Thunder, Spurs and Nuggets), so there are plenty of tests ahead.
Up next is a matchup with the Rockets on Friday (7 p.m. ET, Prime Video). The Pistons won the first meeting (in Houston) back in October when the Rockets scored just six points on 10 clutch possessions.
5. Boston Celtics (13-11)
- The Celtics’ 13-11 record breaks down this way: 1-6 against teams (Denver, Detroit, Houston and San Antonio) with better overall records than the Celtics have themselves and 12-5 against the teams below them.
- Nine of their 11 losses (including all three to the Pistons) have been within five points in the last five minutes. Overall, they’ve played 16 clutch games (most of any team) within this group and have allowed 126 points on 99 clutch defensive possessions in those 16 games.
The Celtics are two games into a stretch of eight straight against teams currently at or below .500. So their next game within this group isn’t until Feb. 4, when they visit the Rockets.
9. Orlando Magic (10-12)
- The Magic offense has been more efficient against the other 15 teams with winning records than it has been otherwise. Franz Wagner has averaged 23.2 points on a true shooting percentage of 60.3% (better than his overall mark) in the 15 games he’s played within this group.
- The Magic are 9-6 within this group with Jalen Suggs in the lineup and 1-6 without him.
After the Magic host the Hornets on Thursday, they’ll play six straight games against teams currently above .500. That stretch starts with a huge home-and-home set with the Cavs, starting with a game in Orlando on Saturday (7 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass).
9. Toronto Raptors (10-12)
- The Raptors are 7-4 in clutch games against the other 15 teams that currently have winning records, having allowed just 66 points on 78 clutch defensive possessions (85 per 100).
The Raptors have two games left on a five-game trip that will conclude in Oklahoma City on Sunday. Then, after a couple of days off, they’ll play two big games within the 3-8 tier in the East, hosting the Knicks and visiting the Magic.
12. New York Knicks (10-13)
- In games against the other 15 teams with winning records, the Knicks are 8-4 at home, 1-0 at a neutral site (NBA Cup semis) and 1-9 on the road. The lone road win was in the Emirates NBA Cup quarterfinals in Toronto. They’re also 0-6 within this group since beating the Cavs on Christmas.
Two of those four home losses came to the Sixers, with both being rest-disadvantage games for the Knicks, who had played the day before. They’ll finish the season series with two games in Philly before the All-Star break, and the first of those is Saturday afternoon (3 p.m. ET, ABC).
14. Cleveland Cavaliers (10-14)
- The Cavs are 2-10 in games within this group that were within five points in the last five minutes, having scored just 76 points on 74 clutch possessions over those 12 games. They’re 8-4 within the group otherwise.
The Cavs will host the Kings on Friday and then have a big home-and-home set with the Magic, playing with a rest disadvantage in Orlando on Saturday night.
15. Philadelphia 76ers (9-14)
- As they do overall, the Sixers have a winning record on the road (5-4) and a losing record at home (4-10) against the other 15 teams currently over .500.
The Sixers have two games left on a six-game homestand and a stretch where they will have played 10 of 12 against teams currently over .500. They’ll host Houston on Thursday (7 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass) and New York on Saturday (3 p.m. ET, ABC), currently two games behind the third-place Knicks.
16. Miami Heat (9-18)
- The Heat have played three more games within this group than any of the other 15 teams. But, they’re going to have some serious schedule relief in the next five weeks. Their win in Sacramento on Tuesday starts a stretch where they play only three of 16 games against teams that are currently over .500.
But that win was the second game in the first of two straight stretches of five games in seven days. The Heat are now tasked with keeping the 22-22 Portland Trail Blazers out of the above.500 club, as they’ll visit the Blazers on Thursday (10 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass) for what is the third game of a five-game trip that concludes in Phoenix on Sunday night.
Western Conference notes
The Rockets got a key win against a team over .500 as it beat the Spurs in an AWS Rivals Week matchup.
1. Houston Rockets (13-6)
- Since losing to the Thunder and Pistons by a total of five points in their first two games of the season, the Rockets are 13-4 against other teams that are currently over .500. They’re just 13-9 against teams currently at or below .500.
