We’re a few games from the mid-season mark, and it’s a good time to assess how the title contenders have done so far.

In the first of a two-part series, we’ll be talking about the top teams from the western conference, based on their current title odds. Our breakdown for the eastern conference contenders is coming next.

Los Angeles Lakers (2.5 to 1)

The Lakers are the cream of the crop for now. Even after a surprise four-game losing streak, their record still stands at 30-7, good for top of the west.

It feels like the boys in purple and gold are just clicking. LeBron James (24.9 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 11 APG) seems rejuvenated after last season’s disappointment, and he’s been a serious triple-double threat every night. Anthony Davis (27.7 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 3.2 APG, 2.6 BPG) has performed as advertised, providing invaluable offensive contributions along with strong rebounding and defense. It’s rare when both teams seem to win from a trade, but the Lakers have really put themselves in a good position to win now while the Pelicans received the building blocks to a bright future.

For the most part, the Lakers are beating the teams that they should. Their recent losing streak came against the Pacers, Bucks, Nuggets, and Clippers, all of whom are title contenders and were going to be a tough out. They responded to that disappointment but starting another five-game winning streak as well.

They’re scoring 112.7 PPG compared to 105.4 PPG for their opponents, and this margin could be even higher if they didn’t find ways to let teams like the Suns back in the game while 36 points ahead.

Most importantly, James and Davis are getting their playing time. Having been through the high-stakes merry go round with both the Heat and his return to the Cavaliers, the Chosen One knows the type of trust teammates need to have to win rings.

The King has found his sidekick, and they are a dangerous combo.

They have made the most out of their role players, especially after the disappointment of losing DeMarcus Cousins to a torn ACL before the season started.

As of now, the Lakers are the team to beat in the west. If AD and LBJ stay healthy, other squads will be hard-pressed to take them in a seven-game series.

Los Angeles Clippers (2.5 to 1)

Because of all the hype that they generated in the offseason, the Clippers have certainly been disappointing. They signed two of the biggest free agents possible in Kawhi Leonard (25.3 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 5.1 APG) and Paul George (23.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 3.7 APG), but they keep losing to bad teams.

So far, they’ve already picked up losses to the Suns, Pelicans, Spurs, Bulls, and were recently annihilated 140-114 by the rebuilding Grizzlies.

Sitting fourth in the west with a 26-12 record, the Clippers are not the consistent force of destruction that we all imagined them to be. This is a team that added two of the world’s best players while mostly keeping a core that made last year’s playoffs intact.

In addition to Leonard and George, they also have Lou Williams (19.6 PPG, 3 RPG, 6.3 APG), who can still score at will, and Montrezl Harrell (19.4 PPG, 7.3 RPG), who has continued his strong all-around play from last year.

One of the big problems has been the lack of floor time shared by their two superstars. George missed a decent chunk of the start of the season while Leonard continues to follow a load management protocol.

George has missed a total of 12 games and Leonard has missed 10. That’s a lot of valuable time for the two to be missing, especially because the playoff race is so tight. It almost feels like the Clippers don’t care about what seed they finish, and just feel like they have a shot at the title as long as they make the playoffs.

Not everything seems rosy in Clipperland either, considering Harrell’s post-game interview after the Grizzlies game.

The Clippers are definitely contenders, but they’ve got a lot to figure out. It’s also important to note that they own a 2-0 record over the Lakers in the regular season so far – something that King James will not be taking lightly.

Time will tell if they can find some form of consistency. If they do, they will be scary.

Houston Rockets (6 to 1)

The Rockets left many wondering if former MVPs James Harden (38.4 PPG, 6 RPG, 7.6 APG, 1.8 SPG) and Russell Westbrook (24.1 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 7.0 APG, 1.5 SPG) would be able to co-exist with a single basketball on the court. So far, the returns have been promising.

Houston currently stands third in the west with a 24-11 record, and Harden has again thrown his hat in the ring for MVP considerations.

The Rockets have also found themselves on the winning end against some of the league’s most dangerous teams. They’ve beaten the Clippers (twice) and the Nuggets, along with the 76ers. They’ve also lost to the Pelicans, Warriors, and Pistons, though.

The biggest question mark is whether the Rockets’ bench will be able to produce when it matters most. To win it all, Houston’s going to have to rely on big production from Harden and Westbrook on a nightly basis. This might be harder to come by when the game slows down a bit in the playoffs.

The former Thunder duo do pretty well when they’re in sync.

So far, they look like a team that the Clippers will fear, though. If the two end up fighting in the first round as the 4th and 5th seed, that would be a mouth-watering matchup.

James Harden also won’t have to deal with his boogeyman duo of Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry this year, so it’s a good a year as ever to make a push to the finals. It might just be unfortunate that the two teams from Los Angeles loaded up on stars this year.

Denver Nuggets (9.2 to 1)

The Nuggets are currently second in the west with a 25-11 record, so some may be confused as to why their odds for a championship are so much worse than the Rockets or the Clippers.

This is expounded by the fact that they already own a number of wins over both the east and west’s marquee teams, including the Heat, 76ers, Celtics, Rockets, and Lakers.

Denver plays a very team-oriented brand of basketball under coach Mike Malone, who also guided them to the second seed last year.

Part of the problem is that they don’t have a bonafide superstar on their roster. Yes, they do have talented center Nikola Jokic, who is a nightly triple-double threat. They also have Jamal Murray, who inked a huge $170 million extension this year.

However, you’d be hard-pressed to point to who gets the ball in the clutch during crunch time in the playoffs. They blew their 3-2 lead against the Blazers in the conference semifinals in devastating fashion, allowing their opponents to come back from a 17-point deficit behind CJ McCollum’s huge 37-point night.

https://youtu.be/ndQvWTiGoh0
The Blazers gave the ball to CJ McCollum in the last two minutes of Game 7 and he delivered.

The Lakers, Clippers, and Rockets have someone to give the ball to in crunch time. That could make the difference in a game 7, and the Nuggets will likely need to get through at least one of those to make the NBA Finals.

They’re a good team, but that might not be enough.