No NBA team is unbeaten after Memphis lost 135-134 to New Orleans

No team in the NBA is unbeaten anymore, per ESPN's standings. The Memphis Grizzlies lost 135-134 to the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night, ending the league's last unbeaten run and leaving Memphis at 6-1. The best records in the league are now 7-1, held by the Philadelphia 76ers and the Houston Rockets.

The 1-point margin ends a 6-win start

Memphis entered the game at 6-0, the only team in the NBA's 30 without a loss. New Orleans, now 3-4, won by 1 point. The loss drops Memphis to 6-1, and its total differential falls to plus-90, from plus-91 before the game. Memphis scored 134 points, above its 123.0 average, and still lost, because New Orleans scored 135.

Memphis still leads the league in scoring

Memphis scores 123.0 points per game, the most of the league's 30 teams.

Memphis has outscored opponents 861-771 in total, a plus-90 differential, and its per-game differential is plus-12.9, tied with Houston at plus-12.9.

What the loss changes, and what it does not

Every team in the league now has at least 1 loss, so the race at the top is a 7-1 tie, not a chase of an unbeaten team. Philadelphia and Houston each have 7 wins and 1 loss. Memphis has played 7 games, while Philadelphia and Houston have played 8 games each, so its per-game differential of plus-12.9 matches Houston's, even though Houston's total of plus-103 is higher.

The sample is still small: Memphis has played only 7 games, and a 1-point loss is a single night, not a trend. What the night settles is simpler. There is no unbeaten team left to chase, and the team that lost that status still scores more per game than anyone else in the league.