The Spurs are off to one of the best starts in NBA history and no one has seemed to notice.
That's what happens when you play in the same conference as the Warriors, whose hot start — 24 straight victories to start the season, a 28-1 record as of the moment — has dominated NBA news this season.
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Meanwhile, the Spurs have quietly and methodically bolted out to a 26-6 start after their 101-86 win Saturday over the Nuggets at the AT&T Center. Kawhi Leonard scored 20 points to lead six Spurs in double figures.
San Antonio is 17-0 at home, the first team to do that since the 2008-09 Cavaliers, who opened 23-0 at home. No Western Conference team has done that since the Lakers went 17-0 to start the 1988-89 season. The Spurs have won a franchise-record 26 straight games at home dating to last season.
Highlight:
Trailblazers guard C.J. McCollum ventures into the land of the giants against the Cavaliers and tosses up a mega-floater:
CJ's floater. Major 🔑 pic.twitter.com/F2Kq42h8LU
— Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) December 27, 2015Tweet of the Night:
ESPN NBA reporter Kevin Arnovitz had this to say about the Grizzlies' offense, which lost to the Hornets 98-92:
There are Grizzlies' possessions that look like 5 guys trying to assemble IKEA furniture.
— Kevin Arnovitz (@kevinarnovitz) December 27, 201576ers win!
The 76ers may be so bad that they deserve headline treatment every time they win this year. Philadelphia scored just its second win of the season against 30 losses, beating the Suns in Phoenix 111-104. Guard Isaiah Canaan led the way for Philly with 22 points. Nerlens Noel added 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Red hot:
Wizards center Marcin Gortat, who missed three games earlier this month to return to his native Poland to be with his sick mother, has taken his game to another level since returning. The 6-11 Gortat scored 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting in the Wizards' 111-96 win over the Nets on Saturday. In his past five games, Gortat is averaging 20.4 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.
Stud of the night:
It's a given that Pistons center Andre Drummond is going to collect a double-double in most games, but he's establishing a new standard: the 20-20. The 6-11 All Star scored 22 points and grabbed 22 boards in a 99-93 home loss to the Celtics. He has five games this year with 20 or more points and rebounds.
Dud of the night:
Everyone knew Al Jefferson would be rusty in his first action since Nov. 29. Coming off a five-game suspension for violating the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program — he'd sat out six games with a calf injury before that — the Hornets center came off the bench against the Grizzlies on Saturday night. His final stat line was about as bad as it gets: 1 for 8 from the field, 0-2 from the free-throw line, with two points and four rebounds in 18 minutes. Oh, and he fouled out in the Hornets' 98-92 victory.
Looking ahead (All times Eastern):
Knicks (14-17) at Celtics (17-13), 7 p.m.: Knicks fans have something to cheer about this year, with the team already close to matching the 17 victories it earned all of last season. Carmelo Anthony returned to the lineup Saturday night after missing a game with an ankle injury. He's got help this season in the front court in 7-3 rookie Kristaps Porzingas, who is averaging more than 13 points and eight rebounds per game. Meanwhile, high-scoring Celtics guards Isaiah Thomas (20.9 points per game) and Avery Bradley (15.4) continue to create matchup problems for other teams.
Nuggets (12-18) at Thunder (20-10), 7 p.m.: Despite their underwater record, the Nuggets are in the running for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. If they're going to make the playoffs, they'll need to score a few wins in games like this, playing against superior teams on the road. Meanwhile, Kevin Durant (26.7 points per game) looks nothing like a player coming off major foot surgery earlier this year.