For the second straight season, the Los Angeles Lakers’ record is better than what it “should” be if we evaluated them based on point differential.

Through Sunday, the Lakers outscored their opponents by 1.4 points per game, a differential that ranks eighth in the West. But L.A. sits pretty comfortably in the top five in the standings.

The Minnesota Timberwolves, meanwhile, are one of three West teams that rank in the top 10 on both ends of the floor. But they’re in seventh place, four games in the loss column behind the Lakers, who don’t rank in the top 10 on either end of the floor.

The Lakers have been much better in close games than the Wolves: they are 20-13 (fifth best) in games that were within five points in the last five minutes, while Minnesota is 18-23 (seventh-worst). Point differential can be a better indicator than a team’s record of how good a team is, but late-game execution also matters a lot.

Here are the three teams with the biggest difference between their actual wins and their “expected” wins, based on point differential…

1. Washington: 15-51, with the point differential of a team that’s 10-56

2. Los Angeles Lakers: 41-25, with the differential of a team that’s 36-30

3. Portland: 29-39, with the differential of a team that’s 25-43

Here’s the other end of the spectrum …

1. Minnesota: 40-29, with the differential of a team that’s 45-24

2. Memphis: 43-25, with the differential of a team that’s 48-20

3. Boston: 49-19, with the differential of a team that’s 53-15

Plus-Minus Players of the Week

• Right Way: James Harden (LAC) was a plus-80 in four games last week.
• Wrong Way: Zach LaVine (SAC) was a minus-86 in three games last week.

Teams of the Week

• Make It Last Forever: Minnesota (3-0) — The Wolves’ eight-game winning streak includes a fifth straight win over the Nuggets.
• Something Just Ain’t Right: Miami (0-4) — The Heat are testing the boundary of how far a former top-six team in the East can slide down the standings.

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East vs. West

• The West is 201-156 (.563) against the East in interconference games after going 12-11 last week.

Schedule strength through Week 21

• Toughest: 1. Toronto, 2. Washington, 3. New Orleans
• Easiest: 1. Cleveland, 2. Indiana, 3. New York
• Schedule strength is based on cumulative opponent record.

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Movement in the Rankings

• High jump of the week: Chicago (+3)
• Free falls of the week: Indiana (-4)

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Week 22 Team to Watch

• LA Clippers — Norman Powell is back and the Clippers’ offense has never been stronger. But they’ve reached the toughest part of their schedule with five games against the Cavs (x 2), Grizzlies, Thunder and Knicks over the next two weeks.

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Source: Nba.com