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Updated Win-Loss Predictions for Every Team with Remaining 2024-25 NBA Schedule

Dan Favale

Eleven out of 10 dentists agree that there's no better way to ring in the New Year than by updating every NBA team's win-loss projections.

Last time we met, Thanksgiving was just around the corner and the 2024-25 regular season had skirted past its quarter mark. Now, we're nearing the schedule's halfway mark—at which point, generally speaking, most teams have told us who and what they are, often many times over.

This season feels...different.

Preconceived notions are being upended at every turn. Between injuries and unexpected disappointments and surprises, you can assume current win-loss trajectories are susceptible to wild swings.

All of this will be considered, along with each team's remaining strength of schedule and the prospect of meaningful changes taking place ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline. And don't worry about us doling out too many wins or losses. A full season's schedule ends with 1,230 of each. These record projections ensure the #mathchecksout.

Atlanta Hawks: 41-41

Mark Blinch/Getty Images

Previous Prediction: 34-48

Current Record: 19-18

Kudos to the Atlanta Hawks for their undying commitment to playing exactly .500 basketball. Their devotion is so strong that they follow extended winning streaks with almost equally extended losing streaks just to keep at it.

In all seriousness, this Hawks team is more scrappy than initially advertised. Jalen Johnson is giving Trae Young a legitimate co-star, and while the defense wax and wanes, it continues to hit another aggressive gear for protracted pockets.

Noticeably outperforming the 41-41 projection is on the table. Failing a trade*, though, it will require steadier shot-making from Young and better availability and play from Bogdan Bogdanović.

(*This team would be a fun Jimmy Butler destination. Do not @ me.)

Boston Celtics: 60-22

Mike Mulholland/Getty Images

Previous Prediction: 64-18

Current Record: 27-10

Relative to their own lofty standards, the Boston Celtics are slogging through a "rough" patch.

They are "just" four games over .500 since around Thanksgiving. During this time Jrue Holiday's shooting has failed to normalize, Jaylen Brown's own outside struggles have persisted and the rotation has, on many nights, felt uncomfortably shallow.

These concerns, among others, may rear their head in a playoff setting. But the presumption must be that the Celtics will be fine, because they remain ridiculously good. Even during this "slump," they own a top-five offensive and defensive rating, and the crux of their rotation continues to ball out.

The Celtics may not be playing their ideal form of basketball, but they don't necessarily need to be the best version of themselves to hit the 60-win benchmark.

Brooklyn Nets: 24-58

David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images

Previous Prediction: 25-57

Current Record: 13-23

Our last round of projections banked heavily on the Brooklyn Nets designing their own demolition after racking up too many wins.

Mission accomplished.

Dennis Schröder and Dorian Finney-Smith are gone, and the losses are beginning to pile up. Most critically, Brooklyn is 29th in points scored per possession since sending Schröder to the Golden State Warriors.

Granted, there is still work to be done. Reuniting with D'Angelo Russell and the return of Cam Thomas may propel the Nets offense to unintended and unwanted heights. But general manager Sean Marks has already shown he understands the point of this season. More trades and eventual shut-downs are en route.

Charlotte Hornets: 20-62

Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images

Previous Prediction: 31-51

Current Record: 8-27

Here is the list of every NBA team that has won fewer games since Thanksgiving than the Charlotte Hornets:

That's it. That's the list.

Pretty much all of the Hornets' most important players have missed extensive time, including LaMelo Ball, who is also downing under 31 percent of his triples since rejoining the lineup. Cobbling together more fuller-strength performances—Mark Williams has returned!—will boost their stock.

At the same time, the Hornets have officially lost enough to prioritize next season. Expect their actions leading into (and beyond) the trade deadline to follow that script.

Chicago Bulls: 36-46

Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Previous Prediction: 29-53

Current Record: 17-19

The Chicago Bulls are totally sending their first-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs, aren't they?

This is a preposterous statement from every which angle. And it was unfathomable entering this season. Chicago retains its 2025 first-rounder if it lands inside the top 10. Surely, the thinking went, it would be bad enough and jettison enough impact players to turn this into a non-issue.

So much for that.

Zach LaVine and Nikola Vučević continue to both kill it and actually be on the roster. The Bulls are above .500 overall since Thanksgiving and eking out close-call victories. Sub-average vitals at both ends of the floor suggest more losses will roll in. But with each passing day, the likelihood increases that Chicago stands idle, if not looks to add talent at the deadline, in hopes of preserving its string of 36-to-40-win seasons.

