Detroit Pistons visit the Cleveland Cavaliers Friday October 25, 2024 (Amanda J. Cain/Detroit Pistons)
Almost two weeks into the NBA season, only two teams remain undefeated while others have suffered tough breaks in what were supposed to be their breakout seasons.
At the top of the Eastern Conference are the Cleveland Cavaliers, the only undefeated team in the conference at 8-0. They held onto their undefeated record through a close game against the Milwaukee Bucks yesterday, which ended 116-114. Leading the team in average points per game is Donovan Mitchell with 23.1.
Mitchell, a guard who’s been with the team since 2022, powered through the first two rounds of the 2024 Playoffs. Though the Cavaliers lost in the Eastern Semifinals to the Boston Celtics 4-1, Mitchell averaged 31.4 points per game in that series. Alongside Mitchell, center Jarrett Allen is averaging 11.6 rebounds per game in the last eight games.
At the top of the Western Conference is the Oklahoma City Thunder, led by Shai Gilgeous- Alexander with an average of 25.7 points per game. Power forward Chet Holmgren is also making waves in the first seven games of the Thunder’s season with an average of 17.1 points per game.
The Milwaukee Bucks have started off the 2024-25 season 1-6. Despite their opening game win against the Philadelphia 76ers (124-109), the Bucks are currently on a six-game losing streak. The most egregious of these losses was a 99-122 defeat at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies found themselves up 70-48 on the Bucks after the first half, and Milwaukee wasn’t able to make up any ground in the second.
In their 119-108 loss to the Boston Celtics, the team fell despite a 30-point contribution from Giannis Antetokounmpo and a 33-point contribution from Damian Lillard. With the two dominant players on the team, a Bucks winning streak seemed like a foregone conclusion, but with Khris Middleton out due to injury and a bench that struggles to put in more than 10 points per game, their scores keep coming up short.
Three teams are struggling with injuries to their star players. The Philadelphia 76ers are missing their star center Joel Embiid, who has yet to play a game for the team this season, despite playing for the US National Team in the Olympics over the summer. In addition to missing time for injury, Embiid was recently suspended for three games by the league for shoving a member of the media. In the offseason, the 76ers also acquired shooting guard Paul George, who injured his knee in a pre-season game and just made his regular season debut last night. They are currently 1-5 to begin the season.
The Orlando Magic had a strong start to the season with Paolo Banchero dropping fifty points in an early game against the Indiana Pacers. Banchero, however, suffered a right oblique injury against the Chicago Bulls and is now out for the next four to six weeks, robbing the Magic of their highest scorer.
For the Golden State Warriors, point guard Stephen Curry had been out since their game against the Los Angeles Clippers with an ankle injury. Curry returned yesterday against the Washington Wizards where he scored 24 points, a team high. Despite Curry's absence, the Warriors are 6-1 to start the season.
While it is still early on in the season, and less than 1/8th of the total games have been played, it is interesting to see the amount of injuries piling up so early for some teams, and the success of those who were projected to be fourth or fifth seeds at best.
Edited by Emily Tsipis
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