WE have officially reached the midway point of the 2016-17 season. Some teams are living up to the hype and exceeding expectations, others not so much as they plummet towards the bottom of the lottery. Teams will be reviewed at the quarter, halfway and three-quarter mark of the year. Let’s quickly wrap the second portion of the season so far for the teams from the Pacific division.

Golden State Warriors (34-6)

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A large reason that the Warriors have the best record in the league and the best offense has been because of their ability to share the ball. Leading the league with 31.2 assists a game, it’s easy to see how they score so easily and have trust in one another when looking at their star studded lineup.

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THEIR defense still struggles to find a dominant level, but let’s be honest if you have the highest point differential in the league you can’t be doing too much wrong. Their bench scoring is among the league’s lowest too, which could be an issue come playoff time.

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DRAYMOND Green is one of only four players (Westbrook, James, Harden) putting up 10 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists a night. The swiss army knife that is Green acts as the glue that helps keep this Warriors team together. Look for him to continue to emerge as the Warriors most important player moving forwards.

Los Angeles Clippers (28-14)

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 HAVING a decent number of capable offensive players is a big boost for the Clippers. They have one of the top bench scoring units in the NBA and are able to hand the reigns over to rest their starters with little concern of losing a lead or falling behind in games.

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 EARLIER in the season I genuinely thought the Clippers had the talent to challenge the Spurs and Warriors for best record in the Western Conference. In fairness they have been without Blake Griffin for the past few weeks, but they continue to perform inconsistently. They are on a six game winning streak and before that they had a six game losing streak. They need to pull it together and assure a top four seed in the West by reeling off a dominant month or two. Defense is the key to their success.

Look Out For….
 CARMELO Anthony has said that if he is going to be traded he wants to go to the Cavs or the Clippers. With Cleveland probably unable to manufacture a deal, could Melo be making his way to to the Clippers? And if so at what price?

2nd-nba-quarterly-pacific-1Image from fansided.com

Sacramento Kings (16-24)

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 CORRECT me if I’m wrong, but it feels like I haven’t heard much on the DeMarcus Cousins front in a few weeks? Yes there is the obvious trade chatter and brief feuds with reporters, but no news on Boogie is good news for Boogie, and Sacramento. Is he finally growing up? Nah I didn’t think so either.

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 DEFENSIVE efficiency could cost Sacramento a post-season berth if they aren’t careful. They are in the bottom five in the league and if they are serious about being in the playoffs they must fix their woes on the defensive end of the floor ASAP.

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 THE Kings are nestled in the battle for the #8 seed out West with the Pelicans, Trailblazers and Nuggets. After slipping up in their recent home stand they face a tough eight game road trip including games in Cleveland and Houston. Those eight matches could very well determine their entire season.

Los Angeles Lakers (15-30)

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THE versatility of Julius Randle is a big plus for this team, as he continues to develop into a great young player. He ranks inside the top five for assists per game from power forwards and already has two triple doubles this season. The only other guys with two so far? Harden, James, Antetokounmpo, Westbrook and Draymond Green. Pretty good company.

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UNFORTUNATELY there is no other way to word it, the Lakers just aren’t very good at the moment. The young guys aren’t stepping up to the plate yet, with Lou Williams the only guy with a PER over 20. Defense is the area that hurts them the most, with Los Angeles 30th in opponents shooting percentage allowed.

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 WHILE it’s clear that the Lakers aren’t going to be playing in the playoffs this season isn’t exactly a lost cause. LA is a desired destination for free agents and star players, so if their younger group can audition to say Paul George or Jimmy Butler and convince one of them that this is the place to be, we could see a huge off-season trade that fast tracks the Lakers rebuild.

2nd-nba-quarterly-pacific-2Image from holyfield.co

Phoenix Suns (13-27)

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 CLEARLY Devin Booker is a shining light for the bleak Phoenix roster at the moment. He and back court buddy Eric Bledsoe are combining for roughly 40% of the teams total offense, giving fans something to cheer about.

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 WHILE it’s good that Bledsoe and Booker can score they aren’t really good at sharing the ball. This is evident by the fact that the Suns rank dead last for assists per game, a stat that doesn’t look like changing anytime soon.

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 SLOWLY but surely, Marquese Chriss is developing into a nice player for the Suns. He is increasing his shooting percentages and scoring output, demanding an uptick in minutes month by month. He could be close to the 10 points a game average by the time the 3rd quarterly review rolls around, locking down a spot in the front court for years to come.

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