Week 8 of basketball is done and there were a ton of exciting games within the schedule. The contenders are finally showing their might against weaker competition and the standings for each conference is slowly looking a bit crowded at the top and the middle.
Today, we will be grading all 30 NBA teams in week 8 of games. This will be an exciting list so let’s get into it.
Atlanta Hawks: D (Last Week C-)
Trae Young may be scoring like crazy, but it still didn’t translate to a lot of wins for the Hawks. They went just 1-3 in week 8. But the good news is that they got a couple of winnable games before Christmas which should they probably go for.
Boston Celtics: A+ (Last Week A)
This Celtics team is looking scary right now. They dismantled both the Cavs and the Magic this past week while sitting out a bunch of key players in the rotation. Jaylen Brown is starting to find his touch as of late. Tatum is playing exceptionally well.
Brooklyn Nets: C (Last Week B+)
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After a stellar week 7, the Nets only went 1-3 this past week while pitted against top-tier teams in the league. They are good but nowhere near the contender status of the league’s elites.
Charlotte Hornets: D- (Last Week D+)
This was not a good week for the Hornets. They lost all of their games which included a 53-point beatdown they received against Joel Embiid and the Sixers. Without LaMelo Ball, this team will continue to struggle.
Chicago Bulls: C (Last Week B)
After a stellar start in December, the Bulls are now back at their losing ways. They lost to Denver, Milwaukee and Miami in week 8 but still remained competitive in most of their games. Zach LaVine is still out with an injury.
Cleveland Cavaliers: C (Last Week B+)
Like Chicago, Cleveland faltered against superior competition this past week. Their inconsistency is a glaring problem as their offense isn’t as fluid as it was last year. They’ll be lucky to post a winning record when December ends.
Dallas Mavericks: B+ (Last Week B+)
Luka is slowly solidifying his case in this season’s MVP race. He’s putting absurd numbers right now and the great part about it is that the team is also racking up wins.
Denver Nuggets: B+ (Last Week B-)
The Nuggets eagerly bounced back in week 8 after a disappointing week 7 of basketball. They took care of business against lower-tier competition before suffering a heartbreak against the impressive OKC.
Detroit Pistons: D- (Last Week D-)
After a no-win November, the Pistons are now at a huge risk to go winless in December. The bad thing about them is that they are getting blown out in almost every game they play. It’s baffling that they have tons of lottery players drafted in the roster but a star has yet to emerge.
Golden State Warriors: C+ (Last Week C-)
With Draymond suspended indefinitely, the Warriors now have won two straight games. Head coach Steve Kerr is juggling the lineup right now in the hopes of producing a winning formula. They now have to rely on their role players to do their part.
Houston Rockets: B+ (Last Week B)
After winning five straight games, the Rockets fell flat against the surging Bucks to end their week. But things are going smoothly right now for them and teams around the league should not take them lightly as they are a very talented team.
Indiana Pacers: B- (Last Week B+)
After their runner-up finish in the inaugural In-Season Tournament, the Pacers inexplicably lost their magical touch as of late. They have lost three straight games by double digits and that’s worrisome for the young squad.
Los Angeles Clippers: A (Last Week B+)
Winners of seven straight games, the Clippers are the hottest team in the league right now. Kawhi Leonard has firmly established himself as the top dog in this star-studded team and is playing superbly as of late.
Los Angeles Lakers: B (Last Week A+)
Winning the In-Season Tournament seemed like a distant memory for the Lakers. They only went 1-2 this past week and one of the losses was against the hapless Spurs. If they don’t get their act back up, expect them to lose more with a tougher schedule for the rest of December.
Memphis Grizzlies: D- (Last Week D+)
The Grizzlies went winless this past week and it feels like they are quickly running out of gas as of late. But the good news is that Ja Morant’s suspension will finally end this week and there’s a hefty buzz about his season debut. Can they still turn around their season?
Miami Heat: B (Last Week C)
The Heat is finally finding ways to win games without all-star center Bam Adebayo. Jimmy Butler ended the week with a buzzer-beater against the Bulls in what would inevitably become one of the best plays of the season.
Milwaukee Bucks: A+ (Last Week A)
Since getting embarrassed by the Pacers in the IST, the Bucks flipped a switch and have looked dominant in week 8. Giannis just scored a career-high 64 points against the Pacers in what would be a revenge game earlier this week. Damian Lillard is also playing well right now.
Minnesota Timberwolves: A+ (Last Week A+)
Even if the Wolves lost to the Pelicans, they still retained their A+ grade this week due to their impressive wins against the Mavs and the Pacers. With Anthony Edward back in the fold, this is going to be a hard team to stop.
New Orleans Pelicans: B+ (Last Week B)
The Pelicans are on a four-game winning streak right now. It seems like Zion Williamson took the criticism he had last week seriously as he’s been playing and moving well for this Pelicans team. They are poised to make some noise in the West for the rest of the season.
New York Knicks: B (Last Week B)
The Knicks just went 2-2 this past week but they mostly have shown their grit in these games. One of those wins was when Jalen Brunson scored a career-high 50 points against the Phoenix Suns. He should make the all-star team this season.
Oklahoma City Thunder: A (Last Week A)
OKC is still sitting at the second spot in the Western Conference this week. They aren’t fazed even though they are one of the youngest teams in the league. SGA is a bonafide superstar and it’s crazy to think that he hasn’t reached his prime yet.
Orlando Magic: B (Last Week A+)
It’s kind of disappointing that the Magic struggled mightily against top-level competition. They were easily dismantled by the Celtics in back-to-back games. Could they bounce back from their embarrassing defeat and learn from their mistakes moving forward?
Philadelphia 76ers: A+ (Last Week B+)
The Sixers easily romped against cellar-dwelling teams in week 8. They went 4-0 and won all their games in double digits, including a 53-point win against the struggling Hornets. Joel Embiid is clearly gunning for another MVP award this season.
Phoenix Suns: B (Last Week B)
Phoenix only went 2-2 this past week. Kevin Durant has cooled off a bit after a stellar start and so has Devin Booker. Bradley Beal went down again with another injury and can’t seem to find a break this season.
Portland Trail Blazers: C- (Last Week C)
The Blazers were competitive but they still lost all of their games this past week. Deandre Ayton is quickly becoming an afterthought on both ends of the floor. This may not be their year, but they have a nice young team for the future.
Sacramento Kings: A (Last Week A-)
The Kings are winning again. They are moving the ball well and shooting it exceptionally too. Keegan Murray has played great for them recently and it looks like he’s out of the so-called ‘sophomore slump.’
San Antonio Spurs: D (Last Week D-)
After more than a month of losing, the Spurs finally snapped their franchise-record 17-game losing streak against the Lakers. Keldon Johnson has been shooting the ball well for them in the past couple of weeks.
Toronto Raptors: C- (Last Week C-)
It looks like Toronto’s finally hit the wall. Their standing in the East is dramatically sliding further and there is no feasible solution in sight. Rumor has it that they are going to be active in the trade market soon.
Utah Jazz: D+ (Last Week D+)
Utah surprisingly went 2-2 this past week even with a decimated roster. There are lots of rumblings that the John Collins experiment is a failure and they are looking to move the guy for some much-needed reinforcements.
Washington Wizards: D (Last Week D-)
The Wizards surprisingly edged out the Pacers in week 8. But in all honesty, this team is going nowhere this year. Poole doesn’t look like a franchise star as they hoped and they might ship him out at the trade deadline.
