In the NBA, a lot of things start to look clearer around Christmas. Standings take shape and pretenders are separated from contenders. We take a look at the 3 best teams in the league up to this point. 

1 – PHOENIX SUNS (Record: 25-5)

Devin Booker injured his hamstring a few weeks ago and while it was tough, the Suns found a way. They managed to win games and play well without him in the lineup. The Suns were 5-2 without Booker in the lineup and those two losses came against the Warriors and the Clippers. The Suns managed to remain successful without Booker because they’ve really clamped down on defense. While there might be a drop offensively, they remain extremely solid on defense. Booker returned Sunday night against the Hornets and then helped to blow out the Lakers on Tuesday night. The Suns climb to the top spot on this week’s NBA power rankings. 

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2- GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (Record: 25-6)

The Warriors have the best defense in the league by far. Andre Wiggins and Draymond Green have been two huge reasons for that. Wiggins is hovering around 60 percent true shooting (59.4), and he’s actively defending on and off the ball. It took the Warriors a little over a season and a half to start to get the best out of him. He’s taking better shots, finishing at the rim the best he’s ever done, and he’s become a deadly 3-point shooter. Steph Curry finally got that record out of the way and was back to his best against the Kings. He scored 30 points, including a couple of clutch threes in the fourth quarter. The Warriors continue to look good and will improve with the return of Klay Thompson. 

3- BROOKLYN NETS (Record: 21-9)

The Brooklyn Nets’ decision to recall Kyrie Irving was an interesting one. Due to a lack of players available, the Nets decided to back down. They initially didn’t want to disrupt their season by only having Irving available for road games. However, when half your roster is unavailable because of protocols, you need to do something. He still needs to clear the protocols, and that’s holding up him from getting back on the court. When all is said and done, it will be interesting to see how he fits into the scheme of things.