The NBA regular season is heading toward the home stretch.
Some teams, particularly those that made big deals before the trade deadline like the Golden State Warriors, are making pushes to improve their seeding ahead of the playoffs. Others, like the Philadelphia 76ers, are languishing in what appear to be lost seasons.
And some, like the Denver Nuggets, have simply returned to form behind their star power. All of it sets up what should be an intense final two months of the regular season, as teams try to avoid the play-in tournament.
Here are the winners and losers from Week 18 of the NBA season.
WINNERS
Streaking Pistons stay hot
Not only did Detroit record its first eight-game winning streak in 17 years Wednesday night, it took down the defending champs to do so. And with that the Pistons — easily the most improved team in the NBA this season — are making their case as a surprising upstart. The Pistons entered the fourth quarter against Boston with an 11-point lead before they scored the period’s first eight points. In fact, Detroit (33-26), outscored the Celtics in the second half by a margin of 62-42. The Pistons hammered Boston down low, outscoring the Celtics 62-20 in the paint.
Over the last eight games, Detroit has allowed 105.9 points per 100 possessions, fewest in the NBA. In that span, the Pistons have scored 122.3 points per 100 possessions. They’re comfortably in the No. 6 seed in the East and already have more than double the victories they posted last season (14).
Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokić, Nuggets appear poised for another deep run
The Nuggets have won 10 of their last 11 games and are 22-7 since Dec. 28. Not surprisingly, this run has coincided with the return to form of guard Jamal Murray, who has shaken off summer struggles that stretched into the Olympics. Over his last 19 games, Murray is averaging 24.8 points per game, and Denver is 14-5 in that span. And Jokić, who was ranked first in USA TODAY Sports’ MVP power rankings this week, continues his stellar play, averaging a triple-double and coming off a game Monday in which he recorded 19 assists.
There’s a clear winner in the Jimmy Butler trade — at least in the short term
The Warriors (31-27) have won six of the seven games they’ve played since they swung the deal to get Jimmy Butler, who has been an engaged defender and team player since joining Golden State. Butler’s numbers since the move — 18.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.4 steals per game — have been steady and solid. More than his production, however, it’s Butler’s understanding of defense and rotations that has tightened Golden State’s operation. Over the last seven games, the Warriors have the NBA’s best defensive rating (104.4).
That said, Golden State’s best wins in the Butler era have been against a Bucks team that was missing Giannis Antetokounmpo, a Mavericks team that was missing Anthony Davis and the Rockets, who have recently struggled.
LOSERS
There’s a clear loser in the Jimmy Butler trade — at least in the short term
The flip side of that is the Miami Heat (27-30), who have gone 3-6 since trading Butler. Miami did thump the Hawks Wednesday night behind a season-best 59.2% shooting performance in which all five starters and seven players overall scored in double figures. Yet, the Heat have looked like a team still searching for an identity and still searching for a set rotation.
Guard Terry Rozier, who was acquired in January 2024 for a first-round pick, has struggled so badly that he has fallen entirely out of the rotation, recording his second consecutive healthy scratch Wednesday. And, while Miami shot its season-best Wednesday at home against the Hawks, it also put up a season-low 32.1% shooting mark in a loss in Atlanta just two days earlier.
Sputtering Suns appear headed for changes
After striking out at the trade deadline, failing to swing a deal for Jimmy Butler despite being linked to him, Phoenix (27-31) is tumbling down the Western Conference standings. The Suns have lost 10 of their last 13 and their lack of depth continues to be a massive issue. During that span, which includes two losses to the Trail Blazers and one to the Raptors, the Suns rank dead last in the NBA in defensive rating, allowing 120.5 points per 100 possessions.
Phoenix’s effort on the glass has been unacceptable, tied for 27th over the last 13 games in offensive rebounds allowed (13.4). And with Kevin Durant turning 37 before the start of next season, the team could look to move him this offseason to recoup some assets and shore up depth.
Sixers’ season trending toward the comically bad
It has gotten so bad for Philadelphia (20-38), losers of nine consecutive games, that it was newsworthy that Paul George announced he was taking a break from podcasting to focus on his body and the remainder of the regular season. The 76ers are reportedly considering alternative treatment options for Joel Embiid’s injured left knee. Philadelphia has been plagued by slow starts recently; in the last four games, the Sixers have given up an average of 37 points in their first quarters and 67.8 through their first halves.
Yet, despite all that, Philadelphia is somehow only 2.5 games back of the 10-seed in the East, the final spot in the play-in.
Spurs dealt more bad news
The rebuild around Victor Wembanyama will have to wait, as the second-year phenom was diagnosed with blood clots in his right shoulder and will miss the rest of the season. It’s a tough blow for a team that traded for shifty point guard De’Aaron Fox, but this has been a complicated season for San Antonio, which has been without coach Gregg Popovich (mild stroke) since early November.