NBA standings ordered by record in 2024: Are the Cavs and Thunder sleeping giants?
By Cal Durrett
Seven weeks remain in the NBA's regular season and teams are beginning to make their playoff push. That is going better for some teams than others since the start of 2024, with several contenders emerging and separating themselves from the pack.
On the other hand, more than a few teams have failed to find their footing in the new year, narrowing down the playoff field to 10 in each conference. Keep that in mind as we take a look at the NBA standings ordered by each team's record in 2024.
Eastern Conference standings ordered by record in 2024.
1) Cleveland Cavaliers: 19-5
2) Boston Celtics: 19-6
3) New York Knicks: 17-8
4) Indiana Pacers: 18-11
5) Chicago Bulls: 12-11
6) Orlando Magic: 13-13
7) Miami Heat: 12-12
8) Milwaukee Bucks: 12-13
9) Atlanta Hawks: 12-13
10) Philadelphia 76ers: 11-13
11) Charlotte Hornets: 8-19
12) Toronto Raptors: 9-16
13) Brooklyn Nets: 6-17
14) Detroit Pistons: 5-19
15) Washington Wizards: 3-23
The Celtics have been the dominant team all season but have been slightly outpaced by the Cavs for the best record this calendar year. The Cavs have seemingly flown under the radar but are currently second in the East and Boston has only managed to keep their hold on the conference by winning eight straight. The Knicks aren't far behind these two teams in 2024, but they are battling through a bunch of injuries and are still without Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, and OG Anunoby.
The Bucks, on the other hand, would be eighth instead of third in the East based on their 2024 record. With the Bucks having one of the toughest remaining schedules, it suggests that they may struggle to close the season.
Despite being without star Zach LaVine for most of this year, the Bulls have played surprisingly well in 2024. In fact, they have a great chance to make the play-in tournament with the Nets fading in the standings.
That has helped their lottery odds, while the Raptors are hurting theirs by outpacing them. The Raptors owe a top-six protected pick in the 2024 NBA Draft to the San Antonio Spurs and it's looking likely that they will lose a top-10 pick. Up next is the West.