1) Golden State Warriors (3-1) [4]: Kevon Looney playing productive minutes early.
2) Houston Rockets (2-2) [1]: Eric Gordon (24.8 ppg through six games) picking up the slack for the injured Chris Paul.
3) San Antonio Spurs (2-2) [3]: After tonight’s game at Boston, the Spurs won’t leave the Central Time Zone again until after Thanksgiving.
4) Cleveland Cavaliers (1-2) [2]: Back to the Future — Cavs again switch up their starting lineup and return to the one that got them to three straight Finals, with Tristan Thompson back at center, Kevin Love bumped down to the four, LeBron at the three (with Jae Crowder going to the bench) and J.R. Smith at the two.
5) Boston Celtics (3-0) [9]: Their length on the wings (Brown, Tatum, rookie Semi Ojeleye) looked formidable at the defensive end in avenging an earlier loss to Antetokounmpo and the Bucks last week.
6) LA Clippers (2-1) [7]: Pat Beverley taking his (defensive) talents to Rodeo Drive; Clippers are No. 1 in both Defensive Rating and points allowed through first two weeks of the season.
7) Milwaukee Bucks (2-1) [8]: I don’t think I would have wanted to cover 41 home games at the MECCA. My corneas are just getting back to normal.
8) Memphis Grizzlies (3-1) [10]: Pretty impressive sweepage of the Rockets this week, including beating the Rockets in Memphis on Saturday despite none of the Grizzlies’ starters scoring in double figures.
9) Toronto Raptors (1-2) [5]: Pretty sure Kyle Lowry isn’t going to shoot 35.5 percent for the whole season.
10) Detroit Pistons (3-1) [15]: Take down Clippers, Warriors back to back on the road? A pretty impressive California Dreaming.
11) Washington Wizards (2-2) [6]: Their propensity for playing up/down to opponent continues in sloppy loss to Lakers Wednesday, fourth-quarter battle with Warriors Friday.
12) Oklahoma City Thunder (2-1) [11]: Russell Westbrook’s completed a career NBA triple-double with his 26-point, 13-rebound, 13-assist effort Saturday against the Bulls — the last team in the league against whom he’d yet to have one.
13) Portland Trail Blazers (2-1) [14]: Won 17th straight home opener by beating New Orleans at Moda Center on Tuesday.
14) Orlando Magic (2-1) [NR]: Who is this group of imposters shooting 46 percent on 3-pointers? What have you done with the Magic?
15) Minnesota Timberwolves (1-2) [13]: They feel a guy light off the bench.
Dropped out: Utah Jazz (12)
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MORE MORNING TIP: Harrington finds new career in medical marijuana | Hawks embrace season of change | Morning Tip mailbag: How far can Pelicans go?
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Longtime NBA reporter, columnist and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer David Aldridge is an analyst for TNT. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting.
