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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — New York Giants coach Joe Judge isn’t backing down from the rambling, 11-minute answer he provided after Sunday’s 29-3 loss to the Chicago Bears, explaining why fans should still have faith. In fact, he’s doubling down.

Judge viewed it as a “dose of truth,” whether people want to believe it or not.

Any regrets?

“No,” Judge said confidently Monday on a conference call with reporters. “Look, I was asked a specific question about what fans were asking and I responded to it. People ask me a direct question, I give direct answers. Whoever is listening is going to get a dose of the truth. I was honestly answering to the fans. That was what the question was asked for. Obviously, the response can apply to a number of a lot of different areas.”

Such as examples of the culture he believes that has been built, a locker room that has been fumigated, and a group of players who are working hard despite being out of the playoff picture. There were also claims of former players calling to tell Judge they missed the Giants, and current impending free agents who are making pleas to return.

Judge declined to specify names when pressed. He reiterated the Giants were a desirable destination.

“I know this is a place that players want to play,” he said. “It’s a place that a lot of players are going to want to play for a long time.”

9hDan Graziano

21hJordan Raanan

4dMike Renner

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In Judge’s estimation, the Giants (4-12) are a well-coached team. He was asked point-blank the day after a fifth consecutive loss if he still thought so.

After taking a few seconds to digest the question, he responded confidently.

“I would. I would,” he said. “There are obviously some things we have to do better. I’m not going to sit here and hide behind anything. I’m not going to sit here and say we’re perfect or anything. There are a lot of things … I’ve seen a lot of improvement from our players in a lot of different ways. And sometimes not all that is magnified. But I look at different things that show up with our team. … So, look, I’m very confident with the way we’re pushing forward. There are things we have to improve on.

“Obviously, the most important thing in this league is winning. So we have to do a better job putting ourselves in a position to finalize and put ourselves in position to win.”

Judge’s postgame rant attracted plenty of criticism and skepticism in the 24 hours after the loss. It was a talking point on radio and television shows all over the country.

The two players made available on the Giants’ Zoom call Monday, running back Devontae Booker and left tackle Andrew Thomas, both said they did not hear Judge’s controversial comments. Booker did admit that some guys were talking about it Monday in the locker room.

One Giants player told ESPN that there is a faction of players who appreciate that Judge hasn’t quit on them. They, in turn, won’t quit on him.

That is good because Judge and the Giants will finish the season Sunday against the Washington Football Team at a likely angry MetLife Stadium, and they’ll be without quarterback Mike Glennon. Glennon will join starter Daniel Jones on the injured list.

Judge said that Glennon will undergo surgery on his left wrist.

That leaves Jake Fromm likely to start for the second time in his career. The first didn’t go so well two weeks ago against the Philadelphia Eagles, when he threw for 25 yards.

It was still better than this Sunday when the Giants finished with minus-10 net passing yards in Chicago. It was the lowest total in an NFL game since the Chargers and Ryan Leaf did it in 1998.

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Henrik Borgstrom played perhaps his best game of the season Sunday.

The talent-laden but still rough-around-the-edges forward won puck battles all over the ice against the Flames, winning possession back for the Blackhawks. He created space for his star linemates, Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat, by driving the net and holding off defenders. And he made a few nifty plays to set them up, too.

All of that was evident during a shift midway through the first period that resulted in the Hawks’ lone goal.

After a Kane zone entry, Borgstrom gathered a loose puck and took a shot that was deflected wide. He chased down his shot, won a battle in the corner versus two Flames — Rasmus Andersson and Andrew Mangiapane — and got the puck to Kane behind the net, who fed DeBrincat in the slot.

“He looked a lot better tonight,” interim coach Derek King said.

King’s quote hints at just how long-awaited that kind of strong night from Borgstrom had been, though. Throughout the autumn, basically nothing went right for him.

His on-ice production was limited. He made 17 appearances and tallied only three points. In seven of those games, he didn’t record a single shot on goal.

He was afflicted by a very unlucky string of poor health, missing eight games between Oct. 25 and Nov. 11 with COVID-19 and another illness and another four games between Dec. 10 and the holiday break with a flu bout so severe he ended up on injured reserve.

He lost the general manager, Stan Bowman, who had gambled on his NHL potential by acquiring his rights in April — at which point he was playing in his native Finland. Bowman sold Borgstrom on Chicago, prompting Borgstrom to say in May he felt “pretty confident” with Bowman’s staff, surely knowing his history of loyalty to his acquisitions. The new regime’s loyalty to him is much less cemented.

And he bounced all around the Hawks’ lineup as both Jeremy Colliton and, later, King searched to find the spot where he fit best. His playing time was a rollercoaster, fluctuating from around 13 minutes, to seven, to 15, to nine and then to 17, right before his flu hit.

