Nine Straight For The Thunder And The Return Of The King. NBA Brain Food - Western Conference for November 25th

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Here is what's happening from the 15 Western Conference NBA teams written by the super fans that are closest to each team. This is NBA Brain Food - Western Conference Edition for Tuesday, November 25, 2025

Dallas Mavericks (5-14, 14th in the West) via J.D.

• The Mavs were 1-3 over the last week. They have now dropped to last in Offensive Rating (105), but jumped to 2nd in Defensive Rating (110.3).
• The Mavs have played the most Clutch games (15) in the NBA this season.
• Over the last 4 games, Max Christie has stayed hot from 3 (54.5%), while Cooper Flagg has continued to struggle (9.1%)
• Anthony Davis is expected to practice on Wednesday 11/26 with a possible return Friday 11/28 against the LA Lakers.
• Ryan Nembhard returned from injury to play 16 minutes against the Heat. He had 7 assists. With the Mavs struggles at point guard this season, look for him to have an increased role moving forward.
• After this unexpectedly bad start to the season, trade speculation has begun in earnest for Mavs fans and media members. Trade scenarios have been flying around for AD, Klay Thompson, and Daniel Gafford as the Mavs are up against the 2nd Apron next year and 2026 is the last time they control their first round pick this decade.

Denver Nuggets (13-4, 2nd in the West) via Grant M

• Jamal Murray is off to the best start of his career, with career highs in point (23.2 PPG) and assists (6.8 APG). He hit a season high six threes in Mondays win in Memphis.
• Another big injury for the Nuggets as Aaron Gordon is out for 4-6 weeks with a hamstring strain. Spencer Jones has been starting in his place. While still on a two-way contract Jones, a very active defender with great energy, has become a very important depth piece. This has also led to increased Cam Johnson minutes who has found a scoring rhythm with 14 or more points in four of the last five games, shooting 61% from three.
• Peyton Watson has shined in his time in the starting lineup, recording a career high with 32 points and his first career double-double in the win against the Pelicans. He added 27 more points on Monday as he has filled in admirably for the injured Christian Braun.
• Nikola Jokic continues his incredible start to the season, averaging 33/12/10 over his last 10 games. He recorded his league-leading 10th triple double Monday night, as many as the next three players combined.
• The Nuggets went 3-2 last week, cooling off a little after a sizzling start. They have a few days off before three games in four days this weekend, including an NBA cup game at home against the Spurs. The Nuggets have won six straight on the road while dropping their last two at home.
• Nikola Jokic is still really really really good

Golden State Warriors (10-9, 8th in the West) via T.J.

• The Warriors started the week by dropping back-to-back games on the road to the Magic and Heat (Steph/Jimmy/Draymond/Horford sat), following it up with their first home loss of the season to the Blazers. 
• They finished the week (1-3) with a win over the Jazz. Draymond Green sat due to injury (Foot sprain). It seems like he will play on Wednesday vs. the Rockets. 
• Quinten Post started at Center in his place and leads the team in +/-. Gary Payton replaced Will Richard in the starting lineup and played well. It seems Coach Kerr will keep experimenting with lineups until he finds the right fit around Steph/Jimmy/Draymond.
• The stars continue to play well during this rough stretch. Steph Curry averaged 34.3 on 54% FG/45% 3P with over 7 3PMTs per game. Jimmy Butler averaged 23.7/7/5.3 on 55% FG. They are still searching for a consistent 3rd option. 
• The Warriors sit at 17th in the league in Net Rating at 1.2, with a point differential of +0.8. Mediocre overall, but through the first 19 games, they have been a different team at home vs. the road.
• At home (6-1), they shoot 48% from the field, and turn the ball over at a decent rate (12.6). On the road (4-8), they shoot 43% from the field and turn the ball over at a league-worst rate (18.9).
• Their age and schedule being brutal has contributed to their up-and-down start. On 0 days rest (2-3 record, 42% FG). 1 day rest (4-6, 45%). 2 days rest (3-0, 50%). 3 days rest (1-0, 49%). 