Cleveland Cavaliers: 70-12

Jason Miller/Getty Images

Previous Prediction: 65-17

Current Record: 31-4

Resist the urge to assume the Cleveland Cavaliers will significantly fall off their 73-win pace. Question their playoff viability all you want. But these Cavs are clearly, and at minimum, built to be a generational regular-season team.

If the postseason started today, Cleveland would have one of the four highest net ratings of all time. At some point, "It's still sort of early" caveats no longer apply. And we're just about there.

Hold out for frostier outside shooting and injuries to drag the Cavs down a peg or three if you're so inclined. Some players (Ty Jerome) have already cooled off. And the supporting cast hasn't exactly been a portrait of perfect health. Max Strus missed most of the year and isn't shooting too well since debuting, and Isaac Okoro is currently sidelined with a shoulder injury.

In all honesty, if the Core Four remains healthy, earmarking Cleveland for fewer than 73 wins may prove to be too spicy.

Dallas Mavericks: 50-32

Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images

Previous Prediction: 50-32

Current Record: 21-16

Injuries are beginning to pile up for the Dallas Mavericks. Luka Dončić (calf) likely won't be back until the end of January, and Kyrie Irving (back) now joins him on the shelf.

That puts the Mavs in an uncomfortable medium-term position. And their defense has slipped in the intervening weeks.

Still, this is all temporary. Dallas ranks among the deepest, most well-balanced teams in the league at full strength. The next couple of weeks will be tricky—and teeming with Spencer Dinwiddie and P.J. Washington on-ball reps. But the Mavs will resume their pursuit of the Western Conference's No. 2 seed as soon as Dončić returns, if not even sooner than that.

Denver Nuggets: 48-34

Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images

Previous Prediction: 50-32

Current Record: 20-15

Benefit of the doubt is not a luxury yet earned by these Denver Nuggets. And yet, portrayals of their demise are grossly exaggerated.

Nikola Jokić continues to monopolize the MVP discussion. Michael Porter Jr. has responded to Zach LaVine trade rumors by (largely) playing well enough to kill them. Jamal Murray is nowhere near the level of a true No. 2 right now, but his offensive production is evening out.

The defense is uninspiring but nowhere near hopeless when factoring in how much time Aaron Gordon has missed. Denver is getting nuked without Jokić on the court for the season but has unearthed combinations increasingly holding their own.

This is all to say: The Nuggets are not a great team, but they are a good team—one that's further away from total implosion than initially advertised.

Detroit Pistons: 41-41

Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images

Previous Prediction: 33-49

Current Record: 18-18

Coherent basketball is back in the Motor City. And the Detroit Pistons may be play-in bound because of it.

Cade Cunningham is at the center of it all. Skeptics point toward his sub-55-true-shooting as proof of something sinister, but he's on pace to join Luka Dončić, Nikola Jokić and Trae Young as the only players to turn in seasons averaging at least 24 points and nine assists while downing 37 percent or more of their threes.

That's a caps-lock FEAT in any context. It is infinitely more impressive when considering the difficulty of Cunningham's role. Among nearly 250 players who have logged at least 500 minutes this season, just four grade out as having a lower shot quality, according to BBall Index.

Detroit has plenty of hurdles it must clear. Jaden Ivey (left leg) is out indefinitely. The front office could decide to sell. The Pistons may invariably need more out of their center rotation, particularly if Jalen Duren rejoins the seesaw ranks. Fewer close games may pan out in Detroit's favor.

In the meantime, the Pistons have shown enough, for long enough, to be viewed through the .500 lens.

Golden State Warriors: 42-40

Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images

Previous Prediction: 50-32

Current Record: 18-18

This is at once a marked downgrade from our previous visit and, potentially, too ambitious. The Golden State Warriors since Thanksgiving have dropped twice as many games as they've won, with an offense that ranks 27th in points scored per possession and a defense on the decline.

Jonathan Kuminga's weeks-long absence with an ankle injury only serves to increase their fragility. He was on one of his trademark ascents prior to going down.

On the bright side, Golden State remains a demonstrative positive with Stephen Curry in the lineup, and Andrew Wiggins is officially back. On the not-so-bright side, even after the Dennis Schröder trade, this team still feels two substantial players away from being anything special.