But in his 17-minute game, Dec. 9 against the Canadiens, the Hawks discovered something interesting. He played that much because he was centering Kane and DeBrincat, and he centered them rather well.

So when the Hawks returned from the holiday break, King went back to that unusual first line in practice and in both games this weekend — and it clicked. Borgstrom now enters the Hawks’ Tuesday matchup against the Avalanche riding a three-game point streak.

“The guys who [center Kane and DeBrincat] have to play their game,” King said last week. “They can’t start to play DeBrincat’s game or Kane’s game; they need to just play their game. We’re hoping Borgstrom goes in there and just plays his game: drives the net, wins draws, hunts down pucks, disperses pucks to them and goes to the front of the net.”

“Those guys are so skilled, I’m just trying to contribute in any way,” Borgstrom said Sunday.

Borgstrom added he believes he “still [has] a long way to go to be at my best,” and he’s probably right. Playing alongside the Hawks’ two stars is a somewhat cheap way to accumulate points; he’ll eventually need to demonstrate he can produce elsewhere, too.

He has shown some effectiveness with Philipp Kurashev (83.3% scoring-chance ratio in 25 minutes together) and Dylan Strome (56.5% in 26 minutes together) and built some familiarity with Dominik Kubalik (45.7% in 83 minutes together), so perhaps King could construct future Borgstrom lines with combinations of those guys.

One way or another, though, Borgstrom is finally showing signs of settling into a rhythm. A more stable winter will prove if that’s actually sustainable.

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Amid the many constantly changing computations of playoff eligibility, there was a chance the Bears’ season finale against the Vikings could’ve been pushed to a later kickoff Sunday or even moved up as part of the NFL’s Saturday doubleheader.

But with the Bears long eliminated from the playoffs and the Vikings getting buried by the Packers, the league had no interest in showcasing their game.

The NFL always tried to get a make-or-break game for Sunday Night Football on the final day of the season, but it added the Saturday games this season and needed matchups where at least one of the teams had something at stake for the playoffs.

It found its gem with the Chargers visiting the Raiders in a game where the winner will clinch a postseason spot and locked that in for Sunday night.

The Saturday games will feature the Chiefs still vying for the No. 1 seed as they visit the Broncos, as well as the Cowboys facing the Eagles with both teams already in the playoffs but trying to improve their seeding.

Meanwhile, the Bears-Vikings game will play out with little drama other than waiting to see whether the two teams will embark on a massive overhaul as soon as it ends.

While it seems inevitable that the Bears will fire coach Matt Nagy after the game, it’s not as clear with general manager Ryan Pace. In Minnesota, general manager Rick Spielman and coach Mike Zimmer are in jeopardy as the team has gone 32-31-1 over the last four seasons.

Between those two teams flat-lining and the Lions’ perpetual ineptitude, the Packers improved to 15-2 in the division over the last three seasons by thumping the Vikings 37-10. It’s the best division record in the NFL over that span, and they finish against the Lions on Sunday.

Imperfect attendance

The Bears wrapped their home schedule with the 29-3 win over the Giants on Sunday and reported their official attendance — based on ticket sales, not actual people going to the games — at an average of 60,834. Soldier Field has the smallest capacity in the NFL at 61,500.

The Bears selling 98.9% of their tickets ranks 14th in the NFL, but again, that number is misleading. The official attendance for the Giants game was 59,594, for example, but the stadium appeared to be about two-thirds full.

In 2019, when they entered the season with Super Bowl aspirations, the Bears reported standing-room only crowds at an average of 61,916 fans and ranked third in the NFL at 100.7% of capacity.

With the addition of the 17th game this season, all NFC teams played eight home games and nine on the road. The Bears will have nine home games next season.

Roster moves

The Bears finally emptied their reserve/COVID-19 list Monday by activating tight end Jesper Horsted and linebacker Joel Iyiegbuniwe.

At the height of their outbreak last month, the Bears at one point had over a dozen 14 players on the list. Their entire starting secondary was out when they hosted the Vikings in Week 15.

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Bears coach Matt Nagy was busy explaining why he started Jason Peters at left tackle Sunday, 20 days before his 40th birthday, when he could have given second-round draft pick Teven Jenkins valuable playing time against the Giants.

Nagy reiterated what he’s said the last few weeks — “We’re gonna do everything we need to do, what’s best for this team right now,” he said — before saying how much he respected Peters.

“This is a Hall of Fame player that’s been playing a long time,” he said Sunday afternoon.

Peters didn’t need to play Sunday. The fact that Nagy believed otherwise shows the disconnect between the short-term interests of the head coach and the long-term goals of the franchise.

It’s not entirely Nagy’s fault. The conflict between the present and future was clear the second Bears chairman George McCaskey and president/CEO Ted Phillips decided to keep Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace for a win-or-else season — and then the franchise drafted rookie quarterback Justin Fields.