- That Oct. 24 loss to Detroit is the only one within this group that wasn’t against the top three teams in the West. The fourth-place Rockets are 0-2 against Oklahoma City, 1-1 against San Antonio and 1-2 against Denver.
The Rockets got a great win over the Spurs on Tuesday, and now have a tough back-to-back, visiting the Sixers on Thursday (7 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass) and the Pistons on Friday (7 p.m. ET, Prime Video). They’re 7-3 on the road against other winning teams, tied with the Nuggets (7-4) for the most road wins within the group.
2. Oklahoma City (13-6)
- The Thunder defense has held their opponents under a point per possession in five of their 19 games within the top 16. They’re responsible for the worst offensive games of the season for the Cavs, Warriors, Rockets and Suns.
- Four of their six losses have come by five points or less, while eight of their 13 wins have been determined by 20 points or more.
Having won in Milwaukee on Wednesday, the Thunder will now have a three-game homestand that includes a visit from the Raptors on Sunday (7 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass). Starting next Wednesday, they’ll play seven straight games against teams currently over .500, with five of those seven games on the road.
4. Denver Nuggets (13-7)
- The Nuggets are 3-2 against other winning teams without Nikola Jokić, with the three wins having come by a total of eight points.
- They’ve scored more than 125 points per 100 possessions in six of their 20 games within the group, including losses to the Spurs and Magic.
The Nuggets are in the midst of a stretch where they’re playing 11 of 14 games against teams currently below .500. They’re also about to begin a trip where they play in Washington, Milwaukee and Memphis. Their next game within this group is against the Pistons on Tuesday, and they’ll face the Thunder for the first time on Feb. 1.
5. San Antonio Spurs (13-11)
- Ten of the Spurs’ 24 games within this group have come against the Thunder (3-1), Lakers (2-1) and Wolves (1-2). They’re 13-2 against the Eastern Conference (both losses were to Cleveland), but won’t play the Pistons or Sixers until after the All-Star break.
The Spurs will finish their week with games against the Jazz and Pelicans, but they’ll have a chance to avenge their Tuesday loss to the Rockets when they return to Houston next Wednesday. They’ll finish their five-game season series with the Thunder on Feb. 4.
7. Los Angeles Lakers (9-9)
- As they do overall, the Lakers have a much better record than point differential in these games. All nine of their losses within the group have come by double-digits, with seven of the nine determined by more than 15 points. They’re 5-0 in games that were within five points in the last five minutes vs. the other 15 teams that currently have winning records
The Lakers are one game into a stretch of eight straight road games, set to visit the Clippers on Thursday (10 p.m. ET, Prime Video). Their next game within this group is next Wednesday, when they play in Cleveland.
8. Phoenix Suns (11-13)
- The Suns’ games within this group have been the most road-heavy, with only 10 of their 24 having come in Phoenix. They’re 7-3 at home and 4-10 on the road against the other teams that are currently over .500.
The Suns will complete a six-game trip in Atlanta on Friday. They’ll then play 16 of their next 19 games at home, a stretch that begins with a visit from the Heat on Sunday night.
9. Golden State Warriors (10-12)
- The Warriors were 9-6 against teams currently over .500 with both Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler in the lineup, but just 1-6 when one or both have been unavailable. Butler is now out for the season after suffering a knee injury vs. Miami on Monday.
Having just completed an eight-game homestand (the longest in the league this season), the Warriors now embark on a four-game trip that begins in Dallas on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET, Prime Video). The first of two straight games in Minnesota is Saturday (5:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
13. Minnesota Timberwolves (9-12)
- Anthony Edwards has averaged 32.4 points on a true shooting percentage of 64.4% in 17 games against other teams that are currently over .500. He’s averaged 27.6 points on 61.2% in 18 games against teams currently at or below .500. He’s also an incredible 19-for-27 (70%) on clutch shots against winning teams.
The Wolves host the Bulls on Thursday and will then play two straight games against the eighth-place Warriors, whom they currently lead by 2 1/2 games. The first of that two-game set is Saturday (5:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
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John Schuhmann has covered the NBA for more than 20 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Bluesky