Houston Rockets: 53-29

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Previous Prediction: 49-33

Current Record: 24-12

Losing Jabari Smith Jr. (left hand) for the next month or two does little to derail the overarching message of the Houston Rockets season:

This team is winning over 50 games.

Houston's combination of defensive energy, depth and skill is actually bonkers. Finishing fifth in points allowed per possession is probably its floor.

Poking holes in the offense is easier—and justified. The Rockets are in the bottom five of both three-point-attempt rate (27th) and accuracy (29th) as well as half-court efficiency (26th). It is tough to envision a much higher ceiling with the current personnel.

Fortunately for Houston, it has the assets to change the personnel if it pleases. More than that, the current formula of hellfire defense plus just enough transition offense is a recipe for winning a crap ton of regular-season games.

Indiana Pacers: 43-39

Jeff Dean/Getty Images

Previous Prediction: 38-44

Current Record: 19-18

Start paying attention to what's happening with the Indiana Pacers if you're not already. Things began turning for them just before Thanksgiving and have ramped up closer to hyperdrive following Andrew Nembhard's return.

Indiana boasts a top-three offense and top-five net rating over the past month, a stretch that has not exactly featured a cupcake schedule. The defense, in particular, has delivered a couple of standout performances, and the Pacers are suddenly working with a rotation that, depending on how you feel about Ben Sheppard and Thomas Bryant, runs eight to nine trustworthy players deep.

Life may only get better from here. Aaron Nesmith has not played since Nov. 1 while dealing with an ankle injury. He will essentially count as a midseason acquisition when he finally returns. If you buy into the steady rise of Jarace Walker, Indiana just may finish the year as one of the East's deepest teams.

Los Angeles Clippers: 48-34

David Berding/Getty Images

Previous Prediction: 45-37

Current Record: 20-16

Kawhi Leonard has officially rejoined a team tracking toward 45-plus victories and a top-seven defense without him.

So, yes, it's perfectly acceptable to get high on the Los Angeles Clippers' supply.

Counting on Leonard to appear in almost every game while performing at an All-NBA level mandates a special brand of ignorance. Inconstant availability is his constant.

But every appearance he accumulates diminishes the workload placed upon everyone else. And we have seen enough from supporting cast members such as Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac to know that alone could be a monumental development—if not for them, then certainly for the still-good-but-clearly-overburdened James Harden.

Los Angeles Lakers: 46-36

Alex Slitz/Getty Images

Previous Prediction: 46-36

Current Record: 20-16

The Los Angeles Lakers have somewhat quietly crept back into contention for a top Western Conference playoff seed while reversing a lot of their most troubling defensive trends. Adding Dorian Finney-Smith should help cement them as an omnipresent threat.

Equally important: Because his arrival didn't require forking over a first-rounder, they will have opportunities to prowl the trade market for more upgrades.

If the past is indeed prologue, the latter benefit won't matter very much. Los Angeles' front office has taken a pearl-clutching approach to asset management ever since flipping Russell Westbrook.

That makes it tough to slingshot the Lakers any closer to 50-win territory. Even if you aren't worried about Anthony Davis missing time or LeBron James falling off (sources confirm he's still good), Los Angeles now lacks secondary ball-handling and, more notably, has feasted on teams with losing records to fuel its rise up the standings.

Memphis Grizzlies: 52-30

Justin Ford/Getty Images

Previous Prediction: 51-31

Current Record: 24-14

Conventional wisdom demands we stop ticketing the Memphis Grizzlies for more than 50 wins. After all, another injury is always on the horizon. Even as you read this, Ja Morant is week-to-week with an AC joint sprain.

This is just a footnote relative to all the other absences Memphis has navigated. And that's the point.

These Grizzlies defy logic. Losses have started to rise during Morant's latest absence, but they have still maintained top-five offensive and defensive ratings since Thanksgiving despite never approaching full strength.

Depth, defense and intensity remain this team's calling cards. That may not serve them well enough in the playoffs—and they know it. But the regular season is about survival. Even with the league's second-toughest remaining schedule, these Grizzlies are clearly built to sustain their 50-plus-win pace.

Miami Heat: 38-44

Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images

Previous Prediction: 38-44

Current Record: 18-17

Good luck figuring out how to forecast the Miami Heat. Their fate is inextricably tied to the end of the Jimmy Butler saga.

Acting as if his removal will be addition by subtraction is pure theater. You can't measure his value purely by the (non-)efforts during Jan. 1 and Jan. 2 outings against New Orleans and Indiana, respectively.

