If you ever wondered how Atlanta and Golden State head to the end of the regular-season as championship favourites, take a look at the numbers.
These two teams share the ball like few do in the league.
The Warriors, the No 1 team in the Western Conference, and the Hawks, the only team that has secured a playoff berth so far, lead the league with 27 and 25.6 assists, respectively.
Game after game it becomes clear that ball movement continues and will play a big part in the outcome of the current NBA season.
Unsurprisingly, the Sacramento Kings (22-41), who average the fewest assists per game – 19.7 per game – struggle to make it to the playoff places.
When it comes to individuals, Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul epitomises the importance of creating scoring opportunities.
With the exception of Denver Nuggets guard Ty Lawson, the other assists leaders Chris Paul, John Wall, Russell Westbrook and Rajon Rondo have realistic chances of heading to the post-season.
Paul leads the league with 10.1 assists per game, and the Clippers come third behind the Hawks.
In Thursday morning’s 120-108 victory at Oklahoma City Thunder, Paul and the Clippers made a statement.
He had 33 points and a game-high 9 assists for a significant road win in OKC, which left OKC out of the 8th seed in the West, at least for now.
John Wall comes second with 10 assists per game, while the Wizards chances of making to the playoff remain alive, especially because of their current 0.569 winning percentage.
