Eastern Conference

The Miami Heat have widened their gap ahead of the New York Knicks to three games at the end of last week thanks to a four-game winning streak. The Heat now have a record of 28-12 which is the fourth best across the league.

The Knicks lost their last game of the weekend 97-80 to the Philadelphia 76ers. Jrue Holiday had a big game for the victors scoring 35 points while dishing out six assists. The victory was a big upturn for the 76ers who were on a poor run of form, winning just three of their last 10 games.

The Boston Celtics are clinging on to the final play-off spot at the moment, as their losing streak was extended to six games at the end of the week. Their most recent loss was a 123-111 double overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

After controlling the tempo of the first game and close with a 19-point lead, the Celtics allowed the Hawks to get back into the game and become the eventual victors. With the win, the Hawks extended their winning streak to three games for an overall 25-18 record.

Though far from significance at the moment, the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise would be pleased to see that they have won three games on the trot. The face of the franchise- Kyrie Irving- has been superb of late, dropping 35 points against the Milwaukee Bucks in a 113-108 victory, and after scoring 32 points against the Toronto Raptors including the game-winning three-pointer with 0.7 seconds to go in a 99-98.

A rough ‘New Year’

Western Conference

Despite still being in the first month of 2013, the Los Angeles Clippers have already found themselves on a run of form that continues to make their perfect December a much further memory than it should be.

Once the leaders of the conference, the Clippers have now slipped to third because of a four-game losing streak. While the absence of Chris Paul is a huge blow to their line-up, a lot more is expected of the squad that now has a 32-13 record.

The San Antonio Spurs seem to have taken up the mantle that the Clippers have put down, extending their unbeaten run to a league-best eight-game winning streak. Their home-court efficiency helped them to a 108-99 win over the Phoenix Suns, who were experiencing somewhat a revival under interim coach Lindsay Hunter. The Spurs’ overall record is an impressive 36-11.

The Denver Nuggets and the Houston Rockets are putting together positive runs that are strengthening their play-off push. With three-game and two-game winning streak respectively, they have tightened their grasp on sixth and eighth place respectively with overall records of 27-18 and 24-22. They both impressed in their last outings with the Nuggets recording a 121-93 win over the Sacramento Kings while the Rockets powered past the Brooklyn Nets 119-106.

Editors Note: Last week we announced the starters for the much-anticipated Eastern and Western Conference clash on the All-Star weekend and now we are pleased to provide you with the latest of the players that made the reserve list.

For the East, three young guards attract most of the attention with Irving of the Cavs, Paul George of the Indiana Pacers and Holiday of the 76ers all clinching their first All-Star appearances. In the West, James Harden is the only player who is clinching his first All-Star appearance, no doubt a result of his exodus to the Rockets where he has a starting role. Forwards Tim Duncan of the Spurs and David Lee of the Golden State Warriors are back in the fold after a few years in the wilderness.