The conflict could have been resolved if McCaskey had decided to fire Nagy midseason and install an interim coach who knew, in no uncertain terms, that his job was to give young players experience. The Bears, though, don’t do that.

Pace could have implored Nagy to play rookies and young players, too — but he doesn’t know his fate for 2022, either.

Instead, the Bears embodied the theme of their 2021 season: by trying to serve both the present and the future, the Bears managed to do neither. With one foot on each parallel track, the Bears merely split their pants. Fields played this season — but not enough. Jenkins returned from injured reserve — but then played seven or fewer snaps in three of his five games. Rookie cornerback Thomas Graham went from being a revelation against the Vikings to playing four snaps two games later against the Giants.

Two players represented that push-and-pull the best Sunday: Jenkins and second-year outside linebacker Trevis Gipson. Both play behind future Hall of Famers. Gipson, though, was forced into action when the Bears lost Khalil Mack for the season because of a foot injury. Gipson injury has shown the kind of development a 6-10 team should value — he had two strip-sacks Sunday, bringing his sack total to 6 1/2 this season.

It would have been beneficial to see that sort of week-to-week growth from Jenkins — or heck, just give him a chance to try. Nagy argued that, with a lead, the Bears were able to get Jenkins in the game anyway.

“We were able to get Teven in in the fourth quarter there too,” he said. “We’re trying to kinda balance that, but at the same point in time, work that dynamic with all those guys.”

There was no balance. Jenkins played seven snaps Sunday — all in garbage time.

The six he played at left tackle were all David Montgomery runs. On the first run, Jenkins did a good job of kicking linebacker Jaylon Smith out to the left on a four-yard gain. On the second, defensive tackle Leonard Williams threw a swim move on a lunging Jenkins and tackled Montgomery for a one-yard loss.

The sample size, though, was painfully small — particularly when you consider that, on the only pass play Jenkins took part in, he was out of position. After the six runs, the Bears called a trick play in which Jenkins played tight end next to Peters, who was dragged back off the bench to play left tackle. Montgomery took a direct snap, ran to the line of scrimmage and tried a Tim Tebow-like jump pass toward Cole Kmet in the end zone. The pass, which was short, was intercepted by Giants linebacker Tae Crowder.

Gipson was responsible for two takeaways himself.

On the first play of the game, he ran untouched off the right edge and sacked quarterback Mike Glennon, who fumbled as he was preparing to throw. Bilal Nichols scooped it and ran it 12 yards to the Giants’ 2. With about three minutes left in the third quarter, he raced around right tackle Nate Solder to sack Glennon; and the ball was recovered by nose tackle Khyiris Tonga, the seventh-round rookie who out-snapped veteran nose tackle Eddie Goldman, 21-15.

Gipson’s two sacks came on only three pass-rushing snaps. He said he’s learned to hunt the ball from two of the best: Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn.

“I think it’s sort of just setting in on me, like, ‘Man, you can still get the sack-fumble if you hit the ball — you don’t just have to get the sack,'” he said. “You get more when you hit the ball. That’s something I take into my pass rush, and I feel like I’m appreciative of those guys and what they are preaching all the time.”

Ironically, though, both Mack and Quinn will be the reason Gipson play more next year — despite the fact only 35 players in the league have more sacks than he does. Gipson will only get to start If the Bears’ 2022 general manager — be it Pace or otherwise — decides to move either veteran in the name of a teardown.

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Matt Nagy is just trying to get through what will probably be his final week as Bears head coach. He’d prefer the attention stay on the meaningless season finale against the Vikings on Sunday rather than rehashing the various failures that have led him to the brink of being fired.

But it’s a good bet that Nagy won’t hang around for a full debriefing after the Bears let him go, so he’ll endure a few more days of prying into the big-picture problems he’s been unable to solve.

With an inconsequential blowout of the Giants already forgotten by Monday morning, the conversation shifted to why the supposed offensive guru the Bears thought they were hiring hasn’t been able to deliver on those expectations.

“As the years go on, there’s a lot of things that happen for different reasons,” he said, delivering one of his signature non-explanations. “Without taking time to really study and sit back, I think every year’s different whether it’s by position, whether it’s by schematics and whether it’s by opponents that you play.”

Hold up. The opponents? You mean you don’t get to play the Lions every week?

It’s just another filibuster.

The closest Nagy came to honing in on what he believes to be the answer for the Bears going 22-26 over the last three seasons was when he pointed out — carefully and in his typical roundabout manner — the instability on defense after his first season and the decline in takeaways.

“There’s one big stat that matters, in the end, no matter what team you’re talking about: What’s the turnover margin?” Nagy said. “Do you take the football away on defense and do you respect the football on offense?

