And on this roadtrip, where the Jazz will face the Pelicans once more on Monday night, it was really, really important for the Jazz decision makers to find a way to finagle a loss against the Pelicans.

The Utah Jazz have hit the cellar of the Western Conference. Zion Williamson highlighted a 24-point, 14-rebound performance with an array of thunderous dunks during a dominant fourth-quarter stint, and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Utah Jazz 136-123 on Friday night to open a two-game set.

The Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler have had a falling out and all indications are that the relationship could be beyond repair. A new piece by ESPN's Ramona Shelbu

The Thunder has a 99.8% chance of being the No. 1 seed in the West, according to basketball-reference.com. Seems low.

BOTTOM LINE: Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves host the Cleveland Cavaliers in a non-conference matchup. The Timberwolves are 10-9 on their home court. Minnesota is third in the Western Conference in team defense, allowing just 107.6 points while holding opponents to 45.3% shooting.

Victor Wembanyama continues to impress, anchoring both ends of the court, while Keldon Johnson, Julian Chapagnie, and Harrison Barnes thrive as a secondary scorers. The Spurs’ playoff hopes hinge on bettering their road performance and closing games against top-tier opponents.

Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings was named Western Conference Player of the Week after multiple dominating performances.

The Warriors' defensive effort over the past five games has warranted a No. 15 ranked 115.2 defensive rating, a mark which would need to creep into top-10 territory in order to be considered as even a dark-horse contender.

Will Anthony Davis and Dorian Finney-Smith play on Sunday versus the Clippers after they missed Friday's game against the Nets?

The Los Angeles Lakers find themselves at a crossroads ahead of the February 6th trade deadline. Despite holding two, and potentially three, first-round picks they could leverage for a significant trade,

Now about halfway through the NBA season, the Timberwolves have yet to replicate their success from a year ago. The additions they made for Towns haven't fit in well and it has made some wonder if they will look to make a move ahead of the NBA trade deadline.

The Dallas Stars are surging up the Western Conference, and should target Brock Nelson to help replace Tyler Seguin in the lineup.