Following the Thunder's decisive victory over the Warriors, the Trail Blazers' narrow loss, and the Timberwolves' close win, the NBA Western Conference standings have been updated.

On December 4th Beijing time, the NBA regular season battles went on with multiple games ending yesterday. The Trail Blazers narrowly lost 118-121 to the Raptors, the Timberwolves fought hard in overtime to beat the struggling Pelicans 149-142, the Grizzlies fell 119-126 to the Spurs powered by Barnes’ breakout performance, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 38 points led the Thunder to a 124-112 victory over the Warriors. Consequently, the updated Western Conference standings show the Thunder leading with 13 straight wins, the Spurs in fourth place, the Timberwolves on a 3-game winning streak at sixth, the Warriors eighth, and the Pelicans at the bottom with four consecutive losses!

Trail Blazers vs Raptors. The Trail Blazers have been on a losing streak recently, facing the Raptors on the road with high pressure. The game opened with an offensive duel in the first quarter, with the Blazers leading by 2 points. However, in the second and third quarters, the Raptors shot with remarkable efficiency while the Blazers struggled with their shots, allowing the Raptors to build a significant lead. In the final quarter, the Blazers didn’t give up and fought hard to close the gap. Despite key mistakes by Avdić, the Blazers narrowly lost, extending their losing streak to three games. Notably, Yang Hansheng was benched and did not play in this match!

Timberwolves vs Pelicans. The Timberwolves showed balanced scoring early and took control in the first quarter, but Murphy’s breakout performance helped the Pelicans outscore them 43-27 in the second quarter. In the second half, Edwards exploded with points leading the Timberwolves to chip away at the deficit, closing to within three by the end of the third quarter. The final quarter was tightly contested, with Edwards hitting a clutch game-tying shot to force overtime. In the extra period, the Timberwolves maintained momentum and ultimately defeated the Pelicans, avoiding an upset and securing a third consecutive win!

Grizzlies vs Spurs. With Wembanyama still absent, the first three quarters saw a back-and-forth battle between the teams. Barnes’ outstanding play helped the Spurs keep the score close. In the decisive final quarter, both teams exchanged scoring runs in a fiercely competitive duel. Fox’s critical three-pointer sealed the game, leading the Spurs to a victory with six players scoring in double digits. Harper’s performance was particularly impressive in this matchup!

Thunder vs Warriors. The Thunder are currently riding a hot streak of consecutive wins. Facing a Warriors team without Curry, the Thunder unleashed a powerful offense in the first half, building a large lead. In the second half, the Warriors launched a strong comeback, outscoring the Thunder 44-28 in the third quarter to erase the deficit and shift the momentum. The final quarter was intense and unpredictable, but the Warriors struggled to match the Thunder’s firepower. At a critical moment, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played a key two-way role, helping the Thunder seal the win and extend their winning streak to 13 games!

Written by / Sports Novel