NBA: 2 sentence summaries for each West team’s season thus far

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Denver Nuggets (30-13, 1st in West)

After some troubling losses and defensive concerns early, the Nuggets have been on a roll to propel themselves to the top of the West, going 15-3 since December 8th. With five straight home games coming up, Denver will look to create some separation and secure home court through as much of the playoffs as they can.

Minnesota Timberwolves (22-23, 9th in West)

Minnesota went all-in with their off-season trade of Rudy Gobert, gutting the depth and future of their team as they had faith they could turn themselves into a true contender. While they still currently hold a playoff spot, the trade has been disastrous, and coupled with injuries to star center Karl-Anthony Towns, the team continues to tread water as they look for answers.

Oklahoma City Thunder (21-23, 11th in West)

The Thunder, who currently hold 14 draft picks in the next three years, have started to seriously compete well ahead of schedule, led by likely All-Star starter Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. While it’s unlikely they will make any serious noise this season beyond a possible play-in berth, with more young talent and injured rookie Chet Holmgren on the way next year, Thunder fans should be incredibly excited for the future.

Portland Trailblazers (21-22, 10th in West)

After a red-hot start, the Trailblazers have been disappointing since the first few weeks of the season, part due to injury and part due to poor play. With Portland on the fringe of the play-in, and losing games in which Damien Lillard scores 50 points, they will be forced to have tough conversations as the trade deadline approaches, especially with the possible contract demands of Jerami Grant.

Utah Jazz (23-24, 8th in West)

Although they haven’t sustained their success from the start of the season, Utah still continues to shock the NBA world with their overachievement from the scraps of off-season trades. While they will likely fall down to the bottom or out of the play-in, the growth of their roster, and the potential tradeability of many expiring contracts, should have Utah set up well for the future.