Houston Rockets (11-4, 4th in the West) via Freddy V

• Rockets have now won 11 of their last 13 games but fall to 1-2 in Cup play with a loss to Denver on Friday night. 
• Rockets continue to dominate the boards out rebounding their last 10 opponents and have an absurd 40.5% offensive rebound rate this season.  They are rebounding a league leading 61.1 shots per game 
• The Rockets offense is still looking great averaging 122.3 points per game this season and scoring at least 110 points in all but one game this month.  They are shooting an impressive 42.0% from three this season. 
• Aaron Holiday is taking over for the injured Tari Eason averaging 17.6 minutes off the bench in the last 5 games. Holiday has been red hot from the three-point line since his minutes increased making 11 of 20 (55%) in his last four games and a career high of six in Monday night's win vs the Suns. 
• The Rockets have done a great job at closing out games this season and scoring in the fourth quarter which is something they had a problem with last season. This year the Rockets are averaging 31.2 points in the fourth quarter ranking them at the top of the league. Last year they averaged 26.8 points in the fourth which was in the bottom half of the league at 22nd 
• Kevin Durant will miss at least 2 games (Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors) tending to a family matter. 

Los Angeles Clippers (5-12, 12th in the West) 

• The Clippers are 2-9 in the month of November and are clearly old and slow
• They've very banged up with several players missing time, highlighted by Kawhi Leonard who returned from injury Sunday vs. Cleveland to put up 20/2/3 in 26 minutes
• James Harden has been on a tear averaging 31/6/8 in November
• Ivica Zubac has been on a tear on the boards with 18, 9, and 19 boards in his past three games

Los Angeles Lakers (12-4, 3rd in the West) via Andrew K

• Coming off a week with a four-day break and playing the Jazz at both ends of the break, the Lakers sit at third in the Western Conference, 4-2 at home 8-2 on the road.
• Let’s talk about Luka Doncic, this dude is unbelievable. Luka is currently shooting 70% from within 10 feet on 5 attempts a game. The one part of Luka’s game that has not clicked yet is the 3-ball. Luka is attempting 11 threes a game, shooting 31%, ON TOP OF AVERAGING 34.5! Luka is also averaging 9 rebounds & 9 assists on top of 2 steals too.
• The Lakers just waived Christian Koloko to sign Drew Timme to a 2-way contract. The rumors around this signing stem from LeBron’s time with the South Bay Lakers. With Ayton being ruled out with a knee contusion, it will be interesting to see if Timme gets spot minutes.
• The Lakers are still maintaining their incredible shooting, currently tied for first at 50.6% from the field. However, the Lakers are shooting the fifth worst 3-point % in the league at 33%, on the fifth least attempts per game. Coach Redick noted the Lakers had the same issue to start last year and has done nothing but urged his team to remain shooting with confidence.
• With LeBron’s return to play and the roster maintaining some health, the two Lakers that have been out of the rotation as of late are Dalton Knecht & Jarred Vanderbilt. Both guys have a knack for defensive rebounding, but they both have some weaknesses. 

Memphis Grizzlies (6-12, 10th in the West) via Alex B

• Memphis finally put together their first winning streak of the season after victories over the Kings (137-96) and the Mavericks (102-96) before falling to the Nuggets at home Monday night while giving up 22 3-pointers  
• Cedric Coward is currently averaging 14 points and 6 rebounds while shooting 39% from 3-point land. I think it’s worth taking a flyer at +3000 on DraftKings (#DKPartner) for him to win ROTY. Coward continues to be a focal point of the offense and should see an increase in minutes. 
• Grizzlies have fought the injury bug so far to begin this season (and what feels like every year). Key free agent acquisition Ty Jerome won’t return to play for another 6 to 9 weeks after a calf injury sustained in the preseason. Zach Edey also exited Monday’s game against the Nuggets with a head injury and did not return. 
• It was nice to see Jaylen Wells put together his first 20 point game of the season in a loss to the Nuggets on Monday night (125-115) as he finished with 22 points on 8-13 shooting after a phenomenal rookie season when the Grizzlies selected him in the 2nd round out of Washington State. 

