2018-19 NBA Western Conference: Southwest Division Standings so far

Southwest division: Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, New Orleans Pelicans, and Memphis Grizzlies.

The Southwest's basketball landscape hasn't been the battlefield it once was. With fallen heroes like the Spurs and Mavericks, it has mostly been manhandled by the surging Rockets in the recent times.

Outlined by the 30-point streak of James Harden and the rise of rookie sensation Luka Doncic, the Southwest hasn't been devoid of individual accomplishments despite the cold competition amongst teams.

Currently, this division boasts of just two possible playoff-worthy teams in San Antonio and Houston (of course). Rest of the residents have just been mere spectators, providing little-to-no resistance all throughout the season.

Let's head to the leaderboard and take a look at the current team standings in the Southwest division of the NBA.

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#5 Memphis Grizzlies

Memphis Grizzlies led the West for a very brief moment in time this season.

Just recently the Grizzlies finally decided to put their franchise cornerstones on the trade market before the deadline. The Raptors took a bite at Marc Gasol and landed him for cheap while Mike Conley still remains in Memphis.

Heading into the final stretch of this regular season, the playoffs seem like a far-off dream for the men in blue. They are 9 games behind the eighth seed Clippers, and a whopping 11 games below their division leaders.

The team hosts a sub-par 23-36(0.390) record on the season and is 5-7(win-loss) against Southwest squads.

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#4 New Orleans Pelicans

The overbearing Anthony Davis trade drama is behind them.

When AD requested a trade out of New Orleans, he had no clue of the chain of reactions he had set in motion. Eventually, the aftermath of the Davis issue left a bad taste in the mouths of all the players involved.

Through the hue and cry, people forgot about the team that was trying to make a playoff push. The Pelicans are 26-33 (0.441) on the season, with many believing that it's too late for them to hustle for a postseason slot.

Having lost 10 of their previous 15 games, New Orleans are expected to finish 13th in the Western Conference standings this year around, after being 6th and losing in the West semis last year.

#3 Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks traded away Dennis Smith Jr. to the New York Knicks recently.

Outside of the emergence of a star in Luka Doncic, nothing much has turned out the way Mark Cuban would have wanted. The Mavericks are currently 12th in the West with a disappointing 26-31 (0.456) record next to their name, holding the worst record (3-6) against teams they share this division with.

With Dallas not being able to produce quality scoring talent as support for Doncic, the team still waits for the return of Porzingis for efficient returns, even with the Slovenian averaging 20.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in his rookie season,

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#2 San Antonio Spurs

Aldridge and DeRozan are both averaging 21+ points per game this season.

The DeMar DeRozan version of San Antonio Spurs has been an underwhelming team so far. Currently sitting at the 7th spot out West on a jam-packed leaderboard, Popovich and co. host a 33-26 (0.559) win-loss record on the season. If the status quo prevails, they will finish this regular season at the same spot as last year.

However, on the brighter side of things, the Spurs lead the league in three-point percentage (41%) and free-throw percentage (82.3%) along with being third amongst all teams when it comes to FG%.

#1 Houston Rockets

Harden's style of play has drawn criticism from former NBA players.

It has largely been a one-man show down in Houston, considering where they were in December compared to where they stand now. The Beard has been on a tear, single-handedly carrying his team from an early-season hole to a comfortable playoff berth at the moment.

Plagued by injuries to prominent names like Chris Paul, Clint Capela, Austin Rivers and more, the team's effort to still be 5th in the uber-talented Western Conference is one worth applauding. The Rockets are 33-24 (0.579) on the season and 7-5 against Southwest division teams.

James Harden's second consecutive MVP bid with a league-best average of 36.6 points per game is something that has been consistently downplayed by reputed experts of the game. Come to think of it, it seems like the only way he could have saved his team from falling into an insurmountable abyss.