5 NBA Stats to Know From the Last Week
Point Differential Is Off-Kilter
Not sure if you heard, but in any given NBA game, the team that scores more points than their opponents tends to win. And teams that score lots more points than their opponents tend to win lots of games.
This year, that hasn't necessarily been the case.
Here are the top-10 teams in point differential in the Association and where they stand in the win-loss column.
| Team | Point Differential | Rank | Record | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden State Warriors | +10.1 | 1 | 8-3 | T-2 |
| Boston Celtics | +9.1 | 2 | 9-2 | 1 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | +7.2 | 3 | 4-5 | T-7 |
| Houston Rockets | +6.6 | 4 | 8-3 | T-2 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | +6.3 | 5 | 6-4 | T-4 |
| Los Angeles Clippers | +5.6 | 6 | 5-4 | T-5 |
| Toronto Raptors | +5.0 | 7 | 5-4 | T-5 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | +3.7 | 8 | 6-4 | T-4 |
| Detroit Pistons | +3.6 | T-9 | 7-3 | T-3 |
| Washington Wizards | +3.6 | T-9 | 5-4 | T-5 |
To compare and contrast, here are the same numbers for the 2016-17 season.
| Team | Point Differential | Rank | Record | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden State Warriors | +11.6 | 1 | 67-15 | 1 |
| San Antonio Spurs | +7.2 | 2 | 61-21 | 2 |
| Houston Rockets | +5.8 | 3 | 55-27 | 3 |
| Los Angeles Clippers | +4.3 | 4 | 51-31 | T-5 |
| Toronto Raptors | +4.2 | 5 | 51-31 | T-5 |
| Utah Jazz | +3.9 | 6 | 51-31 | T-5 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | +3.2 | 7 | 51-31 | T-5 |
| Boston Celtics | +2.7 | 8 | 53-29 | 4 |
| Washington Wizards | +1.8 | 9 | 49-33 | 9 |
| Miami Heat | +1.1 | 10 | 41-41 | T-15 |
Last season, save for a couple minor blips, point differential and team record paralleled. This season, it's all over the dang place.
Yeah, it's early, but this is a trend worth watching. Will it normalize? Will it get even wonkier? Will the Sacramento Kings win another game this season? Stay tuned.