“Check out the turnover margins in the NFL right now and I’ll bet you there’s some playoff teams in the top 10. That matters.”

It does, certainly. Nagy’s point is correct, but it’s not the main point. If he had the Bears cooking up 30 points per game and struggling because of their defense, he might be keeping his job.

Yes, the defense led the NFL with 36 takeaways in 2018, then plunged to the 22nd-to-27th range the next three seasons. This season, with rookie quarterback Justin Fields throwing 10 interceptions and losing five fumbles, the Bears have 16 takeaways and 27 turnovers for a minus-11 differential that ranks 28th. But it’s more relevant to Nagy’s fate that the Bears have scored 20 or fewer points in 31 of his 66 games, counting the playoffs.

The Bears have averaged 21.4 points per game the last four seasons, which ranks 24th, yet Nagy has a winning record at 34-30. The other five teams averaging between 20 and 22 have a combined winning percentage of .373. That’s how it goes when you don’t inherit a defense that was world-class at the start and still very good until this season.

Over that span, Nagy has a league-high 12 wins when his team has scored 20 or fewer points. It’s hard to do. So while the defense has had issues, it’s not the real reason he’s on his way out. It has kept him afloat.

His comments were reminiscent of when he carried on about defensive lapses in the 41-25 loss to the Packers last season. Giving up 41 points was an absolute debacle, of course. But Nagy leaned a little too hard on that shortcoming and underemphasized that his offense had just 10 points before picking up a couple touchdowns in garbage time.

Remember the Double Doink? Nagy was stunned as Cody Parkey’s kick bounced away. It’s easy to forget the offense didn’t score its first touchdown until six minutes into the fourth quarter and finished with just 15 points.

For Nagy, ultimately, it’s actually not as much about the defense’s struggles or even his win-loss record as it is that the Bears hired him to develop a quarterback and ignite an offense. And “for different reasons,” as he put it, neither has happened.

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Out of 61 first-place votes in the new AP Top 25 college basketball poll, which came out Monday, take a guess how many went to the undefeated, defending-national-champion Baylor Bears.

Half?

More?

Try all 61. Man, it seems everybody is sold on this team. Even your Cousin Earl tried to sneak in a No. 1 vote for the Bears, and he swears anything that involves voting is as rigged as a Peterbilt.

And yet … Baylor gets no respect, no respect at all, according to an email that popped into my inbox just after the new poll was released. It came from BetOnline and listed Gonzaga — at 7-to-1 — as the favorite to win the NCAA Tournament. Next was Duke at 9-to-1. Baylor was tied with Purdue at 10-to-1.

This is not an earth-shaking development. It made me chuckle, though. The Bears have been so dominant, they’re a ridiculously good bet at 10-to-1 and absolutely should have the shortest odds. By the way, have I mentioned I don’t bet on sports? Cousin Earl and I might be the last two doofuses left who don’t have online accounts.

Here’s the latest poll, out Monday:

AP Top 25

1. Baylor, 2. Duke, 3. Purdue, 4. Gonzaga, 5. UCLA, 6. Kansas, 7. USC, 8. Arizona, 9. Auburn, 10. Michigan State, 11. Iowa State, 12. Houston, 13. Ohio State, 14. Texas, 15. Alabama, 16. Providence, T-16. Kentucky, 18. Tennessee, 19. Villanova, 20. Colorado State, 21. LSU, 22. Xavier, 23. Wisconsin, 24. Seton Hall, 25. Texas Tech.

(Click here to see the poll in more complete list form.)

My ballot

1. Baylor, 2. Purdue, 3. Duke, 4. Arizona, 5. Kansas, 6. Gonzaga, 7. UCLA, 8. Auburn, 9. Iowa State, 10. Kentucky, 11. Houston, 12. USC, 13. Colorado State, 14. Michigan State, 15. Alabama, 16. Texas, 17. Xavier, 18. Ohio State, 19. Providence, 20. Oklahoma, 21. Wisconsin, 22. Texas Tech, 23. Illinois, 24. Tennessee, 25. LSU.

(Click here and then on “all voters” to see each voter’s individual ballot.)

Five things

o I have Illinois on my ballot, as you can see, and the Illini are sure to be back in the Top 25 for real if they grab a not-so-easy “W” at Minnesota on Tuesday and then take care of business against Maryland on Thursday. Entering the week, the Illini are No. 26 (otherwise known as first among others receiving votes).

o Directly behind Illinois is Oklahoma, Porter Moser’s new squad. The Sooners get Baylor on the road on Tuesday. Good luck with that, fellas. Has Moser torn off his warmup jacket and thrown it to the floor yet?

o UCLA still hasn’t played since Dec. 11. At what point should teams mired in lengthy COVID-19 pauses start to drop a bit in the rankings?

o The national championship game is scheduled for April 4 in New Orleans. That puts us at three months — max — until Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski hangs up the ol’ whistle.

o My only ballot crasher: Tennessee, despite its loss to Alabama; I regretted omitting the Vols a week before after they’d knocked off Arizona. Dropping off my ballot this time: Seton Hall.

