Basketball Intelligence For 12/1/23, PART ONE
Today's Best NBA Reporting And Analysis
TEAM-SPECIFIC
ATL: Trae Young Scores 45 Points and Dishes Out 14 Assists in 137-135 Win over Spurs
Jackson Caudell, Sports Illustrated
ATL: Trae Young’s defensive play saves Hawks’ win over Spurs
Lauren Williams, AJC
BKN: Nets’ defense shredded in loss to lowly Hornets as win streak ends
Brian Lewis, NY Post
BKN: Vaughn Hasn’t Found Answers As To Why Nets Continue To Allow Barrage Of Uncontested 3-Point Looks
Steve Lichtenstein
BOS: Celtics learned to floor it when needed, but can they do so again when it really counts?
Adam Himmelsbach, Boston Globe
BOS: Jrue Holiday is finding new ways to ‘raise hell’ on defense
Jared Weiss, The Athletic
CHI: Bulls play their best game of the season — an OT win against the Bucks — without Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune
CHI: Bulls rebuild doesn’t sound so bad after short-handed win over Bucks
Darnell Mayberry, The Athletic
DAL: With a slight uptick over the past three games, are the Mavericks settling in on defense?
Brad Townsend, Morning News
DAL: Mark Cuban’s grand vision for Mavericks revealed
Larry Brown Sports
DET: Pistons make history — in a bad way — with 15th straight loss
James Edwards III, The Athletic
DET: Pistons rally, but lose 16th straight
Omari Sankofa II, Free Press
GSW: How the Warriors’ big three went big-game hunting against the Clippers
Joe Viray, Golden State Of Mind
GSW: Klay Thompson came up biggest against he Clippers when the Warriors needed him most, no surprise to Steve Kerr
Jack Winter, Clutch Sports
GSW: Klay offers strong response to doubters in Warriors' win vs. Clippers
Monte Poole, NBC Sports
GSW: Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski play key role in Warriors’ win over Clippers
Anthony Slater, The Athletic
GSW: The Jonathan Kuminga - Steph Curry pick and roll picks apart the Clippers
Etic Apricot, Dub Nation Hq
Bonus video: Moses Moody sets screens in the pick and roll too
LAC: Warriors Have Enough in Tank to Outlast Weary Clippers
Justin Russo
LAC: Clippers go small and come up short against Stephen Curry and Warriors
Andrew Greif, LA Times
LAL: Are the Lakers a good team? LeBron James still has ‘no idea what we are’
Dan Woike, LA Times
MIL: Bucks fail to execute late in overtime loss to Bulls: ‘We did not respect the game’
Eric Nehm, The Athletic
MIL: The most concerning stat from the Bucks' gutting loss to the Bulls
Dalton Sell, Behind The Buck Pass
MIL: Bucks storm back to take lead late in fourth quarter, but fall to Bulls in overtime
Jim Owczarski, Journal Sentinel
MIN: Timberwolves top Jazz as Alexander-Walker scores 20 against former team
Chris Hine, Star Tribune
MIN: Foul trouble not as much of a bother for Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns
Chris Hine, Star Tribune
Karl-Anthony Towns picked up two early fouls in Thursday's win over Utah, but he didn't let that affect the rest of his night. That has become more common this season.
NYK: Avoiding Disaster: A Win Is A Win, Right?
Jonathan Macri, Knicks Film School
NYK: Mitchell Robinson, his high school coach share story of how mutual loss brought them together as roommates
Ian Begley, SNY
NYK: Knicks Squeak Past Pitiful Pistons
Tommy Beer, What’s On Tap
PHI: Nicolas Batum has been the Sixers’ most valuable acquisition in the trade with the Clippers
Keith Pompey, The Inquirer
The 6-foot-8 forward's ability to guard bigger and All-Star-caliber players has allowed the Sixers to be more aggressive with their defensive schemes
PHO: Has Devin Booker Become the NBA’s Best Point Guard?
Michael Pina, The Ringer
Booker was already one of the best scorers in the game. Now he’s become one of its greatest passers, too, unlocking new levels to his game
UTA: Jazz road woes continue with loss to Timberwolves: ‘We have to start figuring it out’
Tony Jones, The Athletic
UTA: Former Jazzmen Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker give Timberwolves victory over Jazz
Sarah Todd, Deseret News
Links to 9 great leaguewide stories as well as the usual wonderful work from the No Ceilings draft crew follow for paid subscribers