Basketball Intelligence For 1/18/25
Boston rediscovers their Magic against Orlando, the Spurs can't bear the Grizzlies attack, Unrivaled unveiled, and more...
*FEATURE OF THE DAY*
How did Unrivaled do on opening night? Did new 3×3 league perform in the arena and on TV?
Sabreena Merchant/Ben Pickman, The Athletic
LEAGUE NEWS
Sixers’ next steps, Nuggets’ MVP connection and more NBA trends I’m watching
Fred Katz, The Athletic
Philadelphia is now 15-24 on the season, 11th in the Eastern Conference. Its big three of Embiid, George and Maxey has played only 10 games together. With the trade deadline less than three weeks away, the Sixers are now a team to watch.
Nine of their 11 games between now and the Feb. 6 deadline are against teams currently .500 or better. Embiid remains sidelined, with the Sixers saying Friday that he’ll be re-evaluated in seven to 10 days after experiencing swelling in his left knee following a workout Thursday. He had already missed the past two weeks with a foot injury. What happens if the Sixers continue to dig into this hole? Could they lean into a strategy reminiscent of what the Dallas Mavericks did a couple of years ago, when they disappointed, then intentionally dove down the standings to avoid giving away a lottery pick?
NBA Defenses Are All Different, Too
Jared Dubin, Last Night, In Basketball
OKC and Cleveland: A Tale of Two Teams
Jacob Sutton, JSutt Hoops
Midseason Report Card Grades for Every NBA Team's Rookie Class
Grant Hughes, Bleacher Report
Potential Cavaliers-Thunder NBA Finals gains intrigue. Plus, can Adam Silver tweak 3s?
Zach Harper, The Athletic
Brutally honest grades for all 30 teams at the mid-season mark
Michael Saenz, Sir Charles In Charge
NBA intel: 5 players most likely to be traded before the deadline
Brian Windhorst/Tim Bontems, ESPN
NBA Draft
PODCAST: Draft talk with Jonathan Wasserman: An early look at an exciting 2025 Draft class
Aaron Bollwinkel, Basketball Intelligence
Caden Pierce Scouting Deepdive
Elliott Crow, The Draftstack
In-Person Scouting Notes: Maryland vs. Northwestern
Maxwell Baumbach, No Ceilings
2025 NBA draft Big Board rankings: Top 100 prospects
Jonathan Givony, ESPN
WNBA
2025 Valkyries free agency 6: Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner
Eric Apricot, Valkyrie Nation
UNRIVALED
Unrivaled's first night was a thrilling success. Can new league keep the momentum rolling?
Safid Deen, USA Today
The league hopes to set new standards in women’s sports with higher salaries and team equity for players. On the court, it offers fast-paced action from players on a 70-foot court. The first game was one shot shy of 100 field-goal attempts, while 89 shots were lifted in the second game. The teams play to a target winning score, known as the Elam Ending, 11 points higher than the leading team’s score before the fourth quarter to incite decisive finishes.
Angel Reese's Unrivaled Debut with Rose Excites Fans as WNBA Star Makes Injury Return
Zach Bachar, Bleacher Report
Unrivaled's opening night: Takeaways, scores, highlights
ESPN Staff, ESPN
TEAM NEWS
ATL: An update on the Hawks and their five keys for the 2024-25 season
Lauren Williams, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
BOS: Jaylen Brown, Celtics rebound with blowout of Magic
Gary Washburn, The Boston Globe
BOS: The Celtics got a bit of everything they needed against Orlando. Now they have to keep building on it.
John Karalis, Boston Sports Journal
BOS: Mazzulla lauds Brown's ‘intensity' in dominant win over Magic
Justin Leger, NBC Sports Boston
BOS: Celtics improved intensity at both ends of the floor make any hope of a Magic upset disappear
Sherrod Blakely, Full Court Press Newsletter
BOS: Celtics rediscover the joy of winning as starting 5 comes together against Magic
Jay King, The Athletic
DAL: Kyrie Irving Has Strong Return to Guide Mavericks’ Win Over Thunder: 'I Needed to Be Better, and I Was'
Grant Afseth, Dallas Hoops Journal
Irving shook off the rust from his 11-point outing against the Denver Nuggets in what was a return from a five-game injury absence as he manages a bulging disc. Against Denver, Irving shot just 4 of 18 (22.2%) with each of his three shots from deep not falling. He bounced back significantly against Oklahoma City, shooting 9 of 19 (47.4%) from the floor and 3 of 8 (37.5%) from the perimeter.
“He looked like he shook off the rust after that Denver game and found his rhythm and flow tonight,” Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said about Irving.
From Irving’s perspective, the most significant part of his performance was managing to get up and down the court without his back hurting. Including on Wednesday at Smoothie King Center, Irving has gone through lengthy workouts, which have helped him have that “extra push” he leans on as a great player.
DAL: Mavs Game Observations: Game 42 vs Thunder
Iztok Franco, Diggin Basketball
DEN: Jokic, Murray, Denver Nuggets dominate Miami Heat in Jimmy Butler’s return
Ryan Blackburn, Mile High Sports
IND: Pacers approaching starting lineup decision between Bennedict Mathurin and Aaron Nesmith
Dustin Dopirak, Indianaoplis Star
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