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LOS ANGELES — If Mandy Moore is bracing for emotional whiplash, it’s understandable.

She and her musician-husband, Taylor Goldsmith, welcomed their first child in February, an event she says that turned her world “Technicolor,” and the pair collaborated on an upcoming second album.

The cloud ahead: The end of “This Is Us,” the NBC drama that she says proved a “dream on every single level,” from her co-stars to the consistently challenging work. The 18-episode final season, beginning Tuesday on NBC, will include an episode directed by Moore.

“It’s going to be so horrific to say goodbye in a couple of months” when taping wraps, said Moore. “I haven’t really wrapped my brain around it yet.” She plays matriarch Rebecca Pearson in the decade-shifting family drama created and produced by Dan Fogelman — who she says has steadfastly resisted pleas to keep it going.

Moore won’t have much of a lull after taping concludes. Next summer, the singer-songwriter and Goldsmith plan to tour in support of their follow-up album to 2020’s “Silver Landings,” with son August in tow. Moore calls him “the best thing in my life” and a look-a-like for his Dawes band frontman dad, including the dimple they share (“little butt chin,” as Moore cheerfully labels it on the baby, nicknamed Gus).

In a recent interview, Moore talked about motherhood and what she sees ahead for her career, which already counts teen pop stardom, movies (“A Walk to Remember,” “Saved!”) and a lead actress Emmy nomination for “This Is Us.” Remarks have been edited for clarity and length.

Q. As a new parent, how would you describe your life now?

A. It’s all of the clich?s, life in Technicolor. It’s a boundless love that you never could have imagined. It’s exhausting and exhilarating and everything in between. On a professional level, I approach my job with an entirely new heart. I want to go back to the beginning of this show now, because I have some idea of what it’s like to be a mother and what a mother’s love is and what it makes you do, and the crazy choices that you never could have imagined yourself making before becoming a parent.

Q. Your comment about wanting to revisit “This Is Us” with your new perspective brings to mind how protective Rebecca was when her son Randall’s birth father tried to enter his life.

A. That’s exactly what I was thinking about. That was a choice that I really was at odds with Rebecca about early on. It was really challenging to see how she possibly could have made that decision. And now being a mom, that was her baby. The idea that anybody could potentially harm your child emotionally or could potentially physically remove your child, all of that is unfathomable. So I definitely have a lot more compassion and empathy for the choice that she made.

Mandy Moore (top) returns for her final season on “This Is Us” as Rebecca alongside Milo Ventimiglia (right) as husband Jack.NBC

Q. Dan Fogelman’s thrown challenges at you every season, building to Rebecca’s dementia. Can you recall your reaction when you learned what she’d face?

A. It was initially shocking, but also heartbreaking. I was also terrified, as I was when Dan initially told me, “Hey, we have this idea where you’re playing this character present day as we will be jumping around in time.” I think I had that same initial, “Whoa, can I do that?” when thinking about [playing] this woman with this very real diagnosis that millions of people across the country and the world deal with with loved ones. I wanted to make sure that I was doing my due diligence and approaching this chapter of her life thoughtfully, because I know what a platform the show has to really have an important dialogue around Alzheimer’s and dementia and diagnosis.

Q. What’s ahead for you on the music front?

A. This past July, we went back into the studio, the same group of musicians (on ‘Silver Landings’). And the plan is to pick up in June and July of 2022 and go on the road the way that we had intended a week before the world shut down because of COVID. I feel like we’ll have this fully realized tour of music from “Silver Landings” and music from my next record. That’ll be out probably right around the same time as we tour next year, and we’ll be able to bring Gus with us. So we’ll have a bus with mom and dad and Gus and play music every night. It’s the dream. It’s going to be a fun year in 2022.

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DeMar DeRozan and the Chicago Bulls ended 2021 with fireworks. They started 2022 with some too.

The NBA’s leader in fourth-quarter scoring was at it again this past week, knocking down wild, buzzer-beating 3-pointers in back-to-back fashion to stun the Indiana Pacers and Washington Wizards.

Thanks to DeRozan’s late-game heroics, the Bulls have now won seven straight to vault into the Eastern Conference lead.

Sticking in the East: The defending champion Milwaukee Bucks have taken advantage of softer stretch in their schedule to reel off a six-game win streak.

The longest active run in the Western Conference belongs to the Memphis Grizzlies, who remain in the driver’s seat for home-court advantage behind four straight wins, a run that includes close victories over the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers.

See where the league’s streaking teams check in this week in our latest breakdown of all 30.

