NBA Winners and Losers of the Week: Doncic's Lakers Roll On, Thunder Win Shorthanded, Hornets Sink Without LaMelo Ball

The NBA wrapped up an unusually upbeat week, with the wave of season-altering injuries that defined late October appearing to slow and several teams riding long winning streaks. The Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs, both winners of seven straight or more, still could not crack the top of the weekly winners list. Here is how the week that was shook out.

Winner No. 1: the Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite playing without Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace and Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City went 4-0, sweeping its season series with the Cleveland Cavaliers and then routing the Memphis Grizzlies and Washington Wizards by a combined 70 points. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaged just under 36 points during the stretch.

The Thunder have quietly changed their identity to survive the absences. A defense that led the league in forcing turnovers during its 2025 championship season and ranked second a year ago now sits 21st, and the team is instead selling out to protect the rim, shaving five points in the paint per game off last season's average, which was already the NBA's second-lowest. Isaiah Hartenstein and Aday Mara even started together twice in the past three games. On offense, Oklahoma City averages 231.6 passes per game, 10 fewer than any team in the tracking era, and only the Spurs and Philadelphia 76ers commit fewer turnovers. Ajay Mitchell has been a revelation, scoring over 1.2 points per pick-and-roll possession, a 94th percentile mark, and putting up nearly 25 points per 36 minutes. The Thunder also acquired rookie-contract guard Nique Clifford from the Sacramento Kings for two second-round picks.

Winner No. 2: Luka Doncic. The Lakers star is averaging 40 points per game and has torched the Portland Trail Blazers for 94 points across two meetings. He owns six of the 20 highest individual scoring outputs this season, at Nos. 1, 2, 5, 12, 17 and 18. Los Angeles is 9-2 despite ranking 23rd in rebounding rate, 23rd on defense and 25th in turnover rate as of Sunday, because the offense Doncic runs is the best in the league by a wide margin. The Lakers are roughly 34 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor, and they still won a key road game in Detroit on Sunday without him. Doncic currently leads the NBA in both 3-point attempts and free-throw attempts.

Winner No. 3: LaMelo Ball. The point guard, traded by Charlotte to Minnesota after questions about his durability, defense and maturity, has thrived since Anthony Edwards went down with an injury. The Timberwolves are 4-2 in that span, with both losses coming against the streaking Spurs and Warriors. Minnesota is outscoring opponents by 13.3 points per 100 possessions in Ball's minutes while being outscored when he sits, and the team's true shooting is just under 60% with him on the floor versus just over 54% without him. Jaden McDaniels and Ayo Dosunmu each see their true shooting jump at least 14 percentage points alongside Ball.

Loser No. 1: the Charlotte Hornets. After posting the NBA's best offense with Ball from early December through the end of last season, Charlotte now ranks last by a wide margin, with the league's lowest true shooting percentage and the most turnovers. The pass-averse Thunder are averaging more assists than the Hornets despite throwing 65 fewer passes per game. Charlotte accepted a step back when it made the deal, but Coby White has barely played, Kon Knueppel is out at least another four weeks with a hamstring strain, and Brandon Miller, fresh off signing a $209 million contract, is shooting 26% from three and under 36% overall while carrying an oversized load.

Loser No. 2: the Western Conference's feel-good middle class. The Grizzlies have swapped a six-game winning streak for three straight losses, the Trail Blazers fell to the Lakers and were handled by the Spurs with two games against the Thunder looming, and the Pelicans dropped out of the Play-In picture with back-to-back losses after a four-game win streak. The Warriors and Dallas Mavericks are exceeding expectations, and Denver looks vulnerable, but with San Antonio up to eight consecutive wins and the Lakers, Wolves and Rockets all meeting or beating projections, order has largely been restored out West.

Loser No. 3: lottery reform. Nearly three weeks into the season, seven teams own either one or two victories, with only three combined wins over clubs above .500. The Kings beat a Mavericks team missing Kyrie Irving, while the Orlando Magic topped a Toronto Raptors side without Kawhi Leonard and defeated the Knicks with Jalen Suggs in the lineup. The Milwaukee Bucks, Brooklyn Nets, Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers do not control their own first-round picks, and there is even an argument that landing in the relegation zone could benefit the Chicago Bulls by limiting their chances of a top-five pick in the weak 2027 draft, which combined with their No. 4 selection in 2026 would lock them out of the top five in the stronger 2028 class.

It is far too early to issue a verdict on the new system, but the early evidence suggests the bottom of the league remains bleak even without an obvious incentive to tank. Whether competitiveness, attendance and television ratings improve for those teams down the stretch will not be clear for months. For now, the notion that reform would produce 30 competitive teams has been quickly dismissed.