Cleveland Cavaliers (7-3) Last Week: 8

LeBron's got his team back on track. Wins in Orlando and Miami were big, but so was the home victory on Saturday night over a feisty Jazz squad. Meanwhile, J.J. Hickson's playing time has increased, while Shaq, who sat out the Utah game, is getting just 24.3 minutes per game.

Atlanta Hawks (8-2) Last Week: 7

The Hawks needed Friday's win in Boston more than any of the other 81 games on their schedule, and they got it. They'll get three more tests this week, though, with Portland, Miami and Houston each visiting Philips.

L.A. Lakers (7-3) Last Week: 2

The Nuggets and Rockets made the Lakers look like a second-rate team over the weekend, and now the injury bug is starting to hit Hollywood. Fortunately for L.A., Kobe's groin injury shouldn't force him to miss any time.

Phoenix Suns (9-2) Last Week: 4

Steve Nash saved the day in a back-and-forth affair against the Raptors to help Phoenix rebound from the Lakers disappointment. Still the NBA's best team record-wise, the Suns face eight of their next 11 opponents on the road.

Boston Celtics (8-3) Last Week: 1

Doc's crew needs a rest after suffering two losses to two hungry teams in two nights. As long as Pierce's knee is OK, Boston knows it will have the last laugh come playoff time.

Orlando Magic (7-3) Last Week: 3

The home loss to Cleveland was an early-season test that Orlando couldn't pass. The Magic get another chance to make the grade Friday in Boston.

Dallas Mavericks (7-3) Last Week: 5

Rick Carlisle's blowup at halftime of the Rockets game must have worked. The Mavs allowed just 42 points in the second half of that one and have surrendered just 86.3 points per game since.

Miami Heat (7-2) Last Week: 6

D-Wade's game-winning shot to beat the Nets on Saturday saved the Heat from its first two-game losing streak of the season. Those are the kind of plays that win MVP awards.

Denver Nuggets (7-3) Last Week: 10

The Nuggets are riding high after blowing the Lakers away in impressive fashion at the Pepsi Center. However, let's not forget that it came on the heels of an uninspired 3-3 road swing.

Portland Blazers (8-3) Last Week: 12

Portland owes its hot start to a league-best 87.1 points allowed per game. Travis Outlaw's injury hurts, however. He'll miss a couple of months with a stress fracture in his right foot.

Houston Rockets (6-4) Last Week: 11

Fresh off of a confidence-building victory over the Lakers — the team that ousted them from the playoffs a season ago — Houston welcomes the Suns in one of the more intriguing match-ups of the week.

Milwaukee Bucks (5-2) Last Week: 18

We're seven games into the season and Brandon Jennings is already surpassing scoring records held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? Perhaps we should skip the formalities and hand him the ROY trophy today.

Oklahoma City Thunder (5-5) Last Week: 14

Oklahoma City proved that it's the real deal by winning in San Antonio over the weekend, but its youth was also on full display the following night at home in a disappointing loss to the Clippers.

Indiana Pacers (4-3) Last Week: 22

The four-game winning streak was punctuated by the Granger-guaranteed victory over the Celtics on Saturday night. Think he'll be so bold with LeBron coming to town this Friday?

San Antonio Spurs (4-4) Last Week: 13

Obviously they're better than this, but the Spurs have collected some ugly losses early on. Still, with a healthy Parker and Duncan, San Antonio's true colors should start to shine through.

Detroit Pistons (5-5) Last Week: 16

Despite Sunday's loss to Dallas, the Pistons are playing better basketball. A big key to the turnaround has been the play of Will Bynum (14.0 points per game off the bench) and Ben Wallace (9.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per night).

Sacramento Kings (5-4) Last Week: 25

Sure didn't see this one coming, but the Kings have won four straight over some decent competition — Utah, Golden State, Oklahoma City and Houston — and they've done it all without Kevin Martin.

Toronto Raptors (5-5) Last Week: 15

This team is fully capable of making a run to the playoffs and beyond — particularly with the nightly match-up problems they present — but the consistency is lacking for Jay Triano's squad.

Chicago Bulls (5-4) Last Week: 9

A victim of difficult early-season scheduling, the Bulls have quality wins over the Spurs, Bucks and Cavs thus far. Things don't get much easier as a six-game West Coast road swing is next on the agenda.

Utah Jazz (4-6) Last Week: 19

Utah played well without Deron Williams, and now that he's back, things should start to turn around. Eric Maynor performed well in his absence, averaging 18.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in two starts.

L.A. Clippers (4-7) Last Week: 20

The Clips salvaged what had been a disastrous week by hanging on to preserve a win in Oklahoma City. Still, Mike Dunleavy deserves a chance to coach this team with Gordon and Griffin on the court before any rash decisions are made.

Philadelphia 76ers (4-6) Last Week: 17

Philly's only two wins in its last seven games were a pair of three-point wins over New Jersey. Losing Marreese Speights — one of the Sixers' few bright spots — for a couple of months to a knee injury doesn't help.

New Orleans Hornets (3-8) Last Week: 21

The mess in New Orleans is further complicated by CP3's injury. If the Hornets trade Emeka Okafor, they might as well throw the towel in on the young season.

Golden State Warriors (3-6) Last Week: 26

Another week of Days of our Lives ends with Stephen Jackson's trade to Charlotte. Kelenna Azubuike, who stood to see more minutes if/when Jackson was dealt, will miss three to five months with a left knee injury.

Memphis Grizzlies (2-8) Last Week: 27

Michael Heisley has asked Allen Iverson for a decision on his future by the end of the week. Meanwhile, signing Jamaal Tinsley further complicates the Grizzlies' backcourt issues.

Washington Wizards (2-7) Last Week: 23

Losers of six straight, Washington has disappointed mightily this season. Getting Antawn Jamison back against Cleveland will help, but there's no reason the Wiz should be this bad.

Charlotte Bobcats (3-6) Last Week: 24

The Bobcats get significant offensive help with Jackson's acquisition, but it remains to be seen how he and Larry Brown will mesh in Charlotte.

New Jersey Nets (0-10) Last Week: 30

The Nets were oh-so-close to winning in Miami before Dwyane Wade ripped their hearts out. There's hope yet, however, as the Knicks come calling on Saturday afternoon.

New York Knicks (1-9) Last Week: 28

Off to the worst 10-game start in franchise history, Mike D'Antoni accused his team of quitting in Friday's loss to Golden State. The Knicks have given up 110.2 points per game this season.

Minnesota Timberwolves (1-10) Last Week: 29

The Wolves simply aren't fielding an NBA-quality team night-in and night-out. Mercifully they'll get Al Jefferson back against Houston on Wednesday.