Note: Throughout the regular season, our panel (Tim Bontemps, Jamal Collier, Nick Friedell, Andrew Lopez, Tim MacMahon, Dave McMenamin and Ohm Youngmisuk) is ranking all 30 teams from top to bottom, taking stock of which teams are playing the best basketball now and which teams are looking most like title contenders.

1. Golden State Warriors
2021-22 record: 28-7
Previous ranking: 1

The Warriors picked up a big win over the Jazz on Saturday night, made even more impressive given the fact that they did it without Draymond Green, who was out because of COVID-19 protocols. After dealing with a variety of coronavirus-related absences, Steve Kerr’s team just rolls on and is on the verge of getting Klay Thompson back. The Warriors are clearly the best team in the league through the first 2 1/2 months of the season. — Friedell

2. Phoenix Suns
2021-22 record: 28-8
Previous ranking: 2

Jalen Smith delivered an epic poster over Mason Plumlee on Sunday night. But more importantly, Smith, who has been forced into action because of health and safety protocols hitting Phoenix, has made the most of his time. In the past four games, Smith is averaging 16 points and 10.5 rebounds per game while shooting 56.1% from the field — all while not hitting 30 minutes in any game. — Lopez

3. Chicago Bulls
2021-22 record: 24-10
Previous ranking: 6

3dKevin Pelton

3dZach Lowe

3dKevin Pelton

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Good luck stopping DeMar DeRozan right now. During the seven-game winning streak that has vaulted the Bulls into first place in the Eastern Conference, DeRozan is averaging 28.4 points, 6.3 assists and 4.4 rebounds while shooting 48.6% (including 5-of-7 from 3). Last week, he became the first player in NBA history with buzzer-beaters on back-to-back nights, against the Pacers and the Wizards; it was a small peak into how good he has been in the clutch. The Bulls are 11-6 in clutch situations, and DeRozan is shooting 55.6% from the field and 96.2% from the free throw line in those situations. — Collier

4. Utah Jazz
2021-22 record: 26-10
Previous ranking: 4

The Jazz had no choice but to play some small ball in Saturday night’s loss to the Warriors because backup center Hassan Whiteside was sidelined by a concussion. It didn’t go well. Utah outscored Golden State by 10 points in Rudy Gobert‘s 35 minutes — and lost the game by seven. Signing Rudy Gay gave the Jazz the flexibility to tinker with small-ball lineups, but they’ve largely been ineffective, as Utah’s five most frequently used centerless lineups are minus-15 in 40 minutes. — MacMahon

5. Milwaukee Bucks
2021-22 record: 25-13
Previous ranking: 5

After being slowed by injuries to start the season, Jrue Holiday has started to settle into a groove lately. He is averaging 21.5 points and 7.2 assists per game during Milwaukee’s six-game winning streak, shooting 60.2% from the floor and 45.8% from 3. — Collier

6. Brooklyn Nets
2021-22 record: 23-11
Previous ranking: 3

Will Kyrie Irving make his debut this week? He could play as soon as Wednesday at Indiana. The Nets, meanwhile, have a couple of signpost games on their schedule over the next couple of weeks, beginning with Friday’s showdown at Barclays Center against the defending champion Bucks. — Bontemps

7. Miami Heat
2021-22 record: 23-14
Previous ranking: 7

Miami had its five-game winning streak snapped on Sunday in Sacramento, the start of a West Coast swing that includes tough games against the Warriors on Monday and the Suns on Saturday. Jimmy Butler is in the midst of a solid run and continues to set the tone for his team. Over his past four games, Butler is averaging 25 points, 6.5 rebounds and 6.8 assists. — Friedell

8. Memphis Grizzlies
2021-22 record: 23-14
Previous ranking: 9

Ja Morant is in the midst of one of the greatest scoring runs in Grizzlies history. He has scored at least 30 points in three straight games, just the second time that has happened for the franchise. Morant has averaged 34.7 points during that stretch, shooting 55.7% from the floor and 80% from 3-point range. Morant, whose jumper had been considered a weakness, is shooting 40% from 3-point range this season. — MacMahon

9. Philadelphia 76ers
2021-22 record: 19-16
Previous ranking: 10

It’s been a wild season in Philly for many reasons, but the 76ers have lifted themselves out of the play-in morass with three straight wins to end 2021 and have begun trying to climb back to the top of the East standings. — Bontemps

10. Cleveland Cavaliers
2021-22 record: 21-16
Previous ranking: 8

Much of the talk surrounding Kevin Love coming into the season regarded how healthy he would be and whether Cleveland would still be a fit for him at this stage of his career. He has proved to be vital to the Cavs’ resurgence. And his 20-point, eight-rebound and four-assist performance in a win over Indiana on Sunday marked his fifth straight 20-point game — his longest such streak since LeBron James was his teammate. — McMenamin

