NBA Swing: Winners and Losers Almost Two Weeks In to the 25-26 Season

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Tuesday will mark two weeks since the start of the 2025-26 NBA season. The season had a strong start over its first few nights as a new era of the NBA began. But it would quickly have some down moments as well. There have been many surprises to start the season, including a quick barrage of 50-point games, shocking winners, and shocking losers. Let’s take a look at some of them.

San Antonio Spurs- Winner

As of Friday, the San Antonio Spurs remain the only other undefeated team in the Western Conference, other than the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. The Spurs’ first five wins of the season would see a 33-point blowout against the Dallas Mavericks in their season opener, wins against the New Orleans Pelicans and Brooklyn Nets, an 18-point win over the Toronto Raptors, and a win over the Miami Heat. The Spurs’ quick start is led by Victor Wembanyama, who has already put himself near the top of the MVP and DPOY conversations.

In his first four games, Wembanyama has averaged 30.2 PPG, 14.6 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.4 SPG, and a league-leading 4.8 BPG. The Spurs have also seen a step taken from Sophomore Stephon Castle. In four games, the second-year guard has averaged 18.8 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 5.4 APG. Rookie Dylan Harper has been another pleasant surprise for the team, averaging 14.4 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 4.6 APG. As of October 31st, the Spurs have the best defense and a top-10 offense. The Spurs have done all of this without their star guard De’Aaron Fox. While it’s only been one week, the Spurs have shown they have they’re ready to take that next step and could be a playoff threat come April.

NBA- Loser

Just days after the beginning of the 2025-26 NBA season, reports would come out that 30+ people would be arrested by the FBI as a part of investigations, including illegal sports betting and rigged poker games held by the mafia. Those from the NBA being arrested would include active Miami Heat player Terry Rozier, Portland Trailblazers head coach and NBA champion Chauncey Billups, and former Cleveland Cavaliers player and assistant coach Damon Jones. Rozier and Billups would be put on leave by their respective teams, with Tiago Splitter stepping in as interim head coach for the Blazers.

For the NBA, the betting scandal is the second time in the last three years where a player has been caught as a part of a betting scandal, with former Toronto Raptors two-way player Jontay Porter being banned from the NBA for life for his actions. The actions taken by the FBI would also bring the NBA’s previously clearing Rozier of any wrongdoing into question. With betting becoming such a big part of the game over the last full of years (with the league partnering with several sports betting outlets and sports betting ads being seen on every broadcast), many have felt this kind of scandal was inevitable. With NBA Commissioner Adam Silver being requested for a briefing by the United States Congress regarding the betting scandal, the strong start to the season was immediately dampened by the scandal.

NBA on NBC & Peacock, and Amazon Prime

When it was first announced that the NBA would be returning to NBC after 23 years, many were excited to see how NBC would present the NBA. Opening night would be NBC’s time to shine, airing the season opener between the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder, followed by the Golden State Warriors vs the Los Angeles Lakers. NBC would see an average of 5.61 average viewers across the night, with viewership peaking at over 7 million viewers during the second overtime of the Rockets/Thunder matchup. This would be the largest opening doubleheader since 2010.

Following NBC’s return to the NBA, the league would debut on Amazon Prime. Amazon would average 1.25 million viewers during their debut games between the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics, and the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers. The viewership would see a 13% increase versus comparable games from ESPN last season. NBA on Amazon would also see praise for their presentation of games and their analysis during play and during their pre-game, halftime, and post-game shows, with the crew featuring Taylor Rooks, legends, and veterans of the game, including Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Blake Griffin, and Udonis Haslem. While there were many doubts regarding the NBA shifting its focus to streaming, both services have had strong starts to the season.

Boston Celtics- Loser

While the Boston Celtics were expected to take a step back, losing Jayson Tatum in last season’s playoffs and trading away most of their defensive forces to save money, the start for Boston has been brutal. Boston would start the season with three straight losses, losing to the Philadelphia 76ers in their season opener, followed by a 20-point blowout loss to the New York Knicks and another loss to the Detroit Pistons. While the team has remained a top 10 offense and defense after the first week of the season, the Celtics have looked far from the team they were last season.

Despite the slow start, Jaylen Brown has continued to look strong, and Derrick White has taken a small step. Anfernee Simons has also provided an offensive spark off the bench. On the other side, the Celtics lost their championship center in Al Horford, leaving a significant gap in the front court. While new starter Neemias Queta has put up 9 PPG and 9 RPG in his first five games of the season, the team currently lacks the frontcourt power needed to compete with some of the best teams in the conference. For Boston, they hope that Jayson Tatum returns in the second half of the season, but if the first week has shown anything, it’s that the 2025-26 season may be a lost season for the team.

Chicago Bulls- Winner

One of the biggest surprises after the first week of the 2025-26 season has been the Chicago Bulls. As of Thursday, the Bulls would be only one of four undefeated teams, sitting at 4-0. Chicago’s first four wins would be over Detroit, Orlando, and Atlanta, all teams many predicted to be better than Chicago. The team has been led by Josh Giddey, who has not only averaged 19.5 PPG, 8.5 RPG, and 7.8 APG, but has shown doubters why the Bulls agreed to a four-year, $100 million contract. Another star on this team has been sophomore Matas Buzelis, who has quickly come into his own, averaging 16.8 PPG and 4.8 RPG as a starter. Veteran Nikola Vucevic has had another strong start to the season, appearing as a possible trade candidate in the right situation.

One week in, the Bulls have the fourth-best offense in the league, and have the 12th-best offense. The Bulls also currently sit amongst the top 10 in pace, being one of the faster teams in the league. At the same time, the Bulls have done all of this without their starting guard and leading scorer, Coby White. For Chicago, many saw the Bulls being one of the worst teams this season, but they have shown that they are putting together a special team. With sports betting outlets like BetMGM setting Chicago’s win total for the season at just 33 wins, this young and exciting team has the potential to be a true playoff team in a very weak Eastern Conference.

Orlando Magic- Loser

With the East being the weakest it’s been in years, many expected the Orlando Magic to be near the top of the East. After one week, the Magic look far from the team they were just a couple of seasons ago. In their first six games of the season, the Magic sit at 2-4. After winning their season opener against the Miami Heat, Orlando would lose their next four games against the Hawks, Bulls, 76ers, and would finish off their four-game losing streak by losing to the Detroit Pistons by 19 points. On Thursday, they would have a strong 16-point win against the Charlotte Hornets, but the concerns are there for Orlando.

The Magic are bottom-10 in defense and have the 11th-worst offense in the league. They are the second-worst three-point shooting team in the league, making just 31% of their threes. One of the biggest surprises has been Orlando’s big offseason acquisition, Desmond Bane, who has taken a step back compared to his last season in Memphis. After one week, Bane is shooting a career-low 26% from three, nearly 13% worse than last season. With the Magic trading away most of their future assets and the second apron just a couple of years away from breaking apart the team, the Magic’s start to the season should be a concerning sign for the long season ahead.