The NBA Season 2024 Halftime Highlights

It’s halftime, sports fans, for the NBA’s 2023-24 season! There have been some surprises and some disappointments; but by and large, the perennial favorites have managed to stay afloat with the constant ebbs and flows that mark a regular season. The first 41 games may not dictate each team’s season trajectory, for many other factors will come into play as the season progress. Trades, injuries, team chemistry, suspensions and more; these are what will keep the second half of the season interesting.

But before the teams gear up for the final push for the finish line, let’s take a look some highlights that the first half of this ongoing season offered us. 

1. The Boston Celtics (35-10) are ready for the big-time. In the east, the Celtics are a youth squad that looks like a cinch for the future. Currently, they are dominant (20-1) at their home in the Boston TD Garden. The last time they had only 1 loss at home (in the 85-86 season), the Celtics took the NBA crown. New acquisitions Kristaps Porzingis and defensive wizard, Jrue Holiday, are proving to be worthy additions to the Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown-led combo. This could be an exciting year for the Celtic faithful.  

2. The Minnesota Timberwolves (32-13) are for real. When the Timberwolves traded for Rudy Gobert 2 seasons ago, it was an experiment to fit in a twin tower combination for the Twin Cities. They made a big leap from 13th to 7th in the Western Conference in the 2022 season, validating the success of the trade. However, last year’s 8th place finish was a big damper, as fans were looking to feed on the proven success of the twin-tower combine. But the big jump to the top spot in the West this year has been a pleasant surprise. With the jelling of the Twin Towers in Gobert and Karl Anthony Towns, plus the steady maturation of Anthony Edwards, and finally, the leadership brought in by that veteran point guard, Mike Conley, the Wolves have found themselves in unfamiliar territory, right on top of the Western Conference. Put in another deadly outside sniper in there, and this team could be untouchable. 

3. The Oklahoma City Thunder (31-13) is back with the heavyweights. For years, OKC had been a certified elite team, with the likes of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Jame Harden and Paul George filling its roster sheet years ago. When OKC decided to take the development route some years back, many thought that the team would take many more years to return to the centerstage. Fortunately, the developmental process has taken a quicker path, as we find the Thunder right up there in the leaderboard. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander producing MVP-like numbers, and Chet Holmgren showing ROY numbers as well, it looks like trusting the OKC process will pay huge dividends in the years to come. Add in that Ozzie wonderboy, Josh Giddey, Lu Dort and Jalen Williams, the OKC Thunder’s youth parade could be in the thick of campaigns in years to come. 

4. The Milwaukee Bucks (31-13) are retooling in preparation for a stiff fight with the Celtics for the eastern pennant. Despite a creditable win-loss slate and the addition of super-sniper Damian Lillard, the Bucks are quite significantly behind current eastern conference leader, the Boston Celtics. This has led to the firing of new head coach, Adrian Griffin; and the return of Doc Rivers as the team’s chief bench strategist. With Kris Middleton and Brook Lopez providing more firepower, the battle for the East against the Celtics is something to look forward to. 

5. The defending champs Denver Nuggets (31-15) are blowing hot and cold. The Batman-Robin duo of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray kicked off the season sprinting ahead comfortably. They have since relaxed the pace and just last Friday suffered one of their worst defeats ever, a humiliating 122-84 loss to the New York Knicks. Still, the Nuggets aren’t the defending champions for nothing; and with the able back-up of playoff veterans Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr and Kentavious Caldwell Pope, they are expected to regroup in time for the final run for the playoffs. 

6. A healthy LA Clipper (28-14) team looks dangerous. When the star-studded Clippers enter the court all hale and in tiptop shape, it could mean disaster for the opposing team. The Clippers, starring all-stars Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, James Harden and Russell Westbrook, have been one of the hottest teams of late. The Clippers have registered a 24-7 win-loss card since the 0-5 run that followed the Harden trade. Westbrook’s sacrifice, allowing Harden to take the lead guard role, is commendable. And for that, the entire team benefits. The chemistry is cooking, and the good karma certainly shows good results. 

7. The Phoenix Suns (26-18) are on fire. After suffering through a period of lackluster play due to injuries to Devin Booker and new arrival, Bradley Beal, this Kevin Durant-led triumvirate is ready to rock-and-roll. The Suns have won their last 7 games with the guns of their 3 superstars blazing. With Jusuf Nurkic anchoring the defense, the Suns will be in the thick of the fight come the playoffs. 

8. The Philadelphia 76ers (29-14) are a pleasant surprise. When the Sixers traded away a talented, yet disgruntled James Harden, many thought that this Joel Embiid-dominated team was definitely on the downside. Except they didn’t reckon a Tyrese Maxey filling the void left by their veteran all-star. Tyrese has provided the firepower most people thought the team lost with Harden’s departure, proving that in basketball, sometimes less could give more. Their team chemistry is on a high note, with Embiid once again a frontrunner for MVP honors. 

But as these teams jockey for position at the top, other teams have stumbled along the way. There’s last decade’s winningest team, the Golden State Warriors (19-23), which can’t seem to get going following multiple injuries to some key players, plus Draymond Green’s multiple suspensions. There’s the LA Lakers (23-23) who, after winning the league’s first-ever In-Season Tournament, seemed to have regressed into just another middle-level team. And there’s the Memphis Grizzlies (17-27) who lost team lead, Ja Morant, to suspensions, and eventually to injuries. 

There has been a significant shake-up on the leaderboard this season as the race for the NBA playoffs reached the halfway point. And it augurs well for the league. It shows that there is parity and a diverse source of talent in the league. It shows that new players and new teams, and even new coaches and new plays, are perking up the competition. It tells us of a dynamism and youthful energy that the league exudes. With 40 or so more games to play for each team, the team standings could definitely still change.

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The starters for the Eastern and Western Conference All-Star teams were announced recently. As expected, the LA Lakers’ LeBron James and the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo were named captains as the leading vote-getters for each team.

Joining Giannis as the Eastern conference starters are: Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers), Damian Lillard (Milwaukee Bucks), Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics) and Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers). For the West, the following will join Lebron as starters: Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma Thunder), Kevin Durant (Phoenix Suns) and Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets). Looking forward to the All-Star Games.

Cover photos courtesy of NBA.com, NBC, Fox 29, CNN. Other pics courtesy of Star Tribune, Yahoo Sports, Celtics Blog, Sports Illustrated, Sports Rush, Arizona Sports, Liberty Balls and NBA.com.