Minnesota Timberwolves (10-7, 7th in the West) via Spencer C

• The Wolves are coming off two of the worst back to back losses I’ve ever seen as a fan. We were up double digits with about a minute left against both the Suns and Kings, then completely forgot how to play basketball. Instead of closing out, we chucked up prayers and melted down. I’m still stunned we managed to lose both.

New Orleans Pelicans (3-15, 15th in the West) via Colby J

• The Pelicans put together their most complete performance of the season on Monday night with a victory over Chicago, which snapped a 9 game losing streak. James Borrego got his first win as Pelicans HC as New Orleans scored a season high 143 points, with 8 different players scoring in double figures. 

• Derik Queen has made a loud impact in his first 18 games in the NBA and has already received high praise from all time greats Tim Duncan and Nikola Jokic. His unique offensive style and great playmaking has drawn comparisons to players like Jokic, Alperen Sengun, and Domantas Sabonis. The Pelicans have a team low -20 NET Rating when Queen is off the floor this year as he has carried a major load both offensively and defensively. 
• After missing 8 straight games Zion has played in 3 of the last 4 games with a strict 30 MPG minute restriction and has averaged an efficient 21.7 PPG, but has only added 3.3 rebounds and 3.0 assist per game. 
• Trey Murphy III has started to heat up and over his last 10 games he’s averaging 24.4 PPG while shooting 38.4% from 3 and 92.5% from the FT line. 
• Yves Missi played his best game of the season against Chicago with 14 PTS, 14 REB and 3 BLK. Missi and Queen have only shared the floor together for 31 minutes this season, hopefully Borrego experiments with some lineups involving both young Centers. 
• Jordan Poole is projected to return from his quad injury this week, while Herb Jones is projected to be out the next 1-2 weeks with a calf strain.  
• The Pels play at home again on Wednesday night against Memphis before taking a road trip to California this weekend where they take on Steph Curry and the Warriors on Saturday and the LeBron-Luka led Lakers on Sunday. 

Oklahoma City Thunder (17-1, 1st in the West) via Nick C

• SGA leads the league in total points, and he is third in the NBA in scoring if you only tally up his scoring in the first three quarters of games
• Thunder's next two games are NBA Cup matchups, meaning Oklahoma City could be incentivized to win by as many points as possible, given point differential is a Group Stage tiebreaker
• After starting off the season slow from beyond the arc, OKC is #1 in the NBA in 3-point percentage over the last five games (43.2%)
• Chet Holmgren has only scored 16 total points in his last two games, but against his hometown Timberwolves on Wednesday, expect a huge outing
• SGA currently has the highest EPM in NBA history, ahead of Steph Curry in 2015

Phoenix Suns (11-7, 6th in the West) via Connor F

• Suns are racking up absences from their rotation pieces, Grayson Allen still out with quad contusion, Ryann Dunn is out with a wrist sprain, Mark Williams has been missing second game of a back to back… Jalen Green is still dealing with a pretty rough hammy strain. 
• Dillon Brooks is averaging 22 PPG, a career high.
• Colin Gillespie hit a game-winner versus the Wolves on Friday, Nov 21st, after the T-Wolves blew a historic 8-point game with under a minute to go. 

Portland Trail Blazers (8-10, 9th in the West) via Casey G

• Roller coaster week for the blazers, going 3-3 with a couple impressive wins and some back breaking losses. 
• The Blazers have continued to battle the injury bug, with Jrue Holiday missing games and Caleb Love having to play an important role, which he has shown he can do
• Jerami Grant had a stellar week, scoring 30+ points twice. 
• The Blazers continue to look like a borderline playoff team. They look awesome some nights and horrendous on others, specifically beating the Warriors but getting blown out by the Suns. 

