Plus, the Pelicans are in the midst of a free fall.
The NBA’s first Rivals Week ended up pitting many of the league’s top teams against one another.
Lakers-Celtics, a historic matchup that dates back decades, and Grizzlies-Warriors, a budding beef between two of the best teams in the West, both delivered, while Joel Embiid got a crack at Nikola Jokiu0107 in a battle of MVP candidates.
Boston stumbled while Philadelphia kept on winning, and Memphis finally ended its lengthy losing streak. Meanwhile, a few teams in the league’s expansive middle class, including the Timberwolves and Clippers, made their move up the standings with a string of impressive performances.