Miami gets smacked around whenever Butler is not on the court, including when both Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro are in the lineup. That may change depending on what they get back in what must be considered an inevitable trade.

Whether that deal happens anytime soon remains to be seen. For now, Butler is in the process of serving a seven-game suspension. And there's no guarantee he plays for the Heat again, or at his current peak, once it lifts.

Milwaukee Bucks: 45-37

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

Previous Prediction: 45-37

Current Record: 18-16

Various signs point toward the Milwaukee Bucks having a ceiling much higher than 45 wins. Their 2-8 start is a distant memory, and even their post-NBA Cup slump has not prevented them from maintaining a top-10 defense since Thanksgiving.

Absences from Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard during this stretch lend merit to the optimism. The Bucks will be juggernaut-ish as soon as they reach full strength for an extended period of time.

Except the prevailing presumption must be that'll never happen. Khris Middleton is back on the sidelines again. More than anything, Milwaukee seems extra susceptible to ebbs and flows—to losses like the one versus Portland on Jan. 4, in which both Giannis and Dame were available.

Inconsistency, of course, is not unique to the Bucks. Especially in the East. They needn't be anywhere near flawless to nab 45 wins and contend for a top-four spot.

Minnesota Timberwolves: 44-38

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Previous Prediction: 44-38

Current Record: 19-17

If the NBA gave out an award for making just enough progress to lure you back on the bandwagon only to violently eject you five seconds later, the Minnesota Timberwolves would win it running away.

Defending the trade that sent out Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo is, from a basketball perspective, officially impossible. Increasing the deployment of Randle-plus-shooting lineups and, most recently, subbing Donte DiVincenzo into the starting five for Mike Conley provide flickers of progress—of hope. It will never be enough.

Minnesota is fated to be the same maddeningly inconsistent, offensively unspectacular version of itself all season. Getting to more (read: actual) stretches in which DiVincenzo, Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert, Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid are the core group would (maybe) go a long way. It would also require those in charge copping to a mistake they don't appear ready to acknowledge.

None of which is to imply the 2024-25 Timberwolves are doomed. They're just nowhere near as good as they could be.

New Orleans Pelicans: 16-66

Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

Previous Prediction: 29-53

Current Record: 7-30

Zion Williamson (hamstring) returned to the basketball court Tuesday night for the first time since Nov. 6. That plus a two-game winning streak exclusively against the Washington Wizards means...absolutely bupkis for the New Orleans Pelicans.

Basketball season has already ended in The Bayou. The Pelicans are too far behind the play-in picture to fool themselves into thinking they can salvage what's left of this year.

New Orleans isn't even at full strength following Zion's return. Brandon Ingram remains out with an ankle injury. And even with everyone in tow, the roster remains jagged and ill-fitting, neither built to generate easy shots nor prop up elite defense.

Any victories the Pelicans snare from hereon are counterintuitive to what's best for the organization. The rest of this year should be dedicated to juicing lottery odds and gauging the market for everyone not named Herbert Jones or Trey Murphy III. Sixty-six losses is betting on them eventually doing just that—or simply being bad enough as currently constructed that eschewing the smartest path won't matter.

New York Knicks: 52-30

Cole Burston/Getty Images

Previous Prediction: 49-33

Current Record: 24-13

By following up a nine-game winning streak against a favorable schedule with three consecutive losses against two real opponents (Oklahoma City, Orlando) and the Chicago Bulls, the New York Knicks have once again opened up themselves to flurries of criticism.

They are not just slumping from three. They're tired. Because they're too shallow. They need a trade—a significant one. And that trade must beef up the defense, which still isn't good enough.

There are kernels of truth to every form of (hypothetical) skepticism. New York is, in fact, shallow. But adding bodies doesn't mean head coach Tom Thibodeau will use them. The defense is neither hopeless nor fixed. New York is 10th in points allowed per possession since Thanksgiving but 30th against top-10 offenses (22nd if you filter out opening night) and 19th versus offenses No. 11 through 20.

Dismissing these concerns when looking at their title chances would be foolish. Barring catastrophic injuries, though, the Knicks are built to remain one of the East's three best regular-season teams.

Oklahoma City Thunder: 70-12

Eric Espada/NBAE via Getty Images

Previous Prediction: 63-19

Current Record: 30-5

Dragging the Oklahoma City Thunder beneath the 65-win threshold last time around had (almost) everything to do with Chet Holmgren suffering a right hip injury.

