NBA: 5 teams that will move up the standings in the second half of the season

Five teams to keep an eye on during the second half of the 2020-21 NBA season. 

The second half of the 2020-21 NBA season is just about here and will be an action-packed frenzy heading into the playoffs. After roughly a week off, teams will be refreshed (and hopefully healthy) as they prepare for the NBA Trade Deadline and then the playoff push.

In a shortened season and expanded playoffs that will feature a play-in tournament for the final two seeds in each conference, there’s a chance that more teams than usual feel like they have a playoff chance at this point in the year. The current format should give hope to more teams and fans with a little more than 30 games remaining.

Which teams will be able to separate themselves from the rest of the pack? Which will take a step back? As we prepare for the second half of the season, we take a closer look at five teams that could potentially make a strong move up the standings as the push for the playoffs begins.