Basketball Intelligence for 11/14/24
McCain with an impressive starting campaign, the Joker's season is no laughing matter, LBJ tells age to go away, and more...
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TEAM NEWS
BOS: Could the Celtics shake off a bad loss? Their response against the Nets was exactly what Joe Mazzulla was looking for.
Adam Himmelsbach, Boston Globe
BOS: Do the Celtics have a rebounding problem?
Michael Shearer, Celtics Blog
BKN: Celtics stars Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown overpower Nets in 139-114 defeat
C.J. Holmes, NY Daily News
DEN: Nikola Jokic Was Already the Best Basketball Player Alive. Somehow, He’s Even Better Now.
Zach Kram, The Ringer
GSW: Three Warriors stats fueling hot start
Jeremy Kruger, Yardbarker
HOU: Jalen Green is trying to do his best GOB
Aaron Bollwinkel, Live. Breathe. Ball.
Arrested Development seems an apt place to start when discussing Jalen Green—not only because it reflects the state his game seems to be in, but much like GOB, I’m not so sure we’re good here.
It’s not that Green is exactly bad, it’s just that in his fourth year, he feels like the same player he was when he entered the league. An early strong start this year—27.9 ppg, 43.1% FG, and 40.7% 3PT over the first five games—was hoped to signal the continuation of what some saw as an ascendant stretch of play last March. But after the standard hot-start regression, the Rockets guard is back to looking like the same feast-or-famine player we’ve come to know and shrug.
LAL: Anthony Davis’s Unicorn Era May Be Over, but the Lakers’ AD Era Is Finally Here
Rob Mahoney, The Ringer
LAL: Another LeBron James triple-double leads Lakers to third win in a row
Dan Woike, The Los Angeles Times
MEM: Grizzlies building winning foundation thanks to front office
Jonathan Marshall, Yardbarker
MIN: Why Is Minnesota's Defense So Discombobulated?
Max Kappel, Zone Coverage
MIN: Inside Timberwolves' Rob Dillingham's bizarre NBA journey
Anthony Olivieri, ESPN.com
MIN: Timberwolves’ slide continues with latest of now-daily losses to Trail Blazers
Chris Hine, The Minnesota Star Tribune
But the first and largest domino of the Wolves defense is Rudy Gobert, and when he is wobbly it’s hard for the others to stay upright. Gobert said the past two games were on him, that he didn’t lead the Wolves defense as well as he should have. The best big man on the floor was Portland rookie Donovan Clingan, the former Connecticut Huskies center who had 15 points, 12 rebounds and eight blocks.
NYK: Knicks mount wild 22-point comeback but Jalen Brunson’s game-winner rims out in loss to Bulls
Kristian Winfield, NY Daily News
PHI: Jared McCain drops 34 in hard-fought Sixers loss to Cavs
Kyle Neubeck, Phly
PHI: Signature Significance: Jared McCain
Jared Dubin, Last Night, In Basketball
PHI: 3 observations after Sixers lose to 13-0 Cavs despite McCain's 34-point performance
Noah Levick, NBC Sports Philadelphia
PHI: Instant observations: Jared McCain leads valiant effort, but Sixers fall to unbeaten Cavaliers
Adam Aaronson, Philly Voice
POR: Career Nights for Shaedon Sharpe, Donovan Clingan Give Trail Blazers Their First Winning Streak
Sean Highkin, The Rose Garden Report
SAC: What we learned as Kings' 3-point shooting finally comes alive in win
Tristi Rodriguez, NBA Sports Bay Area
SAC: Kings snap 3-point shooting slump in blowout win over shorthanded Suns; DeRozan injured
Jason Anderson, The Sacramento Bee