With the Thunder's shocking upset, the Rockets' buzzer-beater, the Trail Blazers' big win, and the Clippers' narrow victory, the NBA Western Conference standings have been released.

On January 6th Beijing time, the NBA regular season proceeded with several games finished: the Suns were narrowly defeated 97-100 by the Rockets at the buzzer, the Hornets upset the reigning champion Thunder 127-94, the Nuggets defeated the 76ers 125-124, the Warriors lost a close 102-103 game to the Clippers, and the Jazz were heavily beaten 117-137 by the Trail Blazers. Consequently, the latest Western Conference standings show the Thunder enduring a two-game losing streak at first place, the Nuggets in fourth, and the Rockets in fifth!

In the Suns vs. Rockets game, the Suns had good offensive efficiency in the first half, raining down three-pointers to suppress the Rockets and take the lead. In the second half, the Rockets continuously attacked, driving inside and shooting from outside to take the lead. However, the Suns responded and closed the gap. Tied at 97, Durant, who had been cold all game, stepped up with a clutch three-pointer for a thrilling game-winning shot!

In the Hornets vs. Thunder matchup, against the struggling Hornets, the Thunder matched them point-for-point in the first quarter, tying at 33. But then the Thunder’s offense suddenly stalled with numerous missed shots. The Hornets took advantage, exploding offensively with multiple players contributing, outscoring the Thunder 34-17 and 32-21 in the next two quarters to build a huge 28-point lead. With a large deficit in the final quarter, the Thunder gave up, turning the game into garbage time early. Ultimately, the Hornets pulled off a stunning 27-point upset over the Thunder in a thoroughly dominant performance!

In the Nuggets vs. 76ers game, the Nuggets still played with a depleted roster and struggled against the 76ers, engaging in a fierce back-and-forth battle that was tightly contested. Trailing after three quarters, the Nuggets surged in the fourth quarter to seize the lead. However, the 76ers quickly responded, with Maxey hitting a shot to force overtime. In the extra period, Embiid faltered, and the Nuggets ultimately upset the 76ers!

In the Warriors vs. Clippers game, both teams experienced big momentum swings. The Clippers exploded in the first quarter with strong inside and outside play, building a 31-19 lead and pulling ahead by double digits. The Warriors quickly answered in the second quarter, with Curry leading a 32-24 run to cut the halftime deficit to 4 points. In the second half, the Warriors suddenly went cold, scoring only 13 points in the third quarter while the Clippers outscored them 21-13 to regain the advantage. In the final quarter, the Warriors mounted a fierce comeback, battling neck-and-neck until the last 5 seconds. A puzzling timeout called by the Clippers’ coach nearly caused trouble. Kawhi missed a three-pointer, giving the Warriors a chance for a game-winner, but their final attempt failed as Butler’s three-pointer rimmed out. Ultimately, the Clippers narrowly defeated the Warriors!

In the Jazz vs. Trail Blazers game, it’s well known that the Trail Blazers play evenly against anyone but often struggle to close out games. Against the Jazz this round, the Trail Blazers finally felt like a strong team, starting aggressively from the first quarter and dominating the Jazz. They kept pouring on the pressure, extending the lead and turning the game into garbage time early. The Jazz fought hard in the final quarter just to save face, but the Trail Blazers, with seven players scoring double digits, crushed the Jazz by 20 points—a rare and impressive blowout. Yang Hansheng played only 2 limited minutes but scored 4 points!

Written by/Ti Tan Novel