Half way there

THE Indiana Pacers remain the team to beat in the East, with almost 41 games of the 82-game season elapsed. Frank Vogel’s men hold a record of 32 wins to seven losses and are currently on a win-streak of four games.

Vogel, who has been named coach for the East All-Stars, had Paul George’s 36 points to thank for their latest win: a comfortable 106-92 trot past the LA Clippers.

While the Pacers have indubitably been the standout Easterners this season, it is probably notable that the Miami Heat have not reached last season’s zenith all year, but remain a mere 3.5 games back with a record of 29-11. The Heat had a losing streak of three before overcoming the Philadelphia 76ers 101-86 on Friday night. Lebron James found his near-best form in that game before going on to score 34 points in Miami’s next game against the Charlotte Bobcats. Miami won 104-96.

Toronto Raptors, meanwhile, leapfrogged the Atlanta Hawks into third despite both teams ending the week with losses and an identical record of 20-19. The Washington Wizards (19-20) continue to flirt with a .500 percentage and a play-off spot as John Wall continues his stellar play this season — play which might very well be rewarded with contention for the starting point guard slot in the All-Star Game on February 16. The Wizards beat the Heat 114-97 this week, and also eclipsed the Chicago Bulls (19-20) 96-93 as Wall dropped 25 points.

Grizzlies biting back

THE Memphis Grizzlies (20-19) have put together a winning streak of five games, as they attempt to force themselves into a play-off spot, near the midway point of the season.

Included in this streak was the 90-87 scalp of the Oklahoma City Thunder 30-10, a game in which star center, and reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Marc Gasol returned from his 23-game injury. Kevin Durant had 37 points, but the team continued to struggle without their second punch of Russell Westbrook, as Courtney Lee had 24 points and Zach Randolph stacked up 23 points and 13 rebounds.

The Portland Trailblazers (31-9) sport a similar five-game victory streak atop the conference standings. The Blazers reached five games with the 127-111 defeat of the Dallas Mavericks (24-18) as LaMarcus Aldridge poured in 30 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.

The San Antonio Spurs hold an identical record to that of Portland. The Spurs went on a six-game winning streak before finally going down to Portland themselves 109-100 as head coach Greg Popovich was ejected for yelling at the referees.

The Houston Rockets (27-15) and the Golden State Warriors (26-16) look likely to make the post-season. The Rockets recovered from a monumental comeback by the Thunder to beat the woeful Milwaukee Bucks (7-32) 114-104 as Terrence Jones netted a career-high 36 points. In the game against the Thunder, Houston raced out to 72-point first-half before being shut down almost completely in the second as OKC stormed back to win 104-92.

The Warriors, meanwhile, ended their week by delivering an eighth-straight loss to the New Orleans Pelicans (15-24) as Steph Curry had 28 points and eight assists in a 97-87 win.