11. Denver Nuggets
2021-22 record: 18-16
Previous ranking: 11

Despite having a game postponed because of COVID-19 issues then watching coach Michael Malone and lead assistant David Adelman enter protocols, the Nuggets still have won three straight games. Nikola Jokic continues to put up MVP-like numbers, averaging 25.0 points and 18.2 rebounds over his past four games. And if Denver hadn’t blown a 17-point fourth-quarter lead to the Hornets, the Nuggets would be riding a four-game winning streak. Not bad for a team without Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. — Youngmisuk

12. LA Clippers
2021-22 record: 19-18
Previous ranking: 12

Still reeling from the Christmas Day news that they will be without Paul George for likely at least a month due to a torn ligament in his right elbow, the Clippers were routed by Brooklyn at home last Monday. They rebounded to win at Boston, but Clippers coach Ty Lue and starting center Ivica Zubac entered health and safety protocols before the team suffered a tough close loss at Toronto on New Year’s Eve. Forced to play at Brooklyn on a back-to-back, the Clippers learned Luke Kennard entered protocols before they left the hotel for the arena. Still, even with Nicolas Batum (ankle), Marcus Morris Sr. (rest) and Isaiah Hartenstein (ankle) also out, the Clippers pulled out their biggest and most improbable win of the season over an uninspired Nets team. Somehow, the depleted Clippers remain above .500. A few reasons: Eric Bledsoe is playing his best basketball of the season, and youngsters Terance Mann and Amir Coffey are developing. — Youngmisuk

13. Charlotte Hornets
2021-22 record: 19-18
Previous ranking: 13

Wednesday, Jan. 5
Warriors at Mavs, 7:30 p.m.
Jazz at Nuggets, 10 p.m.

All times Eastern

Charlotte had its three-game winning streak snapped in a blowout loss to the Suns on Sunday. The good news for the Hornets is that LaMelo Ball continues to have a nice rhythm: Over his past five games, he is averaging 18.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 6.4 assists. The Hornets, however, have tough back-to-back home games against the Bucks at the end of the week. — Friedell

14. Los Angeles Lakers
2021-22 record: 19-19
Previous ranking: 14

Russell Westbrook had nine turnovers in Sunday’s win over the Wolves. He also had 20 points — including a big jumper to put L.A. up six with just less than five minutes remaining — along with five assists. LeBron James explained how Westbrook cutting his turnovers to two in the second half against Minnesota, after seven in the first half, helped the team. “It resulted in us being able to get shots, and when we get shots, we’re a really good team,” James said. “What has really hurt us this year is when we turn the ball over a lot, and not able to set our defense, where we’re really good in half court, have teams run it out on us.” — McMenamin

15. Washington Wizards
2021-22 record: 18-18
Previous ranking: 15

Like many other teams around the league, the Wizards have a long injury report, with six players, including Spencer Dinwiddie and Montrezl Harrell, in health and safety protocols. That 10-3 start Washington enjoyed has become 18-18 on the season. Washington, though, looked like it was going to beat the Bulls, until DeMar DeRozan drilled a 3-point buzzer-beater against them on Saturday. The Wizards are in a stretch in which they play 12 of 14 games at home. If they can get closer to whole, they could make some noise again. — Youngmisuk

16. Dallas Mavericks
2021-22 record: 18-18
Previous ranking: 17

The Mavericks managed to go 5-5 during Luka Doncic‘s extended absence in large part due to Jalen Brunson‘s performance as the fill-in starting point guard. In the 10 games, Brunson averaged 21.0 points and 7.4 assists while shooting 51.3% from the floor and 37.5% from 3-point range. Brunson, who will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, remained in the starting lineup alongside Doncic on Sunday, recording 12 points and seven assists in a road win over the Thunder. — MacMahon

17. Boston Celtics
2021-22 record: 18-19
Previous ranking: 16

Boston nearly got 2022 off to a disastrous start, only for Jaylen Brown‘s first 50-point game to save the Celtics from a home loss to Orlando to open the year. After a brutal December schedule, however, it gets easier in January, and Boston also should get Jayson Tatum back from health and safety protocols this week. — Bontemps

18. Toronto Raptors
2021-22 record: 16-17
Previous ranking: 19

Despite a season full of injuries, COVID-19 issues and now playing in an empty arena in Toronto, the Raptors have pulled themselves back to within a game of .500 after Sunday’s win over the Knicks. Coach Nick Nurse’s team finally has its best lineup — Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr., OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes — available, and now Toronto will try to scoot even farther up the standings. — Bontemps

19. Minnesota Timberwolves
2021-22 record: 16-20
Previous ranking: 20

Minnesota should be adding some reinforcements to its lineup this week, with Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell nearing the end of their stays in health and safety protocols. They are both likely to miss Monday’s game against the Clippers, but Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said a return for Wednesday’s game against the Thunder is a realistic target. — Collier