Sacramento Kings (5-13, 13th in the West) via Ben M

• 2 game win streak beating the Nuggets and Timberwolves lead by hot shooting and new line up changes 
• Demar DeRozan went off last night against the Timberwovles putting up 33 points in a OT thriller. Over the last 10 games he is averaging 17 pts and shooting 52% on FGs and 44% from 3 
• Keegan Murray has returned to the lineup the last 3 games and is on a tear averaging almost 19 points and 7 rebounds since his return. Looks to remain a valuable piece for the starting rotation on both sides of the floor 
• Domantas Sabonis is still the fan favorite and clear best player on the floor even when he is a little banged up last 10 games is averaging 20 PTS 10 REBOUNDS and shooting 50% from the floor 
• The next 3 games are against the Suns JAZZ & Grizzlies. We will find out what trajectory the season goes, Playoff hopefully or Dumpster Fire Rebuild 

San Antonio Spurs (11-5, 5th in the West) via Rob G

• Injury update for Wemby is he did not join the Spurs on their current road trip which ends on Nov. 30th. No other news regarding his rehab has been released at this moment. 
• Only news on rookie guard Dylan Harper is that he is out of his walking boot and coach Mitch Johnson says he's progressing. As for Castle, look for him to be evaluated by next week.
• Fox has looked great on both ends of the court this past week averaging 26pts 5assists and 1.5 steals over the last 3 games. 
• Julian Champagnie has been a little inconsistent these last 3 games, scoring 20 one night shooting 5/10 from deep and then going for 9pts and 10pts. But has hit some very clutch shots when he's needed. 
• David Jones Garcia stepped up one night to score 12 points in just 19 min off the bench but was the spark they needed to help fight off the Hawks on a night Spurs almost blew a double digit lead. 
• The Spurs are currently just trying to keep pace until they can get help.  

Utah Jazz (5-12, 11th in the West) via Collin T

• It's very clear Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen are doing all the work while everyone else is arguing over who forgot the snacks. George is dropping dimes and buckets like he’s speed-running a video game, Lauri’s hitting heroic shots like he’s auditioning for “NBA: The Musical,” and the defense… well… the defense has been politely escorting opponents to the rim like VIP guests. Nurkić is providing rim protection the way a decorative pillow provides back support, and the team’s three-point shooting has been so streaky it should come with weather alerts. In short, the Jazz have energy, personality, and chaos — now they just need to sprinkle in some actual basketball. They’ve lost all three, continuing to show that the “tank is on” 

  • Their defense has been blown out, as opponents are averaging 130.7 points per game over this last week

  • Meanwhile, the Jazz are only scoring 114.7 ppg, leaving them with a –16 point differential on average. 

  • On offense, their efficiency has dipped: in the last 3, they’re shooting just 48% from the field and 39.9% from three. 

  • Their losses include big blowouts (e.g., a 32-point loss to OKC when at one point leading by as many as 20! A 52 point swing) and close misses (a 2-point loss to the Lakers), suggesting issues in both consistency and closing games. 

  • Keyonte George has carried the offensive load — he scored 27 points and handed out 8 assists in the close loss to the Lakers. 

  • Lauri Markkanen has shown fight — in that same Lakers game, he scored 20, including a clutch 3-pointer with 41 seconds left to bring them within one. 

  • Ace Bailey, Collier, and Sensabaugh continue to grow each game, giving the confidence to Jazz fans that the picks were worth…unlike Cody Williams 

  • In the blowout vs. OKC, the Jazz’s starting bigs really struggled — they were outplayed on the boards and couldn’t slow down the Thunder’s 3-point assault. 

  • Jusuf Nurkic hasn’t provided consistent rim protection or stability — in the OKC game, he played just 13 minutes, and the Jazz gave up a ton of points. Svi Mykhailiuk is a walking turnover and continues to make bonehead plays

  • Shooting woes continue: against Golden State, the Jazz hit only 31% from three (10-32), showing their outside shot isn’t falling when they need it.

Thanks for reading and have a great holiday!

SC