THE Memphis Grizzlies (9-1) now top the conference after three straight wins as well as their 19th consecutive regular season victory at home.

The streak included an absolutely thrilling 111-110 victory over the Sacramento Kings (6-4) in which Courtney Lee controversially sank a game-winning alley-oop lay-up with less than 0.3 seconds on the clock.

The Houston Rockets (8-1) also continued their stellar start to the season, defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves (2-7) 113-101, as well as continuing the Philadelphia 76ers’ winless start with a nail-biting 88-87 victory in which James Harden netted 35 points and Dwight Howard amassed 21 points, 16 rebounds and seven blocks.

Another impressive young team so far has been the Golden State Warriors (7-2), whose only defeats have been a 107-95 loss to the Phoenix Suns (5-5) and a 113-100 loss to the veteran San Antonio Spurs (5-3). In the latter game, Tony Parker had 28 points and seven assists, while Tim Duncan totalled 12 points and 13 assists.

The LA Clippers (5-3) only struggle has been a search for consistency as their star men continue to put up monster numbers. In their 120-107 defeat of the Suns, Chris Paul went for 32 points and nine assists while DeAndre Jordan put up 12 points, 18 rebounds and seven blocks. Currently above the Clippers, though, are the Portland Trailblazers and the Dallas Mavericks, both with records of seven wins to three losses.

Cavaliers finding groove

THE Cleveland Cavaliers (5-3), the team many have picked to win the East as well as the NBA Championship, seem to be working out the kinks in their star-studded line-up.

Since losing to the Utah Jazz, they have had a 110-101 win over Denver Nuggets, a 118-111 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, a 122-121 thriller against the Boston Celtics (3-5) and a 127-94 blowout of the Atlanta Hawks (5-4). The Cavaliers had 39 team assists as LeBron James had 32 points, seven assists and six rebounds.

Conversely the Miami Heat have slipped to 5-4 after losing two straight, most recently going down 114-103 to the Hawks as Paul Millsap finished with 19 points and nine rebounds. They were also restricted to a terrible shooting night as the Indiana Pacers (4-7) defeated them 81-75, with Pacer and Jamaican-born centre Roy Hibbert amassing 16 points and 15 rebounds.

The Toronto Raptors (8-2) continue to be the main standouts, followed by the Washington Wizards (7-2). Chicago Bulls (7-3) continue to have the intermittent presence of Derrick Rose due to a slew of minor injuries. Most recently he slipped on a drive during the Bulls’ 100-93 defeat of the Raptors and injured his hamstring. He subsequently missed the game against the Pacers which the Bulls lost 99-90.

The New York Knicks have continued their recent trend of starting languidly with a 2-8 win/loss ratio to start the season.

*Results up until Saturday night