1. The Bucks, man

The last time the Bucks lost, on Nov. 8:

• We were a lowly thrice-weekly newsletter (we’re a big-boy daily now; nevermind that we took last Friday off)

• England hated itself a little bit less 

• The Lakers weren’t yet our supreme overlords

The streak is up to 18 now, tied for the 11th longest in NBA history. The Bucks added two wins over the weekend (by 13 and 17) and are now up to 13 in the net rating department, which is, of course, insane.

They play Luka-less Dallas tonight, which could set up a mega-mega-matchup with the Lakers on Thursday.

2. The bottom of the Eastern Conference is a familiar sight

The Pistons, AKA the new Hornets, have taken the pill that makes the eighth seed in the East feel like the NBA Finals. After a 6-13 start, they’ve gone 5-2 in December to pull themselves to 11-15 and within one game of the final playoff seed.

Detroit’s best superlative is its 3-point shooting (first in the league in percentage; 19th in attempts), which means every other part of the team must be really bad.

3. The Warriors have mastered losing

Quick Tankathon update: It was a dream weekend for the Warriors’ lottery chances, and a total outclassing of the also-tanking Knicks.

After outlasting New York in overtime -- an eventual 124-122 Knicks win -- on Thursday, New York turned around and beat the Kings on Saturday, for an ill-advised two-game winning streak.

So, what did the Warriors do? They got blown out by the Kings last night, 100-79, to give themselves a one-and-a-half game cushion for worst record in the NBA. A total power move.

Golden State’s roster is perfectly synced in its lack of health, and it’ll thus be rewarded with a top-four pick to add to a roster that could have up to four All-Stars next season.

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