20. Atlanta Hawks
2021-22 record: 16-19
Previous ranking: 18

Trae Young averaged 30.5 points and 10.0 assists per game in December, the third time in his career that he has averaged 30 and 10 over the span of a month. (He averaged 31.7 and 11.5 in January 2020 and followed that up with 31.3 and 10.1 the next month.) According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that’s the fourth-most calendar months averaging 30 points and 10 assists in NBA history, trailing Oscar Robertson (19), Tiny Archibald (six) and Russell Westbrook (four). — Lopez

21. New York Knicks
2021-22 record: 17-20
Previous ranking: 21

New York has fallen out of the play-in spots in the East. Kemba Walker is sidelined with knee soreness, and Julius Randle is in health and safety protocols. With the Eastern Conference being far more difficult than at any point this century, the Knicks had better get themselves straightened out — and fast. — Bontemps

22. San Antonio Spurs
2021-22 record: 14-21
Previous ranking: 22

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San Antonio’s 3-point defense has been stellar over the past six games. Opponents have failed to make more than 10 3s against the Spurs in that stretch while shooting 27.3% from deep. San Antonio’s six consecutive games of holding an opponent to 10 or fewer 3s is the longest such streak by any team this season, and it’s tied for the second-longest streak by any team in the past three campaigns. (Utah had a streak of seven that started with two games at the end of the 2020-21 campaign and five to begin this season.) — Lopez

23. Sacramento Kings
2021-22 record: 16-22
Previous ranking: 26

Jimmy Butler’s layup attempt to force overtime at the buzzer on Sunday bounced twice off the rim before missing, giving Sacramento a quality win to cap a 3-1 week that included a buzzer-beating winner from Chimezie Metu. — McMenamin

24. Indiana Pacers
2021-22 record: 14-23
Previous ranking: 23

The Pacers have dropped four consecutive games, with their two most recent losses following a trend that has plagued them all season long: defeats in close contests, dropping to 1-11 in games decided by four or fewer points this season. — Collier

25. Portland Trail Blazers
2021-22 record: 13-22
Previous ranking: 24

The season continues to spiral for Portland. The Blazers dropped their fourth straight game on New Year’s Eve, when they fell by 33 points to the Lakers. Portland enters 2022 having lost 11 of the past 13 tilts. With Jusuf Nurkic, Cody Zeller and Dennis Smith Jr. in health and safety protocols and CJ McCollum (lung) still out, Damian Lillard will have to continue to shoulder a massive load to resuscitate Portland’s sinking season. — Youngmisuk

26. New Orleans Pelicans
2021-22 record: 13-23
Previous ranking: 25

Pelicans forward Herbert Jones has a block in 14 consecutive games, which is a franchise record for a rookie. He leads all rookies in steals (43) and deflections (95) and is second in blocks (34), behind Cavs center Evan Mobley. Jones is also the only rookie to average at least one block and one steal per game this season. — Lopez

27. Oklahoma City Thunder
2021-22 record: 13-23
Previous ranking: 27

Rookie Josh Giddey returned from health and safety protocols with a historic performance, becoming the youngest NBA player (19 years, 84 days) to record a triple-double by putting up 17 points, 13 rebounds and 14 assists in Sunday’s loss to the Mavericks. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Giddey tied an NBA record for most assists by a teenager, matching LeBron James and Zach LaVine. Giddey, the No. 6 overall draft pick, has dished out double-digit assists in four of his past six games. — MacMahon

28. Houston Rockets
2021-22 record: 10-27
Previous ranking: 28

A lot has gone wrong recently for the Rockets, who have lost seven in a row and have had disciplinary issues with two core players, Kevin Porter Jr. and Christian Wood. A bright spot: Rookie Jalen Green has scored prolifically and efficiently since returning from the hamstring strain that sidelined the No. 2 overall draft pick for a month. Green has averaged 22.3 points on .481/.515/.870 shooting splits in four games since returning to the lineup. — MacMahon

29. Orlando Magic
2021-22 record: 7-30
Previous ranking: 29

Orlando has dropped five in a row after an overtime loss to the Celtics on Sunday night. They have given up an average 116.4 points over their past five games and are just 2-13 at home on the season. Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac can’t come back soon enough, but even those two young players can’t cure what ails this young group. — Friedell

30. Detroit Pistons
2021-22 record: 6-28
Previous ranking: 30

One recent source of encouragement for Pistons fans: some improved play from Saddiq Bey. After getting off to a slow start in his sophomore season, he is averaging 20.6 points and 7.5 rebounds during his past 10 games and is starting to look much like the player from his strong rookie campaign. — Collier

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