The Oklahoma City Thunder remain the dominant team in the West behind MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander but the rest of the conference continues to be a battleground that may force other contenders to pursue a superstar for their playoff hopes. Will the Golden State Warriors make a splashy move before next month to help save their season? Or will the Phoenix Suns continue their chase of disgruntled superstar Jimmy Butler?In the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics remain the contenders to beat, but last season's lowly Detroit Pistons are in the hunt for the postseason this time, losing only one game in January so far. And the return of Paolo Banchero for the Orlando Magic will put other East teams on notice for the remainder of the season.