NBA's hottest, coldest teams: Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs are on fire

This is the time of the NBA season, with two weeks to go before the start of the playoffs, when teams want to be playing their best basketball. Squads that are playing well late in regular seasons often outperform their perceived record and can go on deep playoff runs. Sometimes it’s the case of a team finally finding its identity, sometimes it’s the return of an injured star reinvigorating a lineup and sometimes, frankly, it’s a case of veteran teams coasting through much of the season, saving their best for when games matter most.

Yet, that isn’t necessarily the case for everyone. Some teams have hit recent struggles and are sputtering headed into the end of the 2025-26 season. Here’s a look at who’s hot in the NBA and who is decidedly not: Who's hot?

Atlanta Hawks Since the All-Star break, the Hawks have been the hottest team in the East, going 18-3 in that span. The coaching job Quin Snyder has done this season is nothing short of remarkable. This season alone, the Hawks have been through several iterations of this team — from an opening night starting lineup that played just 24 minutes together to eventual trades of Trae Young and Kristaps Porziņģis — but have now settled on a team-first, ball-sharing identity that’s backed by defense.

Atlanta is averaging 30. 3 assists per game, which is currently tied for eighth-most in NBA history. And, with Nickeil Alexander-Walker settling into a larger role and being paired alongside Dyson Daniels, the Hawks have a ferocious clamp on opposing wing scorers.