Welcome

Welcome to my basketball season data analysis. This page presents interactive visualizations and detailed data tables capturing team and player performance throughout the National Basketball Association (NBA) season. You can explore cumulative wins, point differentials, scoring trends, and advanced player metrics such as effective field goal percentage, player efficiency, and assist-to-turnover ratios. The charts and tables highlight team momentum, offensive and defensive balance, and individual contributions, providing a clear picture of which teams and players are excelling across the season.

All data are sourced from Basketball Reference and updated daily during the regular season, allowing you to monitor performance as the year progresses. Whether you’re a fan, analyst, or fantasy basketball player, these visualizations offer an accessible, data-driven perspective on NBA competition. I hope you find these visualizations and data tables helpful in understanding the current NBA season. Thank you for visiting the page.

Executive Summary¹

NBA Season Analysis: Briefing for February 22, 2026

As the NBA season advances into its later stages, team performance data reveal distinct tiers emerging across the league. At the top, the Oklahoma City Thunder (43 wins), Detroit Pistons (42 wins), and San Antonio Spurs (40 wins) have established a clear separation from the rest of the field. These teams have consistently accumulated victories throughout the season, a trend that began as early as November. The middle of the league standings remains densely packed, with 19 teams holding between 24 and 37 wins. At the bottom, a group of teams have struggled to maintain pace; the Sacramento Kings (12 wins), Brooklyn Nets (15 wins), and Indiana Pacers (15 wins) have each secured 15 or fewer victories to date.

One of the most notable patterns is the dominant and well-rounded performance of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Their league-leading 43 wins (a 75% win percentage) are supported by an exceptional point differential. The Thunder have a median point differential of +12, which is substantially higher than the next-closest contenders, the Pistons and Spurs, who both sit at +7. This suggests that Oklahoma City’s victories have been consistently decisive. Their success appears to be built on proficiency at both ends of the court, as they pair a high-powered offense that scores a median of 121 points with a defense that allows a median of just 108 points, one of the best marks in the league.

In stark contrast, a second notable trend is the recent and prolonged downturn for the Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings. An analysis of cumulative wins shows that neither franchise has recorded a victory since February 3, a span of nearly three weeks. The Mavericks have remained at 19 wins, while the Kings have been stalled at 12. This period of stagnation is particularly striking when compared to the trajectory of teams like the New York Knicks, who added six wins between January 23 and February 3 alone. This pattern may indicate underlying performance issues for Dallas and Sacramento that have become more pronounced in recent weeks.

Beyond the win column, team statistics reveal different strategic compositions. For example, the Boston Celtics have achieved their 36 wins primarily through defensive strength, holding opponents to a median of 108 points, tied for the best in the league. Conversely, the Denver Nuggets rely on a potent offense that scores a league-high median of 122 points, though their defense is more average, allowing 115 points. The data also highlight how imbalance can be detrimental; the Utah Jazz score a high median of 119 points but have won only 32% of their games, a record that may reflect their league-worst defense, which concedes a median of 126 points per contest.

At the individual level, a mix of established stars and emerging talent populate the statistical leaderboards. Luka Dončić of the Los Angeles Lakers leads all scorers with 33.0 points per game, while the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is close behind at 31.8 points. Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets continues to display all-around excellence, leading the league in assists (10.5 per game) while ranking in the top ten for both points (28.6) and total rebounds (12.3). On defense, San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama is the premier shot-blocker with 2.7 blocks per game. It is important to note that some rate-based leaderboards, like field goal percentage, can be skewed by players with low shot volumes, requiring further context for a complete picture of efficiency.

Cumulative Wins

This figure presents cumulative wins by National Basketball Association (NBA) team during the current season. Each panel corresponds to a single team, with the x-axis representing the progression of the season by date and the y-axis showing the total number of wins accumulated to date. This display helps illustrate how quickly teams have been winning games relative to one another and provides a clear view of momentum, slumps, or sustained success over time. Because the plot updates automatically as new data become available, it reflects each team’s current position in the season at the time of the most recent refresh.

Graph Prepared By: Isaac H. Michaels, DrPH
Data Source: www.basketball-reference.com

Points Scored vs. Points Allowed

This figure plots points scored against points allowed for each National Basketball Association (NBA) team during the current season. Each panel corresponds to a single team, with individual points representing games. Points above the diagonal dashed line indicate games in which the team scored more points than it allowed (wins), while points below the line indicate losses. Points are colored according to game outcome to distinguish between wins and losses. Teams with a larger number of points above the line tend to outscore their opponents more consistently, reflecting stronger overall offensive and defensive performance. The figure provides a visual summary of each team’s scoring efficiency and defensive strength across all games to date.

Graph Prepared By: Isaac H. Michaels, DrPH
Data Source: www.basketball-reference.com

Point Differentials

Player Statistics