Silly me.

Oklahoma is currently on pace for 70 wins, sports an all-time defense relative to the league average and has the second highest net rating ever, behind only the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls.

Feel free to bump the Thunder off their 70-win trajectory. Holmgren could take a while to re-acclimate himself upon return. The offense sometimes gets a little too sticky and is wholly reliant on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Oklahoma City could simply relieve some of the pressure it's putting on the gas upon sewing up the No. 1 seed.

Exactly none of this speaks to yours truly. The Thunder are deep, dynamic and dominant. If SGA remains available, do not be surprised if (when?) this team enters 70-win territory.

Orlando Magic: 46-36

Gary Bassing/NBAE via Getty Images

Previous Prediction: 49-33

Current Record: 22-16

Remaining strength of schedule is doing a fair amount of lifting for the Orlando Magic. Only the Washington Wizards have an easier slate the rest of the way, presumably because they don't get to play themselves.

Truthfully, even that may not be enough to keep the Magic floating above 45-win waters.

Paolo Banchero has not played since Oct. 30 after suffering a torn oblique. Franz Wagner suffered (basically) the exact same injury on Dec. 6 and is out indefinitely. Mo Wagner will miss the rest of the season with a torn left ACL.

Key absences are starting to take their toll. Orlando is below .500 with a bottom-three offense since Wagner went down. Its defense and general scrappiness is worth a lot—and gets the benefit of the doubt here. But the Magic desperately need Banchero back if they're going to fend off teams like Milwaukee, Indiana, Atlanta and, yes, even Detroit.

Philadelphia 76ers: 42-40

Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images

Previous Prediction: 42-40

Current Record: 14-20

Despite sitting four games above .500 since Thanksgiving and now a stone's throw from the top six of the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia 76ers' trajectory doesn't incite much confidence.

Getting up to 42 wins isn't a tall task on its face. It requires going 28-20 the rest of the way, a perfectly plausible record if the Sixers are healthy.

News flash: The Sixers aren't healthy. Embiid is dealing with a foot injury and is slated to miss Wednesday's game, along with George (groin). Jared McCain underwent surgery to repair a torn left lateral meniscus and is out indefinitely. Kyle Lowry (hip) and Andre Drummond (toe) are banged up. KJ Martin suffered a stress reaction in his left foot.

To its credit, Philly handedly wins the minutes with its Big Three on the court. But the offense has failed to impress during these stretches—George is shooting under 34 percent on semi-open and wide-open threes—and the Sixers are a net negative in aggregate two-star units, per PBP Stats.

Sticking with 42 wins is a nod to the state of the East, Tyrese Maxey and the chance of more Big Three reps than anything else.

Phoenix Suns: 43-39

Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

Previous Prediction: 48-34

Current Record: 16-19

Having the Phoenix Suns finish with a winning record shouldn't feel this bold. But here we are.

Maybe moving Bradley Beal (and Jusuf Nurkić) jump-starts a functional reinvention. Or maybe the Suns stumble into a Jimmy Butler trade. And maybe that Jimmy Butler trade doesn't require them to reroute Ryan Dunn for a first-round pick to complete said Jimmy Butler trade.

Maybe Phoenix figures out how to improve upon what just might be the league's worst center rotation. And no matter what they do (or don't do), maybe the Suns won't finish the year totally, and precariously, dependent on 36-year-old Kevin Durant playing like a peak MVP candidate.

I know what you're thinking: That's a lot of maybes. What are the odds even a handful of them pan out in the affirmative? And if they don't, what are the odds they go from trying to trade for Jimmy Butler to being forced to trade Durant?

Portland Trail Blazers: 22-60

David Berding/Getty Images

Previous Prediction: 27-55

Current Record: 12-23

Mustering strong feelings about the Portland Trail Blazers is becoming difficult. That can happen with rebuilding squads, but instilling this type of diffidence prior to the trade deadline is actually impressive.

Head coach Chauncey Billups structures his rotations in a way reminiscent of someone competing for a playoff spot who hates spacing and a consistent on-court identity. The end result is a team miles away from the postseason potentially playing itself out of bottom-four-record contention.

To be sure, bright spots are peppered into Portland's product. Scoot Henderson is delivering more flashes, Anfernee Simons is drilling more shots, Deni Avdija is making things happen, and Toumani Camara remains a defensive fiend.

