#nba-standings

#nba-standings

Even if you believe the Raptors will go winless against the great teams: Rockets, Pistons (x2), Nuggets, Celtics, and Knicks. That's just six more losses (and you hope they could steal at least one). They still have seven games against teams that are either actively tanking or in the lower echelon of the league: Pelicans (x2), Bulls, Jazz, Kings, Grizzlies, and Nets.

As implosions go, this one was impressive. The Nets blew a double-digit fourth quarter lead, folding down the stretch in a 115-104 loss to Atlanta before a sellout crowd of 17,121 at State Farm Arena. Brooklyn was cruising along up 102-91 with 6:45 left, but coughed up a 24-2 run to close out the collapse. They went without a basket for the final 5:18, giving away turnover after turnover - and a win they seemed to have in the bag.

In his 13 games since returning from a complicated right wrist injury, Jalen Williams is averaging 17.3 points on 45% shooting, a small step down from his 21.6 points on 48.4% a season ago. Williams remains a high-impact two-way wing, chipping in five assists, five rebounds and nearly two steals per night. But the next progression in his return to All-NBA third-team form is a bump in his scoring and shooting production. He's taking two fewer 3s and making one fewer per game.