Lowering the Blazers' current win-loss pace is less about discrediting the good and more about acknowledging this team still has room to get worse—by design.

Sacramento Kings: 44-38

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Previous Prediction: 42-40

Current Record: 18-19

Head coach Mike Brown's dismissal has apparently lit a fire under the Sacramento Kings. And by this, I obviously mean interim head coach Doug Christie has discovered that he is, in fact, allowed to play Keon Ellis.

I'm only, like, 37 percent kidding.

Sub-10-game samples are not telltale of a turnaround. But the Kings' vitals—and number of crunch-time appearances—always hinted at their being a better team than the 12th-place afterthought into which they devolved.

Increasing Ellis' usage loomed as the low-hanging fruit. Christie has gobbled it up by inserting him into the starting five.

Make no mistake, Brown alone was not the problem. Sacramento needs a trade or two that beefs up the frontline and wing rotations. And this ship could still capsize if De'Aaron Fox demands a trade. Overall, though, the Kings seem better positioned to capitalize what's left of this season.

San Antonio Spurs: 42-40

Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Previous Prediction: 42-40

Current Record: 18-18

On most nights, the San Antonio Spurs seem one medium-sized acquisition away from really blowing the doors off the Western Conference's middle-of-the-pack hierarchy.

Midseason shakeups aren't the Spurs' style, though. They are more likely to accelerate their position over the summer, insofar as they look to move it up at all.

Framed that way, their current position is admirable. They have one of the eight toughest remaining schedules, but they continue to comfortably win the minutes with Victor Wembanyama on the court.

Couple this with growth from Jeremy Sochan and Julian Champagnie; game-managing from Chris Paul; tough shot-making from Devin Vassell; and the defense and occasional feats of offensive strength by Stephon Castle, and San Antonio has the goods to close 2024-25 north of .500.

Toronto Raptors: 18-64

Mark Blinch/Getty Images

Previous Prediction: 24-58

Current Record: 8-28

Toronto Raptors games are getting harder to watch.

What once profiled as a shorthanded upstart typifying the perfect kind of bad is now a fuller-strength sinking ship suffering blowouts galore. These losses are all in service of lottery odds and the overall bigger picture, but the timeline and endgame is a lot harder to appreciate and envision when Toronto has notched just a single, solitary victory over the past month-plus.

Not that the Raptors are a categorical disaster. Injuries remain a huge part of their 2024-25 resume. Now that Immanuel Quickley is back in the fold, their should-be go-to lineup will amass real, actual reps.

And with one of the five easiest remaining schedules, who knows, our next win-loss fiesta may require a mea culpa from this sub-20-win billing.

Utah Jazz: 20-62

Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images

Previous Prediction: 15-67

Current Record: 9-26

Allow me to retract everything I wrote last time and declare the Utah Jazz once again in need of a trade because head coach Will Hardy is just too damn good.

Utah has a top-eight offense over the last month, during which time it's won more than 25 percent of its games. If this keeps up, and if Brooklyn triples-down on its nosedive, and if Philadelphia and Phoenix continue to show disdain for working past early April, the Jazz could find themselves drafting ninth overall yet again.

I'm kidding. Mostly. Utah is getting quality outings from, like, five or six guys per night these days. Veterans such as Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson and John Collins are chief among them. (Shout-out Brice Sensabaugh, too.)

Sure, the Jazz may be able to bag top-four lottery odds without trading or shutting down anyone. But, uh, we know better. And so do they. They'll do something(s) to ensure they don't stumble past the 20-win benchmark.

Washington Wizards: 14-68

G Fiume

Previous Prediction: 15-67

Current Record: 6-28

Not much has changed for the Washington Wizards.

We have seen more of Malcolm Brogdon, Justin Champagnie looks like even more of a friggin' find, and Alex Sarr is spitting out brighter moments at both ends of the floor. But the team is still tracking towards the league's worst record and has a real shot at finishing dead last in offensive and defensive efficiency.

Pulling even more wins from the Wiz's total is fair game. They are going to trade a veteran or two at some point.

Yet, there's no guarantee this makes them much, if at all, worse. There's no guarantee they're even dying to make a move. Even as a team like Brooklyn ramps up its tanking efforts, Washington should have an airtight hold on a bottom-four record and the top-tier lottery odds that come with it.

Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.

Unless otherwise cited, stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference, Stathead or Cleaning the Glass.

   

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